• Madagascar approved the $185M TALIM project (2025–2029) to improve school access and teaching quality.

• It targets 4.7M students, supports 26,000 teachers, and upgrades learning tools and infrastructure.

• Aims to address low student outcomes, undertrained staff, and disaster-damaged facilities.
  

Madagascar’s Senate recently approved the Transforming Access and Learning in Madagascar (TALIM) project, scheduled to run from 2025 to 2029. On Tuesday, July 22, the World Bank confirmed $185 million in financial support for the project, mobilized through the International Development Association and the Global Partnership for Education. This backing marks a key step in reforming the education system by strengthening efforts to expand school access and improve teaching quality.

The project aims to enhance the academic achievements of 4.7 million preschool and primary students through a comprehensive approach. This builds on the Basic Education Support Project (PAEB) launched in previous years. The TALIM project plans the gradual tenure of 26,000 teachers, which would stabilize the education workforce while reducing the financial burden on families. New textbooks, including digital formats, and modernized teaching methods aim to raise overall learning outcomes.

The plan also emphasizes improving infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable areas. Expanding school canteens in food-insecure regions should boost attendance and reduce dropouts. Finally, the reform includes digitizing administrative services within the ministry and training personnel to improve education system management.

This initiative comes as Madagascar's education system faces multiple challenges. In primary education, nearly two out of three teachers lack full professional training. These community educators, poorly paid and funded directly by families, form the system's backbone. The impact is visible in student outcomes: only 63% of girls and 58% of boys complete the primary cycle. By the end of schooling, 95% of students fail to reach minimum reading proficiency, according to the World Bank. The repetition rate in public schools stands at 25.3%, twice the regional average. Beyond these structural weaknesses, the system remains highly vulnerable to natural disasters. The World Bank notes that between 1,000 and 2,000 classrooms are damaged or destroyed by cyclones each year.

As Ecofin Agency reported in a May feature, the Malagasy government is already implementing several initiatives to reverse this trend. In 2022, Madagascar adopted an Education Orientation Law (LOSEM), aimed at laying the foundation for a deep overhaul of the education system. It rests on three main pillars: training competent and motivated teachers, improving learning time and quality, and ensuring study conditions conducive to student development.

While the TALIM project appears to align with ongoing efforts, its success will depend on several factors, including monitoring quality and continued partner commitment. Other African countries have launched similar initiatives. Benin has strengthened teacher professionalization through its program for aspiring teaching professionals. Senegal announced in July 2025 the recruitment of more than 500 teachers to reinforce its public universities.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou (Intern)