Pour une Approche Globale de l'Education (PAGE) - For a Global Approach to Education

According to the organisers, interactive radio instruction is at the core of improving primary education quality in the DRC. PAGE therefore produces and broadcasts daily radio lessons that reach even remote and resource-poor schools in the two programme provinces. The radio programme, titled "Apprenons avec Matahata" (Let's Learn with Matahata), features a cast of characters who live in a village and encourage students to learn through a variety of stories, songs, and teacher-led activities.

In order to support the programme, the project conducts training with supervisors and teachers in active learning paedagogy and the integration of local resources and knowledge. In addition, it distributes resource kits and national curricula to stakeholders.

The PAGE project also aims to go beyond the classroom and into communities, where activities are conducted to reduce the financial burden of sending children to school. The project seeks to help strengthen parent associations in their work to improve school management, and trains association members to conceive and conduct income-generating activities such as livestock breeding, community gardens, and fishing cooperatives. The proceeds from these activities are used to finance rotating credit schemes that ensure all association members have access to funds when school fees are due. As a complement to these parent savings groups, PAGE works with schools and communities to create school-based businesses that reduce school fees by covering some recurrent costs at the schools.

In addition to activities at the community level, PAGE works with national authorities and partners to help formulate educational policies that ensure quality and sustainability. PAGE helps government officials and international partners assess the DRC school fees landscape and works to inform policy change by facilitating broad-based forums and grassroots advocacy at the local level.

According to the organisers, all of these activities are interrelated. Interactive radio instruction increases the quality of teaching and learning and encourages the interest of parents and community members in the teaching and learning process. Parents eager to give their children the opportunity to benefit from radio instruction join parent associations and learn new techniques for generating income for school-related expenses. At the national level, research helps legislators understand the financial burden of sending children to school and the need for school-based businesses and parent-driven income generating activities. Together, the activities aim to complement each other and increase overall programme effectiveness.

Education.

According to the organisers, students face two major problems in the DRC: education quality and education cost. As a result of years of conflict and lack of financing from the government, there are few teachers, and fewer still with adequate training. Schools operate primarily on fees collected from parents, so many students either enrol late, drop out, or do not attend at all.