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Title: 
Institutional capacity development in technical agricultural education
Location: 
Education provinces Bandundu 2, Kin Est and Bas Congo 2 + National
Timing: 
2014 - 2016
Budget: 
Planned 2014 - 2016: €2,874,750
Donor: 
Belgian Federal Government (DGD)
Focus: 
Secondary technical and vocational education, Teacher Development, School Leadership, Strategic Support
Challenge: 

The Ministry of Education is committed to improving its system of technical and vocational education in general and of agricultural education in particular. The education and training of teachers is high on the policy agenda. The current teaching staff is often the product of mere secondary education and thus they lack some pedagogical and didactic skills. The result is that teachers often rely on theoretical and non-practical methods. These are far removed from the daily lives of students and the demands of the labour market. Research indicates that the number of teachers without pedagogical training peaks up to 60%. In addition, teachers lack technical competences.

In secondary vocational and technical education - and within agricultural education in particular - gender is an important issue. In the DR Congo, agriculture is largely carried out by women. Nevertheless, women are hardly found in agricultural training programmes that lead to qualifications and thus to a higher status and better pay.

Goal: 

Teachers and school leaders in secondary technical and vocational education prepare students for decent work in accordance to the needs of society and the labour market.

Partners: 

Strategic partner

  • Ministère de l’Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Professionnel (Ministry of Education)

Operational partners

  • Training Service of the Inspection Department for Primary, Secondary and TVET Education of the Ministry of Education (SERNAFOR)
  • Direction for Didactic Materials and Curricula (DIPROMAD)
  • Provincial Inspection Services in the education provinces of Bandundu 2, Kin Est and Bas Congo 2
Approach: 

In the DR Congo, VVOB focuses on capacity development of partner organisations that work on professional development of teachers and school leaders in agricultural education, and on the provision of better links between education and the labour market. This programme has four result areas.

  • In the first result, VVOB supports the Service National de Formation (SERNAFOR). This is the Training Service of the Inspection Department of the Ministry of Education (Ministère de l’Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Professionnel). SERNAFOR’s responsibilities include the training of the provincial inspectors. These in turn provide for the training of teachers in agricultural education. VVOB supports SERNAFOR in its capacities to assist the provincial inspection services in the realisation of quality training for teachers in agricultural education. A competency-based approach, gender and environment receive special attention.
     
  • In the second result area, VVOB supports the National Control Service of the Inspection Department in strengthening the provincial inspection in order the latter can adequately evaluate the technical agricultural schools. Again, competency-based approach, gender and environment get special attention.
     
  • In the third result VVOB supports the Direction des Programmes Scolaires et Matériel Didactique (DIPROMAD) in its substantive, organisational and logistical capacities to create didactic material that complies with the competency-based approach and include gender and environment, and to distribute it to the agriculture teachers.
     
  • In the fourth result VVOB supports the provincial inspection services in the education provinces of Bandundu 2, Kin Est and Bas Congo 2. The aim is to enable them to support the management of a number of pilot schools in the realisation of:
    • female-friendly agricultural schools and
    • a better integration of these schools in the local business sector, focused on the competence development of teachers, entrepreneurship and internships.