“When I see so many students today whose academic performance is steadily declining, I feel saddened and driven by a desire to help them.” These are the words of Nahounou Rufin, a tutor in the community of Mimia 2, about fifteen kilometres from Issia in central-western Côte d'Ivoire. He has been doing this work within the community for 15 years.
Today, Mr. Rufin has a meeting with his students. Backpacks or schoolbags in hand, three fourth-grade students, including one girl, arrive at the designated spot. A shelter has been built by a parent in the middle of the family courtyard to serve as a space for the tutoring activities.
After taking attendance by roll call, the day’s session can begin. “Today we’ll focus specifically on division using the multiplication table,” Nahounou Rufin announces to his students. They quickly take out their slates.
After a few explanations and a review of the process, he invites his students to solve an exercise on the board, repeating the explanations as needed until the students have understood. The academic support sessions at Mimia 2 last two hours and are held on Wednesdays and Sundays from 7pm to 9 pm.
“With Mr. Rufin, I learn better, and he helps me understand what’s difficult for me,” says Hervé, a 14-year-old fourth-grade student. Like him, Dorcas, a 12-year-old fourth-grade student, appreciates this academic support. “When I come home from school, I help my mom with the housework, then I wash up and go join my classmates to study,” she says.
Tutoring is an opportunity to help children improve their academic performance so they can stay in school, and it is a service that is popular with the students’ parents.
Take the example of Madeleine, her daughter Dorcas is in fourth grade and is one of the children benefiting from this academic support.
This educational support program aims to improve the academic performance of participating students, consolidate their foundational skills, and help them stay in the education system.
