Examining the impact and cost‐effectiveness of supplementary math courses with a focus on girls on Benin

In Benin, as elsewhere in the world, education of girls lags behind that of boys in a number of dimensions, e.g. enrollment, promotion and graduation rates. While these measures have seen some improvement in the recent years, they do not guarantee that neither girls nor boys obtain quality education. One area where quality of education is especially critical, particularly for girls, is numeracy skills, as a solid quantitative foundation could highly increase their post-secondary education paths and employment prospects. Notwithstanding the importance of these skills, Beninese teachers are insufficiently trained in science subjects and are overburdened with work. Temporary supplementary teachers who have been trained to provide math classes and who can spend three months at a school represent a straightforward solution to this problem. Our evaluation will examine the impact of temporary supplementary teachers in improving the learning outcomes and the employment prospects of girls in junior and secondary high schools located in rural Benin.