Evaluation of Benin's 
Basic Education 
Reform Pedagogical 
Component
Prepared for 
USAID/Benin
Prepared by 
Charles J. Tesar, Team Leader
William Lee
Carrie Lewis
Nzal Alimasi
Dacia Van Antwerp
Louis Berger /
DevTech Team 
2300 N Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 
20037 
Contract No. AEP-I-811-00-00022-00
Final Report 
April 2003
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND
Pedagogical reform in Benin’s primary schools was initiated more than ten years ago. 
The reform, known as les Nouveaux Programmes d’Etudes (NPE), began with the design 
and elaboration of a new program of studies that was tested under experimental 
conditions in selected schools. During the last four years, the new program of study 
has been extended to the first four grades of all schools (both public and private) in 
the country. From the outset, USAID/Benin has supported these activities. The first 
phase of USAID support known as the CLEF project was completed in 2001 and a new 
program known as EQUIPE began in 2003. USAID and the Ministry of Primary and 
Secondary Education have directed that an evaluation of the impact of the reform be 
conducted. 
The evaluation process began with the arrival of a team of US-based consultants 
provided by the Louis Berger/DevTech Group. Members of the group have extensive 
experience in educational reform in developing nations; and several have been actively 
involved in the design and implementation of the NPE here in Benin.
The goals of the evaluation were the following: 1) assess the impact of the NPE on 
students, teachers, parents and school administrators in grades CI and CP; 2) 
evaluate past and current teacher training activities in light of instructional 
requirements of the NPE; 3) appraise the quality of student measurement and 
evaluation systems; and, 4) examine the role played by the network of documentary 
centers with respect to supporting the NPE.
In addition, the team was asked to make recommendations to guide the next steps of 
the reform process, and to suggest strategies for periodic and regular evaluation of 
progress in the effort. 
The evaluation team concentrated research efforts on field activities: visiting schools, 
observing classes, interviewing parents, teachers and school administrators. More 
than 220 schools were selected for visit from a list provided by the DPP. They were 
selected on the basis of a stratified, random sampling procedure that assured broad 
representation among all public and private schools in Benin. Observation 
instruments and questionnaires were developed to guide the research with the 
cooperation of USAID and MEPS officials; school visits were conducted in February 
and March 2003.
The team immediately encountered difficulties finding schools in operation. The 
teachers’ strike had effectively closed school operations throughout the country during 
the evaluation period, except for selected days (Mondays) and in private schools. 
Nevertheless, the team was able to visit some 211schools and observe activities in 141 
classrooms.
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FINDINGS
The team confirmed that the NPE program is widely known and appreciated in all 
schools visited and that materials are being used by teachers and students. We noted 
also that the great majority of teachers had been trained in methods of the NPE, and 
that they feel very favorable toward the program. MEPS administrators, including 
school directors are familiar with the new system, and view the program favorably. 
The team commends MEPS for disseminating components of the NPE.
Findings in the classroom, however, were not so positive. Fewer than ten percent of 
children can speak, read or write French at the levels expected in NPE materials in CI 
and CP. We noted also that students in CE1 encounter similar difficulties in French, 
where about 20 percent operate at required levels of mastery.
Since French is the only medium of instruction, and not just a separate school 
subject, the implications of this situation hold far-reaching, negative consequences for 
Benin’s children. Without the means to learn, children quickly abandon school or their 
parents seek out private education. Those who remain in school are promoted without 
regard to performance; hence upper grades are becoming filled with children unable to 
function at even the most basic level. Since more than 40 percent of primary school 
children are in CI and CP, this means that four of ten are at grave risk. Unless actions 
are taken immediately, it is likely that dropout and school abandonment will rise in 
the medium term.
The cause of this situation has little to do with pedagogical reform or the NPE. These 
measures are impossible to implement in the environment that threatens primary 
education. Besides teacher strikes, which have plagued primary education for a 
number of years, but virtually crippled programming during the last two years, there 
are other systemic problems that impact on teacher and children performance.
Financing for primary education services is in crisis. Not only are teachers striking for 
higher salaries, the educational infrastructure is suffering for lack of investments. The 
evaluation team estimated actual expenditures in the schools surveyed and found that 
expenditures per student are less than half what is allocated in the primary education 
budget. 
Experienced and better-trained teachers (APEs) are leaving the profession and being 
replaced by local-hires, who often come to the classroom with little more than primary
school training. Classrooms are inadequate and crowded; an average of 62 children 
composed classes in CI and CP grades in schools surveyed. There are simply too 
many children for teachers to manage, and assuredly too many to provide the 
individual attention that CI and CP students require. Within MEPS, there is no clear 
organizational structure that is responsible for supporting and sustaining reforms.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Instability and systemic problems must first be addressed if pedagogical reforms are to 
advance. Unless schools are in operation, there is little justification or value for 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech iii
USAID to continue investments in the reform process. Even if teachers return to 
classes, USAID should condition further investments on the Government of Benin’s 
commitment to disburse expenditures budgeted for primary education. Similarly, 
there must be a concerted effort to expand the number of classrooms and hire trained 
teachers if reforms are to succeed.
With respect to the NPE, the evaluation team recommends that USAID and MEPS stay 
the course that has been chosen, but make revisions in programming. Specific 
recommendations include 1) Initiate immediate retraining for teachers in CI and CP 
with the skills needed to accommodate large classes and to teach French. 2) 
Implement a MEPS-wide system of evaluation, diagnosis and feedback to better inform 
program planning. 3) Conduct a programmatic audit and reorganization of MEPS to 
clarify roles and responsibilities in support of the NPE; this should place special focus 
on the role of INFRE, CGNPE, DEP and the DPP. 4) Provide school directors with the 
skills to train and support new teachers on-site. 5). Establish a national network of 
demonstration/laboratory schools that can present teachers with a working model of 
the NPE. 6) Initiate public-private cooperation to support the private sector, which has 
made significant progress toward implementing pedagogical reforms. A more 
comprehensive and detailed list of findings and recommendations follows in the body 
of the evaluation report.
There should be a sense of urgency in implementing these recommendations, since 
with each passing day, acquired skills and capacities installed through pedagogical 
reform are at risk of being lost or mitigated. And with each passing week, children are 
being permanently denied an opportunity to participate in or contribute to Benin’s 
development.
The evaluation team expresses our appreciation to the staff of MEPS, in particular 
members of the Cellule pour la generalization de NPE, and to the dedicated teachers 
and school directors who are the heart of the organization.
TESAR, Charles, Team Leader
ALIMASI, Ntal
LEE, William
LEWIS, Carrie
VAN ANTWERP, Dacia 
The Louis Berger/DevTech Team members. 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction
II. Methodology
III. Context of Pedagogical Reform in Benin’s Primary Education System
IV. Evaluation of the New Program of Study for CI and CP 
V. Findings and Recommendations for French and Mathematics 
VI. Teacher Training
VII. Student Assessment and School Orientation
VIII. Assess the Functioning of the Documentary Network Action Plan
IX. Analysis of the CLEF Pedagogy Components of the Consultants’ Reports
X. Periodic and Ongoing Evaluation Strategies for EQUIPE and MEPS Project 
Activities
XI. Management and Use of Pedagogical Inputs 
ANNEXES
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Abbreviations
APE Association des Parents d’Elèves
APE Agent Permanent de l’Etat
BAC Baccalaureat, the Secondary school leaving exam
BEPC First cycle of secondary school degree
BET Basic Education Team, USAID/Benin’s Education Strategic Objective Team
CAAP Centre d’Appui aux Activités Pédagogiques
CEAP Certificat Elémentaire d’Aptitude Pédagogique
CAP Certificat d’Apprentissage Professionnelle
CD Centre de Documentation
CDDIP Centre Départemental de Documentation et d’Information Pédagogiques
CDDP Centre Départemental de Documentation Pédagogiques
CDE Centre de Documentation d’Etablissement
CDIP Centre de Documentation et d’Information Pédagogiques
CEC Centre d’Etude Communautaire
CI Cours d’Initiation
CLAC Centre de Lecture et d’Animation Culturelle
CLEF Children’s Learning and Equity Foundation
CLP Centre de Lecture Publique
CM Cours Moyen
CNDIP Centre National de Documentation et d’Information Pédagogiques
CNDP Centre National de Documentation Pédagogiques
CP Conseillers Pédagogiques
CP Cours Préparatoire
CCS Chef de Circonscription Scolaire
CS Circonscription Scolaire
DAPS Direction de l’Analyse, de la Prévision et de la Synthèse
DEP orDDEPS Direction Départementale des Enseignements Primaire et Secondaire
DPP Direction du Planificqtion et de la Prospective
DRH Direction des Resources Humaine
ENI Ecole Normale des Instituteurs
ENI Ecole Normale Intégrale
GOB Government of Benin
IFESH International Foundation for Education and Self-Help
INFRE Information Nationale Formation et Recherche pour Education
MEPS Ministère des Enseignements Primaire et Secondaire
MESRS Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieure de la Recherche Scientifique
NPE Nouveau Programme d’Etude
ONG Organisation Non-Gouvernementale
RUP Responsable de l’Unité Pédagogique
UP Unité Pédagogique
UNB Université Nationale de Bénin
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I. INTRODUCTION
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MEPS) launched a program to 
reform the primary education of Benin in 1992. Implementation of educational reform 
has proceeded in the form of a New Program of Study (NPE), which comprises 
interventions in the development of a new curriculum; elaboration, printing and 
distribution of instructional materials; and teacher and administrator training 
initiatives. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has 
supported these initiatives with technical assistance and financial resources provided 
through the CLEF project, which has aided the Ministry’s Cellule de Généralization 
des Nouveaux Programmes d'Etudes (CGNPE) in the project execution.
With the termination of the CLEF project and the initiation of a new operation, 
EQUIPE, USAID will continue to support MEPS to complete the introduction of the 
NPE to the upper two grades of Benin’s nearly 5,000 primary schools. The immediate 
goal of USAID support is to underwrite programming to extend the new program of 
study through CM1 and CM2 during the next two years, and to consolidate 
educational reform in all six grades of primary education.
Background
The educational reform processes began with the design of action plans, followed by 
the elaboration of curricular and training materials for the first two years of primary 
schooling (CI and CP). After designing these instructional programs, MEPS selected a 
cohort of 30 experimental schools to validate, revise and test the various curricular 
and training components of the reform. The following year, elements of the new 
program were prepared for CE1 for testing in the same group of experimental schools. 
During each succeeding year, the program was prepared and tested for the next grade 
level. As the materials and methods were tested and revised, the program was 
introduced to a larger group of 180 schools (impliquées) for further testing and 
revision.
Beginning in 1999, the program for CI was replicated and extended (generalized) 
throughout the entire nation’s 4,500 or so primary schools. This was followed in 
Y2000 with the extension of CP training and materials to all primary schools. The new 
program of study was extended to CE1 and CE2 in 2001 and 2002, respectively; 
replication is planned for CM1 during the summer of 2003, and CM2 during the 
summer vacation of 2004.
Four years have passed since the generalization of the new program of study to CI and 
three years have lapsed since the CP program was introduced throughout the country. 
USAID and the MEPS have determined to measure the impact of the program on 
student and school performance. In January 2003, the Louis Berger/DevTech 
consortium was selected by MEPS and USAID to conduct an intensive evaluation of 
reform effort. 
The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the outcomes of the reform process with 
respect to its impact on student performance; notably, improved skills in French and 
Mathematics, and acquisition of skills and attitudes in the Arts, Sciences, Civics and 
Physical Education. The overriding goal of the NPE is to improve children’s academic 
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abilities; life and social skills; to reduce grade repetition and school abandonment; and 
to improve children’s prospects for entering and completing secondary education.
The Berger/DevTech evaluation team, comprising five U.S. citizens, began work in late 
January and completed the project in April 2003. The process began with extensive 
consultation with USAID and MEPS staff to determine the most appropriate approach 
to conduct the study. A field-based methodology was used to execute the evaluation. 
The approach included visits to some 200 schools, based on a sampling procedure 
that assured that all departments of Benin were included, along with experimental 
and private schools. 
Terms of reference for the evaluation included: 
1) Assess the pertinence and quality of the overall curriculum for CI and CP; 
2) Analyze the French and Mathematics programs; 
3) Assess the quality, pertinence and timeliness of the teacher and administrator 
training program; 
4) Assess the systems and methods used for student performance measurement; 
5) Assess the effectiveness of a documentary network designed to support the reform 
effort. 
6) Review the extent to which the reform process has integrated recommendations 
from the various consultants who provided technical assistance to the program during 
the last ten years. 
7) Design an evaluation system to be implemented by MEPS;
8) Propose recommendations in all the above areas to be implemented by MEPS with 
support from EQUIPE. .
Goal and Objectives
The goal of the evaluation was to assess the progress made towards the 
implementation of reform measures in Benin Primary Education. The ultimate 
outcome of these measures, as expressed in USAID and MEPS programming, is to 
improve student performance and success, reduce retention and dropout, and equip 
children with skills to complete primary, as well as succeed in secondary education.
The evaluation terms of reference also contained 11 specific objectives:
i. Assess the first (CI) and second (CP) grades curricula (coherence with the 
reference documents, vertical and horizontal coherence); 
ii. Assess the conformity of the Math and French workbooks and textbooks, 
French wall charts, pedagogical guides with the approaches, strategies, and 
training contents as recommended by the new programs;
iii. Assess the conformity of all the training documents and activities with the 
training plan on the one hand, the learning objectives, approaches and 
strategies as recommended by the new programs on the other;
iv. Assess the conformity of the new system of student assessment and school 
orientation with regard to the learning objectives, approaches and strategies 
as recommended by the new programs;
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v. Assess the functioning of the Documentary Network action plan; 
vi. Assess the recommendations of the Pedagogy component consultant reports 
funded under the CLEF project within the framework of activities directly 
related to the generalization of the new programs and their implementation;
vii. Develop, in collaboration with “pilots”, MEPS and USAID technical staff, a 
periodical evaluation plan which will help assess the quality, relevance, 
progress achieved and the results obtained by all five components; 
viii. Assess the performance of first grade (CI) students on the basis of a 
representative sampling;
ix. Assess the performance of first and second grade (CI-CP) teachers and 
school directors on the basis of a representative sampling, within the 
framework of the implementation of the new programs; 
x. Assess the management and use of all the school pedagogical inputs on the 
basis of a representative sampling;
xi. Give recommendations for improving the implementation of the reform 
program.
The report begins with a discussion of the methodology used in the study. Next is an 
overview of the social, political and economic conditions that affect educational reform 
in Benin. Following is a description of the specific findings, conclusions and 
recommendations for each of the subcomponents of the reform. These 
recommendations are prioritized according to the short, medium and long-term needs. 
In a subsequent section, we present a proposed plan for periodic and systematic 
evaluation of reform activities. Finally, a review of previous consultant activities and 
recommendations is presented. Support materials are included in the appendix. 
II. METHODOLOGY
The evaluation team began work in Benin by soliciting information, perspectives, and 
opinions from MEPS and the USAID/Benin Basic Education Team (BET). Within 
MEPS, this included the pilotes who have been responsible for developing and 
extending the NPE, and who comprise the CGNPE. Members of the advisory team also 
included representatives of the MEPS’ Department of Primary Education (DEP) and the 
National Institute for Training, Evaluation and Research in Education (INFRE).
Following meetings with members of the MEPS/USAID advisory team, the evaluation 
group met with key staff in MEPS, including the Minister, the departmental director of 
Primary Education (DEP) and staff of the Department of Planning (DPP). The 
evaluation team also met with a broad sample of MEPS personnel working at the 
department level. Interviews were conducted with all six of the Departmental 
Directors, eleven Chefs de Circonscription Scolaires, (C/CS) who oversee regional 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 4
activities, and more than 80 of their support staff, Conseillers Pédagogiques (CP). In 
addition, evaluation team members were able to observe field training underway for 
80 newly designated conseillers pédagogiques, and several training activities for 
teachers. 
The first step in the evaluation process was a review of all teacher guides, student 
workbooks and manuals, and all project related reports. Information obtained from 
these documents provided an initial analysis of program inputs, particularly with 
respect to premises used to support material and training development. This data 
provided a benchmark against which to measure actual practices.
The team was able to meet with and interview parents representing local school 
councils (Bureaux des Associations de Parents d’Elèves APE) in more than forty 
communities, and with several regional and the national federation of APEs.
SCHOOL VISITS
Sampling
Since the overriding goal of the assessment program was to gauge the impact of 
reform efforts on children’s academic performance, field visits and classroom 
observations were the primary focus of the evaluation process. A representative 
sample of the nearly 5,000 primary schools in Benin was prepared from a list of 
public and private schools provided by MEPS Department of Planning (DPP). The 
school sampling process controlled for the following variables: 1) rural-urban; 2) 
public-private; 3) geographic considerations (schools in all twelve departments were 
included); and, 4) extent of participation in the reform program (experimental 
schools versus those in the generalized category).
The original work design called for analysis of a sample of schools that would meet 
measures of statistical significance at the .005 levels. Given the limited knowledge 
of conditions in Benin schools, a random sample of some 200 schools (five percent 
of primary institutions), was selected for visit and analysis. Upon commencing 
school visits, it became immediately apparent that the teacher strike that began in 
October 2002 would cause significant logistical problems in conducting on-site 
visits. Since most teachers are on strike during midweek, it was necessary for the 
team to split into five groups to conduct the maximum number of visits on Mondays 
and Fridays. Using this approach, the target of 200 school visits was achieved 
(Annex). 
Instrumentation
Two instruments were prepared to structure activities during school visits. A 
school questionnaire (annex 2.II was administered to each school director and 
whenever possible to APE members.] The school questionnaire probed the extent to 
which the NPE is implemented at the school level. The instrument also sought to 
elicit attitudes of school directors toward the program, along with perceptions held 
by teachers and parents. In addition, interviews with school directors sought to 
determine the degree to which curricular materials are delivered to schools. Finally, 
during the administration of the questionnaire, the evaluation team sought to gauge 
the role that directors have played in implementing initiatives of the NPE in their 
respective schools. The school questionnaire was administered to 186 school 
directors and 41 parent groups.
The second and perhaps most important instrument used in school visits was a 
classroom observation checklist (Annex III). A major element of the NPE is the goal 
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of transforming teachers from dispensers of information, relying on the 
intermédiaire method of rote, frontal instruction, into learning facilitators. In this 
new role, teachers are expected to use interactive, multiple group, and objectives￾based teaching techniques. The purpose here is to accept each child at his/her 
own learning rate, with the expectancy that all children in class can reach a given 
instructional objective if given enough time and the proper learning approach. 
Fundamental to this approach is the need to understand and adhere to teaching 
guides and student instructional aids, the chief among which are student 
workbooks (cahiers d'activités) and manuals. 
The NPE generalization effort calls for each child to have a workbook both in French 
and Mathematics in CI and CP (provided free of charge with USAID financial 
support), and for teachers to follow a prescribed lesson program using a range of 
suggested learning activities. USAID and MEPS have underwritten annual training 
programs for in excess of 4,500 teachers every summer during the last four years. 
Given the complexity of the NPE, the teacher training programs have included 24 
days of intense training during the school vacation every year since 1999. 
The classroom observation instrument was designed to measure the extent to which 
teachers had adopted NPE methodologies and to determine the extent of their 
training and the use of NPE materials. In addition, the observation instrument was 
used to gauge the performance of children in French and Mathematics, the two 
pillars of the reform. All members of the evaluation team carried out administration 
of the instrument. Whenever possible or feasible, they were assisted by MEPS 
officials, most notably by Conseillers Pédagogiques and Chefs de Circonscription 
Scolaire (C/CS). There was no notification given to selected schools in advance of 
the visit, to ensure that the team would encounter routine activities that were not 
pre-planned in anticipation of the team’s arrival. 
During the classroom visits, which focused on CI and CP classes, teachers were 
asked about the level of participation in summer training programs, the availability 
of student and teacher guides and workbooks, acceptance of the NPE and problems 
associated with implementation of the NPE. After a brief interview, teachers were 
asked to continue with the instructional program. During this phase, observers 
noted the general teaching style, the amount of student initiation and interaction, 
the organization of the room, and the availability and use of NPE materials and 
learning resources. Whenever possible, the evaluation team visited both CI and CP 
classes in each school.
As school visits progressed, it became apparent that teacher strikes during the last 
two years have had an enormous negative impact on student performance in CI and 
CP. In many schools, teachers have held fewer than 20 days of class this school 
year. In most cases, schools have effectively been without teachers during this 
calendar year. The lack of student learning in CP this year augments the 
consequences of a prolonged strike and disruption of the last school year. 
Consequently, few if any children in CI or CP have received sustained, regular 
teaching during the past two years.
In an effort to obtain a truer measurement of the impact of NPE on student 
performance, researchers visited classes in CE1, which are composed of students 
who began NPE after generalization and before disruptions of the strike. (We later 
learned that there were periodic and on-going teacher strikes since before the NPE 
was generalized.) 
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Although MEPS and evaluation team members acknowledged that the first years of 
generalizing the NPE program encountered many logistical and programmatic 
difficulties, it was decided that a rapid analysis of student reading and math skills 
in grades 3 and 4 (CE1 and CE2) would provide insight into the outcomes of the 
NPE methods. Beginning in the third week of school visits the classroom 
observation checklist was expanded to elicit the state of language acquisition 
among students in their third year. Whenever possible (in about 30 percent of 
schools visited) members of the evaluation team talked with teachers and students 
in CE1. A total of 150 classrooms were observed during the evaluation period.
III. CONTEXT OF PEDAGOGICAL REFORM IN BENIN’S PRIMARY 
EDUCATION SYSTEM
In Benin, primary education is provided by the departments in the Ministry of 
Primary and Secondary Education (MEPS), which is one of three separate public 
education ministries. Any effort to evaluate the quality and impact of educational 
reform measures launched by MEPS and supported by USAID must necessarily 
take into account the operational environment that has shaped the process. 
Following is a description of the gains achieved to date in implementing the reforms. 
In addition, we discuss the economic, social and political forces that impede 
implementation of pedagogical reforms, many of which are beyond the reach of 
USAID and MEPS. More detailed findings and recommendations are presented in 
the following sections that deal with each of the sub-components included in 
evaluation process
POSITIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN PEDAGOGICAL REFORM
We begin our analysis of the state of pedagogical reform on a positive note: MEPS 
and USAID have made formidable strides in improving primary education in Benin, 
and under the most adverse of conditions. The evaluation team commends those 
involved with the reform process for accomplishing major changes in the primary 
education infrastructure and for efforts to implement the NPE.
Several members of the evaluation team have been intimately involved with the 
reform process, having assisted in the initial design, or serving in consultative 
capacities during the last ten years. Before the reform, public school instruction 
was in a lamentable state. Children had no learning materials or aids; teachers 
lacked pedagogical skills and were often unpaid; schools were dilapidated, and 
lacked any support or direction; and the Ministry had little presence in the 
countryside. 
Today, school facilities are vastly improved; most classrooms, while crowded, 
provide an environment where learning is possible. More than 20,000 teachers and 
school directors have received initial and in-service training. Remarkably, (and in 
contrast to reforms in nations similar to Benin) teachers and directors have 
accepted the basic tenets of reform and speak highly of the NPE. For the first time, 
there is a national curriculum, established teaching methodologies, consistent 
school direction, and an administrative overlay that holds much promise for 
carrying educational reform forward. 
More importantly, USAID/MEPS instructional and didactic materials are available 
to children in all schools, even in the most remote rural communes. This reflects 
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the quality of logistical services provided by MEPS. Where properly used, teacher 
guides and children’s’ workbooks provide an exceptional foundation for better 
performance.
During the last ten years, there is a marked improvement in the state of 
organization in schools; school directors have received training and improved 
supervision is apparent. With USAID assistance, MEPS has created an educational 
supervision and support structure that has been able to deliver reform measures to 
all schools in the country. A network of school inspectors regularly visits schools; 
and an information management system is used to document educational statistics 
that provide a relatively accurate description of the education system.
