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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.