The ERGUES-STP Project – Education and Educational Governance Reform in São Tomé and Príncipe - is coordinated by the Instituto Marquês de Valle Flôr (IMVF) and funded by Camões - Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua. The project is currently under development for the period 2024 - 2026. It builds on the experience of the PAISE-STP project - Integrated Support Programme for the Education Sector in São Tomé and Príncipe -  and addresses key challenges related to quality, equity and inclusion in the Santomean educational system. The project is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (inclusive, equitable and quality education) and with the Portuguese Cooperation Strategy 2030 (ECP2030).

In this sense, the ERGUES project integrates local priorities with international educational standards through the adoption of a systemic approach, focusing on technical and vocational education, the revision and the development of (digital) educational resources, teacher professional development, and the strengthening of institutional capacity within both the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences of São Tomé and Príncipe (MECCSTP) and the University of São Tomé and Príncipe (USTP).

As such, ERGUES is situated within international development cooperation processes and seeks to respond to persistent structural challenges, including weaknesses in teaching and learning processes, the scarcity and obsolescence of teaching and learning materials, the presence of teachers with qualifications resulting from fragile initial training pathways, and limitations in institutional capacity for educational research, planning, monitoring and evaluation (Costa et al., 2017; Fernandes et al., 2019).

Based on this framework and grounded in a systemic perspective, the ERGUES project is organised around four interdependent axes of intervention. The first axis focuses on strengthening dual certification technical and vocational education through the revision and creation of legal frameworks and the design of training pathways aligned with territorial characteristics and youth employability opportunities, particularly in more disadvantaged areas. This axis aims to contribute to the reduction of school dropout and to the promotion of more qualified educational pathways and transitions between school and the labour market.

The second axis focuses on the revision, updating and production of (digital) teaching and learning materials for basic and secondary education, including resources specifically designed for special education contexts. The emphasis on digitalisation seeks to address both the unequal access to printed textbooks and the need to modernise pedagogical practices, promoting more inclusive, interactive learning environments aligned with contextual and contemporary challenges.

The third axis centres on the development of teachers’ pedagogical-didactic and digital competences through the strengthening of USTP’s institutional capacity. This axis includes the consolidation of research structures in education and the implementation of initial and continuous teacher education initiatives, fostering greater coherence, sustainability and local ownership of professional development processes.

Finally, the fourth axis aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education, with a particular focus on planning, statistics, monitoring and evaluation of the education system. The development of digital platforms to support educational management and regulation, alongside the training of technical staff, is intended to support more informed and transparent decision-making processes.

In this sense, the ERGUES project constitutes an example of an integrated intervention aimed at the systemic strengthening of education in insular and resource-constrained contexts, offering opportunities for the development of educational policies and international cooperation practices. Accordingly, this poster aims to present the ERGUES project as an approach to educational reform, highlighting its guiding principles, axes of intervention and methodological options, while discussing emerging learnings relevant to improving quality, equity and inclusion in education systems with limited resources.

The ERGUES project adopts a mixed methodological approach, grounded in principles of participation, co-construction and institutional capacity building. This approach is informed by the experience of close collaboration among the Portuguese higher education institutions, working in partnership with Santomean actors and local coordinators. Rather than focusing on a single empirical study, the methodology is based on an articulated set of diagnostic, development, implementation and monitoring processes, integrated within a medium-term educational reform framework. In an initial phase, contextual diagnostics were conducted for each axis of intervention, drawing on documentary analysis of educational policies, legislation and national statistical data, as well as consultations with key actors within the education system, including policymakers, Ministry of Education technical staff, teachers, teacher educators and university representatives. These diagnostics enabled the identification of priority needs, structural constraints and territorially situated intervention opportunities. The design and development of activities were informed by collaborative methodologies, involving multidisciplinary teams composed of education specialists, researchers, teachers and educational technology experts. Within the axis focused on digital teaching and learning materials, the production and adaptation of resources followed iterative cycles of review, development, validation and adaptation. In the field of teacher education, a contextualised professional development approach is prioritised, combining theoretical training, practical application and ongoing support, in close collaboration with USTP. In parallel, research dynamics in education are promoted, aiming at the production of locally relevant knowledge and the consolidation of institutional research structures. In this way, the ERGUES project involves multiple Santomean and Portuguese partners, ranging from teachers and students to policymakers. Inter-institutional task forces coordinate each axis of intervention, ensuring that European experience and local expertise complement one another. Expected outcomes include: (i) operational technical and vocational education courses in the identified target districts; (ii) updated and digitised teaching and learning materials, including resources for special education; (iii) the development of teachers’ competences through continuous professional development; and (iv) the institutional strengthening of MECCSTP and USTP in educational management, monitoring, evaluation and research. Project monitoring draws on multiple data sources, including administrative records, participation indicators, technical reports, feedback instruments and reflective documents produced by participants. Qualitative data are analysed thematically, while quantitative data support implementation tracking and the analysis of coverage and reach. This methodological framework enables adaptive project management and the continuous identification of relevant learnings.

The ERGUES project makes it possible, at an intermediate stage of implementation, to highlight the potential of integrated and systemic approaches to addressing complex educational challenges in contexts marked by structural constraints. The articulation between curriculum reform and development, the production of digital educational resources, teacher education and the strengthening of educational governance emerges as central to promoting greater coherence between educational policies, pedagogical practices and institutional capacity. Initial evidence and emerging learnings from the implementation process point to the progressive strengthening of national institutional capacity, particularly within USTP and the Ministry of Education, as a necessary condition for consolidating the reforms underway. Investment in the development of educational research structures and in the systematic production of data for decision-making positions itself as a strategic element in supporting more informed, consistent and less externally dependent educational governance processes. The ERGUES project has European and international relevance, functioning as a model of North–South educational cooperation. It integrates European knowledge in curriculum development, teacher education and digital education with local priorities, contributing to the development of approaches adapted to low-resource contexts. Aligned with European policies and the Sustainable Development Goals, the project demonstrates how multi-sectoral partnerships and participatory methodologies can promote sustainable, inclusive and culturally sensitive educational development. In summary, the ERGUES project can be understood as a process under construction that underscores the value of development cooperation oriented towards systemic capacity building and the consideration of local contexts. By presenting this ongoing project, the poster aims to contribute to reflection and debate on integrated models of educational reform, offering preliminary learnings relevant to researchers, policymakers and practitioners involved in similar initiatives in small-scale and resource-constrained contexts.

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