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EFA
Africa Bulletin Board
- June 2002
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Education for all (EFA) :
what progress has been made in the preparation of national plans
of action ?
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A few months before the deadline of the "plan available for
all in September 2002" objective, it is important to critically
examine the results obtained so far. It is also time to review the
point of departure, the performances made in relation to the deadline,
the tasks that remain to be accomplished.
In
fact, as agreed at the World Forum, held in Dakar in April 2000,
the first decisive step for the realisation of objectives consists
in planning, in a rigorous and credible manner, the activities to
be implemented. 90 days before the deadline, and following a survey
conducted ahead of the EFA fora, the state of preparation of national
EFA plans of action are as follows: Out of the 46 sub-Saharan African
countries, seven (7) have neither a National Education and Training
Plan (NETP) nor a National Plan of Action (NPA). Five (5) countries
(Eritrea, Ghana, D.R. Congo, Somalia and Zambia) did not provide
any of the required information. Six (6) countries (Angola, Cameroon,
Chad, Djibouti, Guinea and Senegal), have a first draft of their
national plans of action and are awaiting their validation. As for
the agreement that concretely materialises the commitment of governments
and EFA sponsors, only nine (9) out of 46 countries succeeded in
attracting the attention of major actors.
The
reticence of most of the technical and financial partners to support
the process, our governments' lack of commitment and the poor institutional
capacity at the national level are the main reasons for this preoccupying
situation. The last regional and sub-regional EFA fora, organised
by UNESCO in partnership with EFA partners whose general aim was
to take stock of the state of progress of the formulation of national
EFA plans of action, identify major constraints and propose solutions
to finalise the process within the required deadline, came up with
the following recommendations:
-
To governments: strengthen the leadership of ministers in charge
of education by insisting on the latter's fundamental role in
the realisation of EFA objectives. In this regard, the governments
should establish partnerships to back-up the process and strengthen
the capacities of NGOs and civil society organisations;
- To
technical and financial partners: the need to respect the commitments
aimed at supporting governments in the process initiated to realise
EFA objectives by providing adequate resources. To that end, UNESCO
should set up operational mechanisms for resource mobilisation,
co-ordination and the efficient management of the technical and
financial support to local, bilateral and multilateral partners.
- To
all actors: provide technical support to national EFA co-ordinations
as regards training, the understanding of diagnosis tools, data
collection and analysis and the use of performance and follow-up
indicators.
- Finally,
EFA co-ordinators should see to the implementation of the credibility
criteria for national plans of action and ensure that set deadlines
are respected.
The
analysis of the current situation concerning the preparation of
national plans of action are prepared three months before the deadline,
raises a certain number of questions that are of concern to us.
How
many credible national plans of action will be ready by September
2002?
What will happen after September 2002 if the results expected are
not realised on the set deadline or are less fruitful?
What
new strategies do we need to adopt for more efficiency and better
results?
The main EFA actors should be conscious of the situation and envisage
appropriate measures to provide answers to these questions.
Contact
: Abdon Sofonnou
BREDA / UNESCO
s.abdon@unesco.org
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EFA MEETINGS IN AFRICA
***********************
Sub-regional
workshop on the incorporation of human rights, a culture of peace
and democracy education into national action plans for Education
for All. From 17 to 21 June in Gambia
A sub-regional
workshop on the incorporation of human rights, a culture of peace
and democracy education into national action plans for Education
for All, was organised by UNESCO-BREDA, in partnership with the
Gambian national commission for UNESCO.
The
main objective of the workshop was to support member States in their
efforts to integrate into their National EFA Plans, a strategy for
education and for the preparation of teaching materials on education
in the culture of peace, human rights and democracy.
The
meeting was attended by national EFA co-ordinators, specialists
in human rights and a culture of peace education, UNICEF, the UNESCO
chair on the culture of peace in Cote d'Ivoire, as well as a representative
of the UNESCO quarters.
The
specific objectives of the workshop were as follows:
- Train
National EFA Co-ordinators on techniques for the incorporation
of human rights, a culture of peace and democracy education in
their countries' National EFA Plans.
- Train
human rights education experts on policies and methodologies relative
to human rights education.
- encourage
collaboration among participants particularly between EFA co-ordinators
and specialists in Education.
- identify
the countries' needs in terms of the conception and production
of teaching materials meant for education in the culture of peace
and human rights.
