#1UNITED USAID ERNATIONAL GENCY DEVELOPME USAID FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE Democratic Republic of the Congo PREPARED FOR Bureau for Africa Office of Sustainable Development, Education and Youth Division United States Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20523 PREPARED BY Dexis Consulting Group 1412 Eye Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 MAY 2021#2CONTENTS Introduction Linguistic Context Official Language of Instruction Policy Class Time Pre-Service Teacher Training Curriculum for Literacy ABBREVIATIONS ACCELERE! Accès, Lecture, Retention et Redevabilité U.K. Department for International Development Democratic Republic of the Congo Emergency Equity and System Strengthening in Education Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale Early Grade Reading 3 4 ∞ a a DFID 7 DRC EESSE 7 8 EGIDS Teacher Language Proficiency/Language Specific Training EGR Teacher In-Service 9 EGRA Early Grade Reading Assessment USAID Reading Program Approach and Ongoing Programs 10 EQUIP Education Quality Improvement Project GPE Community Engagement within USAID Projects 10 IFM Other Donor Funded Reading Programs | | = References 12 IYDA L2 LOI MEPSP REEP - A Global Partnership for Education Teacher Training Institute (Institute de Formation de Maître) Integrated Youth Development Activity First Language Second (or additional) Language Language of Instruction Ministère de l'Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Professionnel (Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Vocational Education) Research for Effective Education Programming - Africa Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from the American people under Contract No. AID-OAA-1-15-00019, Task Order No. AID-OAA-TO-16-00024. The contents are the responsibility of the USAID Research for Effective Education Programming (REEP-Africa) Project and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. USAID will not be held responsible for any or the whole of the contents of this publication. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE TENAFEP UNICEF Test National de Fin d'Etudes Primaires United Nations Children's Fund USAID U.S.Agency for International Development 2#3INTRODUCTION Enhancing reading skills in the early grades is a key education priority for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Despite some improvements in access and learning in sub-Saharan Africa, literacy levels in the early grades remain low, and progress has been slow. Efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the early grades have led to an increased focus on the role of the language of instruction (LOI). Recent research has demonstrated that mismatches between the LOI and the language that students and teachers speak and understand best, can hamper effective teaching and learning (University Research Co., 2019). Thus, it is critical to understand the LOI policy and linguistic context of a country when trying to design programs to improve literacy and learning outcomes. Currently, USAID supports Early Grade Reading (EGR) initiatives in 19 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. Many policies in these countries have recently shifted toward adopting the mother tongue as the language for initial literacy acquisition, and then transitioning to a second or additional language, such as a regional, national, or international language, as the subsequent LOI. SENEGAL MALI NIGER NIGERIA GHANA LIBERIA Government policies and strategies related to teachers and LOI reflect country priorities, approaches, and objectives for early grade literacy. During the design-phase of donor-funded reading programs, decisions are made regarding the manner and extent to which national policies are incorporated into project design, and when alternative approaches or additional elements need to be considered. However, government policies on LOI, and other information relevant for informing design, are often difficult to find and are not easily accessible. The LOI country profiles aim to address this need. The profiles will allow the USAID Africa Bureau, USAID Missions, and partner organizations to quickly understand the country's linguistic and policy context in order to design an approach that most effectively helps improve EGR outcomes. These profiles, designed for 18 of the countries with current or upcoming USAID EGR initiatives, aim to clearly and succinctly describe and illustrate the country's linguistic landscape and official LOI policy. This country profile in particular provides information on language policy and practice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO ZAMBIA SOUTH AFRICA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE DJIBOUTI SOMALIA SOUTH SUDAN ETHIOPIA UGANDA KENYA RWANDA TANZANIA MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE 3#4LINGUISTIC CONTEXT According to SIL International's Ethnologue: Languages of the World, there are 212 living languages in the DRC. Of these, 207 are indigenous languages and five are non-indigenous. Further, nine are institutional languages, 30 are developing, and 135 are vigorous, while 31 are in trouble and seven are dying (Eberhard, Simons & Fennig, 2020). For more information on how languages are categorized on the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS), please