The reform has assisted in the creation of a framework for local in-service training 
(unités pédagogiques), that is widely praised by teachers. This same framework 
offers broad possibilities for consolidating gains of the reform and institutionalizing 
a support system that could continue reforms after USAID participation has ceased. 
In short, there are dramatic improvements in MEPS capacity to deliver basic 
education and an infrastructure in place to carry reforms forward.
Finally, it is worth noting that reform measures are achieving a significant level of 
success in private schools. A more detailed description of the factors that 
contribute to these developments is provided in another section of the report.
IMPEDIMENTS TO THE REFORM PROCESS
SYSTEMIC INSTABILITY
Teacher Strikes
Prolonged and intense teacher strikes during the last few years have had a 
devastating effect on Benin’s primary school system. Strikes disrupted classes in 
the 2001-2002 school year and required an extension of classes into the summer to 
avoid having the term declared an année blanche (year of no credit). The strikes 
began again with varying degrees of participation early in the 2002-2003 academic 
year and have continued through March 2003. 
In most of the nation’s schools, teachers classified as contractuels went on strike 
immediately after the school year began, in October 2002. Then the largest teacher 
group (APE / civil servants) walked out in January. Only locally hired teachers 
(communautaires) continued to show up on a regular schedule. Officially, schools 
were functioning on Mondays and Fridays, but for the most part, teachers took part 
in strike activities on Fridays. In the meantime, student attendance dropped 
precipitously and structured learning all but ceased.
Teacher absence from schools effectively paralyzed school operations and had an 
especially deleterious impact on educational reforms. The evaluation team saw 
little evidence, in terms of student performance, of the impact of the new program of 
studies (NPE). The team attributes this largely to the fact that nearly a third of the 
teachers who participated in last summer’s USAID-sponsored training program 
went on strike at the outset of the school year and were joined by an even greater 
number of teachers at the end of the fall term.
DISCUSSION
It is outside the terms of reference of this evaluation to analyze causes of teacher 
strikes or solutions to the problem. It should be noted, however, that the net e ffect 
of these ongoing disruptions has been to render the public education system 
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dysfunctional. Gains made through the reform program are at high risk, as is the 
welfare of the children of Benin. Without proper teaching, children are not learning 
to read, write or speak French, the central language medium of Benin’s educational 
system.
Inadequate Public Finance
Teacher strikes are only one symptom of an educational system in deep crisis. 
Public financing is not sufficient to meet the basic needs for pr imary education. 
According to MEPS sources, the 2002-2003 annual budget for primary education is 
CFA 37.4 billion. Stated in US dollars this comes to about $40 per child. The 
budget also includes significant investments (approximately CFA 2.5 billion in 
support of pedagogical reform measures.)
 The evaluation team had difficulty verifying that funds budgeted for primary 
education are actually being spent in the schools visited. Using as a crude formula 
for calculating annual expenditures per student (dividing the average annual 
teacher salary (CFA 650,000 or about US$1,050) by the average number of 
students in class (62 in the 211 schools analyzed) we estimated direct instructional 
investments of CFA 10,400 ($17) per student.) To this figure (CFA 10,400 or $17) 
we add 30 percent for indirect costs, investments and administration, for an 
average cost per student of CFA 13,500 or about US $22 per annum for children in 
grades CI and CP. 
Extending the per pupil investment rate for CI and CP to all primary school grades, 
the Government of Benin invests less than US$ 27 million annually on the 1.138 
million children in primary education. There is a significant difference between 
budgeted and actual expenditures.
The World Bank’s recent report on Benin’s educational system Le système éducatif 
béninois, (World Bank, January 2002) noted MEPS has consistently under spent 
funds allotted for education, so this is an ongoing problem. GOB expenditures are 
further reduced when considering that a very large percentage of costs for the 
reform: teacher training, printed materials, instructional support, and school 
construction are borne by USAID and other international donors, or by parents. 
Due to these inadequate investments, there are not enough classrooms and 
teachers in the public school system. Students must study in classes that often 
exceed 100 pupils; in the schools analyzed in this study, the mean enrollment was 
62 in CI classes. In many instances, the evaluation team noted that school 
directors must turn away incoming students in CI classes due to lack of space 
and/or teachers. 
Inadequate finance contributes to low poor salaries. These, in turn, are the 
principal cause of teacher discontent and a major deterrent to employing better￾qualified teachers. As a result, a growing percentage of teachers (les 
communautaires) are hired and paid by local parent associations using a 
combination of public and local funds. These teachers are poorly educated and 
motivated since parents cannot guarantee even a subsistence-level salary (the 
average wage for locally hired teachers is less than US$50 per month). 
Lack of public investment has increasingly forced parents to rely on private schools, 
which in many cases do not meet the minimum certification requirements of MEPS 
(clandestine schools). The Departmental Director of Atlantique/Littoral, for 
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example, estimates that as many as fifty percent of students in urban areas attend 
private and or clandestine schools. Elsewhere, especially in rural areas, the 
evaluation team noted a high incidence of students who have either never enrolled 
in school, or dropped out at an early age. 
DISCUSSION 
While it is outside the parameters of this study to evaluate public educational 
finance, we note the pattern of under-spending identified by the World Bank as an 
on-going problem, particularly as it affects implementation and sustainability of the 
NPE. Unless the GOB is willing to make a substantial and sustained commitment to 
the reform effort underway USAID should explore with MEPS alternate options to 
promote the education of children based on the NPE.
One approach may be to explore an alliance with private education. As we noted 
above, private schools have demonstrated capacity to implement elements of the 
NPE and ARE succeeding in causing learning. A shift of support to the private 
sector has been an option regularly and effectively used by USAID missions to 
sustain primary education in the absence of public sector resources. Some success 
has been achieved using this method in nations comparable to Benin such as Haiti, 
Albania and Nicaragua. MEPS would also benefit from studying the public-private 
sector relationship in Cote d’Ivoire, which extends public resources to private 
schools based on enrollment.
Another option is to shift investments to local parents in an effort to accelerate 
decentralization. This could take the form of financial and technical assistance 
toward the creation of a community-based, and local-government supported school 
system. The MEPS might continue to play a support role in such a local-private￾public partnership.
If USAID prefers to continue supporting public sector programs, future investments 
should be conditional upon increased GOB financing for primary education. At a 
minimum, the national primary education budget must be significantly increased, 
not just in centralized financial accounts that may bear no reality to expenditures 
in schools, but in actual investments. Above all, MEPS must insure that schools 
are open, teachers are paid and at work, and the sector is in operation.
Student Enrollment and Class Size
The number of students enrolled in CI and CP classrooms makes it impossible to 
teach to each individual child. Educational research has documented that foreign 
language acquisition is one of the most difficult of instructional tasks, and that 
effective learning of a new language can rarely occur in classes with more than 15 
students, and then only with the aid of a well trained instructor. Since the number 
of students in CI classes averages more than 60 pupils, students do not learn to 
speak, read or write in French. Therefore, they cannot complete the primary cycle 
and are denied access to secondary education. 
In the long-term, more classrooms and teachers are required to reduce class size to 
manageable proportions. In the short-term, more instructor support is required. 
Additional training programs are urgently needed to equip teachers with more 
language instruction skills, and to manage larger groups of children. There is an 
absolute necessity to provide more individualized contact with French-speaking 
aides or tutors in the early grades, so that each child can learn the language of 
instruction.
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DISCUSSION
Several methods exist to improve the language capability of children in the first 
grade. MEPS could for example use strategies for bilingual instruction that would 
provide students reading and writing skills in a language they already know. This 
methodology, advanced by the Education Sector of the World Bank, aims to bring 
pupils to a pre-established level of literacy competency before beginning instruction 
in the second language, which in the case of Benin is French. The method is used 
extensively in multilingual nations, most notably, in Nigeria, Chad and Ghana, and 
holds much promise for equipping children with fundamental language skills to 
succeed in upper grades of primary education.
If the present French-language immersion policy is continued, teachers must be 
provided with assistance and teacher aides who can work with smaller groups. 
This could be accomplished by dedicating all teachers to working with incoming 
and/or French language-deficient students at the outset of each year until a 
universal level of competency is achieved. Such an approach would require all
teachers, irrespective of grade assignment, to work with a target group of 15 
students on an intensive basis at the beginning of each school year. They might 
only dedicate one or two hours per day in language instruction before returning to 
their regular assignments, with follow-up and remedial instruction for those who 
fail to master the prescribed level of expertise.
Another approach would be to provide part-time teacher aides, such as older 
siblings, parents or upper-grade and secondary school students. These services 
could be supported by government financial grants provided to schools under the 
World Bank debt relief program. 
Responsibility, Leadership and Accountability
The NPE advances the notion that teachers should assume the responsibility for causing 
learning among students. The tenet is based on the belief that most students can 
accomplish a given instructional objective if provided with enough time and the 
proper learning activity. For this practice to be applied at the classroom level, 
teachers must be held to standards of accountability for student success. By 
extension, school directors and administrators must be willing to support teachers 
and the learning environment toward the same goal. 
The evaluation team noted an absence of accountability and responsibility in the 
primary educational system. In many instance, teachers were unaware of student 
shortcomings, or resigned to the fact that 80 to 90 percent of students are not 
learning, much less actively participating in the learning program. School directors 
have adopted a similar attitude, placing blame for the situation on lack of funds, 
teacher strikes or poor parental support for learning.
Upper level administrators take little notice of the state of instructional affairs. In 
those instances where problems are recognized, the familiar attitude of acceptance, 
resignation, or indifference persists. When probed for possible responses or 
solutions to remedy the situation, there was uniform response among teacher and
administrator respondents that such problems are the cause of the strike, too large 
classes, or endemic to the system, and beyond the control of the respondent.
Part of the predicament lies in the lack of any systematic or valid diagnostic or 
feedback system. The only systematic testing program in primary education is a 
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summative examination, the Certificat d'Etudes Primaires (CEP) that students take 
after the 6th year of instruction. The evaluation team noted that 27 of 100 students 
who enter primary schools typically pass the CEP in rural areas, while at the 
national level it is approximately 40 percent. Currently, the CEP is being criticized 
by secondary school administrators, who assert that the test does not adequately 
measure student skills. 
Central to this problem is a system-wide neglect of testing and measurement 
strategies. There is little indication that teachers acknowledge the plight of 
students who do not read, even though they are in the majority of the first four 
grades. We found no evidence of student testing and assessments during the school 
year. Most teachers and directors blamed the lack of testing on the teacher strike. 
Classroom observations confirmed that teachers tend to concentrate on the 
brightest students. Those who do not speak French are ignored or neglected. 
School directors manifest little concern, and rarely take remedial measures to 
correct the situation. During school visits, the team noted a high level of 
frustration among directors, but a marked absence of any proposed solutions. 
MEPS inspectors and pedagogical counselors visit schools but seem to leave little 
substantive methods, skills or expectations for higher student performance in place 
during their rounds. We found few indications that inspectors or supervisors had 
taken steps to deal with the levels of student failure, even among the worst 
performing schools. 
DISCUSSION
The evaluation team appreciates that an organizational analysis of MEPS is called 
for as a task in the EQUIPE project, and that its recommendations might provide 
the basis for a more responsive primary educational program. The institutional 
audit would be of value to define roles, goals, and administrative structures that are 
currently unclear due to a dispersal of responsibilities for implementing educational 
reform, and for monitoring student performance in general. The objective of this 
audit would be to recast the ministry as a responsive, dynamic learning 
organization that is committed at all levels to teaching the children of Benin. 
One solution to this problem of accountability, leadership and evaluation may be to 
incorporate a performance-based management system. Such a system would 
integrate MEPS-wide, continuous diagnosis and feedback processess. The focus 
would be on causing better student performance, through better teaching, 
administration and Ministry support. Students, teachers and directors would be 
recognized and compensated for superior performance.
Diminishing Corps Of Quality Teachers
There are approximately 22,000 teachers in Benin, and a dwindling percentage has 
had any academic training in pedagogy. The number of qualified teachers is rapidly 
diminishing as they leave the system for other work or to retire. Few qualified 
personnel are available to replace them; as a consequence their posts are being 
filled by less qualified persons. 
There is only one pre-service teacher-training institute in Benin and its total 
enrollment is 80 students. Yet it is estimated that as many as 20,000 teachers are 
needed in the medium term, even more if classrooms expand to take on prodigious 
levels of student growth, and the student-pupil ratio is reduced to manageable 
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levels. In-service teacher training programs consist of those that were provided 
during the generalization process, and initiatives to use as teacher trainers through 
the unités pédagogiques.
These efforts are insufficient to accommodate the growing numbers of children in 
school and demand for more teachers. Not enough teachers are being recruited and 
trained to support a system that seeks to provide universal enrollment and effective 
student learning. Nor are they sufficient to consolidate the limited gains made as 
the result of reform.
DISCUSSION
It is clearly in the interest of USAID and MEPS to establish an organized program to 
meet pre-service and in-service teacher training needs. Most nations rely on 
ministry-recognized training provided by external agencies, as public ministries 
have historically been ineffective as teacher training agencies. Ideally, the task of 
training new teachers would be assigned to a university, specialized professional 
development institute, or any other organization that articulates the interests of 
students, MEPS, teachers and parents.
Whatever institutional vehicle is selected, training should be offered to teachers at 
the local level and should require a minimum of disruption in the teacher’s work or 
leisure schedule. In many nations, special university credit programs are offered at 
little or no cost by public universities, with university credit and professional 
advancement being the principal incentives for teachers to attend.
With respect to training toward professional development, a systematic training 
program should be linked to levels of certification and competency, and serve as a 
principal criterion in a new salary structure for teachers. A redefinition of teacher 
promotion and salary increment criteria would provide an opportunity to eliminate 
the artificially imposed teacher categories of APE, contractuel and communautaire,
and define a more rational basis for teacher compensation and assignment. Such a 
merit system could recognize individual teacher achievements toward adopting NPE 
methods, and assure that every teacher and school director would receive minimal 
training in reform pedagogical strategies. In the long term, the training program 
should be linked to specific competencies needed by schools, and respond to 
staffing needs in all sectors of education.
CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE REFORM PROCESS
Parental and community participation
Educational research has identified the involvement and concern of parents, 
families and friends as the most important predictor of student success. This 
thesis holds special importance when children are trained in a language other than 
the one spoken at home. Parents oftentimes learn alongside their children, but 
above all they provide critical support for the internal discipline that children need 
to acquire another language.
Despite the value of parents as tutors, counselors, co-learners and supporters, they 
have not been effectively utilized as an instructional resource in the NPE program. 
The main reason for this appears to be that many parents are uneducated and non￾French speakers. Instead, the NPE places highest priority on learning in school, to 
the extent that children are not allowed to take their workbooks home. Parents 
noted that they are invited to visit with teachers only in the event of a discipline 
problem, and that they are not oriented to the NPE or any other aspect of school 
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affairs, except when they are called upon to pay dues or help with some 
construction project. 
Teacher Unions
Teacher organizations obviously possess the means to bring the primary education 
to a standstill. Although they serve a recognized role in civil society, their actions 
are often perceived as adversarial and detrimental to school operations and the 
implementation of change. In some countries, however, education ministries have 
learned to collaborate with teacher unions with surprisingly productive results. In 
Paraguay, for example, unions have taken on the task of training teachers through 
an apprenticeship program. Teacher cooperatives work with the education ministry 
to recruit new teachers, deliver training and certify skill levels. A liability in this 
instance has become a resource. 
DISCUSSION
Although future USAID programming is expected to support decentralization of 
educational management and stimulate the involvement of civil society over the 
long-term, there are a number of issues that merit immediate action. Student 
workbooks and textbooks will soon be available in the market so that in future, a 
copy can be kept at home to help students. But there should also be an immediate 
policy to allow children to use books at home use this year as well. 
In addition, teachers should encourage parents and family members to visit schools 
on a regular basis, especially those who might be able to serve as community 
resources to work with children who are behind in their study. Though few parents 
in the rural areas speak French, other family members could assist with 
instructional tasks, especially older siblings and neighbors who attend secondary 
school.
Because schools lack the audiovisual tools to promote language acquisition, 
parents may be able to expose children to French radio or TV programming. At the 
least, they can find print material for home use. Parents could also ensure that 
students complete their homework, receive assistance when the need arises, and 
help teachers with any chore that might make the classroom experience more 
productive. 
Role of School Directors in the Implementation of Reforms
As we noted earlier, the NPE has consisted primarily of extending newly created 
curricula and didactic materials to teachers through a short term, summer training 
programs. During these training sessions, most school directors were exposed to 
the NPE; many have in fact served as trainers in the annual training. But the 
majority have only limited understanding of the tenets of the NPE, and even less 
knowledge about how to maintain levels of support that are required to consolidate 
the innovations.
It is well documented that educational change is rarely successful without 
unswerving commitment from school directors. They oversee teachers’ daily 
activities, know all students, and have frequent interactions with parents. During 
school visits, the evaluation team found that very few directors are well versed in 
the application of NPE methods, evaluation and measurement techniques, learning 
theory, and supervision strategies. They are often unable to provide even the most 
basic counseling and supervision to teachers, students or parents. 
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Teacher strikes are but one of many actions over which directors have no control. 
Nor are they involved in hiring, assigning or firing teachers. They profess to have 
little say as to when or whether the Ministry provides handbooks, manuals or 
materials. During discussions with directors, the team noted that most feel a total 
lack of control over their school and do not fully understand their institutions’ 
mission or purpose.
DISCUSSION
Action is needed to render school directors more accountable for school 
investments, facilities, resources, personnel and, above all, for student success! 
Any reorganization of teacher salaries and terms of employment should place 
directors in a position of accountability and leadership, with respect to teacher 
certification, appraisal and personnel actions, and school performance. 
It is essential that school directors receive training in educational administration. 
This might be carried out through weekly training at demonstration or pilot schools. 
These same demonstration sites could also serve as teacher training facilities in 
support of the unités pédagogiques, the bimonthly program that brings teachers to 
local schools for professional upgrading. Whatever medium is used, directors 
should be exposed to concrete examples of dealing with school improvement, not 
theoretical discourse. They must learn hands-on how to deal with poor learning, 
and acquire the skills to do in-house staff development.
Evaluation, Experimentation and Demonstration 
Although the first years of the reform involved almost four years of program design, 
testing, revision, and experimentation, this process has not carried over into the 
generalization phase of the NPE. The team noted that few efforts are made to 
measure the impact of the NPE on student, teacher and school performance, or to 
assess the satisfaction of parents.
The lack of feedback and diagnostics reaches all levels within MEPS. There has 
been limited systematic assessment of the level of understanding, adaptation or 
application of the NPE since the generalization process began in 1999. Nor have 
there been any recent efforts to revise the program to accommodate new and less￾trained teachers. The evaluation team noted that MEPS officials were not 
completely informed of the state of learning in schools, or if they had been, were 
taking no measures to correct the problem.
DISCUSSION
USAID and the MEPS should initiate consistent and rigorous measures to study 
student and teacher performance. These should incorporate regular, on-sight 
inspections by MEPS officials, independent and objective student testing and 
systematic responses to those diagnostics. Programs need to be mobilized and 
flexible to respond to these findings.
There is a need for continued experimentation, demonstration programs and model 
schools to make available the best practices of the NPE. Most teachers and 
directors have only learned of the system during summer training sessions, and 
have had limited opportunities to apply NPE strategies in class. The evaluation 
team also recommends the initiation of more experimentation with alternate 
language instructional approaches, such as bilingual instructions, peer teaching 
and the use of teacher aides to assist teachers.
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One approach is to designate at least one school in each Department as a 
demonstration/laboratory school. Here the very best teaching methods, and 
administrative support and practices should be implemented. Demonstration 
schools might be at the site of newly redesigned documentary centers. These 
demonstration schools/documentation centers would provide programs to teachers, 
directors and parents in conjunction with demonstration school operations. 
Demonstration/laboratory schools could also support pre-service training: regional 
campuses where new teachers could work as interns. These schools could also 
enhance the training of unités pédadogiques, which currently pursues no 
systematic themes or program, but which is nevertheless well attended by teachers 
and directors. Model schools would be rich with materials, methods and teaching 
ideas, all of which could be exported to other schools with reproduction services 
provided through a redesigned network of documentary centers. 
IV. EVALUATION OF THE NEW PROGRAM OF STUDY: CURRICULA FOR 
COURS D’ INITIATION (CI) AND COURS PREPARATOIRE (CP).
Terms of reference i. Assess the first (CI) and second (CP) grades curricula conformity 
with the reference documents, vertical and horizontal coherence); ix. Assess the 
performance of first and second grade (CI-CP) teachers and school directors on the 
basis of a representative sampling, within the framework of the implementation of the 
new programs; and xi. Give recommendations for improving the implementation of 
the reform program.
Introduction
This section of the report concerns the analysis of the curriculum and pedagogical 
inputs that support classroom instruction for the first two grades of primary 
education: CI and CP. Terms of reference for this activity required an assessment of 
the quality of materials designed, tested and distributed to the 4,500 primary 
schools in Benin with the support of USAID resources. 
Of particular interest are: 1) whether the methodology used in the curricular 
materials conforms to the instructional philosophy underlying the reform 
(conformity); 2) the extent to which the materials accommodate the entry level skills 
of students (horizontal coherence); and, 3) how well the program facilitates student 
performance in a manner that prepares them for the remaining years of primary 
school (vertical coherence). Finally, the team was to assess the performance of CI 
and CP teachers within the context of implementation of the new program.
In addition to reviewing background and reference documents, the Berger/DevTech 
team examined the instructional assets that support the NPE. This includes: 
discussions with the principal architects of the program (international technical 
specialists and national consultants (pilots and concepteurs); an intense 
examination of teacher guides and manuals; and the review of student workbooks 
and manuals and supporting didactic materials. The team was further required to 
measure the impact of the NPE on student learning, through evaluation of students 
in a representative sampling of schools. As noted earlier, the evaluation team 
conducted in-school classroom observations in more than 140 schools throughout 
all 12 departments of Benin. The team members examined teaching practices, 
observed classroom activities, and conducted interviews with teachers, directors, 
administrators, children, and parents.
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This sub-report describes first, the rationale and philosophy underlying the NPE 
and the processes used to create, test and revise the new curricula for CI and CP. 
Next we analyzed the principal methodological components of the program as 
designed. This is followed by a description of the findings and conclusions of 
school visits, classroom observations and field research. Finally, specific 
recommendations for immediate and future action are presented.
Rationale and Philosophy of the New Program of Study (NPE)
Ten years ago public primary education in Benin was best characterized as a 
disorganized chaotic collection of local schools operating without guidance, support 
standards or resources. Evaluations conducted by USAID and the Coopération 
Française in the early 90s noted that teachers were bereft of skills, classrooms had 
no instructional materials, and there was little evidence of governmental support. 
Schools were grossly under-capacity, poorly organized and managed; instruction 
relied exclusively on teachers writing lessons on a chalkboard and students copying 
those lessons into blank workbooks. 
This approach is referred to as intermédiaire, but in reality it was a system that 
relied on rote memorization, lesson repetition, and large-group (magistral) lecture￾drill using an entirely frontal approach. Under this primary education program, it 
was estimated that only about 40 percent of Benin’s children were enrolled in 
primary schools and less than one in ten ever completed the sixth grade and 
enrolled in secondary school.
With USAID support, the Government of Benin began a decade-long process to 
reform primary education. The goal was to create a standardized program of study 
that relied on an individualized and competency-based approach that would provide 
teachers with the skills and materials to accept children at their unique entry-level 
and carry them to success in primary school. This process began in 1992 with the 
creation of working groups for curriculum development and teacher training. 
USAID technical and financial assistance was provided to MEPS to underwrite these 
activities. 
Committees composed of local teachers and administrators examined the newly 
developed curriculum materials (student handbooks and manuals, teacher guides, 
and audio-visual aids) for contextual validity. Once these products were approved
by the review and revision committees, they were introduced to 30 experimental 
schools. Schools in the experimental group were selected from among the nations 
4,500 public primary institutions.
