Education of Disadvantaged Children in OIC:
The Key to Escape from Poverty
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516 World Bank (2013)
517 WB report “School grants and Education Quality in Senegal”
supervision of teachers. The impact evaluation516 showed that the initiative led to improved
learning outcomes, especially in math and French in early grades. According to the results
Grade 3 students in intervention schools (schools which had improvements and received
grants) showed superior performance in these subjects than Grade 3 students in control
schools (those schools which did not have the intervention). The program had a large and
statistically significant effect especially for areas in the southern part of the country. The
report concluded that “a well-targeted program improving resources to schools is likely to
have important effects on student performance if it represents a permanent increase in school
spending”517.
Box 8 Modernization of Daaras
Since the Daaras Inspectorate was established in 2008, under the supervision of the Ministry
of Education, the Senegalese State has set up the concept of "Modernization of Daaras” with
the objective of responding to the educational aspirations of parts of their population.
What then does this modernization of the Koranic schools in Senegal mean? According to the
Ministry of Education, this modernization has several aspects:
 The establishment of a harmonized curriculumbased on a tri-lingual approach: Teaching
in the local language (Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, etc.), progressive introduction of French and
Arabic (language)
 Rehabilitation and equipment of Daaras (learning environment)
 The establishment of a regulatory framework (governance)
Various relevant policy programs include:
 Project of trilingualism and vocational training between 2002 and 2007, with the
Directorate of Literacy and National Languages (DALN), financed by UNICEF in the
regions of Dakar, Thiès, Diourbel and Kaolack (language and curriculum)
 USAID/EDB project for the introduction of the French language in the regions of Dakar,
Louga, Saint Louis and Matam between 2008 and 2013 (language and curriculum)
 World Bank project (PAQUEEB) which supports 100 Daaras in Senegal with the
introduction of the French language (in progress) (language, curriculum, teacher
training)
 The Project of Support to the Modernization of the Daaras (PAMOD) financed by the
Islamic Bank of Development (ongoing) but implemented by the Ministry of Education.
The project will benefit nearly 30,000 learners, who will thus have a better physical,