Education > Success Stories

Education Wins Big Through IFESH Teacher Training

Mr. Elijah receiving his award from the former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Mme Rafiatou Karim. The gift was a HI FI music system (radio, tape and CD player) and books on pedagogy, estimated at $200.

Superintendent Adamon Yawara Elijah is a hero to the teachers and students of Ouassa-Pehunco, Atacora, one of the poorest and most marginalized school districts of northern Benin. Thanks to the USAID funded IFESH training, Mr. Elijah was able to change the school teaching and learning environment and dramatically improve teacher and student performance. For four years, Mr. Elijah was number one of the top ten superintendents in the 36 IFESH project zones and the Ouassa-Pehunco school district went from being one of the worst to one of the best in terms of teacher performance and student attendance and academic success. As a result, pass rate and attendance have increased significantly in all grades. The list of Mr. Elijah's accomplishments is long: the number of primary schools in his district increased from 25 to 47, and the number of children attending school went from 2,400 to 9,800. He even won over parents of the nomadic Fulani tribe to sending their children to school, increasing their attendance from 171 to 1,458.

Mr. Elijah also developed an evaluation system, based on the IFESH model that links performance to awards. Each year, the award recognizes and rewards the best teachers and students. The awards initiative, better supervision, and regular teacher meetings, radically reduced teachers' rate of absenteeism from a 50% average down to 5%. Mr. Elijah's initiative improved school morale noticeably. Before, in the school district of Ouassa-Pehunco, student drop out rate in the 6th grade was close to 75% and attendance in all grades was low. Today, the drop out rate is down to 15%, and student attendance and academic performance improved across the board. Student pass rate for all grades increased significantly. Mr. Elijah convinced parents and the community to get involved in the school by initiating regular meetings to discuss the needs of their children's education and how the community could support the school.

After 4 years, an IFESH performance/impact evaluation revealed that ten of the 36 school superintendents had greatly improved performance and morale within their school districts. In recognition for being the best superintendent, Mr. Elijah received IFESH's first prize, which he received from the hands of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. He was also promoted to Regional Supervisor of the Atacora/Donga departments. Truly, Mr. Elijah is a champion of primary education in Benin.

TOP