0. JICA’s Support to Mathematics Education in Developing Countries
International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME)
JICA’s Support to Mathematics Education in Developing Countries
13 February 2015
Atsushi MATACHI
Senior Advisor (Basic Education)
Japan International Cooperation Agency

1. Japan’s ODA and JICA JICA is the executing agency of Japan’s ODA. JICA
Official
Development
Assistance
Bilateral
Multilateral
Technical
Cooperation
Loan
Grant Aid
JICA

2. JICA’s Assistance in Basic Education
　　　●→
Regional Cooperation in
Math & Science (2003-)
- Kenya
- Honduras
　　●→
Math & Science
Japan Overseas Cooperation
Volunteers (JOCV) (60’-)
　　 ●→
Technical Cooperation
in Basic Education
(1994-)
　　　●→
Technical Cooperation in Education Management (1998-）
　　　●→
Primary School Construction (90’-)
Sin2ce the beginning of the 1990s, JICA has strengthened the support to the Basic Education Sector in developing countries.

3. Focused Areas of JICA’s Technical Cooperation in Basic Education
Universal Access to Quality Basic Education
1. Improving Access to Education
School construction
Non-formal education / girls education
2. Improving Quality of Education
Teacher education and training (Math&Sci)
Improving teaching and learning approach
Developing teacher’s guides/students’ workbooks
3. Improving Educational Management
- Training on local educational administrators
- School management

4. JICA’s Technical Cooperation in Education
JICA’s Technical Cooperation Projects by Areas (%)
(103 Projects in )

5. Major Focuses of JICA’s Projects for Teacher Education (Math&Sci)
So far:
Improving teaching and learning approach (pedagogy)
Establishing In-Service Education and Training (INSET) system for teachers
- Cascading approach
- School-based approach (Lesson Study)
Developing Teacher’s guides/students’ workbooks

6. Case 1: Improving Teaching Approach and Establishing INSET system in Kenya
Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE)
(Phase 1) / (Phase 2)

7. Context of SMASSE
Shortage of human resources for industrialization and technological progress
Low academic performance in M&S
Shortage of qualified teachers in M&S
Too much theories without experiments and activities
Lack of skills for material development
Ad-hoc basis INSET for teachers

8. Purposes of Kenya SMASSE
<Teaching and learning Approach>
To develop skills of teachers to conduct lessons
that are interesting and understandable for students
<INSET system>
To establish a system for continuous in-service education
and training for mathematics and science teachers

9. Teaching and Learning Approach
ASEI lesson: that allows students
to think and find solutions on their own
Teacher provides solutions
Students find solutions
Lecture-based
Activity-based
Theory-based
Conventional apparatus
Improvised materials
Experiment-based

10. Establishing an INSET System (Cascade Approach)
Learner-centred approach
60 National Trainers
<INSET contents >
<Transfer >
National Training
900 District Trainers
900 District Trainers
<Transfer >
100 District INSET Center
District Training
14,000 M&S Teachers
Schools
<Practice>
Lesson

11. Regional Cooperation in Africa
Senegal
SMASE projects in 14 countries
Niger
Burkina Faso
Sierra Leone
Experience sharing among 27 countries in Africa
・Third-country training in Kenya
・Experience sharing with other countries in Africa
Ethiopia
Nigeria
Ghana
Uganda
S. Sudan
Kenya
Rwanda
Tanzania
Angola
Malawi
Between continents
Collaboration between Asia
and Africa (Malaysia, etc.)
Zambia
（As of Apr. 2013）

12. Case 2: Lesson Study in Zambia
(Phase 1) / (Phase 2) / (Phase 3)

13. Context Poor performance of pupils in Science and Mathematics.
Existence of Government Policy on INSET and School-based Continuing Professional development (CPD)
Need to develop a sustainable and cost-effective CPD programme.
Ensures minimum disturbance of teaching-pupil contact time.

14. Three Functions expected from Lesson Study
As a tool to change lessons that are more interesting and more understandable for students →To explore a good lesson in Zambia
As a tool to allow teachers to participate in continuous professional development
　　→To change the attitudes of teachers
As a tool to revitalize the existing system of school-based INSET
　　→To make school-based INSET as part of daily life

15. How Lesson Study is Implemented
Implementation Guideline by the Ministry
Implementing in the existing framework of the School Programme of the In-service for the Term (SPRINT).
For both Primary & Secondary (G1-12)
Starting from Science & Mathematics as entry and extended to other subjects
Requested all schools to implement
Participated by Teachers, Teacher educators, School managers.
LS Facilitators selected among teachers and trained at local workshops and abroad.

