AFD concludes Togo school reform program PAREC II

Benjamin Neumann, Director of the Agence française de développement (AFD), visited the CEG Avéta in Togo to review the results of the Programme d’appui à la réforme des collèges (PAREC). The second phase of the program, which ran from 2020 to 2025, has concluded after supporting 176 public middle schools across five educational regions.

At CEG Avéta, the project provided new pedagogical blocks, an administrative building, and sanitary facilities, along with school supplies such as benches, manuals, and kits. The school director, Bilèyo Abla Dongo, noted that the new infrastructure replaces previous earthen buildings, though she highlighted that high demand has led to overcrowding, with students often sharing benches three to a seat.

Overall, the PAREC program has facilitated the construction of 384 equipped classrooms, administrative blocks, latrines, boreholes, and solar installations, benefiting more than 45,000 students. The initiative, funded by AFD grants and implemented with Togolese authorities, focuses on long-term educational reform by improving infrastructure, learning quality, and schooling conditions, with a specific emphasis on gender equity and rural access.