Improving Educational Quality Through Interactive Radio Instruction: A Toolkit for Policymakers and Planners

This 140-page guide published by the World Bank is designed for African policymakers, education planners, and pedagogical specialists who may be considering the feasibility of using interactive radio instruction (IRI) in their education systems. According to the World Bank, studies of the IRI experience in more than two dozen countries during the past 25 years have shown that the use of IRI has led to significant and consistent improvements in school achievement and has helped overcome equity gaps between urban and rural children and between boys and girls. Because IRI can be broadcast to large audiences across a country, the cost per student is often low in comparison with other options for improving the quality of instruction.

The guide is designed to give practical information about planning and implementing IRI. Chapter 1 of the toolkit presents a general description of the IRI methodology and discusses the effectiveness, scale, and sustainability of the IRI approach. Chapter 2 outlines steps for assessing the potential and appropriateness of IRI for improving educational quality in primary school classrooms in a given country, and chapter 3 leads the reader through a guided decision-making process for identifying the issues involved in applying the IRI methodology in particular country contexts. Two appendixes give summary data and illustrate, through brief vignettes, how IRI programmes have worked in Sub-Saharan African countries. The Resources section contains further information, much of it available online. A CD accompanying this book intends to allow readers to see and hear IRI in action and provides a database of resources.