Curricular reforms in CI and CP classes : Point of Minister Salimane Karimou to the actors

As part of the Curricular Reforms in French and Mathematics in the Initiation Course (THERE) and the Preparatory Course (CP), Minister Salimane Karimou gave an update to stakeholders in the nursery and primary education sub-sector. It was friday 03 September 2021, at the UBUNTU Center in Porto-Novo on the occasion of an exchange meeting.

During this meeting, the Minister of Nursery and Primary Education summarized the steps taken in 3 levels. First, it is the inventory where it was necessary to put in place the system required to make the necessary corrections to the various documents, especially the curriculum. Ensuite, the second level was the experimental phase which allowed to see if what is done, meets the needs of both learners and teachers. In this context, 36 pilot schools hosted the testing of the various pedagogical documents revised during the school year 2020-2021. At the same period, it was necessary to have control schools that are not in the experimental basin to see if the chosen path is better than the existing one. An evaluation showed a clear progression of learners from pilot schools compared to those from control schools chosen in the same contexts. Finally, the 3rd level consists of getting out of the pilot phase to the generalization phase. So, for the school year 2021-2022, CI learners will have new programs in French and mathematics with new tools (textbooks and workbooks). Regarding the Preparatory Course, the process has been initiated. From the next school year, the experimental phase will take place under the same conditions as those of the Initiation Course, with 36 pilot classes.

According to Minister Salimane Karimou, a curriculum review had been initiated to make this correction, with the support of the Global Partnership for Education (PME) without forgetting the greater part of the Beninese State through the national budget. According to his words, technical and financial partners, through GPE, Have put 02 consultants available to Benin to support national experts in this curriculum review. These experts got to work to get “the products of this review” out. Note that the programs that were complex in French and mathematics are simplified for both learners and teachers.. Textbooks and activity books will be available to each learner, both in public and private schools.

Patrice ADJAHO