The
workshop deliberations were structured around the following points:
- exchange
experiences
- analysis
issues and needs
The deliberations registered:
- brief
presentations by participants on teaching human rights and a culture
of peace at national level
- discussions
in plenary sessions
- working
sessions according to groups of countries: EFA co-ordinators and
specialists in education on human rights and the culture of peace
worked together to analyse the needs, develop concrete and relevent
initiatives specific to their respective countries and contexts
and produce a preliminary work plan.
The
deliberations led to:
- fruitful
exchanges and collaboration among various participants
- development
of the knowledge of co-ordinators in education on human rights
and the culture of peace, and of the knowledge of experts of the
objectives and modalities of education for all.
Co-ordinators and specialists in education are henceforth better
equipped to collaborate at the national level in the preparation
of a national plan of action for the incorporation of human rights
and a culture of peace and democracy education in and National
EFA Plans and education in programmes.
- Preliminary
planning was prepared respectively by 3 groups of countries represented
each by the EFA co-ordinator and the expert in education on the
culture of peace and human rights.
The
planning is included in the workshop's final report and will serve
as a basis for the preparation of a manual on strategies and techniques
for the introduction of the notions of education on peace, human
rights and democracy in teaching programmes and EFA plans, as well
as the strategies for the conception and production of teaching
materials meant for education on the culture of peace and human
rights.
Eva Iversen
Associate Expert
BREDA
e.iversen@unesco.org
Promoting
Civil Society involvement in EFA in Sub-Saharan Africa
Planning meeting on NGO/CSO capacity building program for EFA
UNESCO-Dakar, June 12-14, 2002
UNESCO,
in partnership with the World Bank and the focal point of the Collective
Consultation of NGOs for EFA (CCNGO/EFA) for the Africa region,
ANCEFA (Africa Network Campaign on Education For All), have organized
a planning workshop on a regional NGO/CSO capacity building program
for EFA. The meeting was held at UNESCO-Dakar from 12 to 14 June
2002.
In
the aftermath of the Dakar World Forum on Education, UNESCO and
the World Bank, in collaboration with the Collective Consultation
of NGOs on EFA, organized a seminar on civil society contributions
to education in Sub-Saharan Africa. The seminar took place in Bamako
in November 2000 and was followed by a working meeting in Dakar
at UNESCO/BREDA in May 2001. Participants included representatives
of African ministries of education, NGOs and other civil society
organizations, the World Bank, UNESCO, and multi- and bilateral
partners. Participants recommended the development of a regional
capacity building program for non-governmental and other civil society
organizations (NGOs/CSOs) involved in EFA to reinforce the scope
and quality of civil society participation in the formulation, implementation
and evaluation of education strategies and programs in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
Thus,
a conceptual framework and a program proposal were drafted and submitted
to various partners for consideration. Four areas of training were
identified: (i) education policy analysis, formulation and advocacy,
(ii) curriculum development, (iii) pedagogic methods and approaches,
(iv) program design, planning, management and evaluation.
The
first year activities of the program, which reflects the consensus
achieved at the various meetings, will focus on training NGOs/CSOs
in six selected countries which are part of the group of sixteen
African countries with lowest school enrolment rates. These six
countries are Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal.
All six were represented at the Bamako Summit of the Head of States,
which provided the framework for initiating the first regional seminar
on assessing NGO/CSO contributions to EFA.
This
three days workshop, which brought together the planning team composed
of a limited number of NGO/CSO representatives, resource persons
and UNESCO professionals, led to (i) the finalization of the implementation
strategy for Year I of the capacity-building program, (ii) the development
of some tools necessary for the launching osf the program in the
six countries selected for phase I and (iii) the elaboration of
a detailed work plan for the implementation of Year 1 activities.
Contact
: Roby Rampin
UNESCO-Dakar
Email: r.rampin@unesco.org
National Seminar on Education for All, Maputo 27 - 28 March 2002
The
Ministry of Education in cooperation with UNESCO Maputo organised
a National Seminar on Education for All in Maputo from 27 - 28 March
2002. The seminar sought to bring a wide range of stakeholders in
the field of education together to strengthen broad participation
in the elaboration of the National Action Plan for EFA. Representatives
from the Government of Mozambique, National Institutions, NGOs,
religious organisations, Teachers' Association, bilateral and multilateral
agencies took part attended the seminar and took part in the working
sessions. The participants came from all over the country - covering
the 11 provinces of Mozambique.
