Chad

Improving the National Education System in a Sustainable Manner

In 2023

587,438

pupils benefited from quality education

7,836

teachers and trainers received training

130,824

pieces of teaching material were distributed

With an adult literacy rate of 32%, illiteracy or difficulty reading and writing remains a widespread phenomenon and continues to affect the most disadvantaged populations.

For more than 10 years, we have been working to improve the national education system in a sustainable manner, on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Challenges in Education

Chad is a multilingual country with more than 150 national languages. In schools, education is provided in the official languages of French or classical Arabic, which many children do not speak fluently.

As a result, more than half of children drop out of school within the first six years, and only one in five children can read and write by the end of primary school.

Our Impact

Pupils’ results in languages and mathematics are up to twice as good as those in traditional schools;
Lessons are taught in two languages – the official language and the local language;
The course content is tailored to the needs and interests of the local population. For example, two stories (‘Papa Vaya’ and ‘The Hyena, the Monkey and the Hare’) have been adapted and illustrated in French and Arabic to enable students to learn to write in both languages;
We offer vocational training tailored to the local market, for example in animal husbandry;
We build fully equipped schools with toilets and water points;
Pilot schools have been opened in nomadic communities.

Fotina Mirayam Trainer, Chad

Since we trained teachers in this new educational approach, we have observed students participating more, learning better, and parents getting more involved.