Basic Education Sector Support Project (PASEB II)

Technical Assistance and organization of teacher training for schools for children with special needs

Description

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania concluded, on November 6, 2020, grant agreements of $52 million, over a period of five years, to finance the second phase of the Basic Education Sector Support Project (PASEB II) with the International Development Association (IDA) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) with the aim of improving the quality of basic education and the provision of services in selected regions.

PASEB II has three components, namely:

  • Component 1: Transforming teacher management through accountability frameworks and new technologies;
  • Component 2: Improve the delivery of education services in selected regions;
  • Component 3: Strengthening education sector management

Discussions between the services of MASEF (Minister of Family and Social Affairs), the DPEF (Education and Training Project Direction) and development partners on the sidelines of the review of the PNDSE held in Nouakchott from February 28 to March 5, 2022, concluded on the need and relevance to support the Center for Social Training and Promotion of Children with Disabilities.

The Centre for Training and Social Promotion of Children with Disabilities is the only public structure in charge of the special education of children with disabilities in Mauritania. The Centre has 5 specialised structures for the training of children with visual, hearing, intellectual, Down syndrome and autistic impairments. The Centre also has a specialised vocational training structure as well as 5 regional branches welcoming children. Since they took office, the teaching staff of these structures has not benefited from continuous training.

Therefore, the project aims to promote the inclusion and development of children with disabilities within the education system. This involves developing teachers’ skills so that they can adapt their teaching practices, create an accessible and caring learning environment, and promote equal opportunities for all students.

This training also aims to raise teachers’ awareness of disability-related issues and to provide them with resources to better support each child in his or her educational journey.

The specific objective is to provide training to 125 teacher-supervisors of the centres for children with disabilities, as well as 17 other participants from different sectors concerned with adapted pedagogical tools and strategies to meet the diverse needs of these children.

This includes the development of skills in inclusion, pedagogical differentiation, as well as raising awareness of the different forms of disability. In addition, the training will also aim to strengthen collaboration between teachers and families to create a positive and stimulating learning environment.

Services

Inception

  • Mobilization of a team of specialized expert-trainers (blind, deaf, intellectual disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, trisomy 21)
  • Scoping meeting of the Preliminary Diagnosis of Training Needs mission
  • Development of a detailed and contextualized training plan
  • Launch Report

Development of training manuals and preparation

  • Online Survey of Training Needs of Participants (147 people)
  • Analysis and diagnosis of training needs
  • Development of four pedagogical content and training materials (4 curriculums)
  • Development of a framework for monitoring and evaluation of training
  • Schedule planning, logistics and training materials

Training implementation and ongoing monitoring

  • Conduct of 5 simultaneous training courses of 12 days each (2 training courses for sign language and education of blind or visually impaired children, 1 training for braille and education of blind children, 1 training on the autism spectrum, 1 training for trisomy and other intellectual disabilities)
  • Monitoring of the conduct of training courses
  • Interim status report

Report and Final Evaluation

  • Online satisfaction survey of participants (147 people)
  • Production of a final report including results, lessons learned and recommendations.

French Project Title:  Projet d’ appui au secteur de l’éducation de base (PASEB II) : Recrutement d’un bureau d’assistance technique et organisation de la formation des enseignants pour les écoles d’enfants à besoins spécifiques