Presentations
included an overview of the EFA process in Mozambique by the National
EFA Coordinator, Ms. Paula Mendonça; an outline of the development
and implementation of the Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP)
of the Ministry of Education by Mr. Virgilío Juvane (National
Director of Planning, MINED) and a wide range of presentations by
civil society on their involvement and contribution to achieving
education for all.
The
need for partnership between a variety of stakeholders in order
to pursue EFA goals once again became apparent during the seminar
as was the need for wide dissemination of the ESSP and the Dakar
Framework for Action throughout the country.
For
further information please contact:
Noel Chicuecue
National EFA Programme Officer
n.chicuecue@unesco.org
Project
for setting up an African Forum of parliamentarians for Education
(FAPED)
With
a view to better involving African parliamentarians in education-related
issues and get them to mobilise more resources, a Contact Group
for the establishment of an African Forum of Parliamentarians for
Education (FAPED), was set up at the initiative of Mauritian and
Senegalese parliamentarians. The Contact Group which met in Dakar
(Senegal), from 21 to 23 January 2002 and in Port Louis (Mauritius),
from 6 to 8 June 2002, comprises nine countries: Cameroon, Cape
Verde, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Namibia, Senegal and
Sudan.
The
key purpose of the first meeting was to present the project for
the creation of the FAPED and the following working documents:
- FAPED
objectives and strategies
- Draft
Statutes for the creation of FAPED
- Draft
regulations
- Draft
financial regulations
- Programme
of activities and financing
- Port
Louis Declaration
During
the first meeting, emphasis was placed on the need to popularise
the quality of education and Africa's major interest Africa in developing
FAPED action in the perspectives opened by NEPAD. The parliamentarians
attending the meeting signed a joint declaration to mark their total
support to the initiative to set up FAPED.
Placed
within the framework of the follow-up of the Dakar meeting, the
second meeting of the Contact Group in Port Louis provided the opportunity
to examine the above mentioned working documents which will be submitted
to African parliamentarians, for review and adoption, during the
Constituent Conference scheduled in Tanzania from 27 November to
2 December 2002, alongside the 8th Conference of African National
Education Ministers (MINEDAF VIII). The meeting concluded that education
is the solution for peace, stability and economic development.
By
setting up this forum, parliamentarians intend to mobilise themselves
in favour of efforts to eradicate illiteracy, fight against poverty,
promote girls' and women's education, fight against AIDS and other
diseases that are seriously affecting the future of the African
continent, have access to new information and communication technologies,
promote education for peace and give prominence to a closest possible
partnership with UNESCO and international institutions such as UNDP,
UNICEF, World Bank, UNFPA, African Development Bank, African Parliamentarians
Union and the various civil society components.
Mactar
Diagne / Achille Olloy
BREDA
Mt.diagne@unesco.org / a.olloy@unesco.org
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EDUCATION IN AFRICA
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UNESCO
expresses serious concern over education in Africa
(PANA)
- Dakar, Senegal 02/05/2002 - The head of the UNESCO regional Bureau
for education in Africa (BREDA), Armoogum Parsuramen has expressed
serious concern over the situation of education in Africa two years
after the world forum on Education was held April 2000 in Dakar.
"In
Africa, 22 countries might not give primary education to their children
by the middle of the decade," he observed, saying it was likely
that "in 2015 more than 30 percent of African children would
not enrol at primary school or be able to read and write."
In
a speech during the opening ceremony of the symposium to mark the
second anniversary of the World Education Forum, Parsuramen warned
that the first step towards achieving the objective of Education
for All by 2015 consisted in elaborating national education plans.
"However,
currently only Senegal, Cameroon, Chad, Guinea-Conakry and Angola
have elaborated a plan" he pointed out at a meeting with representatives
of the Senegalese Ministry of National Education, NGOs, teachers
unions and parents.
Parsuramen
said that in sub-Saharan Africa 38 million children had no access
to school and, the class repeating rate was about 17 percent.
Furthermore,
he said "there are 13 million AIDS orphans whose chances of
attending school are limited because the AIDS epidemic kills more
teachers than new ones can be recruited" in some countries
of the region.
To
allow Africa to reach the goals set by the Dakar World Forum, he
urged donors, governments and the Civil society in Africa to intensify
their efforts.
