Development of in-service training tools for primary school teachers in the DRC: the EFFICACE-UNESCO Project in action!

Capacity building for current elementary school principals, as part of continuing professional development, is one of the strategic priorities of the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship, with support from the EFFICACE-UNESCO project. This initiative is being implemented in preparation for the start of the 2025–2026 school year. It is in this context that a workshop is being held from July 6 to 11, 2025, in Mbanza-Ngungu, bringing together national experts from the Ministry’s technical departments, university professors, and other education specialists, under the coordination of SERNAFOR-PRIMAIRE. On the agenda is an evaluation of the relevance of existing modules (reading and writing, mathematics, active and participatory methods, introduction to computer science, etc.) in order to integrate recent pedagogical innovations as well as advances in ICTE (Information and Communication Technologies for Education). The experts will also focus on developing classroom observation tools, in line with the guidelines of the national certification framework, to better monitor teaching practices, and on designing new continuing education modules based on identified needs, drawing on the professional competency framework for teachers in the first six years of basic education. Furthermore, priority cross-cutting themes such as gender and inclusion are not being overlooked, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2024–2025 National Education Five-Year Plan. Upon completion of this work, the revised or newly developed modules will be digitized and made available on the Ministry’s digital platforms as well as in the Teacher Resource Centers (CRESD), to ensure broad access for all stakeholders in the education system. Editorial staff .