Setting the scene

This blog explores insights from a knowledge exchange workshop between governments in Madagascar and Mauritius.

Ministries of Education have deep knowledge and experience from implementing education programmes in their contexts. However, sharing detailed learning across ministries of education is uncommon. EdTech Hub recently facilitated a 4-day in-person learning exchange workshop in Mauritius in partnership with the Government of Madagascar’s Ministry of National Education (MEN) and the Mauritius Institute for Education (MIE). By sharing experiences and challenges, the workshop sought to pave the way for more effective educational programmes.

The workshop aimed to:

• Exchange lessons learned from implementing tech-supported teacher professional development (TPD) initiatives in Mauritius and Madagascar.
• Discuss pedagogical design and effective strategies for managing content on moodle-based digital platforms.
• Explore ways to ensure the sustainability of TPD projects in the long-term
• Foster a broader collaboration between MIE and MEN. 

EdTech Hub has been partnering with the MEN in Madagascar for more than two years to support the evidence-based design of its planned national tech-supported TPD reform. As part of that technical assistance, the Hub facilitated this learning exchange workshop.

Here we share key themes and insights from the workshop so that others can benefit from the knowledge shared during this technical learning session. 

✍🏾 What we learnt about: Instructional Design

Participants emphasised the need for alignment between learning needs, objectives, content, and assessments. This involves:

• Clear structure and progression of content and learning experiences in the curriculum: Establishing a logical progression for the learning content itself, such as utilising Bloom’s Taxonomy (and Revised Taxonomy), and a clear flow for the development of content overall. For example, by using the ADDIE model (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation). 
• Interactivity: Integrating interactive elements to enhance student engagement, like gamification strategies already embedded within EdTech apps (e.g., leaderboards). 
• Humanisation: The content needs to be developed using proper instructional design principles to promote learners’ engagement. For instance, a short introductory video would help in arousing the interest of the learner.
• Nimble teams: Content design teams should be small, multidisciplinary (e.g., a teacher, instructional designer, pedagogical specialist from the ministry, and a school inspector), and with sufficient power to make decisions related to the format, structure, and organisation of content. This has been a challenge for the MEN, as they often have large teams of technical officers working on project implementation.
• Adaptable formats: Content should be disseminated in ways that allow future adaptations and revisions by schools and teachers. However, major revisions should be quality assured. Also, care must be taken for Intellectual Property Rights and policies regarding Open Educational Resources (OER) should be adopted. Mauritius has a national OER policy.

These insights demonstrate the importance of clearly thought out instructional design approaches and how to operationalise the approaches in agile ways, 

💻 What we learnt about: Technology Integration

Several factors were discussed relating to teachers’ use of technology (classroom technologies, such as the use of tablets and projectors as well as online learning technologies). Participants discussed: 

• Accessibility: Ensuring that the technology used meets basic requirements (e.g., adequate screen size, memory) and is accessible to all teachers.
• Scaling potential: Considering options with the largest reach (e.g., partnerships with mobile network operators to zero rate learning content) can sometimes require higher levels of short-term investment. However, having the final goal in mind at the project set-up can help ensure that the overall project vision can be realised when trying to operate at scale. The MEN is developing partnerships with mobile network operators in Madagascar which can hopefully resolve issues related to connectivity for teachers, especially in remote and rural areas.  
• Barriers: Identifying the obstacles that could prevent teachers from accessing and using digital platforms. These factors range from teacher-level (digital literacy) to systems-level (power and connectivity) and are all significant first steps in order to find ways of removing such obstacles. Research (such as the ALPHA and BETA user testing conducted by EdTech Hub as part of this project) is vital to building this picture. 
• Diverse toolkit: Various tech tools (including Moodle Learning Management systems and its various features) were shared and discussed by participants. Being flexible and prepared to learn new tools is important, especially if certain software applications are discontinued. What’s more, participants discussed the importance of being up to date with the latest technology trends such as the use of AI in course preparation, so that appropriate guidance can be given to teachers.

Contextualised discussions around how best to map, plan, and implement technology integration at scale provided useful insights that both ministries welcomed. Delving into greater depth on specific tools that were shared and discussed was a particularly helpful exercise for the technical members of each team.  