"Depriving
millions of children of a minimum education would have terrible
consequences not only for their home countries but for the whole
of humanity in generations to come," added the chairman of
BREDA.
Parsuramen
urged journalists and members of Parliaments to highlight progress
of countries like Eritrea, Malawi and Gambia in the area of education.
"I
strongly call on donors, NGOs, the civil society, the private sector,
the businessmen to use more of their resources toward education,"
he said.
Africa
needs five million teachers
(PANA) Paris, France - 25/05/2002 - African ambassadors accredited
to UNESCO have appealed for the organisation's assistance to train
five million teachers needed to fill up the current gap in the staffing
of schools on the continent.
"We
need at least five million teachers to meet the current needs of
schools on the continent and UNESCO can help us fill up this gap,"
Burkina Faso's permanent representative at UNESCO, Philippe Sawadogo
told PANA.
Sawadogo,
also chairman of the African Group at UNESCO, said that the ambassadors
had met UNESCO Director-General Matsuura Koichiro to sensitize him
on Africa's expectations in the field of education.
African
ambassadors have suggested that a balance of one million dollars
from credits that had not been paid out be used for training teachers.
They said the need for teachers in Africa was urgent.
"If you take the example of Burkina Faso, there are school
buildings that have never been used because we do not have teachers,"
Sawadogo said.
Africa's
need for teachers was raised during a session of the Executive Council
of UNESCO.
Conference
Calls for Higher Status of African Teachers
(PANA) Paris, France - 22/05/2002 - Delegates to an international
conference on universal primary education in French-speaking African
countries Wednesday called for the elevation of the status of teachers
on the continent.
Ten
countries are taking part in the conference that opened Monday in
Saint-Denis near Paris.
A
general opinion among the delegates was that the quality of teaching
in Africa would not improve without social and economic upgrading
of the profession itself.
"For
some years, we have witnessed widespread deterioration of the living
conditions and the social stature of teachers in Africa. Such a
situation has inevitable repercussions on the quality of teaching,"
said Mamadou Billo Barry of Guinea.
According
to Barry, international finance institutions, including the World
Bank, have contributed to the economic and social decline of the
African teacher.
Several
delegates expressed the same opinion, denouncing "the promotion"
of a category of unqualified teachers in countries that were subjected
to structural adjustment programs by the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund.
"In
our country we have tried the formula of volunteer teachers on the
advice of international institutions. I am not sure that it yielded
good results," remarked Abdoulaye Teuw of Senegal
Without
underrating the importance of external funds in developing the education
sector, delegates emphasised the need to treat the working condition
of teachers and the provision of material as more important than
others.
"Not
many years ago, the teacher was regarded as a master and a respectable
person in the African society," Pai Obanya, a Nigerian academic,
recalled, expressing a wish for returning to the old days in order
to ensure high quality education in Africa.
Nigerian academic says Africa can finance its Education
(PANA) Paris, France - 21/05/2002 - African countries are capable
of financing the Education for All (EFA) programme through prudence
and without external support, Nigerian education Professor, Pai
Obanya said in Paris Tuesday.
Speaking
at the international symposium on basic education in Africa holding
in the French capital, Obanya said education policies in Africa
suffered setbacks not because of financial difficulties but because
of lack of political will.
"The
poorest African country has the means to finance its national EFA
programme. It only needs to make considerable savings by ensuring
that the State is moderate and avoids wasting of public funds,"
the Nigerian academic said.
Obanya,
who served for many years as Director of the Regional Office for
Education in Africa (BREDA) in Dakar, Senegal, also urged African
States to rely on their own resources to finance their education
policies.
"External
financial assistance should only come as an addition to funds allocated
(to the sector) under the national budgets," he said, stressing
that Education in Africa was also beset by incoherent decentralisation
policies and lack of reliable statistics.
Obanya,
a representative of the Francophone Association for Comparative
Education (AFEC), said: "I have observed that for three years,
every time I asked for statistics on the Education sector, an African
country sent me the same figures. This makes one doubt their reliability."
But
he said specialists should not be discouraged, noting that many
countries on the continent were making commendable progress on education.
"When
we see the performance registered in this sector by countries like
South Africa, Senegal, Swaziland, Mauritius and Namibia, among others,
we have a good reason to hope in the education system in Africa,"
the former BREDA Director said, and urged other African countries
to follow the examples of these nations.