see Table 1. The official language of the DRC is French, with 31.9 million speakers of a total population of 84 million (Eberhard et al., 2020). French is a second language (L2) for all speakers in the DRC. The Constitution also names four national languages: Lingala, Kiswahili (Congolese Swahili), Chiluba (Luba-Kasai), and Kikongo (Kituba). Lingala is the statutory provincial language in the northwestern regions and the first language (LI) of most Kinshasa residents, the capital city, with 2.04 million speakers. Luba-Kasai is the statutory provincial language in the Kasai region, with 7 million speakers, and Congolese Swahili is the statutory provincial language in the eastern regions, with 11.1 million speakers. Kituba is the statutory provincial language in the Bas-Congo and Bandundu regions, with 5 million speakers (Eberhard et al., 2020). For more information on the geographic dispersion of indigenous languages, please see Figure 2a and 2b. Table I.Assessing Language Vitality: EGIDS Scale Institutional Developing Vigorous In Trouble Dying Extinct The language is used by institutions beyond the home and community The language is in vigorous use and with literature in a standardized form The language is not standardized but it is used among all generations Intergenerational transmission is breaking down Only fluent users, if any, are middle-aged or older The language is not used Source: SIL International, n.d. For more information, please see: www.ethnologue.com/about/language-info Most widely-spoken languages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo French 31.9 million speakers Congolese Swahili 11.1 million speakers Luba-Kasai 7 million speakers Kituba 5 million speakers Lingala 2.04 million speakers. Source: Eberhard et al., 2020 Figure 1. Map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo CAMEROON GABON REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Kisangani SOUTH SUDAN UGANDA DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO RWANDA BURUNDI ANGOLA DISPUTE Kinshasa TANZANIA Kananga. • Mbuji-Mayi ANGOLA | Language names differ slightly between SIL International and the official government names. The names in parentheses are those used by SIL International, and will be used throughout this section since the data being referenced was collected by SIL International. Atlantic Ocean DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE 100 KM Lubumbashi ZAMBIA 4#5Northern Democratic Republic of Congo See language listings for Burundi Democratic Republicné the Congo Rwandpublic of the Congo NORTHERN BURUNDI, NORTHERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO AND RWANDA 50 km WN100 150 200 no Yango Mbandja Ngbaka 0 10 20 km Language Families awa-Ubangi 1 Adamawa-Ubangi Bantu Nilo-Saharan Notes: 1. Language area boundaries in central and southern parts of the country are uncertain. 2 White areas are sparsely populated or uninhabited. Language area overlap مد Mamvu Zande Bangba Mayogo Bangba Logo Logo Nyanga-li Dongo Ete; Nyanga-li Mangbetu Mangbutu 0 1020 km UU Mamvu Efe Lese Southern Ngbandi Ngombe Bomboma Ngombe Bolondo Bamwe Dzando Ndolo Libinza Tembo [tmv] Unclassified Banda, Tog bo-Vara Gbanziri; Langba she Banda, Mid-Southern: Gobu Gobu Furu;G banziri; Kpala; 2°N 19 E Gilima Mono Langba she:M bandja: Ngombe Buraka ogue.com ©2019 SIL International 22 E 24 E CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC 24°E 18°E 18 E CENTRAL AFRICAN Ngbaka Mabo REPUBLIC Mono Furu Jhanger Goadolite Pagibete #N Ngbundu Ngombe Kpala Ngbaka Mabo Ngombe www.egundu Mbandja Monzombo Southern Ngbandi- Ngbaka Blog Zande Lingala Koongo Luba-Kasai Congo Swahili 28 E Regional Languages (All Bantu) Province boundary Wethno com Kari Sere SOUTH SUDAN Boguru Baka National Park .Mün dü Avo kaya Mündü Kakwa Kaliko Kakwa Omi Lugbara Weld Kango[kty Ma ,Bangba Logo Barambu Northern Ngbandi Bwa Mbandja Pagibete Ligenza Gem ena Bwa Pagibete Southern Nigbandi, Buta Bwa Ngombe Budza Kele Ligenza see inset Ligenza Ndunga Lisala Bomboma Bozaba Lobala Bomboli Likila Tembo [tmv] Boko Ngombe REPUBLIC OF CONGO Baloi Ndo bo Boloki Bangi Lusengo Boende www.alogue.com Lak Tamba Ntomba Tiene Mongo- Nkundu Eboo Teke Mongo-Nkundu Bolia Yamongeri see inset Isiro Mangbetu Mayogo Ndo Bendi Lendu Alur Aso a Kele Lika Budu Et Lese Nyali Lendu Babango Nge lima Bali; Mbesa Nda ka kzyl Lologu Lakedbert Bera Buni Hema Moingi So Mba Bali Mbp Bila Ngiti Vanuma Foma Lombo -Lombi Kaiku Poke Lombo Kisangani Hema Nande Amba -Talinga-Bwisi Lombi Mvuba Nga ndo -Enya Kele Bhele Nande Konzo rom ecosys Lengola Mbole Lengola Kela Mituku DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO www.ethnologue cump Sengele Inongo Ntomba Lake Man-Naombe Sakata Den gese Ngongo (Lengola Ombo Yela Hamba Tetela Songoora Tetela Kindu Nande Komo Bhele Lake Edward UGANDA National Park National Park Kinyarwanda Hunde Kwa mi Nyanga www.etkanu Goma Tembo Lake the RWANDA Songoora Kinyarwanda Havu Bukavu Lega-Shabunda Shi Nyindu TANZANIA -Fuliiru Rundi BURUNDI Source: Eberhard, David M., Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). (2020). Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-third edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com. Terms of Use DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE Default License 5#6Southern Democratic Republic of Congo See language listings faußunundi Demagatik RepubliemfithƐandblic of the Congo Eboo Teke Tiene Sakata Bandund Boma Ibali Teke Yansi Mbala; Yanai Mfinu Yela Mongo-Nkundu Ngongo Den gese Lodja. Hungana; Yansi Songomeno Nkutu Hamba Tetela Kindu Songoora Lega-Shabunda Shi RWANDA Fuliiru Rundi Nyindu Lega-Mwenga Kinyarwanda www.ethnongue cof +Bujumbura Fuliiru; Joba Ding Songo Yansi Lonzo Pelende Kenge Mbala Kikwit Mpu ono Lele Suku Kwe se Kwese Yansi Kwese Mbala Bushoong Binji Luna Songe Salampasu Binji Swethingus Wongo Phende Salampasur Kananga Luba-Kasai Mbuji-Mayi Suku Sonde Kwese Samba Chokwe Kituba: Yaka www.etmoloque Holu:Kituba Lunda 16 E 18 E WESTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (at the same scale) REPUBLIC OF CONGO ANGOLA Adantic Ocean Tetela BURUNDI 429 Kusu Zimba Bembe Bangubangu Kabwari Enya Hemba Bangubangu Tetela E www Tetela Songe Hemba Luba-Katanga *Kabinda Kete:Luba-Ka sai Songe DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC Luba-Kasai Lwalu Kete (Kanyok OF THE ONGO Salampasu Kanyok Kete: Ruund ANGOLA 20 E Ibali Teke ethnologu Kinshasa Mfinu Lingala 196 Yombe Kitu ba: Koong o:San Salvador Kongo Wwwthnolo.com Matadi. Cho kwe Kitu ba: Yaka Chokwe; Lunda. ANGOLA 14 E 16 E Luba-Katanga Ruund Chokwe; Ruund Chokwe: Luba-Kata nga: Ruund Ruund Choke Luba-Katanga: Lunda 22 E Chokwe Lunda; Round Buyu TANZANIA que.com Holoholo Kalemie Bangubangu: à Hemba Hemba Lake Tanganyika Hemba; Taabwa Taabwa Hemba Hemba:Luba-Katangia Luba- Katanga Hemba Bwile Hemba Lw.ethnologue.com Lake Miern Bemba [bem] Chokove: Lunda Sanga www.ethiogue.com Lunda SOUTHERN BURUNDI, AND SOUTHERN C CONGO 12 6 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE Come.com 0 50 L 100 150 200 km T Note: Language area boundaries in central and southern parts Language Families Bantu Creole of the country are uncertain. © 2019 SILInternationa Language area overlap 24 E Kaonde 28 E Seba Lamba Lubumbashi www.e.com 28 E Lala-Bisa 30 E ZAMBIA 89 10°5 126 Source: Eberhard, David M., Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). (2020). Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-third edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com. Terms of Use DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE Default License 6#7OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION POLICY In 2009, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo issued a policy for the use of national languages (Stratégie nationale d'utilisation des langues nationales), which indicated that one of the four national languages (Lingala, Kiswahili, Chiluba, and Kikongo) should be used as the LOI in Grades I through 4.The initial LOI used in schools should be the national language that is most predominant in the surrounding geographic area. The policy also stated that, during Grades 1 to 4, the LOI should be taught as a subject as well as French (Global Partnership for Education [GPE] Secretariat, 2020). In Grades 3 and 4, French will gradually be introduced as the LOI, with French becoming the primary LOI in Grade 5, while the national language continues to be taught as a subject (GPE Secretariat, 2020). All teaching beyond Grade 5 utilizes French as the medium of instruction. The national languages policy is currently being piloted across the country, and has not yet reached full implementation (GPE Secretariat, 2020). Some teachers have reported issues with implementing the policy due to a lack of teaching and learning materials in the national languages. In those cases, teachers often revert to teaching in French (Chemonics International, Inc., 2020). Similarly, a language mapping exercise conducted in 2018 found some mismatches between the national language used as the LOI, and children's mother tongue (Chemonics International, Inc. & SIL LEAD, Inc., 2018). The study, covering five provinces across the DRC, noted that children in urban areas were almost universally competent in the national language used as the LOI. However, children in rural areas were often less familiar with the national language. This was particularly true in the Sud Ubangi province, where Lingala is the national language. In this case, 53% of Grade I students were unable to speak in Lingala, and 25% of Grade | students were able to partially speak in Lingala (Chemonics International, Inc. & SIL LEAD, Inc., 2018). Such mismatches between the LOI and languages that students are familiar with may also present challenges for the implementation of the national languages policy. CLASS TIME In the DRC, education begins with two years of pre-primary and six years of primary education (Grades 1 to 6), followed by two years of junior secondary education (Grades 7 and 8) and four years of senior secondary education (Grades 9 to 12). Only six years of primary schooling is compulsory in the DRC (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE 7#8The Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Vocational Education (Ministère de l'Enseignement Primaire, Secondaire et Professionnel, or MEPSP) is responsible for overseeing primary education, including setting the national primary curriculum. As of 2011, the national primary school curriculum covered five domains: languages; mathematics, science, and technology; social and environment studies; art; and personal development (MEPSP, 2011). Within these domains, the curriculum covers II separate subjects. The complete list of subjects from the 2011 curriculum is displayed in Table 2. As of the 2015-2016 school year, reading instruction took place each school day for 45 minutes in Grades I through 4 (USAID & DFID, 2015). Despite these efforts, recent data has shown that literacy levels in primary schools are low. Preliminary results from an Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) conducted by the World Bank in 2020 revealed that 64% of Grade 4 students were unable to read a single word of a grade-appropriate text in French (World Bank, 2020). Upon completion of primary school, students take an examination called the test national de fin d'études primaires (TENAFEP) covering three subjects - mathematics, French, and general culture. If the student passes the TENAFEP and their school grades are determined to be satisfactory, they are awarded a primary school leaving certificate (Certificat d'Études Primaires) and may advance to junior secondary school (World Bank Group, 2015). PRE-SERVICE TEACHER TRAINING CURRICULUM FOR LITERACY The DRC does not have a formal policy around pre-service teacher training (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). Instead, pre-service teacher training is a stream that students can pursue during senior secondary education. The curriculum for the first two years of secondary school (junior secondary, Grades 7-8) are common across all three streams (general education, pedagogical, and technical). Upon completion of junior secondary, students then opt-in to the pedagogical stream, which lasts for four years (senior secondary, Grades 9-12) (World Bank Group, 2015). Upon completion of senior secondary, trainees in the pedagogical stream earn a primary school teacher certificate, called the Brevet D'Instituteur. Primary school teachers are not required to complete any formal training beyond the pre-service stream during secondary schooling. Thus, the country has an extremely high rate of qualified teachers. As of 2012, almost 94% of primary teachers in the DRC held the required diploma to teach at the primary Table 2. National Curriculum for Primary School Domain Languages Mathematics, Science, and Technology Social and Environment Studies Art Personal Development Source: Adapted from MEPSP, 2011 Subject Congolese Languages French Mathematics Introduction to Science Technology Civil and Moral Education Health and Environment Education Art Physical Education Manual Work Religion DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE 8#9level (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). Despite the majority of primary teachers being trained, there are concerns around the degree to which training at the secondary level prepares teachers to teach effectively. For instance, an EGRA conducted in 2012 revealed that only 50% of primary teachers assessed, received a passing score on the reading comprehension portion of the test, and only 36% received a passing score on the written component (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). To address teachers' additional training needs, the DRC is currently working with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to establish teacher training institutes (Institute de Formation de Maître, or IFM in French) where teachers who have completed senior secondary can enroll in further pre-service teacher training, as well as in-service professional development workshops (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). TEACHER LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY/LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TRAINING A language mapping exercise of five provinces in the DRC found that 99% of the 500 teachers interviewed were competent in the national language used as the initial LOI in that province (Chemonics International & SIL LEAD, 2018). The high rate of proficiency in the initial LOI was attributed to the fact that most teachers were working in the province in which they were raised. Thus, they were likely to have previous exposure to the national language used in that province and have learned it in school themselves. This may be a result of teachers being selected directly by schools themselves and then hired by the MEPSP, as it is unlikely that schools would recruit teachers who did not speak the LOI (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). Though not generalizable to the rest of the country, there did not appear to be mismatches between teachers' language proficiencies and the national language which students spoke (Chemonics International & SIL LEAD, 2018). The language mapping study also aimed to gauge teachers' attitudes toward using the national languages as the initial LOI, as opposed to French. It found that teachers had overwhelmingly positive reactions toward using the national languages to speak with enumerators as well as using the national languages to teach in the classroom. As such, teacher attitudes did not seem to be an impediment toward the implementation of mother tongue reading instruction (Chemonics International & SIL LEAD, 2018). An initiative of GPE called the Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP) is supporting the implementation of the national languages policy by delivering