We visited Rougui and her family last year in the northwest of Senegal about 50km inland from the Atlantic coast.
She was in her second year of primary school and has now moved up a year to CE1 (grade 3).
Foundational learning in primary school is a critical building block for all children to be able to fulfil their potential. However, the GEM Report, ADEA and African Union Spotlight series shows that only one in five on the continent will complete primary school and have minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics.
We are following the learning journey of 4 children, aiming to demonstrate through their stories the love that they have for learning and what we have to lose if we don’t invest in their education
Foundational learning means that children acquire not just basic literacy, but also basic numeracy in their early years.
In Senegal, the percentage of students who reached the global minimum proficiency level in mathematics is on the rise, improving from 62% in 2014 to 79% in 2019.
In 2019, grade 6 students three years older than Rougui in Senegal were ranked first in mathematics and third in reading across countries participating in the regional PASEC learning assessment.
Rougui was keen to explain how keen she is to learn mathematics.
Birame Diallo, Rougui’s mother, emphasized the same message.
“It is really good to have knowledge in math because, for example, in my case, it is sometimes difficult for me to count my money well.
“Rougui is much better than me in this area. She is even capable of calculating a sum of 100,000 CFA francs and managing it well too. Which is sometimes a bit difficult for me as her mother”.
Last year, Rougui was taught by Madame Sarr, who you can read about in Rougui’s learning story from 2023. This year she is taught by Mrs Diop.
“I am 31 years old and I am a teacher at Rougui’s elementary school.
“I have my CEFAS (Centre de Formation African du Senegal). I also completed my BfeM (Le Brevet de fin d'études moyennes). I received my baccalaureate and also obtained my degree in Science and Techniques of Socio-Educational Activities for Youth and Sports. After that, I took the exam to be admitted here, which I passed in 2017, and completed the training.
“I also obtained my CAPES (Certificat d’Aptitude au Professorat de l’Enseignement du Second degré) for teaching in a secondary school and beyond”.
As the example of Mrs Diop shows, in comparison to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, teachers benefit from more training in Senegal.
Only two-thirds of teachers in sub-Saharan Africa are trained according to national standards
Outside of training, however, teacher qualifications also matter, meaning teachers’ level of education. Around the world, the second report in the Spotlight Series, Learning Counts, showed that 62% of countries require a bachelor’s degree as the minimum requirement. However, only 17% of countries set that level in Africa. Conversely, 48% of African countries accept secondary education as a minimum requirement, as is the case for Mrs Diop in Senegal.
One reason why teachers’ and qualifications matter so much is that the conditions they are teaching in are often challenging.
The Spotlight Report on Senegal produced in partnership with the Ministry of Education recommended that school infrastructure be improved to reduce the number of pupils per class.
“In my second year of teaching, the classroom was so dilapidated that I couldn't teach in that state. So I decided to take a loan to renovate the classroom. It wasn't much, but I repainted the classroom, the blackboard, and everything".
"I had to renovate to allow the students to concentrate on their studies. Because the environment plays a role".
The principal in the school, Abdou Samath Cisse, doubled down on the need for greater support.
“I have been here for 20 years. Everything is difficult, especially for us who are headmasters and at the same time in charge of teaching classes".
"We don't have time to supervise colleagues because we handle a multi-grade class, and it is very difficult, very difficult".
"When asked what her wish was to be able to better roll out the curriculum in class, Mrs Diop called for her classrooms to be renovated".
The Spotlight on Senegal report called to ‘Reduce the deficit in school infrastructure to reduce the number of pupils per class and eliminate temporary shelters, which are a source of demotivation for pupils, parents and teachers’
In Learning Counts, we recommend:
1. Develop teacher capacity.
Ensure all teachers use classroom time effectively through cost-effective training.
2. Prepare instructional leaders.
Restructure support mechanisms offered to teachers and schools.
