Teachers' Decentralized Tutoring, Pedagogy Support, Classroom Practices, and Primary School Performance in Rural Benin

Multiple studies have demonstrated that teacher absenteeism and substandard teaching quality are significant concerns in primary schools within developing countries. Numerous scholars emphasize the significance of institutional arrangements or innovations that can establish an incentive framework conducive to enhancing the quality of education and, consequently, educational performance. This research examines the implications of an initiative undertaken in the primary education sector in Benin that directly affects the training of primary school teachers and the quality of instruction. The Francophone Initiative for Distance Learning for Teachers (IFADEM) aims to enhance teachers' competencies in teaching French and national languages through and for mathematics by integrating information and communication technologies. The initiative had its initial phase from 2008 to 2010 and an extension from 2022 to 2026, with 7,057 teachers trained. A comprehensive understanding of the Initiative's scope for extended coverage necessitates an analysis of the implications of improving classroom practices in terms of academic performance. To what extent does the enhancement of teaching methods through innovative practices, the utilization of new teaching tools and novel pedagogical approaches contribute to improving the performance of primary school students in rural areas of Benin? It is hypothesized that IFADEM training can directly induce different classroom practices among trained IFADEM teachers and, consequently, different academic outcomes. Furthermore, depending on the degree of existing relationships between colleagues, it is also anticipated that the training received by IFADEM teachers indirectly influences, to some extent, the classroom practices of their counterparts and, therefore, academic performance.