Teachers in the experimental schools were provided with extensive pre-service and 
in-service training in the methods required of the NPE. Experimental curricular 
materials were further revised by follow-up editors until the products met standards 
of sufficient quality that the NPE could be disseminated to the entirety of Benin’s 
schools. This generalization process began in CI in 1999 and continued for CP in 
Y2000.
The generalization process necessitated publication and distribution of one 
workbook in French and one in Mathematics for each child and learning manuals 
for every two children. These printed materials were provided to children at no 
cost, a practice that has continued from 1999 to the 2002-2003 school year. For 
the 2003-2004 school year MEPS has contracted with private printing firms to print 
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and distribute student workbooks and manuals on a cost-basis through local 
bookstores and markets.
To insure that teachers effectively use the NPE materials and resources, a nation￾wide training program was implemented. Teachers from all 4,500 schools (public 
as well as private) were trained in July and August before the schools opened. This 
began in 1999 for CI, and 2000 for CP. Additional training was provided to school 
directors, who in most instances also participated in the teacher training sessions. 
The USAID-supported NPE training (a first professional development exercise in 
pedagogy and instructional technology for most teachers) focused on application 
and practice of the new curricula. The NPE curriculum consists of six fields of 
study: 1) French, 2) Mathematics, 3) Social Education, 4) Art Education, 5) Science 
and Technology, and 6) Physical Education. In each subject, teachers received 
programs of study, teacher guides, and student handbooks and manuals.
Characteristics Of The NPE
The learning program for CI and CP is based on the following operational factors: 
French is the exclusive language of learning. Fully 90 percent of Benin’s children 
enter schools speaking a regional maternal language. National policy is that French 
to be used in all primary school activities. Verbal instructions are provided in 
French; all workbooks and manuals are in French, and all didactic support 
materials use French as the only language medium. The goal of entry-level 
activities is to accept children with no verbal or operational French skills and equip 
them with sufficient skills to read, write, and speak French at a level required in 
primary school.
The NPE is highly structured, based on a pre-designed, common lesson plan for 
each day’s activities, all of which are linked to lessons in the student handbook and 
manual. Teachers are expected to follow guides and the calendar of instruction. 
They are also provided specific methods to employ in all six of the programs of 
study. Instruction and resources are designed to lead children through a sequence 
of increasingly complex lessons that require diverse and higher-order learning 
skills. 
The NPE is designed as an instructional format that shifts teaching from a frontal, 
lecture-repetition and large-group format towards a student-centered, interactive 
and student-centered approach. This is to be carried out through the use of small￾group and individualized learning methods, and the reliance on techniques such as 
role-playing, field activities, demonstration and independent study as the preferred 
means of causing learning. At the heart of the NPE is a change in teacher–student 
roles, and the elimination of the intermédiaire approach of rote memorization and 
repetition, to be replaced by the students’ assumption of the learning process. In 
this context, the teacher becomes a manager of the learning process rather than 
purveyor of information to be absorbed by students. 
Focus of the NPE is on cognitive skills acquisition, beginning from the first day of 
class. The program was designed with the premise that classroom activities are 
sufficient to stimulate French acquisition and learning. The teacher guides, 
however, make little mention of parent and community support, and require little 
homework or parental involvement as support elements. 
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School Visits 
The evaluation team was able to make classroom observations in 150 classrooms of 
the 211 schools visited. In many instances, the evaluation team was accompanied 
by a MEPS official who assisted in the observations. Since the teacher strike 
reduced the number of class days to two per week, and in some instances, to one 
day per week, the period for actual classroom observation was severely limited. 
Observers originally intended to visit CI and CP classes to evaluate teacher and 
student performance. However, since learning was so severely affected by the 
teacher strikes during the last two years, it was decided to extend the research to 
CE1. Most students in this grade entered school in 1999 and completed the first 
two years immediately after the NPE was introduced. It is assumed that in those 
two school years there were fewer disruptions in classroom instruction. Thus, 
observation of student performance in the third year might more accurately reflect 
the impact of the NPE. The principal focus of the evaluation process, however, was 
to measure the impact of the NPE on student performance and teacher behaviors in 
CI and CP.
ANALYSIS 
Conformity and Coherence
The evaluation team considered conformity as the extent to which curricular 
materials accommodate student and teacher needs. The central question posed 
was whether the NPE is appropriate to the needs of incoming students in CI, and 
for preparing students for CP. Coherence on the other hand speaks to the internal 
capacity of the program to bring children from their entry level as non-French 
speakers and provide them with a sequence of learning that helps them to attain 
the intended goals of the program.
The NPE has been widely disseminated to primary schools in Benin. The program 
is well-known and supported among all levels of MEPS administration. Most 
teachers interviewed have heard of and accept the theory of the reform. The 
overwhelming majority of students has access to French and Mathematics 
workbooks and manuals. More than seven of ten teachers interviewed have 
attended summer training programs to introduce new materials of the NPE. For the 
most part, they rated the training experience very favorably. Most teachers hold the 
same favorable attitudes towards the methods and principles advanced by the NPE. 
Broad awareness and appreciation of the NPE was noted among school directors. 
Few if any were critical of the NPE curriculum or the training programs that 
introduced the system to teachers.
The NPE is used with significant success in Benin’s private schools. In these 
institutions, the number of students in CI and CP averages 20 to 30 and rarely 
exceeds 32, while in public schools, the mean number of students is over 60, and 
often surpasses 90 to 100 students. Private schools also are characterized by 
parental assistance in the instructional process. In most cases, parents have 
photocopied workbooks and lesson plans and are required by teachers to work 
extensively with their children. 
The team noted that private school directors play a strong role in supporting 
teachers, and that teachers are very knowledgeable, as well as concerned about 
each individual student’s progress. Generally, private school students come from 
families with higher incomes, whose parents most likely speak, read or write 
French, and live principally in urban areas, where exposure to the French language 
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is much more pervasive than in rural villages. These factors all likely help explain 
the fact that the NPE is used with more success in these schools than in the public 
schools. Currently, private schools provide elementary education to between 10 to 
25 percent (depending on the data used) of the nation’s students.
Teachers of CI and CP are using curricular materials of the NPE. Most teachers 
attempt to follow lesson plans, use workbooks and manuals and consult teacher 
guides. Almost all classrooms visited in the evaluation survey have instructional 
posters (planches) and for the most part, it appeared they are used. Students in CI 
and CP had individual workbooks and shared textbooks, although the books are 
normally kept in the care of the instructor when not in use. 
School benches in most classrooms were organized in small groups of six to 10 
students rather than in rows. Other instructional aids prescribed by the NPE, such 
as small stones, seeds, bottle caps and sticks were less evident except for a handful 
of classrooms.
Although most teachers are trained and subscribe to the NPE, fewer than ten 
percent actually empl oy the system, as gauged by our classroom visits. Instead, 
classroom activities continue to center around teachers who still rely extensively on 
writing on the blackboard and lecturing, the same frontal methods used in the 
intermédiaire system. There was little interaction noted among students and little if 
any student initiated-learning or questioning. Neither was use of small group or 
independent study observed. Although students sat in small groups teachers did 
not seem to be aware of or to take into account the various skill levels of their 
students.
The NPE is limited in meeting student needs, especially at the CI level and provides 
limited coherence with respect to causing student learning and success. The 
underlying reason is that students do not learn French, which as we note 
throughout this report, is the sole medium of instruction. Students’ inability to 
speak read or write French has a devastating impact on any learning that could 
occur.
Student performance in CI and CP is in a state of failure. The evaluation team 
noted that less than 10 percent of students were able to participate in classes at the 
expected level. In CE1 we found similarly disturbing trends: here although students 
fared somewhat better, less than 20 percent of children were able to perform in 
French at expected levels 
Overall, the majority of CI and CP students do not understand the teacher, cannot 
read materials, and are unable to participate in class. As a result, they cannot 
complete lessons, engage in interactive (or even frontal) learning, and are 
marginalized for the remainder of their primary years. For the most part, their poor 
language skills reduce any prospects for continuing in secondary or tertiary 
education.
Children arrive at school without benefit of pre-school or early childhood 
stimulation. The initial shock of entering the school environment and being taught 
in a foreign language, inside a large and alien classroom surrounded by up to 100 
children is for many difficult to overcome. Teachers begin teaching directly with the 
RANV (Réponse Active Non Verbale) for at least two weeks before using the 
workbook and possess few skills to deal with the fear and discomfort that children 
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experience upon entering school. In this instance, the NPE is limited in addressing 
the affective needs of incoming students.
Parents are largely excluded from the learning process. Student workbooks must 
remain in schools for fear they will be lost or damaged, despite the fact that they are 
consumed during the school year. In almost every instance during discussions with 
parents, there were complaints against the policy of not permitting children to use 
books for homework. 
Parent and community resources are seldom utilized as instructional resources or 
as teacher aides. This, despite classes that are so over-crowded that no effective 
teaching could ever occur unless children are provided with a lower student-teacher 
ratio. On a broader scale, we found few instances where teachers or school 
directors foster parent participation in other school needs, such as buildings and 
grounds maintenance or furniture repair. 
From the perspective of parents, schools remain the domain of the national 
government. Although every school visited has a parent association (APE), parents 
feel their main purpose is to sign checks from the GOB’s PPTE fund to pay locally 
hired teachers (communautaires). 
According to teachers and school directors interviewed, the NPE is difficult to 
implement. Teachers have had little or no experience with such a system, having 
been schooled in the traditional lecture-drill-frontal format. Their training in the 
NPE has largely been based on the same format: trainers lecturing large groups 
about interactive, student-centered and competency-base instruction rather than 
demonstrating this approach or having teachers practice it themselves. 
Consequently, most teachers have never seen a child-centered classroom using 
interactive methods. Their lack of exposure to the new program is further hindered 
because of limited academic training and pedagogical skills, particularly newly￾hired communautaires who have little more than primary education and a no 
background in pedagogy. Moreover, there is significant movement and 
reassignment of teachers, and a great number of teachers have left the grade for 
which they received training. Without exception, teachers ask for more training in 
the NPE system, and cite the need for better in-service support from directors and 
conseillers pédagogiques (CPs).
Teachers and school directors have failed to assume a sense of responsibility for 
causing learning among all students. In almost every instance during school visits, 
when asked about their attitudes toward the NPE, teachers and directors invariably 
lauded the NPE as the basis for a great new program of learning. However, when 
team members asked that students demonstrate their ability to speak, read or write 
at the lesson level, and could not do so, teachers and directors were quick to assign 
blame for deficiencies on parents, poor teaching in earlier grades, or the strike. 
Rarely did teachers and directors acknowledge that they might be responsible for 
the situation.
With respect to the conformity of the NPE to the needs of incoming students, we 
found that the system is effective when applied under proper teaching conditions. 
In private schools, the NPE is highly appreciated among teachers, and the team 
noted that most students were achieving at the intended level. In public schools, 
conformity is not so apparent. Here, large class sizes reduce teachers’ abilities to 
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implement the program effectively. The consequence is that students do not learn 
French at a level necessary to participate in the curriculum or to meet the demands 
of the next grade level. 
The team observed that the NPE is, for the most part, a coherent program. The 
logic, sequence and progression of learning are appropriate. Nevertheless, 
application of the system may be too complex for un-trained teachers, as well as for 
those who have only participated in the introductory NPE training. The coherence 
of the program is further limited by reliance on French, which if not acquired to the 
desired level, restricts student participation and performance.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The NPE curriculum materials, particularly teachers’ guides, should undergo 
continuous and rigorous evaluation and revision. They should also be simplified to 
respond to the needs and capabilities of teachers with minimal preparation and 
education. While its design provides a coherent and standardized program of 
lessons for some classrooms, (mostly in private schools) many improvements are 
needed. This process should begin with systematic diagnosis and feedback 
programs that include regular and unbiased testing of students and discussions 
with parents and teachers. These diagnostics should be ongoing, and the results 
incorporated in guides, workbooks and manuals for the following year. For the NPE 
to succeed, it must be under constant monitoring and review until all aspects of the 
program are understood and corrected applied. Even then, MEPS should continue 
this on-going feedback and revision process to ensure the program continues to be 
refined and improved. 
Teachers must have more training. This situation is described in detail in the 
following pages. Pre-service and in-service professional upgrading is essential to 
consolidate gains made by the NPE in the lower grades before they are forgotten or 
lost.
The NPE should make provisions for teaching to large classes. An average of 60+ 
students per class is current and near-term reality and must be reckoned with. It 
is essential to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio, especially in CI and CP to manageable 
proportions. Elements of a new approach are discussed in the following section 
describing the French curriculum. It is recommended that schools utilize the many 
strategies for managing learning in classes with large enrollments, such as teacher 
aides, better use of human resources in the school and the community, in all 
grades and across all subjects. For its part, MEPS should extend a wider variety of 
didactic resources to students, in the form of supplementary workbooks 
(commercially available), more visual aids such as posters, flip charts, newspapers, 
and audio support such as radio and video programs.
Teachers require skills to discover and create student support and didactic 
materials from local sources. Although the NPE offers recommendations on the 
use of locally-developed materials such as sticks, rocks, seeds, and corks, teachers 
have not acquired skills to extend the use of everyday products or the local 
environment to learning situations. They need to learn how to use field trips, simple 
laboratory exercises, local artisans, contests, games and songs.
Demonstration and Application of NPE Methods: Every effort should be made to 
provide teachers with examples, models and methods of the NPE. There is a great 
need for more exposure to good teacher practices, and to ideas for using local 
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materials and resources. Teacher guides should contain ample concrete examples 
and case studies of successful classroom strategies. In addition, MEPS should 
consider the immediate creation of demonstration and laboratory schools, where 
these initiatives can be observed. Demonstration schools might be selected from 
among those used in the experimental phase of NPE development (or private 
schools), but at a minimum there should be one for each Department, and ideally 
one in each sub-prefecture. These schools can utilize materials and programs 
widely available from schools in Benin and West Africa. They might be used to host 
unités pédagogiques activities, be the site of centers of the documentary and 
support network, and serve as centers for dissemination and pre-service training. 
School directors need to play a more prominent role in supervising the NPE process. 
Experience in the implementation of innovations in primary schools has 
demonstrated the absolute necessity of strong and supportive leadership if 
sustainable changes are to occur. School directors must assume central 
responsibility for extending the NPE into all classrooms of the school. They must 
foster a learning environment through better teaching, more student involvement, 
and broader family participation. Directors must provide their institutions with a 
commitment that accepts no less than 100 percent learning among all children, and 
not just a few. There is a need to train school directors as instructional supervisors, 
and to expand their skills as catalysts for community, health and human 
development. They must be provided with an array of solutions, interventions and 
flexibility to support the mission of fostering student success through improved 
teacher performance.
V. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FRENCH AND MATHEMATICS
Terms of Reference: 
i “Assess the conformity of the Math and French workbooks and textbooks, French 
wall charts, pedagogical guides with the approaches, strategies, and training 
contents as recommended by the new programs”. Vii: “Assess the performance in 
French and Math of CI and CP of students on the basis of a representative sampling” 
viii. Assess the performance of first grade (CI) students on the basis of a 
representative sampling; and xi. Give recommendations for improving the 
implementation of the reform program.
OBSERVATIONS/FINDINGS
The purpose of this aspect of the evaluation is to assess the nature and impact of 
pedagogical reforms in the teaching of French and Mathematics in CI and CP. The 
terms of reference required that the team investigate the conformity of the Math and 
French workbooks and material, French wall charts, and teacher guides and 
workbooks with the approaches, strategies, and training content as recommended 
by the NPE. Besides conducting a thorough review of the materials, the team was 
able to observe the materials and methods in their current application by visiting 
150 CI and CP classes. 
This section begins with a description of the stated purposes, philosophy and 
design of the French and Mathematics programs, followed by findings of the school 
visits. Finally, recommendations are proposed for improving the implementation of 
the reform program. The goal is that the instruction, student materials and teacher 
guides conform to and accurately reflect the needs of children, while incorporating 
the approaches, strategies, and training content as recommended by the NPE.
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The Goals For French And Mathematics In The NPE
Goals for schools in Benin are set forth in the prefaces of programs of studies of the 
NPE for French and Mathematics at both the CI and CP levels. Attention is called to 
the rapidly changing and complex world in which we live and the necessity of 
teaching Beninese children to assume personal responsibility for their own actions, 
become capable of life-long learning, and believe in a democratic way of life. These 
ends are to be accomplished by competency or objectives-based instruction, an 
interdisciplinary approach that involves the student in his/her own learning, and in 
the resolution of real-life problems. The program calls for parents and other 
members of the community to be more actively involved in this educational process. 
Individual rates of learning are recognized and teachers are urged to use their 
initiative and creativity to assist the children in their learning.
Centrality of French
French, according to the Constitution of 1990, is the official language for the 
republic of Benin. Within the country, it is the language of political and social 
integration- the one language common to all Beninese. Externally it is a language 
providing access to a world culture and international commerce. 
French is also the language of instruction in schools. Without a solid foundation in 
French, students cannot succeed in primary school, since it is the vehicle for 
learning all other school subjects and the means to achieve the goals of creative 
thinking and problem solving. Without French, students will remain uneducated 
and functionally illiterate, and most assuredly face very limited opportunities.
French is a foreign language for the vast proportion of Benin’s students who enter 
school speaking a regional, maternal language. Moreover, these children come from 
households and villages where exposure to French is most unlikely. Their only 
resource for learning French is in the school; therefore, the materials and methods 
used to extend French to children assume paramount importance.
The French Curriculum
French is the medium of instruction in public and most private primary schools. 
The NPE curriculum for French for CI and CP provides detailed programs of study, 
teacher guides, and guides to evaluation. To give some idea of the magnitude of this 
information available to teachers, documents for CI French alone contain more than 
600 pages of detailed instructions for teachers. 
The introduction to the Teacher’s Guide for CI explains the structure of the 
program: how it relates to the pupil’s workbooks and manuals, and wall charts, and 
presents a table showing their inter-relationships. The eight stages of language 
learning are summarized as follows: 
1. Oral communication; 
2. Reading for meaning;
3. Strategies for reading comprehension; 
4. Recognizing syllables; 
5. Writing/drawing activities; 
6. Fuller understanding of the text; 
7. Expressing thoughts through writing; and, 
8. Strengthening and enriching what has been learned. 
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The eight-step progression described above provides the structure for language 
learning in both CI and CP. The first two weeks in CI concentrate on non-verbal 
activities (RANV) that include drawing and listening to songs. The next three weeks 
are devoted to oral and pre-reading activities involving home, school and 
community objects and activities familiar to the child: the classroom, animals, food 
and clothing.
The systematic study of French following the eight-step approach is to begin in 
week six. The next six weeks are to explore three themes based on the “expanding 
universe concept” in which the first vocabulary words are based on everyday events 
in the life of the child. Weeks six, seven and eight consist of vocabulary and 
phrases about family life: mother, father, and family. Lessons for weeks nine and 10 
relate to school and class activities, with children learning words such as book and 
slate. 
In Week 11, time is set aside to review words and structures encountered in the 
first ten units. In week 12, the theme of a local festival completes Volume I. Volume 
II of CI in French adheres strictly to the eight-step progression linked to themes 
that last from one to three weeks and are to be completed at the pace of two units 
per week. In all cases, the lessons contain vocabulary words appropriate for the 
theme. Weekly themes are listed below:
Week 13 My body
Weeks 14-16 My activities
Weeks 17-18 The market
Weeks 19-20 My week
Weeks 21-22 My friends, the animals
Weeks 23-24 Those who work near me
Week 25 The public square 
Volume II also comprises a table of strategies for reading, linked to the first six 
stages and an inventory of simple words to be written such as grand and petit. 
Additional lists contain key words and their sounds and a taxonomy of the different 
types of texts.
In CP, the second year of French, the same eight-step progression is followed. Many 
of the same themes are utilized with review and additional vocabulary. As an 
example, the theme “My friends the Animals” appears in both CI and CP. In the 
former, simple words and sentences are introduced such as “here is the dog of Toni” 
while in the latter more meaning is attached with “the dog barks and scares 
burglars”. Other themes that re-appear are “the world around me”,” the school”,” 
and “what I do during the day.”
New and more complex themes requiring more difficult words and structures are 
introduced: “making purchases”,” health education”, « different artisans and 
workers”, the “environment” and “rights and responsibilities”. 
The Math Curriculum
The math curriculum has many of the same characteristics as the French 
curriculum. One finds a close coherence among the didactic materials: program of 
studies, the teachers’ guides (there are two in CI), the manual, and the student’s 
workbooks. The amount of material contained in the teachers’ guides is somewhat 
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less than in CI for French: 400 pages instead of 600, for a total of more than 1,000 
pages of teaching instructions.
The materials for CI mathematics contain very precise and detailed teaching 
instructions. The program is divided into nine sections (dossiers) each consisting of 
four to five modules alternating among the subjects of arithmetic, measuring and 
geometry and requiring approximately 120 hours of instruction. The modules 
specify the desired subject matter, and attitudes to be acquired, along with the 
preferred strategies and with cross references to pages in the manual and the 
workbook. Each module is allotted 3 hours and consists of a three-part pattern: the 
lesson begins with finding out what the learner already knows, followed by the new 
material with remedial and enrichment exercises and finally evaluation. Learning 
activities use familiar objects such as furniture, chairs, and table. Children are 
expected to comprehend and manipulate numbers up to 20.
In the teachers’ guides for CP, the general orientation is, except for a few words, 
identical to the corresponding pages in CI. The instructions are detailed and 
precise, and in CP, the same instructional procedure is followed. Similarly, the 
program contains nine sections (dossiers), each with four to five modules, each 
consisting of four components that describe the subject matter, and attitudes, along 
with the preferred strategies and with cross references to pages in student manuals 
and workbooks. In each module, the same three part pattern is followed: the lesson 
is to begin with finding out what the learner already knows, followed by the new 
material with remedial and enrichment exercises and finally, evaluation. As with 
the CI program, the learning activities utilize objects and events familiar to the 
learner. The geometric figures are more complex and the numbers higher with 
examples up to 100
FRENCH AND MATHEMATICS
Positive Effects Of The NPE
Thé French and Mathematics programs has been disseminated throughout the
schools of Benin. Didactic materials are in adequate supply in all schools visited 
during the study. Most teachers have participated in training and hold favorable 
attitudes toward the NPE. Most profess to have adapted the NPE program in their 
daily lesson plans.
Teachers have been provided with programs of study, teachers’ guides, and wall 
charts, and student tracking forms that correspond to the NPE. Children in CI and 
CP all possess their individual workbooks and a manual to be shared with another 
child. There have been some logistical problems that have hampered distribution of 
student material; in many instances the workbooks arrived after the beginning of 
school. A few classes had not yet received workbooks, but these were an exception. 
For the most part, the schools are well equipped to implement the NPE.
WEAKNESSES OF SCHOOLS
French Instruction 
Despite the universal existence and use of NPE materials, and the training provided 
to teachers, children in Benin’s schools are not learning French in CI and CP in 
public schools. An overwhelming percentage of children analyzed in schools 
surveyed by the evaluation team are unable to speak, understand or write the 
French language. Even basic questions posed by the evaluation team, such as 
“What is your name?” went unanswered. Teachers in CI and CP confirmed that on 
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average, less than 10 percent of students have achieved French competencies to the 
level required of the NPE. 
Students in private schools fared better in French competencies but the quality of 
instruction here is in direct proportion to the amount spent per child. Children in 
private schools with higher per pupil funding perform better than those in less 
costly schools. In most instances this was related to smaller classes, and parental 
assistance and expectations for children’s’ success. 
As the evaluation study progressed, it became increasingly apparent that teachers, 
directors, pedagogical counselors, administrators or parents interviewed agreed 
with the findings of our public school visits: children are not learning French. 
This point was corroborated during meetings with a group of Pedagogical 
Counselors in training from all sections of the country, forming a rather complete 
cross section of knowledgeable informants. When asked why children were not 
learning French, not a single person contradicted the findings.