16. Cycle of Lesson Study 1. Define problems /challenges.
8. Compile and share the reflections.
2. Plan the lesson collaboratively.
7. Discuss the lesson and reflect again.
3. Implement the demo-lesson.
6. Teach the revised lesson.
4. Discuss the lesson and reflect on its effect.
5. Revised the lesson.

17. Case 3: Developing Teacher’s Guides in Honduras
Project for the Improvement of Teaching Method in Mathematics (PROMETAM)
(Phase 1) / (Phase 2)

18. Context
Context：
Low completion rate at primary level（Gross enrolment rate: 90%⇔Completion rate: Less than 60％）
Inadequate capacities of teachers (Insufficient subject content knowledge and pedagogical skills)
13-year experience in dispatching Japanese volunteers in mathematics education

19. Developing Teacher’s Guides
Purpose of the Project:
To improve teaching method at primary level by using teachers’ guides
Major activities:
Developing teachers’ guides for primary mathematics
Developing learners’ workbooks for primary mathematics
Conducting In-service teacher training
Monitoring and evaluation
Training counterparts

20. Teachers’ Guides and Students’ Workbooks

21. Impact of PROMETAM
Nationwide distribution of teachers’ guidebooks and students’ workbooks, later adopted as textbooks
Other countries in Central America are interested in the guidebooks and workbooks, and requested Japan to assist in strengthening mathematics education with the same approach as Honduras.
　 ⇒Regional cooperation with other countries in Central America, e.g., Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua,, Dominican Republic.

22. Lessons Learned from the past experiences of JICA’s projects
Easy to change lesson delivery superficially, but difficult to change essentially (profoundly) .→ Develop core personnel.
Incentives are needed for teachers to participate in CPD → Formulate a policy.
Interventions to teachers only are not enough.→ Need interventions to students.
Examinations are not aligned with teaching method.→ Align the three levels of curriculum.
Teaching time is not enough→ Increase school hours.
Holistic approach and systemic change are needed!

23. From now on: Holistic Approach for Quality Learning
Holistic approach to improving quality of learning which deals with curriculum, textbooks, lesson delivery, students’ learning and assessment
in combination with human resource development, policy formulation for systemic change leading to improving learning environment.
Examination/
Assessment
Improving
Quality of Learning
Curriculum/
Textbook
Learners/
Learning
Lesson
Delivery
(Teaching
Capacity)

24. Case 4: Improving Assessment (Developing Test Items) in Ethiopia
Enhance the quality of curriculum strategy
Intended curriculum
Intended curriculum
Implemented curriculum
Achieved curriculum
Curriculum
Curriculum
Classroom lessons
Assess
-ment
improve lessons
By improving question items

25. Case 5: Student Workbooks in Niger

26. Results of the student learning assessment
Average score per grade
Grade
mark
1st
1.8 / 12
2nd
9.8 / 24
3rd
13.4 / 24
4th
16.5 / 24
5th
20 / 24
6th
22.9 / 24

27. 10% of the 3rd grade students got a zero
3rd and 4th grade students
10% of the 3rd grade students got a zero

28. Three main factors to improve basic knowledge and skill
Learning time
Learning Tools
Facilitation (Teacher’s quality)
Approximately 200 hours supplementary lesson per year secured by the community.

29. Contents of math workbooks
Self-study tool
Arithmetical exercises of the four basic operations and the concept of the numbers
Step by step learning according to their own ability

30. Supplementary Group Studies

31. JICA Project Mapping on “Improving Quality of Learning”
Myanmar
Primary Textbook Revision(all subjects), Teacher Education & Examination
In-service training= INSET
Pre-service training=PRESET
Examination/
Assessment
Improving
Quality of Learning
Curriculum/
Textbook
Learners/
Learning
Palestine
Primary Math & Sci
Textbook Revision (under way)
Ethiopia
Examination consistent with Curriculum, Textbooks & Lessons
Bangladesh
Curriculum & Textbook Revision and INSET in Math & Sci
Zambia
Lesson Study focusing on Kyozai-Kenkyu
Niger, Senegal
Self Study Math Work Book
Lesson/
Teaching
(Teaching
Capacity)
PNG
TV Program /Curriculum reform
Cambodia
Developing Teachers’ Guide in Sci & Math
Morocco
Wrong Answer Analysis, developing Teaching & Learning Material, Providing INSET
Burkina Faso, Senegal, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi
INSET in Sci & Math, Nationwide
Nicaragua, PRESET, Maths