A regional study, published by IIEP-UNESCO in Africa, is now out on the most important ways to improve educational quality in Africa, following six years of implementation of the Programme to Support Education Quality Management (PAPIQ).
Fewer “isolated” actions, more continuous improvement
According to the study, management is not a one-off intervention. It is a process of continuous improvement, organised over time and regularly rather than an accumulation of activities.
Following this logic, the challenge is not only to mobilise resources, but also to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders — at all levels — to analyse, adjust, and learn.
The diagnostics carried out in the countries participating in the PAPIQ programme highlighted the need to better understand what happens at the intermediate level, where implementation is concretely negotiated: without this insight, plans sometimes remain formal, disconnected from realities on the ground, and from the resources available.
The study also highlights a very practical constraint: the availability of resources at the right time. When funding arrives late or is highly earmarked, local priorities sometimes end up following funding opportunities rather than the most urgent needs.
This study confirms that quality is built over time, with well-equipped teams and regular monitoring. Building on what the PAPIQ programme has created, IIEP-UNESCO in Africa can offer countries concrete support: comprehensive or targeted diagnostics, the integration of its methodology into existing programmes, training with national institutes, and operational approaches to strengthen data-informed decision-making and pedagogical support.
Therrezinha Fernandes KinkinHead of Office, IIEP-UNESCO in Africa
Six shared priorities
Through the diagnostics, the programme identified six shared priorities: making better use of data, strengthening pedagogical support, identifying useful innovations, encouraging local dialogue, supporting planning and monitoring at the intermediate level, and strengthening links between research and public decision-making.
The publication presents how these priorities can be translated into concrete initiatives, tested in the field as part of the programme.
In Niger, the Shawara Karatu initiative illustrates a simple idea: starting from locally available data to open dialogue and then deciding with stakeholders on the ground. The experiment was conducted in two municipalities, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data.
Also in Niger, the AMETs (ateliers de micro-enseignement tutoré, or tutored micro-teaching workshops) show how a classroom practice can be identified, structured, and improved: pupil tutors support small groups while the teacher focuses on pupils experiencing difficulties.
In Senegal, the Professional Practice Analysis Approach highlights another lever: improving close support and supervision by focusing on accompaniment rather than on a strictly control-based logic.
read more: https://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/articles/what-drives-better-education-quality-management-africa