The evidence for this finding was overwhelming and the consensus complete. The 
reasons for this deficiency in French are multiple. Teacher strikes, as noted earlier, 
have dealt a major blow to language instruction. But there are other problems 
contributing to the paucity of learning. This problem impacts all programs of study, 
since minimum competencies in French must be attained before attempting other 
school subjects. This requirement may appear to be self-evident, but it is not 
effectively met in the schools that were observed. It is further complicated by the 
approach espoused in the NPE: simultaneous learning of French with other 
subjects. 
Large Classes 
In an earlier section, we talked of the challenges to learning imposed by large 
classes, and that the mean class size in classrooms observed is 62. This number of 
students makes it impossible for a single teacher to give personal attention to 
individual students in language acquisition. If a child falls behind it is difficult to 
receive help from the teacher who is by necessity completely inundated with the 
work of dealing with 60 or more classmates. While instruction in Math may be 
feasible for large classes, individualized attention is essential for the acquisition of a 
foreign language. 
Teacher Preparation 
Few and fewer teachers in CI and CP have an academic background exceeding ten 
years of formal instruction, with many of the newer hires having only a primary 
school education. Most of these lesser-trained staff are recently hired, and in many 
instances have not participated in training programs designed to orient teachers in 
the use of NPE strategies and materials.
 
Complexity Of Teacher And Student Guides 
Many teachers interviewed noted that the NPE guides for teachers are too complex 
and difficult to understand, and directors or Conseillers Pédagogiques lack 
sufficient understanding of the NPE to provide guidance in applying the system. In 
addition, a broad group of teachers noted that lessons prescribed in the NPE are 
difficult to comprehend and implement even to the best-trained teacher. 
USAID/MEPS have supported NPE pedagogical training, but little of it has dealt 
with the instructional theory and methods of teaching a foreign language. A 
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restricted academic and pedagogical background is perhaps less limiting in 
Mathematics than in French, but the problems remain rooted in French language 
deficiencies. Children cannot follow Math lessons or printed texts in French. 
The most common complaints of teachers about the French program, and to a 
lesser extent Mathematics, were that they are too complex and difficult for teachers, 
and the pace of material to be covered was too rapid for most children. In the 
meeting with pedagogical counselors mentioned earlier, one of the trainees 
reported, “finally after 4 months of training I am beginning to understand the 
Noveaux Programme d’Etudes.”
This statement is both simple and eloquent as there is much to understand and 
even participants in this experienced and carefully selected group of conseiller 
pedagogique trainees, who must be school directors or eligible to become one, have 
difficulty comprehending the NPE. The evaluation team noted above that both CI 
and CP programs comprise more than 1000 pages of NPE guides, manuals and 
workbooks. Can one, then, really expect an untrained or under-trained (4-8 weeks) 
teacher even to begin to grasp the content let alone apply the principles in the 
classroom?
Lack of a Language-Focused Learning Environment In Schools
Schools do not provide enough aural or visual stimulation to support foreign 
language learning. As a result, teachers tend to fall back on the traditional 
intermédiaire method of repetition, chalkboard and large group rote processes. The 
evaluation team noted only a few classrooms with materials and language learning 
resources apart from that provided by the NPE. Teaching aids such as flash cards, 
newspaper props, magazine, posters (besides planches), and additional simple 
materials were usually
lacking in most classrooms. Although small group learning is a central tenet of the 
NPE, children were seldom observed helping each other either individually or 
working together in groups according to skills level.
Community And Parents 
Regional and maternal languages are spoken in most Beninese homes. Few 
children are raised in a French-speaking environment or have even been exposed to 
French media. This is especially the case in rural villages, where all social 
transactions are conducted in the maternal language; French media, such as 
newspapers, TV or radio are not accessible. As a result, children leave the French￾speaking environment of the school and have no means of using French in everyday 
situations, which is a critical strategy of language acquisition.
In general, the evaluation team found that parents seem to approve of the child￾centered goals and active methods of the NPE. They are however frustrated in a 
number of ways. Most interviewed found it difficult to assist their children at home, 
for until recently the manuals were not in the bookstores and, as they had to be 
shared, could not be taken from the school. Many parents question the departure 
of the NPE from the intermédiaire system: especially since phonics is missing and 
writing begins with printing rather than cursive writing. And of course, most of all 
they are especially distressed about their children’s inability to speak, read, and 
write French.
Lock Step Curriculum 
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Ample examples of the rationale for individualization can be found in the many 
programs of study and guides for the NPE. Typical of these is the statement in the 
teachers’ guide for CI Mathematics, “All children do not learn in the same way or at 
the same rate: they have the right of trial and error.” Despite this professed learning 
principle in French and Mathematics, teaching, for all intents and purposes, follows 
a lock-step curriculum where the entire class moves along together whether the 
material is mastered or not. What is missing is the awareness in both the French 
and Mathematics sequence that most children may not have mastered a criterion 
level of sufficiency to keep up with the program of study. Teachers seem compelled 
to follow the time sequence of the NPE, despite the fact that 80 to 90 percent of 
children cannot participate at these levels. The mind-set seems similar to 
traditional university instruction, in which teachers expect a certain percentage of 
students to fail. 
ANALYSIS
Findings Specific to French
Not enough time or resources are allotted for foreign language learning, and classes 
are too large for proper teaching. In most western countries, the program of study 
for non-native speaking children entering national language schools lasts on 
average two years. These programs are generally taught to groups of less than 20 
children by well-trained teachers and supported by multimedia teaching aids that 
stimulate the children’s use of the new language in and outside the classroom.
Findings Specific to Math
With French the language of instruction, it is apparent that language deficiencies 
will impede learning in other subject areas. Even with language limitations, one of 
the more troubling findings was that the Mathematics lessons observed were 
uniformly restricted to the use of NPE materials, but with few departures from the 
frontal, intermédiaire method of teaching. There were very few additional visual 
aids, including sticks, corks, grains and other materials that are central to the NPE 
approach for teaching Mathematics. Instead, teachers relied on large group 
memorization of numbers, with haphazard lessons in arithmetic, measurement and 
geometry that confused children. In only a few instances did we observe examples 
of small-group work according to skill level. 
In reviewing student Math workbooks, the evaluation team noted that only a small 
number of CI classes have gone past the first few of the 20 lessons for the year. 
Even for these levels, we noted that children were rarely using workbooks regularly, 
and often had not progressed past the beginning pages.
In the Math workbooks, we noted the lack of emphasis on counting and adding, 
with numbers learned only up to 20. Memorization seems to be avoided, yet 
mathematical proficiency requires a certain amount of it. Instructions in the 
workbooks are difficult to follow, requiring teacher time not available for children 
needing individual attention. 
Vocabulary used in student workbooks seem beyond the grasp of a 6 year-old child, 
and are more likely to impede rather than assist understanding. On the first page of 
the CI student workbook, for example, one finds instructions using the following 
terminology: forme l’ensemble, etiquette d’addition, etiquette de rang and etiquette
numerique. On the next page, a difficult concept is introduced relating to space 
relationships, with the five -syllable word immediatement. Such concepts and 
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vocabulary are well beyond the grasp of a six-year old child during the first days of 
the first school year.
In the Teachers’ Guides for both CI and CP, educational and pedantic terms are too 
complex to be understood by most classroom teachers. For instance, terms such 
as “cognitivist,” or “math based on a socio-constructivist” approach have very little 
meaning to most teachers. The idea that a six-year-old child can approach the 
mastery of Mathematics by “constructing his own knowledge” is a dubious premise. 
These same terms appear in the French program as well, and may serve more to 
confuse than clarify. Most teachers and parents find these approaches and 
vocabulary not only unfamiliar but also intimidating and misguided.
RECOMMENDATIONS COMMON TO BOTH FRENCH AND MATH
Follow The Goals Of Educational Reform
Despite systemic problems, the goals and active methodology set forth in the NPE 
programs of study and teacher guides should continue to be the centerpiece and 
the inspiration for schools in Benin. A child-centered approach and setting can be 
highly motivating for young learners to have instruction based on people and events 
in their lives. The term “pertinent content” has been used to differentiate the new 
program from the previous one. These approaches are a significant departure from 
the intermédiaire system and provide a new context for schooling that should be 
encouraged and extended. 
Review And Improve The French Immersion Program
The most obvious and glaring problem confronting the NPE, and primary education 
in general, is the weakness of programming for French language skills. Our 
findings merit repeating: children are not learning to read, write or speak French at 
the rate or level needed to participate in primary education. The e valuation team 
recommends that French instruction become the number one priority of 
pedagogical reform. Any number of strategies could be pursued separately, or in 
unison to improve children’s French abilities.
Teacher guides, manuals and student workbooks should be reviewed to ensure they 
are appropriate to accommodate the entry-level skills of students, and can 
effectively be administered by teachers with minimal academic preparation. Here, 
we must recognize the difficulties of learning a foreign language, and provide 
additional learning resources to meet needs. We do not suggest that the present 
system need be subjected to lengthy or major revision; instead, more and varied 
didactic resources could be used to supplement activities. 
It is important that the French program assure that earlier, easier sequences are 
mastered before proceeding to more difficult ones and that children who lag behind 
the majority are not neglected. 
Explore Alternative Approaches 
There is a need for alternate approaches and experimentation. One such approach 
might require CI students to begin school with a preparatory term of several weeks. 
Children might attend such a program in shifts of small groups. MEPS should also 
consider testing a variety of bilingual training options.
Within the CI program itself, language instruction should occupy more time as the 
time currently allotted is not sufficient to bring students to the functional levels 
needed, and should be expanded until minimum language competency is achieved. 
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Finally, strategies should be adopted to expand sensory exposure to French. This 
could come in the form of more printed material, audio recordings, flip-charts, 
pictures, games and songs: all of which would reinforce French language skills. 
Individualization In Large Classes 
All school and community teaching resources should be mobilized to teach French. 
Teachers from all grades should be assigned this task, as we have mentioned above. 
A corps of teacher aides, comprised of children in higher grades or in secondary 
school, members of the community, peer tutors and other community personnel 
can be trained to administer beginning French instruction. These initiatives could 
be supported with very simply designed training materials that would provide 
French teaching skills to those with the most basic academic skills. The net effect 
would be to reduce the student-teacher ratio to manageable proportions: ideally, 15 
students per teacher.
On any given lesson, children can be divided into three or more skill-groups, with 
enrichment for faster groups and additional assistance to slower groups. Children 
would not proceed to the next lesson until the current one is mastered. This 
approach is the easiest to implement in Mathematics, where students can easily be 
involved in peer instruction. From the current curriculum, teachers should create 
an individualized program of study for each child. Progress should be documented; 
verification of pupil mastery of competencies could be done by more advanced 
students. At designated intervals the teacher would check each student’s progress 
and make written notations on individual records, and institute remedial measures 
to bring the pupil to desired levels. 
Provision Of Student Learning Resources
USAID/MEPS should continue to supply didactic materials to children until they 
are readily available in the bookstores throughout the country (Although the 
student workbook distribution program is now being handled by the private sector, 
the evaluation team did not find any workbooks for sale in March 2003. We urge a 
strong program of monitoring the distribution of these workbooks in the coming 
months to ensure they will be available to children in time for the next school year). 
Where financial needs necessitate, USAID/MEPS should continue to make student 
materials available without cost if families cannot afford them. 
Simplify And Compress NPE Documents
Simplify material of the NPE program for the benefit of teachers, children and 
parents. Here we recommend a single volume of instruction for the teacher 
combining French and Math and including everything that is user-friendly, easily 
understood and applicable for both newer and experienced teachers. For those 
wanting additional information, references should be made to the original 
documents. As was mentioned in an earlier section because of the jargon and the 
sheer volume - more than 1,000 pages - the materials become almost 
incomprehensible to anyone using them.
Teacher Preparation 
There is an immediate need to refocus programs to equip teachers with the 
fundamental competencies required for foreign language instruction. We have noted 
that French acquisition must not be treated as a separate lesson plan, which can be 
taught in the same manner as other subjects. Here active, child-centered and 
individualized methods are of supreme importance. 
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Community And The Parents 
Many MEPS personnel dismiss the potential contribution of parents in the learning 
process because of their minimal French skills or limited academic preparation. 
Indeed, we have documented and discussed the minimal reliance on parents and 
family in the schooling process. Nevertheless, the evaluation team views parents as 
an untapped human resource that should be used in the instructional process. 
Given that the maternal language dominates household and village life, the NPE 
should incorporate provisions to have parents work alongside their children with 
homework assignments. A parent may not be able to help children with French or 
other subjects, but they can certainly encourage their child to attend and work in 
school. Wherever possible they can bring external French media products and 
materials to the home to provide incentives for applied use of French.
RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFIC TO THE FRENCH PROGRAM
Introduce Cursive Writing Earlier
Cursive writing is not introduced until the beginning of CP. Discussing this 
recommendation with a group of educators in a debriefing session near the end of 
the consultancy, it was pointed out that for many of the children, CI would be the 
first time that they used a pencil so this extensive preparation of a full year with 
printing is necessary. The consultants are not fully convinced and at the very 
minimum the teacher should be encouraged to introduce cursive writing as early as 
possible. 
In fact, some teachers have taken the initiative of teaching cursive and block letters 
(script) together, spending a few minutes each morning on both. Doing so resolves 
the complaints about the difficulties in transferring from one writing system to 
another. This change would also eliminate one of the often-heard parental 
complaints about the NPE. While they accept the advantage of a curriculum based 
on every day events in the life of the child, parents fail to understand why a new 
writing system is taught, only to be changed the second year into one that they 
learned as a child. 
Supplement Whole Language Methods With Phonics
The NPE relies extensively on a Whole Language method, in which the meaning of 
words is immediately introduced through pictures and actions to provoke the 
immediate interest of the learner. It is intended to replace the rote drill of sounds 
without a context for understanding. A major disadvantage is that once these 
supports are removed the learner has difficulty recognizing the words and 
understanding their meaning. 
In western nations, phonics (the oral repetition of sounds) is generally accepted as 
necessary in primary reading instruction. In France, for the teaching of French, 
phonics has always been stressed, even in the most radical and child-centered 
approaches such as the Ecole moderne pedagogie.
Once the decision is made to include phonics, implementation is quite easy. In 
Annex I of the teacher guides for French in both CI and CP, words are divided into 
syllables. Teachers need only add oral repetition as a teaching strategy.
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RECOMMENDATIONS SPECIFIC TO THE MATH PROGRAM
Provide More Materials For Drill And Application Of Learned Concepts
In Mathematics, children are very weak in understanding addition tables and the 
concepts needed to add and subtract, which cannot be done without prior 
acquisition of the base-ten system. Student workbooks need more drill, repetition 
and application. There are far too few pages devoted to application of learned 
concepts and use under diverse conditions. The program needs to introduce the 
base-ten system earlier and with more practice. 
VI. Teacher Training
Terms of reference
iii. Assess the conformity of all the training documents and activities with the training 
plan on the one hand, the learning objectives, approaches and strategies as 
recommended by the new programs on the other; ix. Assess the performance of first 
and second grade (CI-CP) teachers and school directors on the basis of a 
representative sampling, within the framework of the implementation of the new 
programs; and xi. Give recommendations for improving the implementation of the 
reform program.
This portion of the report describes teacher-training activities that have supported 
the generalization of the NPE to the 4,500 schools in Benin. The first section 
describes teacher-training programs supported by USAID and instituted by the 
MEPS’ CGNPE. This is followed by a description of pre-service teacher training 
programs and resources. We then discuss the state of teacher competencies in 
schools visited by the evaluation team. Recommendations for future USAID and 
MEPS programs are then listed in order of importance.
TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS 
Academic Preparation: Resources and programs 
The only teacher training college in Benin, located in Natitingou, had 76 students 
enrolled when we visited, despite a capacity for 200. The program of study leads to 
a Certificat Elementaire d’Aptitude Professionelle (CEAP.) All instruction is based on 
the NPE and four MEPS administrators trained in the NPE system now teach at the
Training College. After receiving the CEAP, student teachers are assigned to a 
school for two years after which they undergo observations and examinations before 
receiving a teaching license. There seems, however, to be little incentive to attend a 
training college as the same exams and diplomas can be taken while teaching. 
Value added by going to a training college was not apparent to the team and we did 
not observe any impact on the teaching population. 
Initial (NPE) Training 
The pedagogical reform process has taken two principal tracks: material and 
curriculum development, and teacher training. Curriculum materials - student 
workbooks and manuals, and teacher guides and programs of study - form the core 
components of NPE training. Teacher and director training are based on a number 
of documents prepared for training purposes. They include:
Guide de l’Apprenant (Teaching guide for teachers)
Guide de Formateur (Training guide for trainers working with teachers and 
directors)
Formation Initiale des Enseignants Contractuels – Guide (Guide for initial training of 
contractual teachers) 
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Formation Initiale des Enseignants Contractuels – Modules de Formation (Initial 
training of contractual teachers – Training modules)
Guide de l’Apprenant – Nouveaux Directeurs (Teaching Guide for New Directors)
Documents are developed annually for each new grade level undergoing 
generalisation. The documents include revisions from the previous year. Other 
printed materials used by teachers include the student’s manual and workbook.
Initial NPE training began in 1999 for CI. Using a “cascade” approach; a group of 
60 selected “encadreurers” who were involved in the elaboration of materials and 
programs of the NPE developed teacher-training programs. When these programs 
were sufficiently developed, the next stage of training targeted some 700 individuals 
(teacher trainers) in six department locations for two to three weeks. Finally, 
between August and September, the 700 teacher trainers trained about 4500 
teachers and school directors at local training sites for four weeks. This approach 
continued each year with increasing grade levels. In 2000 only, CI teachers 
followed their students into CP and received training alongside new CI teachers. 
Consultation: 60 “encadreurs”
Program designers
one week
Training: 700 « formateurs »
(Pedagogic counselorss and some teachers and school directors)
2-3 weeks
4500 teachers and 4500 directors
4 weeks each
In-service Training
In-Service training benefits from a variety of pre-existing structures in the Beninese 
education system. The unité pédagogique (UP) is a subgroup of schools united to 
resolve common pedagogical issues. There may be 6-18 teachers in each UP. 
Regular UP meetings of teachers are led by a school director and CP, one of which 
will be the “responsable” or RUP. This is also where IFESH, a USAID contractor 
conducts its follow-up training in NPE practices. The UP normally meets twice a 
month in the afternoon. Due to the strikes during the evaluation period, however, 
most UPs had not met at all or had only conducted their first meeting of the year, 
which is administrative.
Additional in-service training occurs during CP visits, or during recyclages, or 
follow-ups to initial NPE training. All in-service training now refers to NPE related 
activities. There are formal sessions normally lasting two weeks during the summer 
and less formal sessions that occur during the UP. 
The NPE training system focuses on delivery by using high performing teachers and 
school directors as pedagogic counselors (CP). A CP is a local resource person 
whose responsibility is to visit local schools twice a week to provide professional 
development support. 
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Benin is currently training a new group of CPs in the Inspectors’ training school in 
Porto Novo. These CPs are part of a new wave who will be released from their 
classroom responsibilities in order to provide ongoing staff development and teacher 
support in the field. In order to participate in this training one must be a director or 
eligible to become a director and succeed in a competition for this post.
In 1995, a plan was prepared to set up a network of documentation centers across 
Benin. These centers act as local libraries, and provide students, parents and 
teachers the opportunity to read and conduct research. IFESH, which set up a 
number of documentation centers, uses these spaces as centers for training.
A number of NGOs participate in assisting and training teachers. These 
organizations are useful partners in the creation of a greater understanding 
of the NPE. IFESH is completing its second phase of teacher training. 
Together both phases have covered all Departments in Benin. The purpose 
of the IFESH program is to increase the capability of inspectors, pedagogical 
advisors and heads of pedagogical units to ensure continuing education of 
teachers. 
Data is not collected on the number of teachers leaving the profession and for what 
reason. Interviews suggest, however, that a considerable number of trained 
teachers is leaving the system each year. 
There are 4,500-plus public and private primary schools in Benin. More 
than 22,000 teachers provide instruction for 1.15 million students. Yet, 
annually the system is in need of roughly 4,000 teachers. In 2001-02, there 
were 276,577 students in CI and 223,893 in CP. Together they represent 
43% of the total primary school population. 
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MEPS) consists of at least 18 
departments that have undergone several permutations in the last decade. The 
Ministry of University Education (MESRS) is now a separate institution and has 
appropriated the teacher training colleges, (Ecole Normales des Instituteurs, ENI) in 
Parakou and Lokossa as university branches. As a result, these former ENI no 
longer provide teacher training. At the same time, MEPS’ departments seem to 
have overlapping and sometimes ambiguous functions, and it is not clear that 
either INFRE or MESRS contribute effectively to teacher training or development. 
Evolution of the Ministry of Education - Benin
1990 MEN Ministère de l’Education Nationale
(Overseeing Maternelle ‡ Université)
1996 MENRS Ministère de l’Education National et de la 
Recherche Scientifique 
2001 MEPS
METFP
MESRS
Ministère d l’Enseignement Primaire et 
Secondaire
Ministère de l’Enseignement Technique et 
de la Formation Professionnelle
(Includes nursing, engineering, agriculture 
etc.)
Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et 
de la Recherche Scientifique
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Primary education consists of six grades, or three cycles. The exit exam for primary 
school is the Certificat d’Education Primaire (CEP.) Secondary school follows with 
seven years in two cycles. After the first cycle of “collège,” a student receives a 
diploma of “Brevet d’Etudes du Premier Cycle” (BEPC.) The second cycle terminates 
with the “Bacalaureat” or BAC. One is eligible to teach or prepare for further 
teaching licenses after the BEPC. In the case of communautaires, many have been 
hired with less than a BEPC.
Primary School
Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3
CI
Cours
d’Initiatio
n
CP
Cours
Préparatoi
re
CE1
Cours 
Elémentaire
CE2
Cours 
Elémentaire
CM1
Cours 
Moyen
CM2
Cours 
Moyen
6yo 7yo 8yo 9yo 10yo 11yo
CEP
Diploma
Secondary School
collège college
6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st « terminale »
12
yo
13
yo
14
yo
15
yo
BEPC
Diploma 16
yo
17
yo
18yo
BAC
Diploma
Women in Teaching
The percentage of female teachers has been declining steadily since 1999. Although 
equity in student participation has been rising, more effort is needed to provide 
models for young girls to promote recruitment of female instructors. 
Percentage of Female Teachers
Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Percentage of female 
teachers
30.15
%
27.97
%
25.57
%
24.32
%
N/A
DPP/MEPS-SSGI 2002
Teachers
Teachers are recruited in three ways: as community teachers, contractuals and civil 
servants (Agents Permanents de l’Etat or APE). 
Community Teachers are recruited and paid for by the community. The Association 
des Parent d’Eleves (APE) may elect to use the subsidy given to each public school 
to pay community teachers. In many cases, parents supplement this subsidy to 
cover the costs of additional teachers. These have often been the only teachers 
present during a strike. They are paid for the time that they are employed and they 
can be hired at any time during the school year. 
Contractuals work under contract with the state for the academic year. Their pay is 
for ten months. 
APE are civil servants. These teachers either attend the teacher training college or 
are recruited directly by the state. Their appointments are de facto guaranteed with 
pension. Teachers hired as APE may elect to undergo additional exams to become a 
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conseiller pédagogique or an Inspector at which point they will leave classroom 
instruction.
Within the public system, APEs receive the highest salaries and are paid regularly. 
There are, however, salary arrears resulting from their recent reclassification. 
Contractuals receive a minimum of Cfa 35,000 per month (about $50), while 
community teachers earn as little as Cfa 15,000 to Cfa 20,000 per month (about 
$30). In fact, community teachers are often paid less than the official minimum 
starting salary unless alternative arrangements for in-kind payment are negotiated 
with the school director and the APE.
In recent years, salary issues have been at the center of continuous strikes. In 
2002-2003, the strike began informally in October by contractual teachers and 
became a formal strike in January when various teaching unions banded together. 
The strike has affected the Ecole Normale, the regularity of student attendance and 
parental confidence in the public system. It has also clearly affected in-service 
training for teachers, as UPs do not meet, CPs cannot visit teachers and NGOs have 
difficulty organizing training sessions. The strikes are therefore a serious handicap 
that have had and continue to have a very negative effect on the overall education 
system.
