Scaling the impact of a pre-service teacher training module for teachers in violent conflict

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the education of over 1.5 million children has been disrupted and more than 1,000 schools were shut in 2022 due to violence and natural disasters. Students exposed to violence experience trauma and psychological distress, with gender-specific patterns. Teachers develop practical competencies and expertise through their experience of teaching in such contexts, and there is an urgent need to mobilize this knowledge and leverage it into formal training.    

This project generates and mobilizes evidence on how to scale the impact of a pre-service teacher training module on teaching in violent contexts. It consolidates a pre-existing module with a focus on reducing gender and ethnolinguistic discrimination as well as pedagogy and support for teachers and students dealing with trauma and violence-related mental health problems. The module will be implemented and evaluated in three teacher training institutes, enabling Congolese pre-service teacher-training institutes to equip future teachers with the knowledge and tools needed to mitigate the impact of violence and trauma on teachers and students, enabling them to reduce teacher burnout and support students who are at risk of dropping out.