language- specific teacher training. EQUIP has updated and validated training modules on reading and writing in the four national languages, and delivered training to 28 national teacher trainers, 508 provincial trainers, and 12,230 teachers on this topic as of 2020 (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). TEACHER IN-SERVICE In-service teacher training opportunities in the DRC are limited, and there is no standard path for career advancement for teachers (School-to-School International, 2019). USAID's Accès, Lecture, Retention et Redevabilité, or access, reading, retention and accountability, (ACCELERE!) project is working to address the lack of in-service training opportunities in the DRC and to orient teachers to the project's EGR approach. As such, ACCELERE! has developed teacher training materials, including video modules, in the national languages and French to support literacy acquisition in both languages (USAID & DFID, 2015). Teachers will also receive coaching support to implement the reading program pioneered by ACCELERE! through a multi-tiered model that includes training and support at the classroom, school, and cluster levels (School-to-School International, 2019). In support of this training model, the project trains master trainers, coaches, and literacy monitors who all support teachers to implement the ACCELERE! reading program (USAID & DFID, 2015). DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE 9#10USAID READING PROGRAM APPROACH AND ONGOING PROGRAMS In alignment with the U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education, USAID's programming in the DRC aims to support the needs and priorities of the partner country to ensure that gains from the programming are sustained. As such, USAID established a joint primary education initiative with the U.K. Department of International Development (DFID) called ACCELERE!. ACCELERE! aims to improve equitable access to education across eight provinces in the DRC, including Haut-Katanga, Lualaba, Kasaï Central, Kasaï Oriental, Equateur, Sud-Ubangi, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu. ACCELERE! includes four separate components. The first component targets equitable access and learning through a six-year (2015-2021), $134 million initiative implemented by Chemonics International. ACCELERE! I aims to improve EGR outcomes by developing and distributing teaching and learning materials in the national languages and French, and implementing in-service professional development that builds teachers' capacity to deliver effective EGR instruction and facilitate the transition to French instruction by the end of Grade 4. In response to COVID-19, the project has also pivoted to distance learning, and is developing radio lessons in the national languages to ensure that students still have access to quality educational opportunities (Chemonics International, Inc., n.d.). The second component of ACCELERE! aims to improve governance and accountability in the education sector through a six-year (2015-2021), $24 million initiative implemented by Cambridge Education. This includes improving government transparency by strengthening budgeting, planning, and payroll systems and increasing school accountability by supporting parental and community involvement in creating school budgets and improvement plans. The third component targets monitoring and evaluation, with a six-year (2015-2021), $25 million initiative implemented by International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc. to design and implement both performance and impact evaluations of the project. Last, component four focuses on reducing the number of out-of-school children through a three-year (2018-2021), $50 million initiative implemented by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (USAID, 2020). USAID also launched the Integrated Youth Development Activity (IYDA), a three-year (2018-2021), $22 million initiative to provide vulnerable youth with inclusive educational and economic opportunities across the DRC. Implemented by the Education Development Center, IYDA implements interventions such as professional development and life skills trainings, youth-led income generation programs, and literacy outreach to encourage learning outside of formal school environments. IYDA currently works in North and South Kivu and aims to improve access to basic education for 12,000 children and youth and provide entrepreneurship and professional development training for 8,000 youth (Education Development Center, n.d.). COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITHIN USAID PROJECTS Community support for improved EGR instruction is a critical component of ACCELERE!, as the project firmly believes that sustainable education reform occurs from the bottom-up (USAID & DFID, 2015). As such, ACCELERE! works to increase community participation in school-based and extracurricular reading activities. In particular, ACCELERE! supports communities in accessing information about their schools, such as school development plans and financial information, so that community members can become informed advocates for quality education and EGR instruction (USAID & DFID, 2015). ACCELERE! distributes this information by encouraging community participation in school conferences and meetings, and also posting updates and financial statements on community notice boards. