In 2018 The British Council launched an ambitious three-year teacher training project in Sudan: The In–Service Teacher Education Project (ISTEP).
ISTEP is one component of the wider Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP), funded by the European Union Trust Fund (EUTF). EQUIP aims to increase the capacity and capability of the education system in those states of Sudan most involved in the education of displaced persons and migrants. As part of EQUIP, ISTEP focuses on in-service teacher development for teachers of Maths, Science and English in Basic schools in seven states of Sudan: Khartoum, Kassala, Gedarif, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, White Nile, and Red Sea.
In 2021 the project was extended to a 4th year due to the Covid pandemic. During 2020 a Covid Response Plan was developed which adapted the ISTEP training courses for remote learning via radio and What’s App. This ensured that ISTEP continued to support teachers during lockdown whilst teachers could not attend the teacher training courses. (see below).
The delivery stage of the project was completed in November 2021, having trained 6,500 teachers in using child centred and practical approaches to teach English, Maths and Science, trained 185 teachers to become teacher trainers, and trained 185 school supervisors in classroom observation and mentoring. We are now in the process of transitioning the project to merge with EQUIP 2, (the second phase of the EQUIP project) together with Expertise France to ensure continuity of training and development.
A celebration of ISTEP’s achievements was held in December 2021 which was attended by 200 of the 7,000 teachers and trainers trained by ISTEP from across the 7 states.
This film showcases our work across the seven states for the duration of the project; it shows how we have managed to reach some of the remotest parts of Sudan and contains comments and reflections from the trainers and teachers themselves.
“This project is one of the most ambitious I have been involved in and the most inspiring. If we can work with the Sudanese federal and state Ministries of Education to help raise the levels of teaching in Sudan this will impact not only on the future of the children of Sudan but on the future of Sudan itself.”
Dr. Anne Wiseman, ISTEP Team Leader, British Council.