Online guide
How students, with a Teacher-Facilitator, set up an Integrity Club, monitor their school on EduCheck, talk with the school management and education authorities, and check that repairs are made. Five pillars, practical tips and ready-to-use tools.
Contents
Where to start?
Choose who you are: here are your first actions.
I am a student
- Talk about the club with your Teacher-Facilitator or the school management.
- Sign up as a monitor.
- Read “Evidence base” before your first visit.
- Report a problem you have seen.
I am a Teacher-Facilitator
- Obtain the written agreement of the school management.
- Bring together volunteer students, girls and boys.
- Organise the training with CERC.
- Set the date of the first meeting of the joint working group.
I run a school
- Give your approval to the club and appoint the Teacher-Facilitator.
- Display the official fees and the school rules.
- Respond to published problems from your own space.
- Take part in the joint working group.
I am a parent or a COPA member
- Support the club in its dealings with the management.
- Help find simple, low-cost solutions.
- Come to the meetings of the joint working group.
- Report a problem you have seen at the school.
How it works: the 5 pillars of EduCheck
Monitoring follows a loop of five pillars. Each pillar prepares the next, and each verified repair starts the cycle again. The five parts of this guide follow these pillars, step by step.
Who does what?
- Student monitors observe their school every week and report problems.
- Teacher-Facilitators support the integrity clubs and the visits.
- CERC trains the monitors, checks and publishes every report.
- Schools and education authorities respond, repair and use the data to decide.
Context sensitivity
With the school management and the parents’ committee, CERC analyses the context and the actors of the school, obtains the agreements and records the starting situation.
Joint learning
CERC trains the student monitors and the Teacher-Facilitator. A joint working group brings together the club, the management and the parents’ committee.
Evidence base
Students visit their school with the monitoring form and record their findings on EduCheck, even offline. CERC checks every fact before publication.
Constructive engagement
Students present the facts to the management; the joint working group agrees a repair plan and advocates with the education authorities if needed.
Closing the loop
Students check the repair on site: the problem moves to “Resolved”. Successes are published and the impact is measured.
Then the cycle starts again: every verified repair restarts the monitoring.
Preface
At school, students see every day what is wrong: a leaking roof, locked latrines, benches that were promised but never delivered, fees charged without a receipt. The people who make decisions often learn about it late. An Integrity Club gives students a safe and respectful way to turn these findings into verified repairs.
This guide is for students, Teacher-Facilitators, parents’ committees (COPA), head teachers, education sub-divisions and provincial education offices, and the partners who fund education. It follows the five pillars of EduCheck, drawn from CERC’s method, which repeat as a cycle: context sensitivity, joint learning, evidence base, constructive engagement, and closing the loop.
Integrity, here, brings together three requirements: accountability (reporting on what you do), competence (doing it well) and ethical behaviour (doing it honestly, without corruption). The club is not looking for someone to blame: it looks for solutions with those who can act.
The integrity formula
Integrity is the alignment of accountability, competence and ethical behaviour, without corruption. These elements are distinct but complementary, and equally important: if one is missing, there is no integrity.
Accountability
- We answer for our actions.
- We do what we say.
- We give others the information to check our work.
Competence
- We have what it takes to do the job.
- We do it well.
- We work conscientiously.
Ethical behaviour
- We respect other people’s views.
- We are trustworthy.
- We act for the common good.
Without corruption
- We work without corruption.
- We use tools to reduce it.
- We support those who fight it.
Why set up or join an Integrity Club?
Student clubs that monitor their school, here and in other countries, show concrete results:
- Students who growSpeaking up, working as a team, knowing their rights, solving problems: members gain confidence and leadership.
- A better schoolClassrooms, latrines, water, materials, teacher attendance: what is monitored and discussed is more often repaired.
- More trustDialogue replaces complaint: students, teachers, management and parents learn to solve problems together.
- Engaged parentsThe COPA and the community take a greater part in school life and support solutions.
- Officials who are accountableWhen problems and repairs are public, promises are better kept.
- A common causeEffective, accountable institutions open to everyone’s participation: this is Sustainable Development Goal 16.
Glossary
- Integrity Club
- A voluntary, open group of students from one school, trained by CERC, who monitor the condition of their school and look for solutions with the management.
- Student monitor
- A club member who visits the school with the monitoring form and enters the answers on EduCheck.
