World Bank launches ambitious $185 million project to boost access to education and improve learning conditions

Mis à jour le 22 May 2026

A historic World Bank initiative to transform access to education by 2025

Faced with the persistent learning crisis in Madagascar and several regions of East and Southern Africa, the World Bank has launched a major $185 million project. This financing aims to address the major challenges facing the education system by directly intervening in improving learning conditions, rehabilitating school infrastructure, and implementing educational reform. Increasing access to quality education and ensuring sustainable reform is part of a broader vision of sustainable development, including effective resource management and the participation of all stakeholders.

This project, called TALIM (Transformation of Access and Learning in Madagascar), is based on a multidimensional strategy aimed at strengthening the entire education system, while being part of a broader regional dynamic. As many countries face similar challenges, mobilizing international funding like that of the World Bank is becoming essential to ensure greater resilience in the face of economic, climate, and social crises.

The critical issues and the need for educational reform in 2025

The global context in 2025 highlights a central issue: despite some progress in access to education, school completion rates and learning outcomes remain worrying. According to statistics, only 63% of girls and 58% of boys complete primary school in Madagascar, while nearly 95% of students at the end of primary school have major reading difficulties.

This observation highlights the urgent need for structured educational reform capable of addressing the root causes of these shortcomings: outdated infrastructure, insufficient teacher training, regional disparities, and low funding for education (2.5% of GDP). Such reform must also incorporate the modernization of teaching tools, linguistic diversification in learning, and the development of incentives for the teaching profession. Renovation and construction of modern schools 🏫

• Continuing teacher training and qualifications 🎓
• Strengthening the school environment 🌳
• Adoption of innovative educational technologies 💻
• Local and international partnerships 🤝
• This ambitious plan will not be successful without transparent management and the active involvement of sector stakeholders, particularly local communities, who play a key role in the success of the reforms. Equip schools with appropriate educational materials

Promote participatory educational governance

1. Facilitate the integration of vulnerable populations
2. Aspect
3. Statistics / Objective

Improving Teaching Quality and Teacher Management

The first dimension involves strengthening initial and continuing teacher training and professionalizing at least 26,000 of them. Targeted training will enable them to adopt innovative teaching methods, such as project-based learning or the integration of ICT in the classroom. More efficient human resource management, combined with fair compensation, aims to reduce attrition and motivate committed teachers.

Furthermore, multilingual teaching tools will be distributed in several languages, facilitating the integration of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The distribution of digital equipment and training in the use of new technologies will be fundamental to modernizing learning conditions and combating academic failure.

Continuing vocational training 📚

Modernizing curricula 🎓

• Integration of new technologies 💻
• Infrastructure rehabilitation and creating an environment conducive to learning
• Faced with the damage caused by cyclones and the lack of modern facilities, the rehabilitation of more than 1,000 schools will help reduce overcrowded classrooms and unsanitary conditions. Buildings resistant to natural disasters will be constructed or renovated, with a focus on access to drinking water, electricity, and sanitation.

At the same time, the national school meal program will be strengthened to ensure student food security and reduce absenteeism due to hunger. Improving the school environment also involves developing green spaces and installing appropriate sports and recreational facilities, essential for promoting student well-being and concentration.

Infrastructure

Actions

To this end, a regular evaluation and audit system will be implemented to ensure the traceability of investment use. Promoting constructive dialogue between the government, teachers, parents, and students is a sine qua non for truly inclusive reform.

Creation of an educational governance observatory 🔍

Administrative capacity building 🌐

• Implementation of a participatory evaluation system 📊
• Community Engagement and International Partnerships
• The success of reforms also depends on the active involvement of local communities, international partners, and NGOs. The World Bank encourages the formation of local partnerships to ensure local monitoring and sustainable resource mobilization. Awareness-raising programs on the importance of education and access to reading will be implemented at the community level, particularly in rural areas.

Learn more about community development

to better understand how this approach ensures inclusive social development adapted to local needs.

Discover the importance of education in personal and collective development. Explore the different education systems, innovative teaching methods, and the impact of education on modern society. Educational Investments: A Lever for a Sustainable Future in 2025

Achieving a quality education is not only a necessity for the individual, but also an imperative for global development. Initiatives such as the Education Funding Campaign underscore the international community’s commitment to the crucial challenges of 2025.

Through financing concrete projects and mobilizing private and public resources, the World Bank is providing a real lever for lasting reform, aimed at guaranteeing the right to education for all, while respecting the principles of sustainable development.

Discover a variety of educational resources for all learning levels. Explore tips, innovative teaching methods, and tools to improve your educational experience and that of your students. Global Mobilization to Overcome Educational Crises The education challenges of 2025 call for unprecedented international mobilization. Collaboration between institutions, governments, and local stakeholders must help overcome crises related to natural disasters, poverty, and war. By funding this project, the World Bank aims to unite all stakeholders around a common goal: that every child has a fair chance to learn.

Combined efforts must also be accompanied by innovative strategies, skillfully integrating technology, ecological footprint, and responsible governance. By combining social engineering and financial investment, it will be possible to build a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive education system. Key Actions

Priority Objectives

Resource Mobilization 💰

World Bank, NGOs, Private Partners

What are the main areas of intervention implemented in this project?

1. The main areas concern the quality of teaching, the renovation of school infrastructure, and the strengthening of educational governance.