Signing the INCE agreement

About two years ago Woord en Daad has launched the INCE program in Benin under the name ”Local Partnership for Education” (PLE-Benin) in order to strengthen the local education system. Through its local coordination, the organization carried out preliminary work such as the identification of key players in the education sector, the strategic diagnostic analysis of the Beninese education sector and the establishment of a solid consortium to implement the intervention locally.

Working for quality and inclusive education
It is a consortium of six local organizations with Woord en Daad as technical and financial partner which officially launched the program on October 13, 2023 in Cotonou under the leadership of the Ministry of Maternal and Primary Education. The initial work of the consortium made it possible to define the strategic and fundamental priority of the consortium: Working for quality and inclusive education. Thanks to the commitment of local organizations, the energy of the consortium actors and the technical and financial support of Woord en Daad, interventions at the operational level at the national level have effectively started and are progressing well.

Participants during the conference

Key activities

Revision and validation of training manual
In terms of key activities, the consortium started first with the revision and validation of the training manual for educational and pedagogical practices in school inclusion. This manual revision work was carried out by the consortium under the lead of the National Institute for Training and Research in Education. The premises of the Ministry of Maternal and Primary Education hosted the validation workshop of the revised manual on October 5, 2023.

Conference on inclusive education
Then, through its scientific arm which is the Protestant University of West Africa (UPAO), the PLE organized an international scientific conference from November 21 to 23, 2023 on the theme: inclusive education for a society more inclusive in Africa and Benin. All seven PLE organizations were represented in addition to a wide range academics and local organizations involved in educational inclusion. 22 communications were made by international communicators (Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Congo, Cameroon, etc.) on key themes linked to the complexity of the issue of inclusion.

Media coverage
The communications aspect of the program is also evolving. CIPCRE, mainly focused on media coverage, organized several radio and television broadcasts related to the consortium and its activities. Thus, several radio broadcasts were initiated as well as a broadcast on the National Television of Benin.

Participants of the implementation workshop

Implementation workshop

The noble prospect that delights the members of the consortium is to gradually realize the systemic changes envisaged by:

  1. Awareness and mentality changes favorable to inclusive education at the community level
  2. Training of teachers to strengthen their capacities, emphasizing the knowledge, skills and values aspects
  3. Monitoring the political and legislative framework with advocacy initiative at the community level and on a national scale to encourage the change necessary for the impacts and transformations envisaged in the Beninese education system.

And regard to these important challenges, the members of the PLE consortium gathered in March 2024 in a workshop to harmonize the implementation of their actions, reiterated their commitment and determination to work in synergy.