Midterm evaluation of public policy on middle schools and current status of the Integrated Education Management Information System (SIIGE) in Côte d’Ivoire

For many years, successive sociopolitical crises profoundly affected and damaged the educational and training system in Côte d’Ivoire. Based on an analysis and on the formulation of sectoral policy orientations, the national authorities drew up an education and training policy to accelerate the development of human capital, which is one of the five themes of Côte d’Ivoire’s new development strategy. The policy lays the foundations for a reorganization of lower secondary school teaching and as such focuses on middle schools (collèges). Against the backdrop of the rise in mandatory schooling to age 16 and of an increase in the number of students, this policy seeks to give middle schools broader purposes than just preparation for entering high school. It also aims to facilitate the establishment of (i) viable middle schools of a smaller-size in rural areas; (ii) middle schools located in communities; and (iii) larger-sized middle schools in urban and suburban areas.

The middle school public policy includes four aspects that, over the 2016-2025 period, are to be implemented in a coordinated and sequential fashion: the construction/rehabilitation of schools, with local communities having a role and being involved; recruiting; the training and management of teachers qualified in two subjects; the provision of educational and didactic material; awareness-raising for education stakeholders; and communication regarding the policy. The evaluation of this policy is designed to provide lessons, and it seeks to pass a midterm judgment—at a precise point in time—on its relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency. It will do so by putting the expected results and the outcomes obtained into perspective. This exercise will help give an account of its implementation and to draw the initial lessons in order to make adjustments if necessary.

Furthermore, the current SIIGE was designed before the new education and training public policy was determined. The way it is organized and the way it operates do not seem to have been put into question, even though a certain number of weaknesses have been identified.

Carrying out a full assessment of the current status of the SIIGE makes it possible to perceive its capacity to give an account, on a regular basis, of the education and training policy and of the achievement of its objectives, especially those regarding middle schools. Combining the conclusions of the midterm evaluation and of the assessment of its current status provides information that can help assess the feasibility of a later, more quantitative evaluation of the public policy concerning middle schools, which could take the form of a scientific impact evaluation.

Contact : Pascal Thiais, evaluation officer (thiaisp@afd.fr)