The “Road to Reading” or USAID/PHARE Program

 

I) What is the USAID/PHARE program?

• A $30 million dollar program funded by USAID and intended to improve literacy outcomes for children in Grades 1 through 6
• A nation-wide program that will use Interactive Radio Instruction to promote improved instructional methods and ensure that students acquire French literacy skills

• A program implemented by the Education Development Center, Inc., RTI, and 3 local partners on the ground in Mali

           
II) What is the state of literacy in Mali today?

• Adult literacy in French in Mali is estimated at only 29%
• Only 23% of boys and 10% of girls can read a simple sentence in French by the end of grade four
• Mali ranks 8 out of 10 francophone countries for reading mastery in the primary grades
• Fewer than ½ of the teachers in the schools receive coaching in the teaching of reading

           
III) What is the USAID/PHARE program planning to do to address the situation?

• Work to improve French literacy instruction in 40,000+ classrooms
• Progressively improve teacher training, evaluation systems, supervisory practices, and the policy environment
• Provide access for targeted and hard-to-reach populations to high-quality materials and methods for reading instruction and evaluation

           
IV) Improving French literacy instruction in 40,000+ classrooms

• USAID/PHARE will develop and diffuseInteractive Radio Instruction (720 programs) to reinforce French literacy skills for Grade 1-6 students throughout the country
• Provide reading kits to accompany the broadcasts and deepen the study of key French literacy objectives
• Create self-study materials (both print and on-air) on reading instruction for teachers to use in lesson planning and instruction
• Promote the use of technology and public-private partnerships to support improved instruction

V) Progressively improving teacher training, evaluation systems, supervisory practices, and the policy environment

• Provide intensive support to Mali’s pre-service and in-service teacher training
• Introduce Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) to Mali
• Create new standards and tools for teacher supervisors
• Leverage technology to make exchange of information relative to all of these initiatives more possible
• Support the development of policy initiatives that enhance quality of instruction in Mali

VI) Reaching the Hardest to Reach

• Initiate a program of support to medersas, including the use of Interactive Radio Instruction
• Accompany the Ministry of Education’s in piloting a one-classroom school model for rural areas
• Develop education initiatives for nomadic populations and children with special needs

VII) In Five Years the Program Expects to:

• Substantially increase students’ reading scores as measured by the EGRA exams
• Benefit thousands of children using innovative teaching methodologies and technologies
• Enhance the Ministry of Education’s capacity to provide educational outreach to medersas, nomadic populations, and children with special needs
• Put in place public-private partnerships to sustain innovation in the system

 

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Last Updated on: February 23, 2012