- Teacher-Facilitator
- A teacher who supports the club without leading it: they facilitate dialogue, look after students’ safety, help with training and reassure parents.
- COPA
- Parents’ committee (Comité des parents): it represents parents in school life and can support solutions.
- Sub-division and PROVED
- The education services (EPST, primary, secondary and technical education) at territory or city level, and at provincial level (PROVED, provincial education office).
- Focal point
- A person appointed at the sub-division or the commune who receives the club’s findings and follows up on the responses.
- Joint working group
- A space for dialogue that brings together the club, the Teacher-Facilitator, the management, the COPA and, if needed, the sub-division and partners, to review findings and agree on solutions.
- Repair
- The resolution of a problem to the students’ satisfaction, confirmed on site.
- Resolution rate
- The share of reported problems that have been repaired and verified.
- Closing the loop
- The moment when a finding has actually led to an appropriate and verified response.
Context sensitivity: understand the school and the people involved
Before setting up a club, understand the school, the people involved and its starting situation, and obtain the necessary approvals.
1.1 Analyse the context and stakeholders
Stakeholders are the people, groups or institutions that have an interest in the school or are affected by what happens there. List the management, the teaching staff, the COPA, the sub-division and the PROVED, the school operator (State, religious network, private), local authorities and partners funding works or materials. Think of the students who are often forgotten: girls, students living with disabilities, displaced students, very poor students.
Place each actor on the “power / interest” grid (tool 2): those with a lot of power and a lot of interest should be involved first. An actor who is poorly involved can become a spoiler, who slows down or blocks action.
In eastern DRC, add a security and conflict analysis: who might feel threatened by the monitoring, and how to protect the students.
On EduCheck Each school’s page and the “Infrastructure” page show the announced works and materials.
1.2 Obtain approvals
The club only exists with the agreement of the management and, depending on the case, of the school operator and the sub-division. Several meetings are sometimes needed: be patient. For students who are minors, inform the parents and ask for their consent.
1.3 Involve the school community
Go first through the COPA, the student committee or an association active in the school: they know the management and make first contacts easier. Prepare a simple message: the club helps the school improve; it works with the management, not against it. Then choose, for each group, the right level of involvement:
- Inform: give clear and accurate information (notice board, assembly, radio, social media);
- Consult: gather the views of students and parents (discussion groups, surveys, open meetings);
- Engage: work with them throughout the monitoring (workshops, forums);
- Empower: give them a share in decisions (joint planning, small budgets managed together).
At each level, ask yourselves who risks being left out, and how to include them.
1.4 Take stock of the situation
Record the starting situation so you can measure change:
- The condition of classrooms, benches, roofs and latrines;
- Access to water and separate latrines for girls and boys;
- The fees charged to parents and whether they are displayed;
- The spaces for dialogue that already exist (COPA, management board).
On EduCheck The dashboard gives the starting figures by province, territory and school.
My checklist
Tick as you go: your ticks stay on this device.
Joint learning: set up and train the club
An Integrity Club led by students, supported by a Teacher-Facilitator and trained by CERC, and a joint working group with the management.
2.1 Choose the Teacher-Facilitator
With the management, choose a teacher who is respected, available and a good listener. They support the club without leading it: they facilitate dialogue with the management, help ease tensions, accompany visits and ensure continuity when students leave the school.
2.2 Recruit members
A few tips to attract members:
- Explain clearly the purpose of the club and what it brings to the school;
- Present the club where everyone can hear: assembly, open day, notice board;
- Invite members of a club from another school to talk about what they achieved;
- Involve students and teachers whom others listen to;
Keep the club open to all: girls and boys in equal numbers, shy students, students living with disabilities, without requiring the best grades.
On EduCheck A diverse club sees more problems and finds more solutions.
2.3 Share out the roles
Every member has a talent. Give each one a clear responsibility:
- President: prepares and chairs meetings;
- Secretary: takes notes and keeps the records;
- Treasurer: keeps track of the club’s small budget;
- Communications officer: runs the notice board and shares successes;
- Liaison officers: stay in touch with the management, the COPA and the sub-division;
- Student monitors: carry out visits with the monitoring form.
2.4 Train the club
CERC’s training covers integrity and students’ rights, objective observation, the monitoring form, photos without students’ faces, confidentiality, fact-checking, listening and conflict resolution. Invite the management too: learning together builds trust. Plan a refresher training every year, led in part by former members.
