Deploying trainers in HPR schools: the EFFICACE-UNESCO project enters the experimental phase

Kinshasa, August 28, 2025—The EFFICACE-UNESCO project, in collaboration with the Directorate of Teacher Training and Administrative Offices (DIFORE-BG), will begin deploying trainers next week to the pilot educational provinces (Kongo Central 2, Kasai, Mbandaka 1) to provide training for teachers of the Renewed Pedagogical Humanities (HPR) program in preparation for the 2025–2026 school year. This initiative, part of the Initial Teacher Training subcomponent, marks the start of the HPR pilot phase. It will provide an opportunity to assess in the field the teaching tools developed at the national level, designed to improve the quality of training for future teachers in the DRC. The Secretary General for National Education and New Citizenship, Mr. Axelis YOKA, and the UNESCO Country Representative in the DRC, Mr. Isaias BARRETO, paid a surprise visit this morning to the Cercle Elais in Kinshasa to encourage the core group of trainers and ensure the proper pedagogical, methodological, and logistical preparation for this rollout. According to Ms. Bety Matondo, Coordinator of the Initial Training subcomponent of the EFFICACE-UNESCO project, and Mr. Timothée Kazadi, Director and Head of Department at DIFORE-BG, The modules and guides developed in five key areas (Teaching and Learning, Science, Languages, Social Studies and Environment, Personal Development, and Arts) incorporate innovations such as inclusion, gender, the environment, and digital technology (artificial intelligence). They meet the requirements of the National Education Framework Law, the 2024–2029 Five-Year Education Plan, and international education standards. This rollout represents a major step toward modernizing teacher training and the success of the Renewed Pedagogical Humanities in the DRC. Pitié-Matondo, Educ-TV