Foundational learning plays a pivotal role in shaping how children learn more complex subjects at higher levels, with passionate teachers driving this learning by creating engaging learning environments. One such dedicated educator is Miss Ahougo Gnolivié Edwige, who has been teaching at the Touadji 1B school in Meagui since 2015. She was involved in the pilot phase of PEC in Côte d’Ivoire and has seen the intervention scale to other schools in the region. Miss Edwige began her PEC journey as a facilitator in 2019 and has continued to teach beginner-letter children in French and beginner-1 digit in Mathematics.
Passionate about education, Miss Edwige is renowned for her exceptional facilitation skills within the school. She firmly believes that the PEC is an outstanding approach that continues to prove its worth by significantly improving children’s academic performance by fostering strong bonds between facilitators and children through play-based techniques, which differentiates it from traditional classroom methods. “Through its playful nature, PEC breaks down the barriers that often exist between teachers and children, creating an atmosphere of openness and collaboration,” she said.
Miss Edwige’s class exemplifies the transformative impact of PEC, as demonstrated by the outcomes. In the initial ASER assessment, out of a total of 53 children, 46 could not read words in French. At the endline, 17 of these children moved to higher levels of reading. Additionally, 9 children could read a paragraph at the endline. In terms of Math, 30 students began at the lowest level in the baseline evaluation, with only one child capable of solving subtraction problems. At endline 21 children were able to solve subtraction problems.
The approach not only captivates children’s interest but also enhances their responsiveness during the sessions. According to Miss Edwige, PEC is instrumental in bridging learning gaps, particularly in areas such as letter recognition and numeracy skills. “Students who previously struggled to read letters and comprehend numbers have now gained proficiency through PEC,” she said. Additionally, PEC has filled foundational gaps, providing them with a solid foundation for future learning.