On EduCheck Each student monitor receives an account approved by CERC; their name is never published, only their role is shown.
2.5 Give the club an identity and plan
A name, a badge or a T-shirt help the club to be recognised. Set a calendar: regular meetings (for example one a month), monitoring visits, review sessions, activities open to the whole school.
2.6 Set up a joint working group
Regularly bring together the club, the Teacher-Facilitator, the management, the COPA and, if needed, the sub-division. This group reviews the findings, agrees on solutions and follows their implementation.
My checklist
Tick as you go: your ticks stay on this device.
Evidence base: observe, record, verify
Regular, objective visits, entered on EduCheck and verified by CERC: facts that no one can dispute.
3.1 Choose what to monitor
Ask students, teachers and parents what matters most to them. Choose problems that are important for many students and that officials can fix: latrines, water, benches, roofs, teacher attendance, unofficial fees, access for students living with disabilities. It is better to monitor a few topics, and do it well.
On EduCheck The map and the list of schools show the monitored schools by province, territory and commune.
3.2 Know what was promised
In the DRC, Article 24 of the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to information. Monitors can therefore ask, politely and in writing, for the documents of a project or of the school:
- The list of official fees and the school rules;
- For a building site: the contract, the budget, the bill of quantities (materials, quantities, costs) and the plans;
- Contract amendments (changes to the planned work);
- The annual report and, at the end of the works, the evaluation report.
These documents are sometimes hard to obtain. Without documents, students’ opinions are already enough to describe the state of a service.
On EduCheck The “Infrastructure” page shows the projects announced for each school and their progress; when you obtain a new document, add it to the monitoring form.
3.3 Visit and take notes
Fill in the monitoring form, question by question. Write down what you see and hear, in the same place (tool 9). Listen to other students anonymously, making sure you hear girls and vulnerable students. Come back regularly: an issue that is followed over time ends up moving forward. During the visit:
- Always in pairs or in a group, and in daylight;
- Phone charged, with the EduCheck app;
- A student card and, if possible, a letter from the school or from CERC explaining the visit;
- Transparency: never hide what you are doing, and have your answer ready if someone asks why you are there;
- Take your time, do not let yourself be rushed;
- Photos of the premises and of documents, with enough light, never of students’ faces;
- Stay polite, even if you are refused access; try to understand people’s reluctance and answer calmly;
- If access is refused, stop the visit and tell the Teacher-Facilitator, who will get back in touch with the management.
On EduCheck Each “red” answer on the monitoring form becomes a problem to follow up.
3.4 Protect sensitive cases
Some issues concern individuals: violence, harassment, pregnancies, drugs. Never display them with names or details that could identify someone. Talk to the Teacher-Facilitator about them and pass them on to CERC confidentially.
On EduCheck Sensitive reports are not published: CERC handles them with the competent people.
3.5 Enter visits on EduCheck
After each visit, the student monitor enters the answers from the monitoring form and adds the photos. A few reminders:
- Logging in: the password is case-sensitive;
- School page: check that the information is correct and up to date;
- Reporting a problem: choose the category that best describes it and attach a photo;
- Resolution: note how the problem was solved and add a photo of the result;
- Students’ views: ask as wide a range of students as possible;
- Save, then sync: without network, the answers stay on the phone and are sent as soon as the connection is back; if they are not saved, they are lost.
On EduCheck The dashboard brings together visits from all monitored schools, with figures by province, territory and school.
3.6 Verify and share
Compare several sources: the monitoring form, photos, testimonies and documents. Look for the cause of the problem, not just the problem. Share the results with the management and the COPA before making them public.
On EduCheck A CERC staff member verifies every fact before publication.
3.7 Display the results
A colour chart, visible to all, motivates everyone: green for what is going well, yellow for what is progressing, red for what still needs fixing. The management sometimes worries about the school’s reputation; show them that the chart also makes progress visible.
On EduCheck EduCheck is that public chart: each school has its page, with its open problems and its repairs.
My checklist
Tick as you go: your ticks stay on this device.
Constructive engagement: look for the solution together
The goal is a solution, not a sanction: students present the facts and everyone agrees together on a repair plan.
4.1 Share the findings
Students present the facts to the management, calmly, with the evidence and with the Teacher-Facilitator. Listen to the explanations: some causes are beyond the school’s control (budget, deliveries, school operator). Adapt the format to the audience: a short report for the sub-division, an illustrated poster for students and parents.
