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: Growing and sustaining early grade literacy efforts at scale: initial experiences and planning

Wed, April 17, 8:00 to 9:30am, Hyatt Regency, Floor: Bay (Level 1), Bayview B

Proposal

Over the past 10 years In Senegal, multiple assessments have shown a low level of student performance in reading. Conscious of this problem and the importance of early grade literacy for future school performance, broad-based literacy, and the sustainable development of the country, the Senegalese government emphasizes both early grade reading and the use of national languages in its current education sector program (Ministry of National Education, 2013, p48).

To help operationalize this program, the government in 2017 launched the Lecture Pour Tous initiative with USAID support and has recently developed a reading skills framework setting the path towards explicitly incorporating reading and national languages into the national curriculum and system policy. As the Director of Elementary Education stated during Lecture Pour Tous start-up: "The dynamic initiated by this program is that of action-research. We are reflecting together to find solutions to the poor reading performance of our children ... we are motivated and committed to achieving this milestone. "

This paper will present the strategic framework for the implementation of the national reading program in Senegal and applied research from the experiences of the expansion of Lecture Pour Tous from four regions in 2017-2018 to seven in 2018-2019 – representing now half the country and three of the six most common national languages. The paper will in particular present learning from the Ministry’s experience expanding Lecture Pour Tous into one region with minimal technical assistance and direct government-to-government funding from USAID after just two years of programming supported through a USAID implementing consortium – a rare undertaking among other USAID-funded reading programs globally. The paper will also present additional strategies the Ministry is planning for how to sustain reforms after external technical and financial assistance ends.

Indeed, there have been several challenges in reform implementation and scale-up to achieve the goal of enabling all Senegalese children to read at grade level. This includes the need to stabilize the bilingual education model to avoid confusion after many years of pilot efforts and dialogue, and fully plan the financing and operational roll-out of this reform. It also includes challenges to agree upon the steering mechanisms for the national reading program across ministerial offices and render these operational. Expanding through the government-to-government support has also generated additional learning that the Ministry will apply to further expansion planned to the rest of the country. It is also important to note the early positive impacts of the program, notably as measured by reading performance of first graders per the latest EGRA data and the overall commitment of the ministry and partners to the program.

Presenting these findings and conceptual considerations at CIES provides an opportunity to share lessons learned and learn from others, particularly around ways to effectively use national languages at scale as a key driver for economic, social and environmental development.

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