📊 What we learnt about: Monitoring and Evaluation

Discussions also revolved around the importance of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Participants discussed M&E methods that can help gauge the success of educational initiatives such as:

• Data-Driven Decisions: Leveraging data analytics (e.g., student log-ins, student views, module completion rates, activity reports) to track user engagement and outcomes, is necessary. Regular analysis of this data by in-house ministry staff can help guide adaptations and improvements. 
• Feedback Mechanisms: Implementing feedback systems within platforms to gather insights from users allows for real-time adjustments. Iteration was continually emphasised as key to platform development. The product is live, and always requires updating. 
• Assessment: Striking the balance between formative and summative assessment is critical. It is important to ensure that summative assessments are regulated in a way that is cost-effective and appropriate for the context and scale of the work. For example, participants discussed how to monitor examinations at a distance given the MEN is planning large-scale synchronous assessments through its platform. As online examination proctoring apps can be data-heavy and expensive, embedded features within Moodle were noted to be a more cost-effective and contextually appropriate method. The MIE team shared that features such as question banks, shuffle functions, and full screen mode can mitigate risks of cheating when completing assessments remotely. 

🏫 What we learnt from: School visits

The final day of the workshop included classroom observations and focus groups with teachers. All participants conducted school visits at local government schools and the key observations included:

• Challenges of Integration: Teachers initially faced difficulties in fully integrating technology into their practice (e.g., online learning technologies through the LMS and classroom technologies such as use of tablets for teaching and learning). The transition required adaptation and support from peers. Teachers found that integrating technology significantly increased lesson preparation time since they needed to design all the digital activities ahead of time and test them. They also noted costs as they were using their own internet data. 
• Engagement vs. Practicality: While tablets increased student engagement, teachers noted that hands-on, concrete learning experiences were sometimes more effective than digital ones. As such, mixed modalities for teaching were noted. This was an important point for reflection, in that the integration of technology does not necessarily mean everything then shifts digital. 
• Maintenance and security: Risks of theft and loss were noted as a constant concern by school leaders. District ICT Technicians were on hand to help with any tech issues. YouTube was also prohibited in schools despite the fact that teachers felt it was a valuable resource for educational materials once limits are set.
• Connectivity:  Schools experienced slow and unreliable network connectivity. This prevented them from accessing online tech tools. This was a particular issue that resonated with the MEN team, and linked to discussions above around methods of resolving connectivity issues at the macro-level. 
• Support and Training: Continuous professional development is crucial. Teachers expressed the need for more frequent training sessions on new technologies and tools.

Recommendations for Future Collaboration

To build on the workshop’s outcomes, several recommendations for continuing the learning exchange between Madagascar and Mauritius were proposed:

Short Term

• Ongoing Communication: Utilise quick and simple platforms like WhatsApp for ongoing technical discussions between teams from the two ministries.
• Focused Training: Organise workshops for course designers in both countries on specific tools such as H5P and Moodle (one such workshop has already been led by MIE focusing on how to approach assessment using Moodle).
• Formalisation: Both ministries to formalise their partnership through a memorandum of understanding. 

Medium Term

• Learning out loud: Facilitate participation and showcase collaboration in conferences. For example, the 2025 DETA conference to be hosted in Mauritius at MIE is an opportunity to network among distance education and e-learning professionals across Africa. This could offer opportunities for further partnerships, with other ministries or education stakeholders.  
• Staff Exchanges: Implement short-term placement initiatives between ministries to foster deeper understanding of different educational systems, embedding staff within a particular function for 2-3 weeks. 

Long Term

• Collaborative Research: Explore opportunities for regional research projects funded by organisations such as the Indian Ocean Commission.

Closing thoughts

The workshop was a pivotal step toward enhancing teacher training in Madagascar. The rich discussions highlighted key areas for improvement in pedagogical design, technology integration, and M&E. What’s more, the workshop was an example of how South-South collaboration can prove effective and produce practicable recommendations that can facilitate an ongoing, reciprocal and balanced partnership. EdTech Hub’s continued technical assistance supporting  the Madagascar education system, and the broader experience the Hub offers in relation to teacher professional development and EdTech, made it a suitable partner to facilitate the conversation. The Hub is closely partnered with several ministries of education, and departments within ministries, and convening technical discussions between ministries is a way of joining the dots between different country portfolios, and helping guide EdTech strategy and implementation along the way.