On EduCheck The management is notified of every published problem and can respond from its own space.
4.2 Handle difficult conversations
A partnership, not a dispute: a few rules help keep the dialogue useful.
- Take care of the image you give: neat clothes, calm, eye contact, a clear voice, a prepared purpose and message;
- Back up each point with evidence: EduCheck data, photos, documents, students’ words;
- Listen actively and rephrase: “If I understand correctly, the works are late because…”;
- Defuse tensions: never answer hostility with hostility, speak more slowly, say “we” and “us”;
- Think about the future: look for a win-win solution and what everyone can contribute.
4.3 Find solutions and advocate
The joint working group agrees on a repair plan: who does what, and by when. Some solutions cost little and can come from the students themselves or the COPA. Each problem calls for its own means of action; start with the most suitable:
- A meeting with the management, the contractor or the department carrying out the works;
- The joint working group or a meeting of the school community;
- A meeting with the project’s funder;
- A letter to the sub-division, the PROVED or the ministry, through the focal point;
- Radio, press, television or social media, with the agreement of the Teacher-Facilitator and CERC.
4.4 Advocacy, campaigns and the media
If dialogue is not enough, prepare the next steps with the Teacher-Facilitator and CERC:
- Weigh up the possible consequences, good and bad: an action must never make tensions worse or put students at risk;
- If an official refuses to help, turn to a colleague or to a level that can solve the problem;
- Mobilise more widely: students, parents, clubs from other schools, organisations in the commune;
- With the media, choose the most respected and most listened-to outlets, and explain the problem in a few words;
- A campaign has a clear objective and offers everyone a simple action: sign, share, come to a meeting.
My checklist
Tick as you go: your ticks stay on this device.
Closing the loop: verify the repair and measure impact
A problem is only solved when the students confirm the repair on site. Then you measure what has changed and keep the club going.
5.1 Verify the repair
Student monitors come back to check the repair and say whether it is successful, partial or failed. When it is successful, the problem moves to “Resolved”.
On EduCheck The path of each problem is public: reported, taken up, repaired, resolved.
5.2 Celebrate successes and measure impact
Publicly thank those who fixed a problem: it encourages others. Compare with the starting situation: resolution rate, time to repair, latrines and classrooms in good condition, fees displayed. Draw lessons from it, then start the cycle again.
On EduCheck The dashboard calculates the resolution rate; the data can be downloaded freely.
5.3 Keep the club going and promote integrity
Promoting integrity matters as much as the result: even when a problem takes time to be solved, involving the actors and making problems and successes known moves the school forward. Keep good relations with the management, train new members before older ones leave, ask the school for a small budget or organise a fundraiser, and link the club to local organisations. Former members can teach others to use EduCheck, lead meetings on integrity or set up a club elsewhere.
My checklist
Tick as you go: your ticks stay on this device.
Common difficulties and responses
| Difficulty | Possible response |
|---|---|
| Students and management blame each other. | Regular meetings with the management during monitoring, and a joint working group to look for the solution together. |
| The management worries about the school’s reputation. | Show that the public chart also makes the school’s progress and successes visible. |
| Teachers lack time. | Students lead the club; the older ones take on part of the facilitation role. |
| The school does not have the money for repairs. | Look for cheaper solutions, support from the COPA or a partner, and advocate with the sub-division. |
| The authorities do not take young people seriously. | Clear files, patient and regular follow-up, a focal point at the sub-division and the support of a local organisation. |
| The problem does not get solved. | Keep monitoring and keep it public; in the meantime, make progress on another issue. |
Tools
Tool 1 · Student safety
- Always in pairs or in a group, in daylight, with the Teacher-Facilitator’s agreement.
- On a building site, keep away from anything that looks unstable or dangerous.
- No unnecessary risks: your safety comes before everything else.
- No names; sensitive cases are passed on to CERC.
- If in doubt or under threat, ask the Teacher-Facilitator or CERC for advice.
Tool 2 · Power / interest grid
- High power, high interest: involve closely.
- High power, low interest: keep informed and win over.
- Low power, high interest: allies to mobilise.
- Low power, low interest: inform.
- Identify possible spoilers and how to involve them.
Tool 3 · Asking for information
- Article 24 of the Constitution guarantees the right to information.
- Ask for the official fees and, for a building site, the contract, the budget, the bill of quantities, the plans and the amendments.
