PNAPAS: A Game Changer for Foundational Learning in Côte d’Ivoire

The CLEF (Child Learning and Education Facility) coalition pursues three major objectives in Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in cocoa-growing regions:

• Improving access to education, through the construction of school infrastructure and the set-up of bridging classes to reintegrate out-of-school children into the education system;
• Strengthening community mobilization in favor of children’s schooling;
• Improving learning outcomes in primary schools through quality education.

In pursuit of this last objective, CLEF supports the brand-new National Program for the Improvement of Foundational Learning (PNAPAS).

The Turning Point: A Candid Diagnosis

In January 2021, results from the Education Systems Analysis Program (PASEC) — one of the main international assessment tools used to measure student learning outcomes within the Conference of Ministers of Education of French-speaking Countries (CONFEMEN) — raised a red flag: by the end of primary school, nearly six in ten Ivorian children hadn’t reached a basic level in reading, and more than eight in ten were still struggling in mathematics. These results, which ranked Côte d’Ivoire among the lowest-performing countries in the PASEC assessment, sent a nationwide shock wave.

Appointed in April 2021, the Minister of National Education and Literacy Mariatou Koné launched a broad reflection on the root causes of the educational crisis and potential solutions. In 2022–2023, she convened the National Education Convention (États Généraux de l’Éducation Nationale et de l’Alphabétisation), an inclusive consultation open to all segments of society. This participatory process gave rise to a series of ambitious reforms to improve teaching quality in Côte d’Ivoire — with PNAPAS emerging as one of its cornerstones.

New Teaching Methods for Better Learning

Born out of rigorous experimentation adapted to the Ivorian context, PNAPAS focuses on reading, writing, and mathematics. While curricular content remains unchanged, teaching methods have been profoundly renewed: more playful and interactive learning; greater use of hands-on activities, visualization, and questioning; leveraging mistakes as learning opportunities; regular interaction between teachers and pedagogical advisers; clear methodological guides; and, most notably, distribution of textbooks to all students, to be used both at school and at home.

Targeting preschool and primary levels, the program is rolled out by cohorts: preschool, grade 1 (CP1), and grade 2 (CP2) were the first to benefit; grade 3 (CE1) began in the 2025–2026 school year, with higher levels to follow progressively.

CLEF supports PNAPAS implementation across its six regions of intervention. Everyone involved in the pedagogical chain takes part in cascade-style training sessions, to make sure new practices are applied consistently and effectively. “A team of national experts trains national trainers; they, in turn, train regional trainers — pedagogical advisers and inspectors — who eventually train teachers”, explains Jean-Claude Tano, Inspector of Preschool and Primary Education and PNAPAS National Coordinator.

Close Support for Teachers

Trained and equipped, teachers now apply the new pedagogical approaches. “We’ve seen real progress: first graders are already starting to read, and second graders are doing mental arithmetic! It’s wonderful”, reports Férima Diomandé, Inspector of Preschool and Primary Education in Daloa South B, Haut-Sassandra region.

Beyond training, PNAPAS relies on a strong system of coaching and mentoring. Each teacher receives personalized support to consolidate their practices and address possible challenges. Pedagogical advisers, each responsible for about ten schools, play a central role: they regularly visit classrooms to observe lessons, record their findings, and report to inspectors, while working hand in hand with teachers and principals to celebrate successes and tackle challenges as they arise. “We are facilitators”, says Réal N’Da Kouakou, pedagogical adviser in Daloa South B. “We help teachers refine their methods. If PNAPAS methodology is well applied, I assure you that every student will achieve primary school with the expected skills.”

Visible Transformation in Schools

In Wandaguhé, a village about fifteen kilometers from Daloa, Diabaté Massogbê, a grade 1 teacher at the local public primary school, testifies: “The pedagogical adviser helps us improve our routines and teaching methods — how to handle materials, how to speak to children, what instructions to give… He answers all our questions.” Progress is tangible: students in grades 1 and 2 now read, write, and calculate with new confidence, and parents are regaining trust in the school system.

PNAPAS thus embodies the ambition of providing quality education for all. CLEF coalition partners are proud to support this major reform of Côte d’Ivoire’s education system.