Concern Worldwide delivers holistic education programs in the some of the world’s most fragile countries. In Chad, 56.4% of school aged children are out of school and in the Sila province in particular, this increases to 85.6% (MICS 2019). Concern has been implementing education programs in the Sila province since 2018 to provide children with access to quality primary education that supports their wellbeing.

In 2024, Concern supported 13 communities in the Sila province with school construction and rehabilitation, including WASH facilities, to enable safe and equitable access to education for boys and girls. The education program also provided teacher incentives, continuous teacher professional development and student and teacher kits to improve the quality of education. To improve child wellbeing and social-cohesion, extra-curricular activities were put in place in addition to teacher training and community awareness raising on topics such as positive discipline and the importance of education.

“When I first began, there were 392 pupils enrolled. In the second year it went to 400 and this year we have 565 pupils in the school. We have also not seen many pupils dropping out. They continue with their studies from the beginning all the way to the end. We have also been sensitizing parents in the village to allow their children to come to school and we have seen the level of performance of pupils increasing and even they speak French better than before and that is very encouraging” – School principal at Karo Primary School, Chad.

After six years of support, the attendance rate of boys and girls increased from 21% in 2019 to 51% in 2021 to 65% in 2024 and there was an improvement in learning outcomes evidenced by the Early Grade Reading Assessment. In 2024, not only was there an improvement in average scores across the various subtasks, but also, for the first time, children were beginning to read with fluency, with 7% of children reaching the reading fluency benchmark of 45 correct words per minute. This percentage has increased to 8% in 2025 as Concern’s support to the schools in Sila continues.

To improve girls’ attendance and participation, additional activities on menstrual health and hygiene were conducted in the schools and communities including awareness raising, girls’ clubs and workshops to create reusable pads from locally sourced materials.

“Today, I am one of the lucky girls who has the chance to go to school. Things are gradually changing though; parents are becoming aware thanks to the awareness raised by Concern on the importance of educating children without exception.” – Mariam (12) in Grade 3 at Doroti School, Chad.  

Pupil Ousman Haroum (12) attends Tcharaw primary school
Photo: Eugene Ikua/Concern Worldwide