Evaluation of CFIT III to strengthen higher education quality in Senegal
Funding
Senegal
2025
Higher education
Education
Introduction
UNESCO supported the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Senegal (Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation – MESRI) in strengthening technical and engineering higher education through the China Funds-in-Trust Phase Three, working with the École supérieure polytechnique (ESP) of Cheikh Anta Diop University and the École polytechnique de Thiès (EPT) to improve curriculum relevance, teaching quality, employability pathways, collaboration with industry and gender equality.
Objectives
1) Analyse how CFIT III was implemented in both institutions
2) Conduct and code interviews with leaders, teachers, students, graduates and employers
3) Consolidate quantitative and qualitative evidence
4) Compare institutional trajectories and identify enabling and limiting factors
5) Ensure methodological quality and coherence across institutional and national reports
6) Co-write the national consolidated report with practical recommendations for sustainability and scaling
7) Support the preparation for, and contribute to, the final national closure event.
Outcome
1) Coded interviews and thematic analysis
2) Institutional diagnostics for ESP and EPT across governance, curriculum, pedagogy, employability, partnerships and gender
3) Two institutional reports and the national consolidated report
4) A coherent set of strategic recommendations for the Ministry of Higher Education, UNESCO, ESP and EPT
5) Contribution to the final closure event, including preparation of findings, messaging and presentation support
Background
ESP and EPT advanced at different speeds, with inconsistent documentation, gaps in monitoring data and limited consolidation of evidence across departments. Curriculum reform based on the “Approche par compétences” (skills-based training), active teaching methods, partnerships with employers and systems for student employability were unevenly implemented. UNESCO required an external team to provide a coherent, comparative and evidence-based account of results, bottlenecks and lessons, aligned with national policies on higher education, employability and innovation.
Approach
1) A mixed-methods review combining document analysis, semi-structured interviews, data coding and thematic synthesis
2) Triangulation of findings across institutional documents, monitoring indicators, interviews and programme records
3) Comparative analysis of governance, curriculum reform, pedagogy, partnerships and gender
4) Reconstruction of implementation processes at ESP and EPT
5) Structured interpretation aligned with the CFIT III results framework and national higher-education priorities
6) echnical and analytical support for presenting findings at the final closure workshop