Pathways to Teaching
As yet, the ministry has not developed a systematic plan for in-service training. As 
a result, follow-up to initial NPE training of four weeks conducted during the 
summer holidays is limited to the UP and CP visits. A two-week “Recyclage” occurs 
only in the year following initial training. Training provided in the UP and via CPs 
were severely limited by the prolonged strike in 2002-03 and by previous strikes in 
the past three years. Instead, each Direction Départementale des Enseignements 
Primaire et Secondaire (DDEPS) was left to its own devices to promote greater 
understanding of the NPE. 
ANALYSIS
Teacher Preparation
Benin’s increasing reliance on teachers with 10 or fewer years of education 
seriously undermines its ability to meet current and future needs for a qualified 
Recruited by the Community…
Less than BEPC ‡ recruited by parents ‡ Community Teacher (before 2004)
Min. BEPC (from 2004 onward) ‡ recruited by parents ‡ Community Teacher
By going to L’ENI…
BEPC: Inst. Adj. Stag. ‡ 2 yrs.ENI ‡ CEAP : Inst Adj ‡ 2 yrs pratique ‡CAP : Inst. Ordinarie/Titulaire 
BAC: Inst Stag. ‡ 1 yr ENI ‡ 2 yrs pratique ‡ CAP : Inst. Ord. 
Without going to L’ENI and recruited by the state…
BEPC: Inst. Adj. Stagaire ‡ 3yrs teaching ‡ CEAP: Inst. Adj. ‡ 3 yrs teaching ‡ CAP:Inst. 
Ordinaire/Titulaire
BAC: Instituteur Stagaire ‡ 3 yrs teaching ‡ CAP: Instituteur Ordinaire/Titulaire
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and dynamic cadre of teachers. There is a need for teachers who have the ability to 
implement the complex methods of the NPE. Teaching is a profession that requires 
more than a love for children, but an understanding of how children’s development 
affects their ability to acquire, retain and use information. No credible arguments 
have been put forward to convince the evaluation team that current levels of 
academic preparation and training for teachers in Benin is sufficient 
Improvement of Training
Two issues surface with regard to current teacher training: 
(1) Training does not model and (2) Training encourages very limited participation. 
Essential to any new learning is the opportunity to practice a technique. This is 
true irrespective of educational level, but likely more crucial when presenting to 
those with limited education. Real learning occurs after a series of opportunities 
to practice. This is one of the most important shortcomings at all levels of 
training. 
Our observations of training delivered by persons considered the most qualified in 
Benin were evidence that a frontal, teacher-centered method, using little or no 
audio-visual aids, is still very much in use. In effect, the trainers of trainers are still 
using the old system of education that relies on the lecture approach. Evidence 
shows that the Pilote de Formation has attempted to respond to this enormous 
problem through the “cogestion sequence de classe.” It is not certain, however, that 
this limited exposure to participatory techniques can respond to the need for 
massive re-education in teaching methodology. 
There is no plan for systematic in-service training as a follow-up to initial NPE 
training. The existing network of UPs as a forum for in-service professional 
development has not functioned regularly due to strikes. Teachers and directors 
overwhelmingly laud the existence and assistance of IFESH and request that they 
carry on; yet the evaluation team saw no observable differences amongst teachers 
trained by IFESH. (IFESH works with CPs and inspectors to increase their capacity 
to support teachers, and with teachers to reinforce their capacities to apply the new 
teaching approaches.) A clear plan is needed to ensure that MEPS can recoup its 
investment in training. 
There is no system to train new teachers during the academic year even when 
vacancies go unfilled for months. Outside of initial training that occurs only during 
the year of generalisation, new teachers hired during the academic year do not have 
the opportunity to become well versed in the NPE. Community teachers hired in 
recent years did not receive CI or CP training, and collectively expressed the need 
and interest to learn how to implement the NPE program. While this task may fall 
to CPs during their periodic school visits and during UP sessions this task is not 
being accomplished. 
Training documents are not user friendly. The documents should encourage use 
without outside instruction. They emphasize writing exercises and discussions 
about teaching rather than teaching. This is also an issue of modeling. Training 
documents lack structure as reference documents, basic information on child 
development, and psychology and practical examples based on everyday situations 
related to the NPE. 
The documents tend to be too text rich. The teacher guides available ignore the fact 
that the majority of teachers have neither the level of education, nor the training 
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necessary to implement this rather complex program. To be useful, the guides 
should include illustrations and examples of lesson plans, classroom arrangement, 
sample tests and pages that are useful to teachers and possible for them to 
photocopy. 
The guides require a large number of lower-order thought activities -- finding, re￾stating and summarizing information. This is useful as an orientation to the 
program. The guides do not, however, provide enough balance by using 
application, evaluation and synthesis opportunities for teachers and directors to 
practice the NPE.
Training does little to encourage teachers to use questioning techniques
There is no evidence that the NPE, (which says it promotes autonomous learners,) 
teaches or describes how instructors can elicit questions from students or 
encourage autonomous learning. No one addresses the fact that asking questions –
especially a child of an adult – is contrary to the home culture as well as to public 
life. Most parents and teachers want students to be able to compete in the global 
economy. Interviews with various stakeholders reveal that a student’s ability to 
show curiosity and search for answers based on that curiosity is a good thing. This 
spoken desire for curious students contradicts basic everyday interactions. 
Beninese social exchanges illustrate that questioning between individuals of 
unequal standing is uni-directional.
There are no benchmarks for teacher training
MEPS has no standards or criteria to identify skills that are required for an 
excellent trainer. Training participation is not used as a means to control for 
quality by requiring teachers to accumulate a certain number of training hours and 
to be able to demonstrate knowledge from such training. 
Organizational shortcomings
The various MEPS’ departments involved in training do not coordinate their efforts. 
The process suffers from over-compartmentalization: each unit treats its mandate 
as separate and apart from work being done in other units. 
The effect of low salaries and training per diems 
Interviews suggested that a large percentage of teachers participate in training for 
the per diem rather than for the information offered. The resulting effect is that 
impedes their likelihood to fully participate in and implement training. The 
explanation given is that teachers’ low pay makes the per diems an attractive way to 
augment their salaries.
Poor feedback and diagnostic system
Deliberate and consistent information collection is the backbone to an effective 
training program. Currently, however, it is unclear how many participants actually 
attend training, who they are, where they are posted, or how many leave the 
profession and for what reasons. It was clear to the evaluation team that the office 
charged with program evaluation does not function in a systematic manner.
Teachers receive little or no instruction on how to evaluate students or themselves.
 If we accept the fact that teacher strikes have disrupted a teacher’s ability to 
receive pedagogical support, we must also recognize the need to provide teachers 
with tools that can be used independently. The evaluation team found teachers 
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who were interested in their own professional development. Developing auto 
evaluations that can be used by teachers or between teachers and directors is a 
means to improve implementation of the NPE. 
Many directors responded that training is not fully effective because teacher 
assignments do not reflect the grade for which they were trained. Respondents 
noted that training goals and objectives are not clearly stated to convey that the 
methodologies contained in the NPE are crosscutting and applicable to all primary 
grades. 
Parents have been excluded in the training and generalisation of the NPE
Parents need to have basic information when major changes are made that affect 
students. This basic information should include expected outcomes and ways in 
which they can support the change at home. The effect of excluding a major 
stakeholder and consumer of the program is to create a potential constituency of 
dissenters.
No systematic plan exists to treat the issue of academic preparation
A decision to reduce the hiring has shifted the burden of teacher recruitment and 
payment from the Ministry to the community. As many of these individuals are not 
qualified, training methods and content must be at a level that they can understand 
and utilize.
With respect to CPs, it is questionable that they possess the skills and attitudes to 
convey the philosophy and methods of the NPE. The evaluation team held extensive 
discussion with a group of CPs currently in training in Porto Novo. They report 
being without guides or materials, and expressed difficulty in understanding the 
NPE, as well as discontent with the progress of their training. They also complained 
of the lack of funds to permit them to travel and visit to schools in their service 
districts. They receive no compensation for these out of pocket expenses, thereby 
reducing their salary and certainly reducing the will to perform their tasks. The 
MEPS relies on CPs as tools to promote and deepen the NPE in the field, yet the 
investment made to ensure this capacity appears wholly inadequate. 
RECOMMENDATIONS
A teacher’s ability to implement any new program or style of teaching is heavily 
dependent on the quality and frequency of training. The extent to which this 
training is well-planned and details with specificity the goals of its implementation, 
will determine its effectiveness. A “cascade” approach is effective only when 1. 
training is highly structured and organized in both content and methodology, 2. it 
is followed by repeated in-service training and 3. trainers are motivated and 
capable. Initial training is nothing more than an introduction without regular and 
frequent opportunities for in-service training. The use of support materials – guides 
and visual aides – further improves the possibility to repeat with fidelity the initial 
training. The effectiveness of training should be verified by monitoring classroom 
instruction. Improved student success can be linked to a well-trained teacher who 
is in turn supported by a network of educators well versed in the nuances of the 
same program.
Teacher Education 
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With respect to academic preparation, MEPS should specify minimum requirements 
for teachers. The BEPC diploma should serve as a minimum requirement for all
new teachers (including community teachers). It is also desirable to increase this 
minimum to a BAC within the next few years. The BAC will at least provide a 
greater foundation in general knowledge necessary to teach in today’s world. It will 
also serve as an initial measure to control the quality of teachers entering the 
system. 
There is also a need to create local teacher training colleges and to establish a 
national criterion for the number of credit hours necessary to become a certified 
teacher, which can be based on the existing ENI program. Final certification could 
also be tied to the number of classroom teaching hours. We also recommend 
providing incentives to the private sector to create local teacher training colleges.
Immediate need for CI and CP teacher training
Consolidate gains already achieved in CI and CP before they are lost. There is an 
immediate need to re-train or provide initial training for teachers in these grades, 
where student performance is lacking. The evaluation team observed that due to 
attrition, there are a large number of teachers currently responsible for CI and CP 
who did not benefit from initial training. As previously stated, we know that the 
strike has disrupted UPs and NGO intervention. For this reason, it is imperative 
that CI and CP teachers receive (re)training and be able to reap the improvements 
made to training over the past three years. The evaluation team recommends that 
as of summer 2003, CI and CP teachers be re-trained in NPE methodologies with an 
emphasis on the methods of instruction for large groups, and teaching a second 
language. 
Immediately reformulate the CP curriculum at the Porto Novo training site
In the six months remaining, CPs being trained in Porto Novo should receive full 
sets of the NPE materials including student books, training guides and intense 
instruction using demonstration and active participation methods. The new CP 
curriculum should include strategies for working with teachers of large groups and 
teachers of second language learners. The trainers must include highly trained 
individuals who have a profound understanding of the NPE.
Initial and in-service training should be considered together
The plan would be based on a cyclical system of Training ‡ Application ‡
Assessment ‡Re-Training ‡ Application ‡ Assessment. To exploit the totality of 
participants’ experience, require teachers to prepare experience-based questions 
during retraining and use as a forum for exchanging issues specific to their cycle. 
Improve the competencies of the teacher training staff
The NPE advocates that teachers become facilitators of learning, while school 
directors should serve as trainers. NPE materials laud the goal of autonomous 
learners and the use of various learner-centered methods of instruction. During 
classroom observations, however, we noted that the practice of participatory 
learning is non-existent. For this reason, it is extremely important to ensure that 
teacher-trainers be experienced in applying the NPE system, as well as expert in 
training methods. It is also suggested that USAID/MEPS investigate using 
expatriate training specialists to bolster competencies, as the present situation is a 
reflection of limited capacities in MEPS.
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MEPS should overhaul the pre-service training by retraining its original encadreurs. 
This is an opportunity to ascertain whether encadreurs are training in the same 
manner. The training specialists should assist in training all CPs. Finally, trainers 
must be able to model questioning techniques with Directors and Teachers. It is 
essential to reinforce the “cascade” approach with the partnership, assistance and 
guidance of said training specialists. 
The training specialist should focus on teaching methodologies (not content.)
Training specialists should be able to demonstrate examples of teacher and student 
initiative and what methods and behaviours lead to greater participation. In any 
learning situation, the student/participant must have the opportunity to practice 
the concept within an appropriate context and time at least three times before it
can be considered learned behavior. Training documents and teacher guides should 
place maximum reliance on participatory techniques and include questioning 
behavior into observation forms. 
Teaching by demonstration
It is imperative that teachers be able to see first-hand how the NPE system is 
applied. As we discussed elsewhere in this report, demonstration/laboratory 
schools attached to documentary centers could serve to demonstrate and 
disseminate best practices. The documentary centers would then become a 
resource location for ideas and materials. 
Training is too long. The NPE contains an enormous amount of information with 
new strategies and techniques. One cannot expect that participants will retain all 
the information presented and retain at the same rate on day 1 as on day 24. To 
maximize retention of information, MEPS should consider two options for continued 
generalisation: 
1. Reduce training to two weeks and move to a time immediately before the 
beginning of the school year so that teachers may immediately apply the 
program. Classroom visits to monitor teachers should begin shortly after 
teachers return to the classroom. 
2. Two weeks training, followed by application of learned skills in 
demonstration classes for at least two weeks so that teachers and directors 
have the opportunity to practice the methodologies. 
Simplify training 
It is clear from information in the field that there exists a dissonance with regard to 
the expectation of training. Training should be limited to several key components. 
Examples of key components can include; how to use the guides, NPE 
methodologies, implementing the lesson plan and assessment and feedback of 
student performance. Trainers will then have clear and specific objectives that are 
continuously communicated to participants. 
To maximize retention of training information, MEPS should consider two options 
for continued generalisation: 1. Reduce training to two weeks and move to a time 
immediately before the beginning of the school year or 2. Two weeks training 
followed by two weeks of “cogestion sequence de classe” so that teachers and 
director have the opportunity to practice the methodologies.
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During training and in all training documents, place less emphasis on the lesson 
plan as a document and more emphasis on the lesson plan as an outline for 
instruction. Train teachers to clearly communicate the purpose of the lesson and 
fulfill the “projet et retour.”
Specify training outcomes with learning objectives
Specify to participants what information will be covered during training and what 
information remains their responsibility. Distinguish crosscutting strategies from 
grade content during training. Specify what portions of the documents are most 
useful while teaching. Participants should begin training with a full understanding 
of how to use the guides and curricula once they are in the classroom. 
Organize and improve training documents
Create distinctions in the guide between strategy and content. Include information 
on how teachers can evaluate the success of their own lesson. Include elements of 
evaluation: (pre/post/self) as a part of training and model its uses and behaviors. 
Teacher collaboration and exchange
Share teaching skills and promote collegial exchanges by training APE/ Contractual 
and Community teachers together. Although each group enters the training 
process at varying levels of education, building on the experience of more 
knowledgeable teachers (1) builds confidence by taking their experiences into 
consideration and (2) assists less knowledgeable teachers with difficult classroom 
issues. 
Joint training for administrators
Train inspectors and school directors together in educational management and 
educational leadership. 
Solutions to resolve teacher salaries
MEPS should consider improving teacher’s living conditions by, for example, 
subsidizing teacher housing, establishing investment plans to increase pension or 
providing travel allowances.
Internships
Provide internship opportunities for university students to teach in schools. 
University students can be used to alleviate the teacher shortage. Mobilize 
university students to teach French in primary schools by developing a university 
class that provides NPE training, child development and pedagogy. The mutual 
benefit arises from university students being able to earn money and schools 
providing low performing students with additional opportunity to reach appropriate 
levels.
Regional network for resource sharing 
USAID and MEPS should work with Central and West African education ministries 
of primary education to promote exchanges. The system could operate through 
virtual and actual visits and forums. The exchange can serve as a basis for sharing 
best practices in similar African environments and to make available instructional 
resources and materials to teachers. 
Media support for instruction and teacher training
The NPE is considered as a curriculum developed and imposed from the outside. 
Create radio and TV campaign on the NPE to clarify what it is and what it aims to 
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achieve. Continue with the development of a video program on NPE to be 
distributed to video clubs across the country. Support such initiatives and provide 
for countrywide dissemination. Create a national day for parent open houses on 
the NPE, based on the initiative taken by several schools across the country. 
Sustainability
An enormous amount of effort has been put into planning and implementing 
training for the NPE. There is near unanimous agreement that the NPE has many 
elements that are necessary to prepare a child in the 21st century. Changes to 
documents are made annually that reflect improvements based on identified needs. 
This shows an ability to be responsive to the needs in the field. On the other hand, 
many of the recommendations put forth in this report repeat those made previously.
In order to recoup the investments in training made since 1999, MEPS and the 
Cellule must make immediate decision where to spend their efforts; expand to CM 
or retrain CI and CP. MEPS must consider that the long-term effectiveness lies in 
using a well-educated teaching force. Recognizing that the NPE is a Beninese 
program, educators must engage in a serious dialogue regarding the conflicts 
between the program and Beninese culture. Documents used for training require 
better organization and training must promote participation and model 
methodologies. The latter is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks, as it requires 
changes in behavior. It is however, the key to make training meaningful in the 
classroom
VI. STUDENT ASSESSMENT AND SCHOOL ORIENTATION 
Terms of reference
iv. Assess the conformity of the new system of student assessment and school 
orientation with regard to the learning objectives, approaches and strategies as 
recommended by the new programs; vii. Develop, in collaboration with “pilots”, MEPS 
and USAID technical staff, a periodical evaluation plan which will help assess the 
quality, relevance, progress achieved and the results obtained by all five components; 
viii. Assess the performance of first grade (CI) students on the basis of a 
representative sampling; and xi. Give recommendations for improving the 
implementation of the reform program.
Introduction
This section of the report describes student assessment and school orientation 
within the overall context of efforts to implement pedagogical reforms in primary 
education. The purpose of the evaluation was threefold, and includes:
1) Assessing the conformity of the new system of student assessment and school 
orientation with regard to the learning objectives, approaches and strategies as 
recommended by the NPE;
2) Assessing the performance in French and Math of first grade (CI) and second 
grade (CP) students on the basis of representative sampling;
3) Develop, in collaboration with the MEPS “pilots”, with MEPS and with USAID 
technical staff, a periodic evaluation plan to assess the quality, relevance, progress 
achieved in the area of student assessment and school orientation.
It was decided that objective (vi) of the terms of reference, “assessing the
recommendations of the Pedagogy component consultancy reports funded under 
the CLEF project within the framework of activities directly related to the 
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generalization of the new programs and their implementation,” would be a good 
starting point for the approach of this component. It is instructional to begin the 
report with expectations (what should have been done according to NPE documents 
and strategies, objectives of USAID and other reports from CLEF). Findings and 
recommendations follow this.
As for the methodology for this component, we have reviewed the project documents 
and reports. This data we expanded on during conversations with MEPS, CLEF and 
CCGNPE consultants. While in the field conducting school visits, additional 
information was gathered from different stakeholders of Benin’s school system. 
After a midterm presentation on the status of our evaluation study to USAID and 
MEPS representatives, we made a number of adjustments to the data collection 
process. These changes were discussed during meetings with the CCGNPE Pilot of 
the “Plan d’Action” Student Assessment and School Orientation and the MEPS 
National Evaluation Team. Their recommendations were incorporated in the 
instruments used in school survey activity.
The Evaluation Program as designed
Based on the NPE’s objective to provide a more equitable education, we expected a 
continually increasing and equitable rate of school attendance. We expected to find 
an operational school equipped with the same resources, whether in rural or urban 
area; a school that offered the same opportunities to males as well as to females. In 
addition, we expected to find the school system’s goal of providing a quality 
education on an equitable basis preparing the children to play a productive role in 
society in operation. This implies the existence of an appropriate structure to 
achieve quality and equitable learning, and the implementation of measures and 
practices leading to the eradication, or at least the reduction, of school dropouts 
and classroom repetitions. Those were our modest expectations when we set out to 
assess this component “Student Assessment and School Orientation”.
Based on a review of the teacher guides, Student Assessment and School 
Orientation documents, and other training reports in evaluation, we expected to 
find an existing methodology of evaluation with an effective feedback mechanism to 
students and to the system. We also expected (i) a definition of objectives and skills 
to be evaluated by the teacher, (ii) a written evaluation policy describing student 
control and monitoring strategies, (iii) corrective instruction and feed back 
instructions to students, parents and school administration. During our site visits, 
in addition to the questionnaires, we also used information sheets, our own 
questions and concerns emphasizing the focus of the study. 
From our perspective, student assessment and documentation programs have not 
been implemented. As a result, programs and investments proceed without being 
properly assessed. This has had enormous implications in the implementation of 
the NPE, because each successive step of the process is predicated on the success 
of earlier initiatives. However, as this evaluation study highlights, learning is not 
occurring, and many educators are not aware of the situation.
There is significant divergence between the documents developed by the Cellule 
“Plan d’Action Evaluation et Orientation Scolaire” and practices in the field. Within 
the school system, there is a general tendency to interpret the concept of evaluation 
as testing. As a consequence, as far as evaluation practices are concerned only test 
results are considered, while daily and monthly class evaluations are ignored. 
Evaluation is not yet taking place. What takes place in the schools is measurement 
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(exams) to which a norm or a criterion is applied to make a decision. One might 
think they have evaluated, but without analysis, evaluation has not taken place. 
Review of Documents
Evaluation documents made available to the trainer and the teacher are well 
presented, and the content informative. They summarize succinctly different types 
of evaluation, and offer, besides goals and objectives, reasons for evaluating.
However, we noted the following points in the teacher’s guide to evaluation of 
learning in CI and CP: 
(i) Documents do not state in their goals or objectives the advantages and/or 
vision of evaluation or that evaluation could provide new information to 
inform the school system and raise questions regarding the curriculum. 
For example, the evaluation could help assess the relevance/coherence of 
the curriculum with the psychomotor development of children. 
(ii) The role parents should play in the system is absent from the subjects of 
the ‘Guide d’Evaluation’. Yet, parents are not only the first consumers of 
the evaluation products but also important catalysts of the learning 
process.
(iii) The document describing orientations and objectives of the “Plan d’Action 
Réforme des Programmes d’Etudes” does not offer a detailed specification 
of the profile of the Beninese child in terms of skills, abilities, and 
attitudes measurable by an evaluation.
In addition, there are several documents related to evaluation that have not been 
approved by the hierarchy or implemented in the field (classroom). That is the case 
concerning the definition of a national policy of school and professional orientation 
in the Primary school (Projet de Politique nationale d’orientation scolaire et 
professionnelle), of the student reference book (Cahier-temoin), and of the School 
orientation notebook (Livret scolaire). Why these documents have not been 
approved was unclear and some are probably out-of-date now.
Observations and Interviews
Class management
Considering the unique conditions under which our study was conducted – during 
the teacher’s strike - there was little evidence that teachers or directors had any 
idea of the performance of each of the individuals in any one class. The team noted 
large disparities between the official number of students enrolled in classes and 
those actually present. The team visited classrooms where the teacher was not 
sure about the number of his students, especially since absenteeism had risen with 
the cancellation of classes. In those cases, the teacher could not say whether 
absent students had abandoned school or were simply away for the day of our visit.
Testing and measurement
In the vast majority of public schools, there has not been any testing this year due 
to the strike. In most cases, the teacher had no report or notes to indicate the total 
number of students who sat for tests the previous years. 
Class repetition, dropouts and system attrition
According to the World Bank Report on the Benin School System (January 2002), 
Benin’s retention rate in primary school was at 34%; in terms of equity, the rate 
was much lower: 22% for rural girls. The absence in schools of internal reports with 
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reliable data does not allow for the corroboration of these figures. In some classes, 
dropout and repetition figures were written on the chalk or bulletin board with the 
number of students in the class, but this could not be observed everywhere. In a 
few cases, the figures marked on the board were not updated.
The repetition rate (25%) is too high
Teachers are convinced that the high repetition rates are a discouraging factor both 
for students and their parents. Many parents interviewed thought that their 
sacrifices were not worth it if children are frequently required to repeat the year. .