- In writing, politely, explaining the purpose; note the date and the answer.
Tool 4 · Listening to students
- Short, neutral questions, without names.
- A varied sample: girls, boys, lower and upper classes, students living with disabilities.
- At least five answers before publishing a result.
Tool 5 · The monitoring form
- Buildings and classrooms: enough space, roofs and walls in good condition, enough benches and blackboards.
- Latrines and water: clean, separate latrines that lock from the inside; clean water available.
- Safety and access: nothing dangerous, access for students living with disabilities, first aid available.
- Lessons: timetables displayed, lessons given, teachers present, textbooks available.
- Rules: official fees displayed, a clear way to complain.
- Each “no” becomes a problem to follow up.
Tool 6 · Preparing advocacy
- Objective: the precise change you want.
- Decision-maker: who can make it happen; allies: who can influence them.
- Message: short, based on facts, with a solution.
Tool 7 · Measuring impact
- Resolution rate and time to repair.
- Share of schools with separate latrines in good condition.
- Unofficial fees reported, before and after.
Tool 8 · Visiting a building site
- Concrete: made as planned, reinforcement bars free of rust, formwork clean and properly fixed, delivery notes and laboratory results available.
- Materials: approved, stored under cover and locked up at night; cement and steel protected from rain; tiles, pipes and paints properly stored.
- Safety: workers equipped (helmet, boots, gloves), site records up to date, dust and noise under control.
- Each “no” becomes a problem to follow up on EduCheck.
Tool 9 · Visit log
- Name of the school and visit number.
- Date and other monitors present.
- What you saw, heard and photographed.
- What has changed since the last visit.
Ready-to-use templates
Copy a template, fill in the parts in square brackets, then send or print it.
Requesting information from the school
Subject: request for information Dear Head Teacher, The Integrity Club of [name of the school] monitors the condition of our school with EduCheck. In accordance with Article 24 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to information, we would be grateful if you could provide us with: - the list of official fees for the school year; - [the documents for the works: contract, budget, bill of quantities, plans]. These documents will help us follow what has been planned, together with you and with respect for everyone. Yours faithfully, [Name], President of the Integrity Club [Name], Teacher-Facilitator [Date]
Inviting to the joint working group
Subject: meeting of the joint working group Dear Sir or Madam, The Integrity Club of [name of the school] invites you to the meeting of the joint working group: - date and time: [date, time]; - venue: [room]; - agenda: the findings of the last visit and the repair plan. Invited: the management, the Teacher-Facilitator, the COPA and [the sub-division]. Please confirm your attendance. [Name], President of the Integrity Club
Presenting a finding to the management
Dear Head Teacher, During our visit on [date], we found: [the problem, in one sentence]. Evidence: [photos, answers from the monitoring form, views of [number] students]. This problem affects: [who, how many students]. We propose: [a simple solution]. We would like to discuss it with you and agree together on who does what, and by when. [Name], Integrity Club of [name of the school]
Meeting minutes
Meeting of the joint working group — [school], [date] Present: [names and roles] Problem: [the problem] Decision: [what will be done] Responsible: [who] Planned date: [when] Next verification by the student monitors: [date] Problem: …
Thanking after a repair
Dear Sir or Madam, On [date], the Integrity Club of [name of the school] confirmed that [the problem] has been repaired. We thank [name or department] for taking action. The repair is published on EduCheck and displayed at the school. [Name], President of the Integrity Club
Student monitors’ code of conduct
Each student monitor commits in writing to follow these rules. A monitor who does not follow them no longer takes part in monitoring.
- I respect the laws of the country, the school rules and the authority of the management.
- I collect accurate information and report what I observe fairly and precisely.
- I seek to solve problems constructively and fairly, in a spirit of teamwork.
- I act in the interest of the school and of all students.
- I never use monitoring for a political party or to settle a personal score.
- I declare any conflict of interest, for example a family tie with someone in charge at the school or the building site.
- I never use violence, in words or in deeds.
- I do not take credit for a repair made without the club’s involvement.
- I report problems, even those that are hard to solve.
- I act without discrimination based on religion, origin, gender or disability.
- I help other monitors when they have a difficulty.
- I carry out my visits regularly and say exactly when I make them.
- I take no unnecessary risks: my safety comes first; if in doubt, I ask the Teacher-Facilitator or CERC for advice.