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE 10#11OTHER DONOR FUNDED READING PROGRAMS Alongside USAID, several other organizations are involved in implementing projects to address literacy and language issues across the DRC, which are described below. GPE'S COVID-19 Response In 2020, GPE and UNICEF funded a $15 million education sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the DRC.The grant supports the production of learning materials, capacity building for distance learning and contingency planning, as well as efforts to provide learning continuity during school closures and disruptions (GPE, n.d.). Activities to promote learning continuity center around the production of learning materials for different media types, including radio, television, and digital platforms. Printed materials are also being developed to ensure learners without access to such platforms have learning opportunities during the pandemic (GPE, n.d.). Education Cannot Wait's Education in Emergency Response² In 2020, Education Cannot Wait announced a $22.2 million, three-year (2020-2023) resilience initiative to accelerate the education in emergencies response in the DRC. The initiative also hopes to leverage an additional $45.3 million in co-financing from other partner organizations to target 200,000 internally displaced, returnee, deported, and host community children and youth in the provinces of Tanganyika, Ituri, and Kasai Central. In particular, the initiative aims to improve access to safe and equitable learning opportunities by constructing and rehabilitating schools, addressing underlying issues around school dropout such as food security and nutrition, and delivering a package of educational content that targets learners' academic, physical, and social-emotional development (Education Cannot Wait, n.d.). 2 For more information, see: https://www.educationcannotwait.org/myrp-drc/ GPE's Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP) EQUIP is a five-year (2017-2021) initiative of GPE to improve the quality of primary education and enhance governance of the education system in the DRC. To improve education quality, the project focuses on teacher training and the provision of learning materials in the four national languages for Grades 1 to 4. In particular, EQUIP is working to construct four teacher training institutions to create more training opportunities and enhance teacher effectiveness. The project has also developed training modules for in-service teachers around reading and writing in the national languages. As of July 2019, 13,230 teachers and principals had received these trainings (Meysonnat & Torrano, 2020). The World Bank's Emergency Equity and System Strengthening in Education Project (EESSE)³ The EESSE project is a four-year (2020-2024), $800 million initiative of the World Bank to support the provision of free primary schooling across the DRC. With a focus on ten provinces, EESSE will work to reduce household spending on education and improve enrollment and retention in primary school. Further, the project will work to strengthen government systems that support the provision of free primary schooling, including teacher payment systems and education management systems (World Bank, 2020). Initial estimates from the World Bank reveal that the project will support as many as 1.28 million low-income children of primary school age to enter the education system (World Bank, 2020). 3 For more information, see: https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-detail/P172341 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION COUNTRY PROFILE#12REFERENCES Chemonics International, Inc. (n.d.). Accelerating Access and Learning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Retrieved on April 6, 2021 from https://www.chemonics.com/ projects/accelerating-access-learning-democratic-republic-congo/ Chemonics International, Inc. (2020). Low-Cost Private Schools in the DRC. Needs, Challenges, and Recommendation to Improve Access and quality for All. Washington, DC: USAID. https://www.chemonics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Low-Cost_ Private Schools_in_the_DRC_ACCELERE.pdf Chemonics International, Inc. & SIL LEAD, Inc. (2018). Report on Operations Research for ACCELERE! 1: Sociolinguistic Mapping and Teacher Language Ability. Washington, DC: USAID. https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TRB3.pdf Eberhard, D. M., Simons, G.F. & Fennig, C.D. (eds.). (2020). Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Twenty-third edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http:// www.ethnologue.com. Education Cannot Wait. (n.d.). Education Cannot Wait Approves US$22.2 Million for Multi- Year Resilience Programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. https://www. educationcannotwait.org/myrp-drc/ Education Development Center. (n.d.). USAID/DRC Integrated Youth Development Activity (IYDA). Retrieved on April 6, 2021 from https://www.edc.org/USAID-DRC-IYDA GPE. (n.d.). Where We Work: Democratic Republic of Congo. https://www.globalpartnership. org/where-we-work/democratic-republic-of-congo GPE Secretariat. (2020). DR Congo: GPE supports teaching in national languages in the early grades. 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