Formative and summative evaluation strategies
Although documents and school authorities affirm that the new curricula give 
priority to formative evaluation (Guide: Formation des Directeurs, 1998 p. 77), only 
summative (end of term/year) tests are administered in schools, and then only 
three times a year. We noted confusion between summative evaluation and 
normative evaluation. Several people see summative tests more as a means of 
selection to the extent that it is not used as a pedagogical tool.
Lack of teacher understanding of techniques and value of evaluation
With regard to evaluation, the situation in the classroom is alarming. Many 
teachers declared that they did not receive training relating to designing test items. 
In any case, one thing is clear, as a teacher from Mono summed it up “Nous ne 
savons pas faire une évaluation” (we don’t know how to evaluate,) a common 
statement when asked about the sad state of student performance. In another 
Department, a school director shared with indignation that “teachers are not 
equipped to evaluate, we don’t have the mastery of the evaluation tools; we cannot 
evaluate students. Nobody wants to train teachers to design the specification tables. 
Training for evaluation is kept as a secret reserved for a minority.”
Diagnostic processes
To date, during the four years since the commencement of the generalization 
process, there has not been any analysis of student performances at the central, 
dDepartmental, district or school level. MEPS officials observed that the expertise is 
available, but resources are lacking. Whatever the case, the system is unable to 
provide classroom information about student performance. Consequently, there is 
no basis for appraising the value or impact of USAID support. 
Restitution of evaluation
Restitution in the field consists of sending test scores to parents after monthly and 
trimester tests. At the end of the term, parents’ meeting is organized, but the report 
given to them is limited to a report card with test scores from the summative exam. 
Teachers said that now and then, some parents whose children did not pass the 
test would approach the teacher to inquire about the failure. At that time, the 
teacher would give them explanations and suggestions. Most of the time they 
suggest hiring a tutor to help the child at home.
Most school directors report that they usually met with teachers to discuss test 
results, but that none of them had minutes of or a memorandum from those 
meetings. As a result, reports we consulted at Circonscription offices only contained 
end of term or end of year test scores. There was no substantial information to 
inform administrators regarding the reasons for or state of student performance.
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ANALYSIS
The gap in evaluation between documents and the reality in school is the result of a 
number of factors that make evaluation unappreciated:
· A broad, negative attitude towards research and documentation;
· Few specific resources allocated to evaluation;
· The poor quality of evaluation training at all levels of MEPS;
· Lack of sensitivity toward parents
· An instructional method that still gives priority to teaching inputs rather 
than student performance.
Lack of understanding of the tenets of the NPE is pervasive
The NPE calls for learning based on objectives, while the traditional intermédiaire
teaching approach prevails universally in the schools visited. In other words, it is 
the teacher’s time and authority that regulates the learning process. Evaluation is 
conducted through tests of knowledge. Although tests of knowledge are also used in 
learning based on competencies, this approach particularly stresses evaluating the 
mastery of competencies.
The NPE results from Benin’s goal to “educate active children, intellectually 
autonomous, able to react adequately to various life situations, able to innovate, 
create, take responsibilities and make decisions.” To achieve this goal, they chose 
learning by competencies. A system geared to competencies concentrates on the 
learner’s needs, and progress is assessed from the learner’s mastery of target 
knowledge and abilities. Pedagogical methods call for a learning process geared to 
mastery -- a principle based on the assumption that all learners can master the 
required knowledge. Participant progress in the program is individual, based on 
performance of specified competencies. 
Competencies to be mastered are not clearly described, checked and listed in 
advance. The criteria and conditions under which the performance can and will be 
evaluated should also be listed and made known in advance. Therefore, it is the 
curriculum that sets in motion individual development and the evaluation of each of 
the specified skills. As a result, evaluation by competencies must take into account 
the participant’s knowledge and behavior but the most important factor remains 
his/her performance of the specified actions as the primary source of evidence of 
their mastery. 
The philosophy of the NPE also means translating the profile of the Beninese child 
into specific measurable skills, developing and disseminating curricula relevant to 
that vision, well-trained teachers in classrooms, and an effective evaluation and 
monitoring of students’ performance. In the learning of the French language for 
instance, children’s performances should reflect the different phases of the process 
that the teacher is invited to follow, i.e. initial exposure, followed by analysis and 
acquisition. This is followed by reinforcement of the acquired skill and attitude. A 
next phase of learning is synthesis, and the reinvestment or usage of the 
acquisition followed by a guided application focused on autonomous replication.
The evaluation of those competencies must also follow the same process, which 
includes preparation, production, correction or remediation based on learning 
levels. In Mathematics, the process goes from the discovery of the material to the 
use of the new concept acquired in various situations via manipulation of objects or 
materials to solve a given problem, and the representation of situations or 
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progressive departure from real manipulations to solving problems with drawings, 
diagrams, tables, sticks, etc, and via remediation after an evaluation.
Language aptitude testing is non-existent
Considering the entry-level maternal language skills of children one might expect a 
teaching method that will transition children into the use of French. The team 
found no instance where teachers began activities in maternal language. Far from 
denying the quality and benefit of French immersion, it is, however, appropriate to 
assess students comprehension level of what is said to them in French. Even when 
students don’t answer a question correctly, nobody can say for a fact whether it is 
because they don’t understand the question or they simply don’t know the answer 
to the question. For that, one needs to run a discrimination test in their mother 
tongues and the instructional language.
Importance of training
Trainees tend to teach in the same manner they have been trained, and absent the 
appropriate training technique, NPE users quickly fall back into the role of the 
traditional teacher. In the final analysis, while one may exhort use of a training 
method geared to competencies, if the teaching method is not grounded on 
competencies, one is less likely to see teaching and evaluation geared to 
competencies resulting from it.
Repetition Patterns
More than high rates of repetition rates, it is the mere acceptance of repetition by 
the system that is striking. If we agree with the assumption that except in special 
cases (too young, mental retardation, etc.,) every child is able to learn, the very high 
rate of repetition, particularly in CI is simply a reflection of a failed instructional 
system. It penalizes the child instead of readjusting the input (pedagogical action). If 
a valid measurement and testing system had been in place, the evaluation team 
would have found student levels in French so low that an appropriate repetition 
rate might well surpass 90 percent. Official repetition patterns have little meaning 
in a context where no measured or verifiable criterion is in place to judge who is to 
be retained or why.
At a pedagogical level, although some teachers declare that making students repeat 
the year helps them learn faster the next year because they use them as group 
leaders, the great majority of teachers say that they hinder the normal progress of 
new students, mainly in CI. The danger is that a teacher who is less informed, less 
trained, worried by the amount of the curriculum to cover for the year or simply 
terrorized by the school director might simply focus attention on the more advanced 
students.
Evaluation under NPE
The evaluation system adopted by the NPE applies the following principles:
· A commitment to provide adequate resources and pedagogical materials. 
Activities must support stated objectives. 
· There must be continuous interaction and feedback between participants. 
· Trainers should provide competency-based training. 
· Participants need to assimilate fully this new approach as it differs 
considerably from their past educational and training experiences.
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· The trainer is most efficient when he/she plays the role of Facilitator, 
rather than being a source of information, and spends most of his/her 
time working with individual students or in small groups rather than 
lecturing. 
· Much of the training time is spent evaluating each student’s competence 
to perform specific activities. 
· Finally, and more importantly, students progress in the program at their 
own pace.
Evaluating in a learner-centered learning process consists of more than pedagogical 
techniques that allow the teacher to manage the class in groups and motivate 
individual work. It also means individualized monitoring of the student 
performance, constant analysis of his/her capabilities, constructive feedback to the 
student as well as to his/her parents and the system. All of it, with the goal of 
correcting his/her weaknesses, reinforcing his/her strengths, and gearing the child 
towards areas/studies relevant to his/her competencies and motivation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Implement individualized instruction and evaluate accordingly
A student-centered learning process requires individualized monitoring of the 
student’s performance, constant analysis of his/her capabilities, constructive 
feedback to the student as well as to his/her parents and the system. There is a 
need to establish a sense of primacy that student’s performance (mastery of 
knowledge and competencies/attitudes) should be the final output and the 
priority of the learning process. 
It is imperative that radical change takes place in the school culture, which 
seems unable to grasp the place of parents in the educational process. The only 
constant factor in educational research is the impact on children’s learning 
when the school works closely with parents, no matter what their social status 
or level of instruction. The school system ought therefore to establish a 
permanent dialogue with parents, effective cooperation, and information sharing 
-- including about difficulties -- in order to individualize the learning process 
and successfully conduct the educational undertaking. 
Institute a regular and periodic diagnostic testing system of the children’s 
competencies in French and Math in CI and CP. We recommend in the short term, 
or immediately, the preparation and administration by the National Evaluation 
Team of a diagnostic test of knowledge in French and Math in the first two cycles of 
primary school. As a result of the teachers’ strikes taking place every year since the 
generalization of the new curricula, French and Mathematics levels of CI and CP 
students, even CE1 and CE2 students, are a cause of grave concern. The 
administration of this test could be supervised by the Departmental authorities, but 
we recommend the test administrator be different from the classroom teacher. The 
test should take into account the principles of evaluation of knowledge, and the 
objectives should be defined in advance. We would strongly recommend that in the 
cases where the results reveal a much lower level than the required competencies, 
the generalization of the NPE be refocused on CI and CP to ensure that students at 
these levels are succeeding.
Development of a feedback/evaluation culture and the setting up of an 
evaluation/feedback process in MEPS
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We recommend that MEPS institute a system-wide evaluation methodology as well 
as a sound monitoring system of school activities. This strategy will require a 
constant analysis of teacher and student capabilities in order to correct weaknesses 
and reinforce strengths and motivations. MEPS should require from evaluators 
written reports of their observations in order to give constructive feedback to 
students, to parents and to managers of the education system. Existing workbooks 
and reference books as well as copies of answers to tests are also useful feedback 
and evaluation tools to achieve individualized learning.
Evaluation as a component of NPE training
Evaluation strategies must be included in training in the NPE. We recommend that 
training workshops or refreshers for teachers include an evaluation component. In 
a learning approach geared to competencies, training participants should be 
prepared for an evaluation focused to competencies at the moment of the training.
Test new models to involve parents
In order to assist parents, particularly poor and unschooled parents, to support 
pedagogical action, we recommend that MEPS explore the strategy of Community 
Learning Centers (CLCs) as implemented in Mali. CLCs involve the collaboration of 
the entire local community (parents, administrative authorities, as well as the 
private sector and religious organizations) with the school. Together they provide 
classrooms with volunteer tutors (teachers, retired civil servants, advanced 
students and parents) to recreate a learning environment for children after their 
regular class hours.
Evaluation personnel professional upgrading
MEPS evaluation’s capacity should be strengthened by the availability of full-time 
and qualified personnel. Since evaluation is a non-stop activity the whole course of 
the year, we don’t think that an office of one person assisted by a team composed of 
people who work on call can efficiently do the job. If the NPE generalization plan is 
to be successful, it is necessary to provide the Evaluation component with the 
necessary financial and human resources.
A national documentation network
We also recommend that MEPS identify and provide for pedagogical documentation 
on training and evaluation geared to competencies. Located in the different “Centres 
Documentaires”, such documentation will revive the role and use of the 
Documentary Network as a pedagogical tool, while at the same time it encourages 
research by trainers and perhaps their trainees and students.
Design specification tables
We recommend that the Pilot ‘Plan d’Action Evaluation’ in collaboration with DDEPs 
ensure that inspectors, pedagogical advisors, pedagogical unit leaders master the 
process of designing and interpreting specification tables. This way they can 
complete their training and teach teachers as well. It is worth stressing that the 
heart of the specification table is in the statement of what one is looking for and its 
definition in measurable objectives.
Homework and parental monitoring
We suggest that in the mid term all the partners of the Beninese school (MEPS, NPE 
sponsor, parents, private sector) make additional e fforts and investments to allow 
every student to have workbooks and manuals. There is an urgent necessity for 
students to do homework and be evaluated at home.
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Cumulative Folders
We recommend that the Evaluation Team encourage schools to establish 
cumulative folders of their school results in order to share with the system 
information about the performance of different classes and their school as a whole.
Provide incentives to schools, teachers, students and parents
Schools should institute an incentive system encouraging excellent performance by 
publishing lists of schools, teachers and students with the best performance. They 
could establish at the Departmental level the institution of a Teacher of the Year 
Award that would give the winner a prize of excellence and recognition of his/her 
peers. At the school level, there could be established annual prizes of excellence for 
the best students. The only selection criteria should be the mastery of 
competencies/students performance.
Decentralize evaluation expertise
We recommend that in the framework of the current progressive decentralization 
process, each Department have its own expertise in evaluation, and provide training 
in modules relevant to learning geared to competencies in the classroom. The goal 
is to equip each teacher to evaluate his/her students, including preparing a 
specification table for each test, documenting students’ work and providing 
substantial analytical reports of daily, weekly, monthly and/or quarterly student 
performance to use in internal and external reviews.
Strengthen and support the National Evaluation Team
Once the unit is strengthened, members of the team should be assigned the 
responsibility of a DDEPS. Together with the Departmental team, the evaluator will 
be charged with monitoring the evaluation activity at the Departmental level, 
ensuring the liaison between the Department and MEPS central office.
Longitudinal studies
We recommend that in order to document the NPE a group of students be 
monitored in a longitudinal study throughout their school life.
Documentary network
It would be appropriate to use Documentary Centers as part of a constant feedback 
to the system. Results analysis, sample tests, cumulative sheets and other 
statistics and school experience could be stored for research and to inform the 
system. However, this requires making the Centers useable, which they currently 
are not.
Improve Teacher Reference Books
We suggest that the Pilots of ‘Plans d’Action’ Curriculum Reform, Teacher Training, 
and Student Assessment and School Orientation work in close collaboration to 
revise reference books. These resources should document measurable skills and 
attitudes necessary for training geared to competencies.
Report Card between home and school
We recommend that the ‘Cellule Pilote du Plan d’Action Evaluation et Orientation 
Scolaire’ improve the report book for the parents by adding measurable aptitudes to 
communicate to parents every month. 
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Octobre Novembre Décembre Janvier Février Mars Avril Mai
Ténacité
Vivacité
Curiosité
Capacités 
d’adaptation
Attention
Assiduité
Visa des Parents
We recommend a letter-grading system that identifies the positive and negative 
aspects of the student’s aptitudes and behavior. We suggest as an example E 
(Excellent) B (Good) P (Fair) M (Weak) MA (Very weak). The marks on these items 
can be used to reward the students for their good work or to encourage them to do 
better. 
Evaluation should be based on the following spiral model
This approach is based on the three cycles of primary school. In an effort to address 
the high rates of repetition and provide the NPE with an evaluation process adapted 
to the approach based on competencies, we suggest the model of a spiral evaluation 
described and represented in the diagram below. This model can be effective only in 
the framework of the subdivision of the Primary level into three cycles. (CI-CP, CE1-
CE2, CM1-CM2) and under two pre-requisites: (1) each teacher is well-equipped --
particularly in the conception of specification tables and the development of test 
items -- to prepare and administer tests and to analyze their results; (2) except in 
emergency cases no teacher can be separated from his students (transferred) before 
the cycle’s end (2 years).
Entry Test 
CI
CP
CE1
CE2
CM1
CM2
Entry Test 
Entry Test
Timely Knowledge 
Tests
Timely Knowledge 
Tests
Timely Knowledge 
Tests
CEP
Summative 
Normative Ev
Summative
Normative Ev
v
v
v
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The spiral above represents the synergy within the educational system and 
continuity within each cycle. The model is based on a rotational system within a 
cycle, which requires a teacher to take care of a group of learners for the whole 
cycle. For example, at the end of a school year, the CI takes his learners to CP and 
the teacher of CP makes a rotation to take a new generation in CI, which he will 
take to CP.
At the beginning of the cycle, thanks to his/her own training, experience and 
knowledge of the required competencies to begin teaching, the teacher develops and 
administers an entry test. This is just a diagnostic test to assess the knowledge 
brought in by each learner on arrival. In CI classes, we suggest a discrimination 
test in local language to have an idea of the true cognitive capacity of the child.
During the school year, in CI as well in CP, the teacher should administer student 
knowledge and aptitude tests on a daily and monthly basis, as well as a summative 
test at the end of the term. All these evaluations play a formative role. It is at the 
end of each cycle (CP, CE2, and CM2) that those summative tests can be an 
indicator for student promotion.
Essential to this model are new practices to assess students’ performance and 
involve parents. It is of little value to monitor a student’s work for one year and 
thereafter judge him on the basis of a one-test performance. We recommend that 
the result of students’ work should reflect the process, and should be the total sum 
of all the results obtained during the year rated equally, i.e. they should be weighed 
on the same basis. Work done during the course of the year gives a truer image of 
the student’s work, not the results obtained on a general exam at the end of the 
year. Besides, we recommend that the grading system be varied to recognize 
different levels of competency mastery.
With respect to large class management, it is unrealistic to ask a teacher to follow 
the individual pace of 62 students in foreign language instruction, and to institute 
NPE programs in CI and/or CP. We recommend that the conception team, trainers 
and evaluators of the NPE together with the technical staff of the EQUIPE project 
define for teachers and students, training and evaluation strategies for classrooms 
of this size.
We recommend that MEPS adopt a merit system for teacher promotion based on 
students’ results. In conjunction with the introduction of performance incentives, 
promotion on merit would help improve school results considerably.
At the request of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (MEPS), we 
recommend that CGNPE follow up with the Minister’s Cabinet request to explore 
collaboration with ENI – Natitingou. The idea is to add an evaluation component to 
the ENI’s Curricula training; and organize national or international workshops for 
professional exchanges on pedagogical practices (including evaluation).
Periodic Evaluation Plan
Following are a list of questions to be considered in constructing a periodic 
evaluation plan.
1. Frequency
1.1.How often are students tested?
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1.2.Who does the testing?
1.3.Where does the test take place? In what conditions?
1.4.What’s done with the results?
2. Completion Rates
2.1. How many children failed last year in C.I./C.P.?
2.2. Why did they fail?
2.3. How did they do this year?
2.4. How many children were promoted last year?
2.5. How are they performing in C.P.?
3. Validity of Tests?
3.1. What do the tests measure?
3.1.1. Are they formative or summative?
3.2. When are tests administered?
3.3. Do they reflect what’s being learned in class?
3.4. Do they reflect the program?
3.5. Do they reflect what a C.I/C.P. student should be learning?
3.5.1. What should a child that age know?
3.5.2. Do they actually know it?
3.6. Do the tests fit the profile of tomorrow’s Beninese child?
4. Student report cards [Bulletins]
4.1. What communication (type and frequency) exists between the teacher and 
parents?
4.2. What does the reference book reveal about the pupil’s work?
5. Test Scores
5.1. Total
5.2.1. Sample at the national level
5.2.2. Departments
5.2.3. Schools
5.2.3.1.Urban vs. Rural
5.2.3.2.“Experimental” vs. “Non Experimental”
5.2.4. Gender
5.2.5. Usage by the school system
6. Students (Testing encompasses the test + score)
6.1. How does the testing/evaluation of student’s benefit?
6.1.1. The Students
6.1.1.1. Daily
6.1.1.2. Monthly
6.1.1.3. Trimester
6.1.1.4. Final
6.1.2. The School System
6.1.3. The Community
6.1.4. The Country
6.2. Parents + Community
6.2.1. Individual and social benefits 
6.2.2. Community/Parents’ perception
6.2.3. How does it affect the child?
6.2.3.1. At home
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6.2.3.2 At school (amongst peers)
7. School 
7.1. Does the test tell the child/teacher/school system/parents the areas of 
strength and weakness of the child?
7.2. How is the information utilized?
7.3. How does evaluation inform the system the NPE?
7.4. How is the information shared? With whom?
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION EVALUATION STRATEGIES
Classroom Interaction
Who does most of the talking?
Teacher
Students
What’s the amount of student-student activity?
Who responds to teacher’s questions?
All Students
Some Students
Same Students
After how many enunciations do students respond/react to question?
How does teacher clarify the question?
Repetition
Translation
VIII. ASSESS THE FUNCTIONING OF THE DOCUMENTARY NETWORK ACTION 
PLAN
Terms of reference
v. Assess the functioning of the Documentary Network action plan;
vii. Develop, in collaboration with “pilots”, MEPS and USAID technical staff, a 
periodical evaluation plan which will help assess the quality, relevance, progress 
achieved and the results obtained by all five components; and xi. Give 
recommendations for improving the implementation of the reform program.
OBSERVATIONS/FINDINGS
This section of the evaluation report describes a national network of documentation 
centers. Along with curriculum development and teacher training the network of 
documentary centers is one of the principal pillars of the new program of study 
(NPE). 
The National Conference (Etats Généraux) of 1990 was the foundation for an 
educational renewal for Benin. One of the outcomes of the conference was a 
commitment to primary educational reform. In 1992 USAID/Bénin began 
supporting a series of interventions, primarily through the CLEF project, to 
implement reforms through a series of experimental schools, with the intent to 
generalize improvements to the more than 4,500 primary schools in Benin. This 
project was termed the new educational program or NPE. 
One of the key features of this process was the creation of local resource centers 
that would lend support to local schools, directors, teachers, parents and students 
toward the adaptation and application of the curricular and instructional elements 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
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of the NPE. The network of documentation centers was designed as a mixture of 
library, reference center, professional development program, and as a supporter of 
local teacher skills upgrading activities, such as bimonthly teacher workshops.
The underlying rationale for establishing the system was to help fortify teacher 
advancements and to promote acceptance of the NPE. The network was meant to 
extend in-service teacher aid beyond the one-time only teacher training workshops 
held each summer. In addition, the network was designed to be a depository of 
instructional and didactic materials that would compliment those aids that are 
provided to teachers for classroom use. 
Finally, the centers were designed for use by school directors, students and 
parents, and to serve as conventional regional libraries. Such libraries would 
ideally have access to distance learning resources, through, whenever possible, 
internet access, and to bring audio-visual assistance to teachers in their service 
area.
The evaluation team visited all Departments of the country to see schools in 
operation. Team members also made a special effort to visit documentary centers. 
During classroom visits, we asked teachers and directors the extent of their 
knowledge and use of the centers of documentation. Less than one-half of one 
percent (.005) responded positively and only half of those who knew about the 
centers said that they had used one this year. The team also visited eight centers 
to appraise the quality of holdings, resources and programs. 
With few exceptions, the documentation centers were disfunctional. Printed 
materials and text collections are old and outdated. They do not respond to the 
needs of their users. In the centers comprising the former IFESH network of nearly 
twenty libraries, most of the documents are in English. In many cases the number 
of holdings in English outnumbered those in French. Books and articles on 
instructional methods or primary teaching principles are lacking, even copies of the 
texts and workbooks of the NPE were not present in most centers. In the Center of 
Documentation and Educational Information centers (CDIP) which has seven (7) 
documentary centers only four (4) are functional. In the Appendix is an instrument 
to be used in evaluating the functioning of the centers.
ANALYSIS
There have been significant resources devoted to the MEPS documentary network. 
In addition to USAID support of the network through CLEF and IFESH, other 
donors include the Cooperation Francaise and the Contintenal Bank of Bénin. 
According to the definitve reports on the installation and equipment for the 
Documentary Centers in the Unités Pédagogiques in Bénin published in 2003, there 
are 65 centers, located in all twelve of Bénin’s Departments and most 
subprefectures. Typically, these centers are located near the center of town or the 
offices of the Departmental Directors of Primary and Secondary Education. Most 
are staffed with full-time personnel and have a number of holdings and in several 
cases, computers. 
The Centers are administered and supported by a variety of agencies. Some 
(CDDIP) are within the INFRE system, some (CLAC) are under the Ministry of 
Culture, others (CLP) have the support of the French Ministry of Culture. There are 
some (CDE) in colleges. Other IFESH centers are staffed by USAID/IFESH. 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
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 The INFRE system has been the subject of a number of consultant studies that 
have offered excellent recommendations. A 1995 national conference highlighted 
the shortcomings of the network, calling for more coherent programming, better 
management, and additional resources. However, few if any of these 
recommendations have been implemented As a result the Documentation center 
network has been severely hampered by disorganization, lack of purpose and 
mission, and most of all by limited resources, programs resulting in lack of demand 
or use.
