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Good practice Imported

STEPS — AI-Assisted, Curriculum-Aligned Science Textbooks for Primary Schools in Benin

Benin · Porto-Novo · See the Benin profile · See the Porto-Novo profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 14% 67/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

A GPE-KIX/IDRC project used AI plus Open Educational Resources to produce 28 curriculum-aligned science textbooks for Benin, Cameroon and DRC; piloted in 18 schools, it lifted teacher confidence and won formal ministry and network-wide adoption commitments.

28
Science textbooks and workbooks produced
~52
Total workbooks and teacher guides (maths and science)
18
Primary schools in pilot
8
Pilot schools in Cameroon
5
Pilot schools in Benin
5
Pilot schools in DRC
6,000+
Students reached
150+
Teachers trained
94 %
Teachers reporting increased confidence teaching science
80 %
Teachers intending to continue using STEPS material
101
DRC partner schools targeted for expansion
STEPS — AI-Assisted, Curriculum-Aligned Science Textbooks for Primary Schools in Benin

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE-KIX) / International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada
Period
2021–ongoing
Keywords
generative AI, open educational resources, STEM textbooks, teacher professional development, curriculum localisation

Context

STEPS (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Teacher and student Education for Primary Schools) is a research and materials-development project launched in 2021 by the Global Partnership for Education's Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE-KIX), with Canada's IDRC, working across Benin, Cameroon and the DRC to close a persistent gap in primary science and maths teaching.

Objectives

To combine Open Educational Resources with generative-AI tools that draft curriculum-aligned content, propose culturally relevant examples, and assist translation/localisation — with every AI draft reviewed by local educators for accuracy and cultural fit — in order to produce quality, curriculum-aligned science and maths materials for primary schools.

Activities

The pilot produced 28 science textbooks and workbooks (plus a wider set of about 52 workbooks and teacher guides across maths and science) covering Grades 1–6, rolled out in 18 primary schools (8 in Cameroon, 5 in Benin, 5 in the DRC), reaching more than 6,000 students. Over 150 teachers received five-day intensive training workshops.

Results

In follow-up surveys, 94% of participating teachers reported increased confidence teaching science, and 80% said they intended to keep using the STEPS material after the project's formal timeframe. Benin's Ministry of Education initiated formal approval procedures for the STEPS science curriculum, the Cameroon Baptist Convention committed to rolling the material out across its entire school network, and DRC partner Emmanuel Community Schools is expanding use to all 101 of its schools.

Conclusions

The project's own researchers caution that teacher-confidence and adoption-intent surveys are self-reported, not independently measured student learning gains, and note that curriculum implementation gaps are wider than commonly assumed — officially authorised textbooks are often misaligned with what is actually taught, and material usage varies significantly even within the same pilot.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k) — Funded by GPE-KIX / IDRC; covers AI-assisted content development, five-day teacher training workshops, and materials production across three countries; specific budget figure not disclosed.
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years) — Project launched 2021 and remains ongoing; specific pilot rollout dates not stated in source material.
Staffing & skills
Local educators for AI-draft review (accuracy and cultural fit), GPE-KIX / IDRC project coordination team, Trained teachers in Benin, Cameroon and DRC (150+)

Conditions for success

  • Human review of every AI-generated draft for curriculum alignment and cultural fit
  • Structured multi-day teacher training (five-day workshops)
  • Partnership with government ministries and school networks for formal adoption

Common failure modes

  • Curriculum implementation gaps: officially authorised textbooks often misaligned with what is actually taught
  • Material usage varies significantly across classrooms even within the same pilot
  • Evidence is self-reported (confidence, adoption intent), not independently measured learning gains

Where it fits

Governance type
multi-country donor-funded project (GPE-KIX/IDRC) with national ministry and NGO/network partners
Scale
pilot (18 schools), with network-wide expansion commitments
Income level
low-income (Benin, DRC) and lower-middle-income (Cameroon)

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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