British Council – Public Sector English Language Teaching Programmes Evaluation

British Council - Public Sector English Language Teaching Programmes Evaluation

Americas

2020

Countries

Chile | Colombia | Costa Rica | Mexico | Uruguay

Lead M&E Consultant(s)

Jimena Hernandez

Project Overview

This evaluation was funded by the British Council Mexico to provide a full picture of English language provision in public sector primary and secondary schools. The evaluation analysed public sector English language provision at basic education level (preschool, primary, and lower secondary school) in five countries in the Americas (Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Uruguay). The evaluation included a review of teacher training programmes, and the numbers of students with access to English language teaching programmes. Key to the evaluation was a comparison of the target populations and strategies used in each country to reach students at basic education level. The evaluation aimed to identify strategies from these countries that could be applied particularly in Mexico, in order to more effectively reach the same target populations.

Approaches & Outputs

The evaluation included an extensive literature review to identify and analyse public sector English language provision at basic education level, in all five countries, and focusing on preschool, primary and lower secondary school provision. An evaluation framework was then developed to identify what strategies would be needed for the National Programme of English Language (PRONI) in Mexico to become a public policy and to more effectively reach a wider student population. The analysis was intended to identify barriers and obstacles in the Mexican education system to providing ELT at preschool, primary and lower secondary public schools. Recommendations focused on how these barriers and obstacles could be overcome and the changes/transformation needed to strengthen the basic education public sector policy in Mexico. The recommendations highlighted how the United Kingdom (UK) and the British Council can continue to offer support and remain key partners in ELT provision in the public education sector in Mexico.

Impact On

The Mexican Ministry of Education, who were advised on which strategies could be developed to widen ELT provision, and more effectively reach a population of over 10 million students at preschool, primary, and lower secondary – particularly marginalised students. The target population was quantified as: 7,516 schools at the preschool level; 13,623 schools at primary level and 11,954 schools at secondary level in Mexico.

Challenges

There are limited data and research available on (i) how many students in the public sector in Mexico have access to English language teaching, and (ii) their learning outcomes. Three main sources were consulted for the literature review: academic literature, government documents and data, and the press; by consulting these sources the evaluators were able to collect and analyse a good amount of data which were processed within a very limited timeframe.

British Council – Public Sector English Language Teaching Programmes Evaluation