There are only limited prospects for the centers in the near-term however, as MEPS 
has only committed (see Projet de Budget Années 2003-2005), some US $20,000 (12 
million CFA) for training of personnel and center operational costs. This comes to 
less than $370 per center, which might meet the costs of utilities, if they are 
sparingly used. It seems that the centers are mainly used by teachers and 
administrators who seek information or resources to prepare for examinations 
required to become school directors or inspectors. Use is very limited in the centers 
scrutinized; in most cases, less than 100 persons per month visited them, and this 
often is to meet to submit reports to regional inspectors. At one center, we noted a 
meeting of some 30 school directors whose purpose was to prepare and submit 
trimester reports to the office of the Departmental Director of Primary and 
Secondary Education. One teacher stressed the fact that when the Teachers are 
free the centers are closed.
reasons explain the present condition of the documentary network. The present 
poor state of the documentary network is the result of under-funding which means 
they are unable to meet their objectives. To be certain, funding for the centers is 
so little that the fact they still exist is testimony to the dedication of the staff in each 
center. 
Other factors contribute to the problem as well that do not necessarily result from 
poor funding. One major factor is the lack of clear mandate and coherent 
management. There are simply too many disjointed and redundant elements of the 
program to call it a network. A more integrated management scheme might go far 
to equalizing holdings and programs, and offer the possibility for the modest 
accomplishment of goals.
Documentation centers cannot be all things to all people. Without books they serve 
little value as libraries. Absence of distance learning resources, such as computers, 
copiers or faxes renders them useless as dissemination centers. Without 
imaginative programming that would genuinely help teachers or students, these 
potential clients will continue to ignore the centers. Thus, putting into operation in 
local centers clearly established programs for teachers will go far toward presenting 
the centers as genuine resource centers for the implementation of the NPE. 
An instrument to evaluate the use of Documentary Centers is included in the 
Appendix.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. USAID, MEPS and other interested parties should make a determination as to 
whether to continue the network of centers for documentation. Given the scant 
attention that the network has received during the last 10 years, and the 
current budgetary alignment, it is highly unlikely that resources will be 
forthcoming. Unless the project is supported with a minimal operational budget 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
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by the GOB, there is no need for USAID to continue with the program. While the 
evaluation team recognizes the inherent value of an operational network of 
resource centers, we cannot recommend that the program continue. The limited 
resources that have been allocated to the network would be better spent on 
more productive investments
2. If the decision is made to continue support of the network, MEPS must 
overhaul the system to scale back operations to a functional level. There are 
too many facilities with too few resources to continue under the present 
arrangement. One option would be to support only 12 centers, one per 
Department. This would permit each center to receive adequate funding to carry 
out some services.
3. The mission, role and scope of the network must be redefined. Since the costs 
associated with creating and maintaining a functioning library well surpass the 
funds available, the network should focus on its original goal: support and 
promotion of the NPE. Programming would be in support of staff development 
efforts conducted during bimonthly UP meetings, or as an adjunct to a new type 
of demonstration/laboratory school programs. Here the network would provide 
instructional materials, teacher training, in-service programs and other support 
for teachers wishing to participate in demonstration school activities.
4. Programs offered by the network must become more proactive, extending 
innovations to all schools in the service area. In this instance, we commend the 
staff of the documentary center of Natitingou for extending mobile library service 
to local schools. Such efforts can be easily replicated in other Departments. 
These programs could be invaluable to promoting the methods and materials 
that are needed to implement the NPE. Our observations of classrooms noted 
that teachers uniformly lack competencies, skills and the imagination to seek 
out or create local materials in support of instruction. They depend almost 
entirely on the flip-charts (planches) that were provided by USAID. For the most 
part, they have never seen the materials mentioned in teacher guides, nor do 
they know how to create them. Network centers could go far toward extending 
learning resources to even the most remote school if they were perceived as 
valuable by teachers and directors.
5. Learning resource centers. The notion that centers serve a role in distance 
education is neither technologically nor financially viable at present. Lack of 
telephone lines and the cost of line use negate the installation of computers to 
tap the Internet. And the costs of computers pose a significant obstacle to 
installing several in each center in a reduced network. They can, however, 
provide a service for the distribution of didactic materials that complement the 
NPE. Teachers need assistance in finding materials that can be used in class. 
They also need examples of audio-visual aids such as cassette tapes for French 
instruction, and an opportunity to see video-based training and demonstration 
materials. All these services could be offered by the network centers.
Use of Center Resources
0
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
Years
Number of Times Used
Inscrits
Emprunts
Passages
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IX. Analysis of the CLEF Pedagogy Components of the Consultants’ Reports
Terms of reference
vi. Assess the recommendations of the Pedagogy component consultant reports 
funded under the CLEF project within the framework of activities directly 
related to the generalization of the new programs and their implementation
The evaluation team was required to assess reports and studies prepared by 
consultants during the ten years of CLEF activities. The team assessed and 
selected the most pertinent parts of the pedagogy consultants’ reports related 
directly to the generalization of the new programs and their implementation and 
have included a summary of them in this section.
Continuing Primary School Teacher Training Policy in the Republic of Benin,
CLEF, September 1994.
Commentary
In this report, evaluation was listed as an essential ingredient of primary teacher 
preparation. Teaching strategies need to be strengthened. Giving the teachers 
actual practice in the classroom will solidify their performance. Two other things 
have to be developed in teachers. Besides diagnostic skills the report noted the 
need to instill elements of teacher creativity and a sense of responsibility in the 
training system.
Analysis : There is no evidence that these suggestions were incorporated into the 
initial NPE training program or mentioned in teacher training guides.
In-Service Teacher Training: Profiles of Primary School Cadres and 
Assessment of Teacher Training Needs, Bernard Gagne, Creative Associates, 
for CLEF, November 1994
Gagne notes that a child-directed learning approach has not yet fully penetrated the 
NPE program planning. Classroom interaction has yet to be emphasized. Teachers 
need to learn basic pedagogy, child development and psychology skills. Specific 
approaches to teaching large classes are also needed. The level of professional 
preparation should be raised to the BAC in the long term. Specific suggestions are 
made to help ensure the successful implementation of an in-service training 
program. Another suggestion is that 5 or 6 successful teachers be selected to 
prepare training modules. The provision of audio-visual materials for training 
would help. Establishment of an action plan team to oversee content, methodology, 
follow-up, and evaluation of training would go far towards the improvement of in￾service teacher training.
Analysis: The Berger/Devtech team observed the same classroom and training 
situation nine years after this report. The NPE process has, however, integrated 
teacher input into the preparation of training modules, a practice that continues 
today.
The Documentary Problem in Primary and Secondary Schools, INFOSEC, 
Cotonou, 21 – 23 November 1995.
Commentary
This is a report of the National Seminar on Libraries in the Primary and Secondary 
Schools of Bénin. The documentary network of INFRE, its history, mission, 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
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activities, center policies, decentralization, and the different means it uses were 
outlined. Analysis of the documentary situation in primary and secondary schools 
mentioned five needs. 1. The need for education and documentation to come 
together. 2. The dependence of the documentation sector on private initiative. 3. 
The need for the complete outfitting of the documentary centers. 4. Often policies 
are made that do not result in concrete action. 5. National resources are not 
sufficient to maintain or improve the centers or the network. 
Recommendations included that centers require a structure in an adequate location 
with qualified personnel, equipment and collections. They need to be marketed and 
their collections need updating. Also, the study asserts that at least 5 percent of 
the MEPS budget be appropriated for upgrading the centers. 
Analysis: None of these recommendations have been implemented.
An Evaluation of a Sampling of CP and CM1 students in French and 
Mathematics, Statistical Analysis, the report of a group of twelve inspectors and 
directors, January 1996, National Education Ministry of Benin.
Commentary
This is a very ambitious study, and the first ever of sampling research in Benin. 
Work began in 1994 with development of a sampling instrument that was 
administered to 130 schools in 1995. This report should be read to give a 
perspective on the recurring problems in schooling in Benin. Overall the results in 
both French and Math were deemed to be very disappointing in both CP and CM1. 
Among the other findings were a general lack of infrastructure and an indictment of 
the educational system that included unmotivated teachers, outdated teaching 
methods, little help from inspectors and the use of obsolete teaching methods.. 
Among the more pertinent suggestions were: to improve pedagogical support for the 
teachers, that the Inspectors give priority to the improvement of teaching, that 
teachers need to keep up-to-date on professional developments, and that parents be 
included in their children’s learning efforts.
Analysis : The evaluation team observed that the same conditions apply to primary 
education today, and that the recommendations were not implemented. 
The Mid-course Evaluation of the Program and Project of the Children’s 
Learning and Equity Foundation’s July 1997 Education Development Center 
Commentary
This document provides a perspective on the recurring problems of primary 
education. Conclusions and recommendations include : the need to be more open 
and direct financing of education. Technical assistance within CLEF needs to be 
consolidated. There needs to be a financial audit of MEPS. It was recommended that 
USAID withdraw from operational responsibility. A redefinition of a basic quality 
school needs to be done as the current definition is not reflected in the schools. There 
need to be inexpensive alternatives to costly textbooks. Reform is heavily dependent 
on foreign aid. It is a fact that music, dance, and other non-academic activities 
support learning and help create literacy. Teachers strikes affect the reform effort. 
Teachers need more training.
Analysis: These recommendations that were offered six years ago almost mirror 
those provided in this evaluation. Little has been done to put them in place.
The Textbook Production Process in Benin, Marie Venier, Creative Associates, 
September 1997.
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Commentary
This thin volume surveys the textbook production capabilities in Benin. Although 
the local printers were relatively inexperienced they were deemed to have the 
competence to produce the textbooks, and should be used for text and materials 
production over MEPS facilities. 
Analysis: The MEPS has begun using private sector publishers as recommended.
Curriculum Development: Theoretical Section Of The Six Curriculums, Denis
Chabot, Curriculum Associates International (CEA,) October 1997.
Commentary
This is the report of a two-week workshop held in Cotonou in 1997. The document 
describes the six working groups whose work would eventually result in preparing 
the NPE. He also expresses a certain frustration. In the Introduction, he urged 
that training, 
« …apprendre en faisant, comme je me plais à répéater. La situation dénoncée est 
courante. On dit souvent comment faire ; on ne le fait pas. »
This translates to “learn by doing,” with the observation that “we know how to do it, 
but we do not apply it in teacher training.” 
Analysis: The author sensed the risk involved in training by lecture, which is still 
the principal means of providing training to teachers, and they in turn, to students. 
This is the same observation made by members of the Berger/DevTech team 
evaluation team.
Preparation of “Formateurs” and Teachers in the Application of the New 
Programs, CLEF, Feb 1997, Daniele Schaeffer Campbell, Project No. 680-0208, 
Contract No. 624-0208-I-00-4007-00 
Commentary
The author noted four impediments to teacher training. There is an insufficient 
amount of material. Class sizes are too large. Teachers need training in evaluation 
methods. More training is needed for both teachers and directors in methodology, 
use of materials and as indicated above, evaluation. Based on the author’s 
observations are eight recommendations. Design teams must be given school 
manuals and office space, equipment (including computers and printers) and 
supplies in order to do their work. 
A permanent team must be responsible for the follow-up of the reform. An effective 
follow-up study should include classroom visits. This follow-up must give priority to 
the new methods and use of pedagogic materials. Organize a training workshop for 
teachers of CI and CP during the February break as a way to solidify their skills in 
interactive lessons, in French and in second language instruction. Create a 
documentation center for the national and departmental team members to use as a 
resource. Organize a training workshop for departmental trainers centered on the 
practical application of interactive approaches and pedagogic support. Collect and 
analyze the results from the NPE’s first year of application in the 106 schools; make 
the necessary changes.
Analysis: These recommendations were not acted upon. 
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The Policies of Ongoing Primary School Teacher Training in Benin, CLEF 
Program and Project, Prepared by EDC, July 1997 
Commentary
This report states that only part of funds provided by USAID to the GOB is at the
disposal of MENRS. Of this amount, only a portion has gone to the classrooms. 
The evaluation team recommended that the national budget support not be mingled 
with the money that should be applied to the primary teaching reforms. The Team 
has found that the institutional reenforcement for the Finance Ministry and for 
MENRS has been successful and that the procedural reforms continue without 
outside help. It was recommended that the teachers and classroom activities take 
precedence in the use of all resources for the program and for project CLEF for the 
two years that remain. Recommendations also include that USAID totally disengage 
itself from the administration of technical assistance and supervise the CLEF 
project. Activities should concentrate on the classrooms, the application of 
pedagogy and on-going training and development adapted to the communautaires. 
The personnel crisis in primary education is affected by poor teacher qualifications, 
meager salaries and the lack of educational resources. While this report was 
prepared, schools were closed as the teachers were on strike .The Documentation 
Network centers need to be furnished with more materials and placed in areas 
accessible to the greatest number of teachers possible. 
Analysis: Since these same recommendations are restated by the Berger team, they 
were obviously not implemented. 
An Identification of Needs Study in the Formation of Technical Aptitudes, 
1999. 
Commentary
This is useful for French education vocabulary and organization of the report. 
Otherwise it refers to technical education and unrelated to primary schooling. It 
contains a description of other international donor activities.
ADDA, Evariste. “Needs Assessment for the School Districts in Benin,” 
USAID/Benin, November 2000, Cotonou.
Commentary
This study entailed an analysis of the physical and logistical needs of Benin 
schools. The purpose of the evaluation was to find out what problems to anticipate 
and the best procedures to implement a decentralized system of educational 
administration. The research also noted the poor working conditions for teachers 
and students in schools, including the lack of teachers, dilapidation of existing 
facilities, and lack or inadequacy of furniture in all schools visited. 
Recommendations include: a school-based budgeting system overseeing personnel 
matters at the Department level, with maximum input and allocations made by the 
schools and Bureuax des Associations de Parents d’Eleves (APE); implementation of 
a merit system of personnel, hiring, appraisal and management, with clearly 
prescribed criteria for the selection and compensation of personnel. The report 
recommended the immediate implementation of a policy to release workbooks and 
manuals for home use, in order to bring pupils’ parents into the implementation of 
the NPE. 
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Analysis: The Berger/DevTech team found no indications that either CLEF or MEPS 
have implemented any of Adda’s recommendations. All the deficiencies noted still 
persist.
Information and Teaching Resources in the Service of Education, Editions 
INFRE, 2000, Edited with the help of Coopération Française.
Commentary
This is a report of the studies of the Documentary Network of INFRE. It presents an 
analysis of the documentary network of INFRE and presents a proposal for a new 
bureaucratic structure. Included is information on what a documentation center 
should be and the kind of equipment it should have. It began by stating what it is 
at present - the actual state of the documentary network at l’INFRE. The director 
was at a disadvantage because of the network’s position in the hierarchy. Material, 
personnel and financing means were lacking. In addition the network is not 
effective. The two things that damage the implementation of the documentary 
network are the lack of autonomy and the lack of means. The new network 
structure and its functions was described. 
Analysis : The same situation holds true today . None of the recommedations have 
been implemented.
The Definitive Report on the Project to Begin and Equip Documentation 
Centers in the Unités Pédagogiques au Bénin. 2003, Published by the 
Continental Bank-Bénin.
Commentary
These documents present the results of two studies indicating where Educational 
Documentary Centers presently exist, where they should be placed and how they 
should be organized, planned and function. The present centers are shown in the 
graph below. The abbreviations are defined here.
IFESH – International Foundation for Education and Self-Help
CDDIP-Centre éDepartemental de Documentation et d’Information 
éaquePedogogic (INFRE)
CDE - Centre de Documentation d’Establishment
CLAC – Centre de Lecture et d’Animation Culturelle
CLP - Centre de Lecture Publique
Bib Depts – Bibliothèques Départementales
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The reports also list the works to be acquired and the necessary equipment. The 
report urges that a pilot phase with model programs be instituted. If evaluations 
are positive, more Centers will be established. The authors outline how documents 
will be collected, accessioned and administered, with the combined management of 
the parents associations and teachers. The study further recommended that all 
centers be staffed by trained librarians. They recommended that a definitive role for 
the Documentary Network as a center for applied learning. They also recommended 
that the leaders of the country take control of the present vegetative state of the 
“reseau documentaire” and create conditions favorable to its improvement.
SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF CONSULTANT FINDINGS
The evaluation team analyzed and assessed the recommendations of consultant 
reports that were directly related to the generalization of the new programs and 
their implementation. Their recommendations all of which would support in some 
manner the reform efforts fell into five general categories: Finances, Evaluation, 
Teacher training and instruction, documentary network, and parents and 
community.
Finances
Five recommendations were made by consultants regarding finances relating to the 
NPE and at least three were implemented: USAID funds are no longer mingled with 
those of GOB, student manuals and workbooks have become inexpensive 
alternatives for expensive textbooks and they are being printed and distributed by 
the private sector. However, there appear to be few cooperative endeavors with 
other donors and there is still an unhealthy reliance on foreign aid that raises 
questions about the sustainability of innovative, reform programs. 
Evaluation
An evaluation plan was recommended and designed for the reform program prior to 
it being generalized. However, this evaluation was never carried out.
Teacher Training and Instruction
With respect to the design of NPE materials and their introduction to teachers, 
consultants have stressed the need to learn by doing. That is, the initial training 
should have provided ample opportunity for teachers to practice application of 
principles as they were acquired. This has not been a feature of training. 
Recommendations included developing teaching strategies and promoting creative 
Les Centres de Documentation
0
2
4
6
8
10
Atlantique
Littoral
Ouémé
Plateau
Mono
Couffo
Zou
Collines
Borgou
Alibori
Atacora
Donga
Departements
Nombre des Centres
IFESH
CDDIP
CDE
CLAC
CLP
Bib Depts
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 65
decision making by teachers. Although this is mentioned in NPE documents, these 
are not characteristic of teachers observed by the Berger team.
The NPE is a curriculum based on objectives in the CI and CP and competencies in 
CE1 – CM2 but follow-up, feedback or re-assessment on these objectives and 
competencies have not been implemented. An action plan to oversee training 
produced both content and methodology yet, in the classroom, strategies such as 
teaching French as a second language and working with large groups has been 
woefully absent. In general, the initial teacher training as a means for 
generalisation has been regular but inadequate. As for the recommendation that 
teachers take the initiative to update their own professional development, basic 
practices such as visiting a local documentation center were lacking. Inspectors, as 
well, do not make teaching improvements a priority.
The NPE documents espouse a child centered learning approach and classroom 
interaction. In practice, however, the evaluation team did not see evidence of 
either. Though pedagogical concepts are described in the manuals these concepts 
are not modeled for teachers. Music and dance are less evident today than in the 
years past and there is no attempt to link them to literacy. Health education is the 
domain of MCDI and has been incorporated into the curriculum. As for books and 
materials, many schools still suffer from the late distribution of and insufficient 
number of books. Although manuals, workbooks and wall charts have been 
developed and distributed to classrooms, teacher created materials were not evident 
nor were the Math and French kits.
Documentary Network
With respect to the documentary network, the four reports reviewed indicated that 
the state of the network was in neglect. Numerous recommendations are given for 
improvement, expansion and focus of the centers and while plans have been made 
none has been implemented, even those requiring simple actions such as providing 
books. 
Parents and Community 
A number of recommendations were made to encourage more parent and 
community involvement in school affairs. Unfortunately, these have not yet been 
incorporated into implementation of the NPE. In summary, the Berger team noted 
that with few exceptions, recommendations rendered by consultants have not been 
incorporated in reform activities. 
X. PERIODIC AND ONGOING EVALUATION STRATEGIES FOR EQUIPE AND 
MEPS PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Terms of reference 
vii. Develop, in collaboration with “pilots”, MEPS and USAID technical staff, a 
periodical evaluation plan which will help assess the quality, relevance, progress 
achieved and the results obtained by all five components;
The Berger/DevTech pedagogical reform evaluation team was also required to 
propose actions that should be incorporated into the EQUIPE program. This project 
will continue the generalization of NPE and other educational reforms. It will entail 
the generalization of NPE to CM1 and CM2, the initiation of programs in support of 
girls’ education, provision of technical assistance to improve health education, and 
support for the decentralization of educational management. In addition, the 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 66
EQUIPE project is expected to consolidate gains obtained from initiatives launched 
by CLEF. 
In other sections of this report, we cite deficiencies in testing, diagnostic, or 
evaluation. Rather than restate these findings, the reader is urged to refer to the 
body of the evaluation report. In this section, we propose a number of steps to be 
taken, primarily by USAID and the EQUIPE operation, beginning with those tasks 
that merit immediate implementation, and continuing with medium and long-term 
recommendations.
Components of the evaluation system
Student testing
In collaboration with MEPS, the USAID contractor (Creative Associates and
partners) should design a comprehensive system of testing and measurement of 
student performance. This will necessitate the elaboration of tests for competency 
in French and Mathematics at all grade levels. These tests should be relatively 
simple, and take no more than 20 minutes to administer to students. We do not 
advise that the tests be administered throughout all Benin schools. Nor should the 
tests be administered every year for every grade. This process is expensive and 
cumbersome, and subject to any number of threats to the validity of tests (such as 
teaching to tests, student copying\cheating, or school manipulation of scores.) 
Instead, the tests should be administered to a small sample (no more than 50, 
selected at random) of schools by an independent, unannounced team of 
evaluators. 
Results of the tests should be tabulated with an easily designed software program 
that will provide immediate results, and with little need for data manipulation or 
analysis. Results of the first test should be used to determine baseline indicators 
for the EQUIPE program, and for MEPS to use in developing programs to extend 
and consolidate the NPE.
Teacher Evaluations
After the development of a simple, easy-to-administer teacher evaluation 
instrument, appraisal of teacher competencies and practices should be initiated on 
a broad scale. The instruments would include classroom observation checklists, 
teacher interviews, student observation and questions, and interviews with 
directors. The instruments would be administered in the same schools chosen for 
student testing. However, we urge limiting the study to a small number of schools 
once a year. The results would serve to guide investments and interventions to 
better teacher performance.
Director evaluations 
Acceptance of pedagogical innovations among teachers and students is directly 
related to the quality of supervision and support for change provided by school 
directors. We have noted throughout the report that theirs is a paramount role in 
implementing reform measures. A program of director evaluation should be 
instituted that incorporates appraisals from parents, student, teachers, and CPs. 
Conseillers Pédagogiques 
The evaluation of administrative support must be extended to CPs as well. Their 
role is perceived to be of utmost importance in the support of teacher training and 
adaptation of educational reforms. They should be evaluated regularly by school 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 67
directors and teachers, again using the same small sample of schools as the source 
of information. 
Assessment of the impact of USAID support
Ministry support for innovations and progress towards providing institutional 
measures to continue the NPE after the life-of-project. If the NPE and other 
elements of pedagogical reform are to be sustainable, MEPS actions to 
institutionalize programming must be periodically appraised. The Berger/DevTech 
team noted that the NPE is largely a product of USAID investments, and that little 
has been accomplished within the Ministry to supplement and support these 
changes. The issue is transferring the responsibilities of the lCellule, which is a 
temporary entity, within the Ministry. The absence of any implementing 
department or sub-agency charged with delivering, improving or documenting the 
initiatives of the NPE is demonstrative of Ministerial ambiguity. It is recommended 
that USAID establish criteria and conditions for the role and participation of MEPS, 
and that these be reviewed annually. 
Teacher training activities 
Under the current plan, blocks of teachers from successive grades are trained in the 
implementation of NPE. There is, however, no method in place to evaluate the 
quality of those training programs. And, as stated above, members of the 
evaluation team noted the tendancy to repeat frontal teaching methods rather than 
modelling the active methods on which the NPE is based. There is clearly need to 
appraise the quality of training, not just the perspectives of teachers who 
participate, but the extent and nature of changes in teacher behavior in classrooms. 
The question to pose is: Is the training equipping and motivating teachers to 
implement the NPE, and if so, how? This will require immediate follow-up to 
training programs, using diagnostic instruments that permit outside evaluators to 
assess classroom interaction and teacher comportment. These measures should 
include school directors, so that they can continue the process on an ongoing and 
daily basis. 
