Research is essential for informing public policy and addressing the challenges of early childhood development, as well as for improving the quality of education. Unfortunately, this potential is largely untapped in sub-Saharan Africa. Public spending on research remains below target, and this has a negative impact on study quality and on researchers’ motivation and long-term commitment, especially in the case of young researchers.
Our capacity building initiatives
International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD) Doctoral Fellowship Program
The objective of this program is to provide Ivorian researchers with mentoring, intensive training and experience in the design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of research and interventions aimed at promoting early childhood development and improving the quality of education in Côte d’Ivoire. Six doctoral students have been selected to participate in the first phase of this program. They will receive an annual stipend of CHF 12,000, a contribution to research costs and guidance from an international mentor. They will attend three intensive research workshops and will be invited to present their research at the 26th Biennial Meeting of the ISSBD in Rhodes, Greece, in July 2020.
Recruitment of students to serve as research assistants on TRECC-mandated research projects
Researchers who conduct projects under the TRECC program also help to train students they recruit as research assistants. So far, approximately 30 assistants have received essential training in research ethics, study design, the development of evaluation tools, field research, data collection, statistical analysis and data dissemination. More than a dozen students have participated in local and international conferences, including in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and the United States. Other students have had the opportunity to spend time at the University of Delaware as visiting researchers or to participate in an intensive English-language program in Ghana in preparation for a six-month internship at Radboud University in the Netherlands.
