Despite the government’s prioritization of education, Benin’s education system faces challenges such as poor learning outcomes and unequal access to quality education, particularly based on gender, income, and geography.

To support the government’s efforts in advancing education reforms, in 2012, the National Education Coalition, Coalition Béninoise des Organisations pour l’Education Pour Tous (CBO-EPT), established the first Community Education Observatory to track performance indicators and political commitments to education.

The community observatories are district and regional branches of the National Benin Education Observatory and bring together parent associations, artisans’ collectives, unions, civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), town representatives and city councils to collectively track student learning outcomes.

In 2021, with financial support from Plan International, civil society was able to expand from 1 to 17 observatories.

However, with operations in only 17 of Benin’s 77 communes, CBO-EPT faced limitations in expanding grassroots monitoring nationwide and in collecting comprehensive data. This data is later used by advocates and citizens when engaging with policy makers and authorities.

These challenges were compounded by a lack of coordination between civil society groups, who often worked in isolation.

Transparency advocates join in

In 2022, a civil society consortium formed by DEDRAS (Organisation pour le Développement Durable, le Renforcement et l'Autopromotion des Structures Communautaires) and Social Watch Benin decided to support the national education coalition’s efforts by expanding the observatories by 60, covering all 77 communes in Benin.

DEDRAS is a member of the National Education Coalition CBO-EPT, who acted as a peer mentor during the implementation of the project.

Together, the two organizations have expanded the model to all 77 municipalities and 12 departments of Benin, creating a nationwide network of Community and Departmental Education Observatories.

The national expansion has enabled the collection of robust data in topics such as recruitment of teachers and measures implemented to promote girls' education, enhanced the monitoring of educational performance, and the active engagement of citizens in holding local authorities accountable to their education commitments.

A dedicated platform that holds the primary data gathered through the observatories has been launched, seeking to foster exchange between rights holders and duty bearers.

CBO-EPT is a member of the Benin KIX national delegation.

These grassroots efforts feed into regional and national policy dialogues, the National Education Council, joint sectoral reviews, and local education group meetings.

Real impact for learners

Regular monitoring and structured political dialogues have led to commitments from central education authorities to tackle key challenges.

One example is the adoption of the Strategy for the Strengthening of Educational Alternatives (SRAE) and the acceleration of the provision of desks, textbooks, and activity books in primary schools.

At the local level, the impact is equally tangible. In Glazoué, the observatory successfully advocated for the inclusion of infrastructure needs as a discussion point in the local municipal council’s agenda.

Following this, the council approved a budget for critical improvements, including the construction of additional classrooms, the purchase of table benches, and funding for tutorial sessions to support exam candidates.

Strengthening partnership for greater impact

Looking to the future, both organizations are committed to expanding their efforts.

They have initiated discussions two other Education Out Loud supported organizations working in Benin: the social accountability consortium led by the Association des Personnes Rénovatrices des Technologies Traditionnelles (APRETECTRA) as well as with PANAMED, the national partner of Girls not Brides: the global coalition against child marriage.

Additionally, CBO-EPT and DEDRAS-ONG/SWB are planning to formalize their collaboration with a cooperation agreement to enhance their advocacy efforts and sustain their progress.

The lesson is clear: collaboration amplifies the collective voice of civil society and strengthens advocacy efforts for meaningful change.