On a broader scale, teachers who have received training need to be assessed to 
identify and determine the skills they acquired and actually apply. This exercise 
will no doubt reveal the necessity of reconfiguring the training schedule to provide 
training in all grades for newly hired and incoming teachers who have no skills in 
applying principles and strategies of the NPE.
Instructional Materials 
The evaluation team is concerned about the lack of revision of curricular materials 
that may be of limited quality, or of questionable pertinence. The EQUIPE project 
should take immediate steps to assist MEPS in performing regular assessment of 
the content, pertinence and coherence of NPE materials. This should be done by a 
team of experts who talk with teachers and children to determine elements of the 
program that are inconsistent with materials that have been designed and 
reproduced at great expense. Results of these evaluations need to be received by a 
text and materials revision committee, which can take appropriate steps to improve 
instructional support.
MEPS Organizational Improvement
The evaluation team has recommended an in-depth analysis and audit of MEPS 
mission, programs, functions and personnel needs. The results of this analysis 
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 68
must be utilized to ensure that appropriate measures are executed and suggested 
changes are institutionalized. 
XI. MANAGEMENT AND USE OF PEDAGOGICAL INPUTS
Terms of reference:
x. Assess the management and use of all of the pedagogical inputs on the basis 
of a representative sampling. xi. Give recommendations for improving the 
implementation of the reform program.
INTRODUCTION
This section assesses the management and use of all pedagogical inputs using a 
representative sample and by briefly summarizing information contained in this 
report. Pedagogical inputs consist of four components:
Didactic materials
Training
Evaluation programs
Documentary center network
The team evaluated the extent and use of pedagogical inputs, and the findings are 
presented in this report. Instead, we present a brief summary of the evaluation 
process and conclusions as regards the extent and management of pedagogical 
inputs.
The evaluation effort itself was based on a representative sampling of schools in 
Benin from which more than 200 schools were visited. A description of the 
sampling procedure is available in the section on methodology.
FINDINGS
Didactic materials and training efforts
Considerable time and expense were invested to design, write and publish 
a vast array of pedagogical materials: programs of study, teachers’ guides, wall 
charts, and teacher and student manuals. These abundant resources contrast with 
almost the complete lack of didactic materials available under the previous, 
intermediate program.
Distribution of these materials to schools throughout Benin has proceeded in an 
orderly and timely fashion and usually arrived in most schools within a few weeks 
of school opening. Only in very rare exceptions did the evaluation team visit 
schools lacking these didactic materials.
Training efforts
Training activities in support of the NPE have been prodigious, involving all of the 
teachers in CI and CP except for the recent hires. In most instances, this has been 
the only pedagogical exposure received by Benin primary school teachers and they 
welcomed the opportunity to participate.
Given the complexity of the NPE and the minimal pedagogical skills of teachers, the 
length of training was likely too short-a total of 4-8 weeks- and of the wrong kind. 
Instead of demonstrating the teaching strategies, they were talked about. Modeling 
the desired behavior and demonstrating the skills necessary for teaching classes of 
60 or more students were missing and their inclusion is one of the priority 
recommendations of this evaluation.
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 69
The evaluation team noted the availability of didactic materials in almost all of the 
classrooms. The use of student workbooks was spotty, which could be due to the to 
the labor disturbances or the inability of teachers to monitor the activity of every 
student in classes of 100 and more. While teachers professed to approve of the NPE 
approach, it is doubtful that the pedantic terminology and explanations contained 
in the programs and guides is understood by many of them. There is also the sheer 
volume of instructions to be read - more than 1000 pages in CI alone! 
It was difficult for the evaluation team to assess the impact of the training because 
of disruptions caused by the strike situation. As most APE and contractual 
teachers were on strike, about half the classrooms observed were staffed by 
communautaires. Irrespective of their academic background and experience, very 
few teachers are applying the strategies of child or competency-based learning in 
classrooms. Though most of the teachers used the new learning materials provided 
and said they found them useful, they were unable to demonstrate the teaching 
strategies and methods that are an integral part of the NPE. 
The most logical explanation for the almost exclusive use of frontal teaching is that 
teachers continue to teach as they have learned and been trained themselves. . 
This suggests that the NPE training consists mainly of lectures with the trainees 
passively ingesting the new information. The evaluation teams’ observations of 
various training activities held by MEPS corroborated use of these methods by 
CCGNPE trainers. We attended seven separate training sessions for Conseillers 
Pédagogiques and teachers, and not in one instance was any method other than 
frontal instruction used. Under these conditions it is little wonder that little child￾centered, active learning was observed. 
RECOMMENDATIONS
We refer the reader to the sections on Evaluation and the Documentary Center 
Network for an exhaustive analysis of the contributions of those programs to the 
pedagogical reform. Similarly, it would be redundant to discuss recommendations 
for training and didactic materials that were included earlier in the report.
The principal recommendation we can suggest with respect to the management and 
use of pedagogical inputs is that teachers have an opportunity to see these in use: 
demonstrated to them first hand, in actual operating schools. We emphasize the 
urgency with which teachers have exposure to better teaching methods and 
materials. This can be easily accomplished with the creation of a 
demonstration/laboratory school network in each Department that will serve as a 
model to be followed. 
In all future training, this should be the cornerstone of the training strategy, 
providing pre-service training to new teachers and in-service support for current 
teachers. The demonstration model would emphasize small groups of teachers who 
could learn by doing, rather than learn by watching and listening. In short, this 
would incorporate the same teaching strategies as espoused for primary school 
classrooms under the NPE.
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 70
ANNEXES
I. Schools Visited
II. School Questionnaire and Analysis
III. Classroom Observation Instrument and Analysis
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 71
Annex I
Visits to Benin Schools
Below are listed the names of over 200 schools which the Evaluation Team visited during February and March of
this year, 2003. Of the schools visited 7% were Experimental Schools, 74% Other Public Schools, and 19% were
Private Schools. Fifty-three percent were Rural and 47% were Urban. Schools were visited in each Department:
Atacora 15, Donga 7, Atlantique 34, Littoral 20, Borgou 19, Alibori 2, Mono 14, Couffo 7, Oueme 25, Plateau 43, Zou
13, and Collines 12, In Savalou, Collines, 8 School Directors were interviewed and in Sakete, Plateau, 30 School
Directors were interviewed.
Département Sous-Prefecture R/U Ecoles Ecoles Ecoles
Experimental Publique Privée
Atacora Kouande R Birni Centre/A
Kouande U Becket-Bourame
Natitingou U Yokossi/A
Natitingou U Yokossi/B
Natitingou U Assemblée de Dieu/A
Natitingou U Assemblée de Dieu/B
Natitingou U Dassagate/A
Natitingou U Dassagate/B
Natitingou U Ourbouga
Natitingou U Kotopoungo/A
Natitingou R Kofounpounga/B
Natitingou R Gorgoba
Natitingou R Kouboro
Tanguieta U Tchoutchoubou/A
Tanguieta U Godje/B
Donga Bassila R Kokohou
Djougou R Bellefoungou/A
Djougou R Bellefoungou/B
Djougou U Djougou Centre/A
Djougou U Djougou Centre/D
Duougou R Korokou
Duougou R Pelebina
Atlantique Abomey Calavi R Cococodji/A
Abomey Calavi R Cococodji/B
Abomey Calavi R Cocotomey/A
Abomey Calavi R Cocotomey/B
Abomey Calavi R Cocotomey/C
Abomey Calavi R Avissogbe
Abomey Calavi R Atrokpocodji
Abomey Calavi R St:Dominiaue-Atrokpocodji
Abomey Calavi U Azognon
Abomey Calavi U Abomey Calavi Centre/A
Abomey Calavi U Abomey Calavi Centre/B
Abomey Calavi U Abomey Calavi Centre/C
Abomey Calavi U SOS/A
Abomey Calavi U SOS/B
Abomey Calavi R Adjagbo
Abomey Calavi R Agongbe
Abomey Calavi R Drabo
Abomey Calavi R Togba
Abomey Calavi R Docome
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Louis Berger/DevTech 72
Allada U Allada Centre/A
Allada U Allada Centre/B
Allada U Allada Centre/C
Allada U Agoube
Allada R Agbanou/A
Allada R Ahouannonzoun/A
Allada R Adjidonou/A (Ex Niaouli/A)
Allada R Adjidonou/B (Ex Niaouli/B)
Allada R Adjohoun
Allada R Ahota
Allada R Adimale
Toffo R Houègbo Aliho
Toffo R Houègbo-Gare/A
Toffo R Sehoue-Agbozounkpa/A
Toffo R Sehoue-Agbozounkpa/B
Littoral Cotonou U Abere
Cotonou U Avotrou/A
Cotonou U Avotrou/B
Cotonou U Tanto
Cotonou U Amakene-Esperence
Cotonou U Francs Bourgeois
Cotonou U Hinde/A
Cotonou U Anihuvi
Cotonou U Les Destinées
Cotonou U Akogbato
Cotonou U Cocotiers
Cotonou U Ecole Primaire Protestant
Cotonou U Fidjrosse/A
Cotonou U Fidjrosse/B
Cotonou U Fidjrosse/C
Cotonou U Mawukpehu
Cotonou U Fifadji/D
Cotonou U Menontin Nord/A
Cotonou U Menontin Nord/B
Cotonou U Gbegamey 1/A (Ex Rond Point C)
Borgou Ndali U Treboun/A
Ndali U Treboun/B
Ndali U N'Dali
Parakou U Hibiscus de Parakou
Parakou U La Source
Parakou U Al-Houda/A
Parakou U Al-Houda/B
Parakou U L'Entente
Parakou U Les Merveilles/A
Parakou U Les Merveilles/B
Parakou U Mon Avenir
Parakou U Enfant Epanoui Parakou
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Louis Berger/DevTech 73
Parakou U Titirou/A
Parakou U Ebenezer
Perere U Tissarou/B
Tchaourou R Badekparou
Tchaourou R Tchaourou-Centre/A
Tchaourou R Tchaourou-Centre/B
Tchaourou R Tchaourou Gare
Alibori Gogounou R Gogounou/A
Kandi U Kandi/A
Mono Lokossa U Lokossa/C
Lokossa U Enfant Epanoui Lokossa
Athieme U Monoto/A
Come U Come Gare
Come U Come-Quartier/A
Come R Guezin-Kpota/A
Come R Guezin-Kpota/B
Grand-Popo R La Source, Le Verbe
Grand-Popo R Agoue/A
Grand-Popo R Nicoue Condji/A
Grand-Popo U Grand Popo D
Houeyogbe R Houeyegbe/A
Houeyogbe R Houeyegbe/B
Lokossa R Adrogbo/B
Couffo Aplahoue U Aplahoué/B
Aplahoue U Kaiteme
Aplahoue U Avegodo/A
Aplahoue U Dogbo Ayomi Zohoudji/C
Dogbo R Zohoudji/C
Djakotomey U Djokotomey/A
Djakotomey U Djakotomey/B
Ouémé Porto Novo U Sadognon
Porto Novo U Protestante Adjegounle/A
Porto Novo U Protestante Adjegounle/B
Porto Novo U Agbokou Kpakpassa/A
Porto Novo U Agbokou Kpakpassa/B
Porto Novo U Gbokou-1/A
Porto Novo U Gbokou-3
Porto Novo U Lokpodji
Porto Novo U L'elite
Porto Novo U Ouenlinda/A
Porto Novo U Descartes/A
Adjohoun U Adjohoun Centre/A
Adjohoun U Adjohoun Centre/B
Adjohoun R Azowlisse Kpodedji/A
Adjohoun R Azowlisse Kpodedji/B
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Akpro-Misserete U Abogome/A
Akpro-Misserete U Abogome/B
Akpro-Misserete U Akpro-Gbedji/A
Akpro-Misserete U Akpro-Gbedji/B
Akpro-Misserete U Le Flambeau
Akpro-Misserete R Gomè Doko
Akpro-Misserete R Gbakpo-Sedje
Akpro-Misserete R Tchian Amouloko Houegbo/A
Akpro-Misserete R Katagon/B
Seme-Podji R Houinta
Plateau Adja-Ouere R Oke-Ola/A
Adja-Ouere R Oke-Ola/B
Adja-Ouere R Oke-Ola/C
Ifanghi U La Concorde
Pobe R Ahoyeye
Pobe R E Prim Pub Pobe/D
Pobe R E.P.Ogouake(Ike-Bol)
Sakete U Gbokou-Dagbao
Sakete R Ita-Djebou/A
Sakete R Ita-Djebou/B
Sakete R Ikpeguile/A
Sakete R ComSchSMarieAn
Sakete R Takon Centre
Sakete R 30 school directors
Zou Abomey U EUC/E (Abomey/E)
Abomey U Enfant Epanoui
Abomey U Hountondji/A
Abomey U Oukanme
Agbangnizoun R Sainte Marie-Claire
Bohicon R Lissezoun/A
Bohicon R Lissezoun/B
Bohicon U Zakpo/A
Bohicon U Adamé Ahito/A
Bohicon U Le Primat
Bohicon R Ecole Chretienne de Zounkpa
Bohicon R Primat Bohican
Zakpota U Kemondji
Collines Glazoue R Thio/B
Glazoue R Hoco
Ouesse R Kokoro
Ouesse R Toui-Atakpa
Savalou - Directors R 8 schools
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Annex II
Questionnaire for School Visits
Nom de l’Ecole ____________________________Departement 
_______________________
Alt R Ex PR Effectif Total F ____ G ____ CI _____
CP ______
Perspectives du/la Directeur/Directrice (interview) (Favorable=5. 
Non favorable=1)
Connaissance du NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Attitude envers le NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Français 0 1 2 3 4 5
Math 0 1 2 3 4 5
EST 0 1 2 3 4 5
Ed Phys 0 1 2 3 4 5
Ed Sociale 0 1 2 3 4 5
Ed Artistique 0 1 2 3 4 5
__________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Materiels
Quantite des materiels didactiques
Français
I/S Cahiers 0 1 2 3 4 5
I/S Manuels 0 1 2 3 4 5
Math
I/S Cahiers 0 1 2 3 4 5
I/S Manuels 0 1 2 3 4 5
Qualite des materiels didactiques
Francais 0 1 2 3 4 5
Math 0 1 2 3 4 5
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________
Formation
Formation (Dir) BEPC BAC ENI CEAP CAP
Autre ______
Quantite de la formation initiale sur le NPE (semaines)
0 1 2 3 4 5
Suivi de la formation initiale 0 1 2 3 4 5
Qualite de la formation sur le NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________
Soutien pedagogique: 
UP 0 1 2 3 4 5
CS/CP 0 1 2 3 4 5
Syndicat et autre 0 1 2 3 4 5
Autre Orgs 0 1 2 3 4 5
Evaluation des éleves
Avez-vous fait une evaluation sommative cette année ?
CI: Oui / Non CP: Oui / Non 
Combien d’évaluations mensuelles avez-vous fait cette année ?
0 1 2 3 4 5
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Qui la compose?
Enseignant(e)_____Circonscription____ Dept.______
Travaillez-vous avec l’enseignant(e) et ses pairs sur les items? Oui Non
Rapports aux Parents (combien de fois?) 0 1 2 3 4 5
Rapports à la CS (combien de fois?) 0 1 2 3 4 5
Comment l’ecole reagit-elle aux evaluations? 
Analyse de l’enseignant avec le Directeur0 1 2 3 4 5
Analyse de l’enseignant avec les Parents 0 1 2 3 4 5
Comment les enseignant(e)s acceptent-ils(elles) le NPE?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Documentation
Systeme de transmission de donnees:
Quand? Chaque mois _______ Chaque trimestre ______ De temps en 
temps________
A qui? DDPS _____ CS _______________ 
Soutien a l’apprentissage
Bibliotheque: Oui /Non Ordinateur Oui / Non Machine a ecrire 
Oui/ Non
Existe-t-il un Centre Documentaire dans la circonscription ? Oui/Non
Combien de fois l’avez-vous visite ? 0 1 2 3 4 5
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Impact de la grève sur: CI 0 1 2 3 4 5
CP 0 1 2 3 4 5
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Perspective des/sur les parents
Connaissance du NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Attitude envers le NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Soutien des parents a la maison 0 1 2 3 4 5
Soutien des Assoc. des Parents d’El.0 1 2 3 4 5
Subventions scolaires
Quel est le montant annuel de la subvention scolaire?_______
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Louis Berger/DevTech 77
Analysis of the Responses to the School Visit Questionnaire
We were able to visit 211 schools. The team travelled in pairs most of the time ; one 
person interviewed the school director and the other observed CI and/or CP classes. 
Not every respondent answered all questions, as there was irregular attendance of 
teachers and directors, and many schools were closed because of the teacher strike. 
Consequently, the number of answers to any one question will vary. Of the schools 
visited 7% were experimental Schools, 74% were other public schools and 19% were 
private schools. Fifty-three percent were rural schools and 47% were urban 
schools. The evaluation team visited schools in each of the Departments. 
Originally the team had chosen some schools to visit in case we were unable to visit 
schools selected by our sampling technique. The team was able to visit most 
schools chosen in the original sample but when we found any of these schools were 
closed, schools with similar profiles were selected in order to complete our sample. 
From the responses to the Questionnaire we noted that the vast majority of school 
directors and teachers knew of the NPE and liked it. Their attitude towards French 
was low (only about 2.3 out of 5,) but for the other areas of CI and CP study, Math, 
EST, Physical Education, Social Education and Artistic Education, it was high. In 
many cases there were enough workbooks and manuals. Respondents found the 
quality of the French teaching materials low, but the quality of the Math, high.
Just under half of the Directors interviewed held the BEPC. Less than 20% had 
university training and a little under 10% had only their BAC. About 15% had the 
CEAP. Most had been initially formed in the NPE and a few had some further 
training. Directors were satisfied with the training for the NPE (4.4 out of 5.) Their 
response on support from the various areas was mixed. They gave high marks to 
the Unite Pedagogique, very low to the Circonscription and Conseillers Pedagogique. 
Even lower was the mark given to Syndicats. 
Practically no student evaluations have been administered this year. Only three 
public schools in the country have libraries. One school used to have a library but 
it was dismantled, as they needed the room for a classroom. Only 12 Directors 
knew if there was a Documentary Center in their Circonscription. Of those only 
four had used it. Practically all mentioned the impact that the strike had had on 
their school. Parents have a good knowledge and attitude towards the NPE. The 
APEs were rated highly for support of the schools. The average school budget 
money from the MEPS subsidy was CFA 682,491.
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 78
Annex III
Classroom Observation Grill
INFORMATION SUR L’ECOLE _____________ P/UDepartement________
Type de classe CI ___CP ___
Effectif Total de la classe F____G____ 
INFORMATION SUR L’ENSEIGNANT(E)
Categorie de l’enseignant(e) APE ____ Cont. ____ Commun. ____
Annees d’experience ____ Sexe __
Formation Academique: Moins que BEPC__BEPC___BAC___ENI___CAP___ Autres____
Connaissance du NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Attitude envers le NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
__________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
NPE Materiels : 
De l’enseignant:PdE O_ N_ Guide O_ N_ Evaluation O_ N_ Planches O_ N_
De l’éleve : Manuels O_ N_ Cahiers O_ N_
Qualite des materiels du NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5 
NPE Formation :
Quantite de la formation NPE (semaines)0 1 2 3 4 5 
Qualite de la formation NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5 
Soutien pedagogique:
 Directeur 0 1 2 3 4 5
Conseillers Pedagogiques0 1 2 3 4 5
Inspecteurs 0 1 2 3 4 5
Unite Pedagogique 0 1 2 3 4 5
Parents 0 1 2 3 4 5
EVALUATION DES ELEVES
Avez-vous fait une evaluation cette année? _____________ 
Combien d’enfants ont participe a l’evaluation? ____/____ 
Nombre d’enfants aui ont eu la moyenne. F_____G_____
Que faites-vous des copies d’evaluation des enfants ? 
Bulletins aux Parents ___________
Discussion avec le/la Directeur/Directrice ______________
Qu’est-ce que les parents ont fait après reception du rendement des éleves ?
Rien ________
Ils ont contacte l’école. O ___ N ___
Nom d’observateur/trice __________________ Date __________________
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 79
ORGANISATION DE CLASSE
Organisation physique de la salle0 1 2 3 4 5
Gestion d’apprentissage: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Presence de materiels NPE 0 1 2 3 4 5
Usage effectif des:
cahiers 0 1 2 3 4 5
manuels 0 1 2 3 4 5
planches 0 1 2 3 4 5
outils didactiques 0 1 2 3 4 5
Commentaires : 
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
LEÇON OBSERVEE
Strategies d’instruction 
Magistrale 0 1 2 3 4 5
Travail collectif 0 1 2 3 4 5
Travail de groupe 0 1 2 3 4 5
Travail individuel 0 1 2 3 4 5
Grandeur pour les activites? 0 1 2 3 4 5
Niveau de participation des éleves0 1 2 3 4 5
Niveau d’activites éleves-éleves 0 1 2 3 4 5 
Participation equitable des filles 
et garçons 
0 1
2 3
4 5
N/A 
Usage de la langue maternelle 0 1 2 3 4 5
Les éleves posent-ils des questions?0 1 2 3 4 5 
PERSPECTIVES:
Qualite generale d’apprentissage 0 1 2 3 4 5
Commentaires____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
CE1
Capacité des enfants en
Français 0 1 2 3 4 5
Math 0 1 2 3 4 5
CENTRE DE DOCUMENTATION
Existe-t-il un centre de documentation dans la circonscription ?O ____ N ____
Combien de fois l’avez-vous utilisé cette année ?
0 1 2 3 4 5
Nom d’observateur/trice __________________ Date __________________
Evaluation of Benin's Basic Education Reform Pedagogical Component USAID – Benin
Louis Berger/DevTech 80
Analysis of the Responses to the Observation Grill
Although the team visited 211 schools, many were partially closed or only open on 
Monday and Friday due to the ongoing teachers’ strike. As a result of this 
situation, some,students, teachers and directors were absent. The team was able to 
observe 141 classes in session. In classrooms observed, about 20% of the teachers 
were contractuels, about 40% of the others were APEs, and another 40% 
communautaires. Classroom size averaged 62 students, with a maximum of 120 
and minimum of 20 in CI and CP classes observed. The average number of years 
that the teachers had been teaching was a little over 7 years. About 50% of the 
teachers had their BEPC, about 25% had the CAP, 10% had been to the University 
(ENI) and about the same percentage had less than the BEPC or another certificate. 
One communautaire we spoke with had a certificate in computers. The knowledge 
and attitude of the teachers towards the NPE was generally positive reflecting a 
score of about 3.8 out of a possible 5. 
Most of the teachers were well supplied with materials. However there were many 
workbooks missing for the children. Teachers felt their training in the NPE was 
better than expected. Most of the teachers had at least for weeks of initial training 
in the NPE and about 25% of that number had follow-up training. Following are 
the results of their measurement of the professional support they received from 
various sources. Responses range along a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being the most 
unfavorable: Support from: Director, 3.1, from Conseillers Pedagogiques, 1.8, from 
Inspectors, 2, from Unite Pedqgogiques 3.5, and from the Parents, .01.
Hardly any teacher had given an evaluation this year. In most classes the student 
desks and tables were arranged in groups of 5-8 in spite of the crowding. Materials 
from the NPE were present in about 90% of the classrooms. Classroom 
management was rated poor. The teachers seemed to be using the texts and 
workbooks. There was a great difference among the classes in the progress made in 
both the French and Math workbooks. Most of the teaching was from the front of 
the class and very few children responded to the questions asked by the teacher. 
Unfortunately the same children seemed to be called on. No one on the evaluation 
team observed a child ask a question. In only one class did the teacher have the 
class divide into groups to work on their own. Girls were called on and participated 
at the same rate as boys. In all of the classes visited French was the language of 
instruction. Only 30 respondents knew of a documentation center in their 
Circonscription; of those asked, only eight had visited a center this year.