Introduction

African education systems face major challenges: learning quality, inclusion, and adaptation to social and technological changes. To address these issues, governments implement reforms, yet some struggle to achieve their objectives, often because they are designed too far removed from realities on the ground. Long conceived through a top-down approach, these reforms would benefit from greater involvement of teachers, school leaders, and education communities. Those who make schools function every day possess essential expertise. This approach aligns with SDG 4, which promotes inclusive, equitable, and participatory education, as well as the ILO-UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.

Teachers: An Underestimated Expertise

Teachers are the first actors of educational transformation. It is in the classroom that policies truly come to life. Every day, they face learning difficulties, students’ specific needs, limited resources, and the social realities of communities. This proximity to the ground gives them valuable knowledge of actual needs. Yet teachers are often still viewed as mere implementers of decisions made elsewhere. A sustainable reform should instead position them as co-designers, involved in diagnosing problems, designing solutions, and evaluating outcomes. Recognizing their role does not reduce the State’s responsibility; rather, it strengthens the effectiveness of public policies by drawing on collective intelligence.

Stakeholder Participation: A Condition for Success

Educational reform cannot be sustainable without dialogue among the stakeholders concerned: the State, teachers, unions, parents, researchers, and civil society. Participation should not be limited to informing stakeholders after decisions have been made; it should foster genuine collective development of education policies. In Benin, for example, teachers’ representative organizations are important partners in social dialogue. The development of the 2018–2030 Education Sector Plan (PSE) involved several stakeholders, including civil society organizations. This experience shows that collective policymaking is possible and can foster ownership of reforms. Involving stakeholders from the outset would therefore help identify challenges and develop responses adapted to school realities.

Building an Inclusive School Through Local Solutions

Inclusive education perfectly illustrates the need for a ground-based approach. An inclusive school cannot rely solely on the adoption of official policies. It requires trained teachers, accessible infrastructure, appropriate tools, and community mobilization. Teachers play a central role in this transformation. Their experience enables them to identify the barriers learners face and adapt teaching practices to different contexts. Since African education systems are diverse, solutions cannot be designed exclusively according to a uniform model. They must value local experiences and the innovation of actors on the ground.

Conclusion

Major educational transformations do not emerge solely from institutions; they also take shape in schools, among those who make them function. Successful educational reforms in Africa require teachers and education communities to be recognized as genuine partners in change, rather than mere implementers. A school built with its stakeholders is more likely to respond to realities on the ground and successfully achieve its transformation.