BRiCE Project DRC and Niger: Baseline Report

Abstract

This Report presents the descriptive statistics and preliminary analysis carried out following the first phase of quantitative and qualitative data collection of the Building Resilience in Conflict through Education (BRiCE) research project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and in Niger. Activities were led by the Institute of Development Studies, in partnership with Save the Children, with the Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu in DRC and with the Save the Children MEAL team in Niger. The objective of the study is to further the understanding of education in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, focusing on four central research questions: RQ.1) Investigating whether, and how, exposure to and experience of violence influence teaching quality and well-being in fragile and conflict-affected contexts; RQ.2) Examining the impact of the Teacher Professional Development and Improving Learning Environments Together components of the BRiCE programme on teachers’ quality and well-being in fragile contexts; RQ.3) Examining how teaching quality and well-being influence children’s cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes in fragile and conflict-affected countries; RQ.4) Exploring how knowledge developed by teachers in conflict-affected contexts can be used effectively in policy and programming.

Projet BRiCE RDC et Niger : Rapport intermédiaire Bien-être des enseignants et qualité de l’enseignement dans les contextes fragiles et affectés par les conflits

“…See Marchais et al (2020a). While we find that Covid-19-related school closures in 2020 did not impact the timing of salary payment in Niger, there was a sharp rise in delays and/or nonpayments in the DRC in April 2020, coinciding with school closures in the country.…”

“…In Niger, for example, there is a larger proportion of female teachers than male teachers. In our baseline study, we find that 70 per cent and 33 per cent of the female teachers in the DRC and Niger, respectively, completed secondary education, compared to 79 per cent and 42 per cent of the male teachers (Marchais et al 2020a). Lower levels of education among female teachers can impact their progression and wellbeing in the teaching profession, compared to their male colleagues.…”

“…Second, the social position of teachers, the ways it influences how they navigate tense social environments, and how it affects their work. Third, building on the Baseline Report (Marchais et al 2020a), we continue our investigation into causes of violence against teachers. We then evaluate the effects of TPD and ILET.…”

“…Nevertheless, narratives around fear and what we can conceive of as nervousness were dominant in the interviews. For a detailed presentation of the evaluation research design, see the Research Design (Justino et al 2019) and Baseline Report (Marchais et al 2020a). It is useful to note that other interventions were implemented as part of the BRiCE programme to improve the quality of learning environments, such as Community Action Cycle and Conflict-Mapping, but those were rolled out in all the BRiCE schools at the same time.…”

“…For an outline of the challenges of the respective education systems, please see the Baseline Report (Marchais et al 2020a). These factors have added to the wide-ranging changes induced by the implementation of Gratuité, a landmark policy in the history of the education sector of the DRC.…”