Bush's
wife says US to devote $357 million to education
(PANA) Paris, France - 14/05/2002 - The US first lady, Laura Bush,
said in Paris Tuesday that the US government would devote 357 million
US dollars to fund education programmes in poor countries in 2002.
Bush made the remarks when she delivered a keynote address at the
Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2002
Forum underway in the French capital.
She said the amount represented an increase compared to 2001 amounts
of 285 million dollars and confirmed the Bush administration's commitment
to support education initiatives as key to economic growth world-wide.
According to her, her husband's administration had targeted the
delivery of quality education as a top priority.
The forum, being attended by ministers, Nobel laureates, captains
of industry, labour leaders and influential NGOs on global issues,
was being held under the theme "Taking Care of Fundamentals:
Security, Equity, Education and Growth."
At the three-day conference, which began Monday, participants were
holding day-long debates on how best to meet key challenges facing
the world in a bid to build a more peaceful, tolerant world in which
economic prosperity promoted equity world wide.
Education was identified as a crucial component of economic growth
and key towards building more tolerant, democratic and prosperous
societies.
Laura Bush is credited for championing education causes world-wide
as well as lending significant support towards efforts to support
teachers whom she identified as key towards providing quality education
to children which opened doors of hope to many of the world's people.
She hailed several African countries, among them Uganda, which she
said had registered significant gains in the sector with support
from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) which had
enabled these countries to put some 17 million children in schools.
That
Uganda devoted some 31 percent of its budget to education was a
signal of its commitment to enhance education opportunities in the
country, she noted.
Bush
also emphasised pre-school reading as necessary in equipping children
with an early start to literacy for better success in future.
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COUNTRY ACTIONS
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NIGERIA
- Meeting of the UNESCO in Lagos to raise the level of education
(PANA)
Lagos, Nigeria - 16/05/2002 - The UNESCO and the Nigerian Ministry
of Education organised a two days meeting in Lagos within the framework
of a lasting partnership aimed at raising the level of basic education
in the country.
In
an interview with the press, the representative of the UNESCO in
Nigeria, Mr. Hubert Charles, declared that this meeting will try
to reinforce the involvement of the private sector in supplying
services for basic education.
He
also announced that he would endeavour to reach the signature of
a Draft Agreement in order to create a special fund " which
will constitute a source of support of selected initiatives of the
private sector as well as a support of a mid or long-term programme
of research, experimentations and updates which will be implemented
in teaching institutions with a view to of Education For All (EFA)".
The
UNESCO Representative reminded that Nigeria along with other member
countries of the United Nations had adopted at the end of the World
Forum of Education in Dakar which took place in 2000, the Dakar
Framework of Action, which is a declaration of intention and commitment
in favour of the supplying of high quality services for basic education
for all until 2015.
Mr.
Charles confirmed that the Parliament and the Ministry of Education
of Nigeria reacted in an exemplary manner regarding the framework
of action, in particular with the reinforcement by the government
of its programme for universal basic education (UBE) which will
be serving as "central instrument" for the achievement
EFA before the year 2015.
Meanwhile,
the UN representative said that the Nigerian non-governmental sectors
should have to commit themselves totally in the effort which aims
at the success of EFA.
He
declared: "In the eyes of the UN, the private sector is a legitimate
area for the actions carried out in the framework of EFA. Each society
has to commit itself to ensure that all the staff members and their
families will fully take advantage of the learning opportunities
that EFA involves".
Mr.
Charles noted that the effort to carry out EFA and the supply of
education services generally are in the interest of the sector.
He
added: " An instructed worker is more creative, more in a position
to understand the dynamics of work and, consequently, can be recruited
more easily to reinforce the quality and to improve the profit."
THE GAMBIA - 2002 Big Bang EFA campaign
The
Department of State for Education in collaboration with its partners
and collaborators including UNESCO/NATCOM, UN Agencies, Governmental
Institutions, the Media, Religious Organisations and NGOs working
in the sector will be embarking on a campaign known as the Big Bang
on Education for All from 24 to 30 June 2002. A task force was inaugurated
by the Honourable Secretary of State for Education on May 20, 2002.
The
task force is charged with the responsibility of conducting a massive
and intensive sensitization campaign for school registration in
areas considered to be the most deprived and having the largest
number of out-of-school children. Grade Twelve students and members
of the Association of Secondary School Students (NASSA) are part
of the campaign team and they will travel with the task force to
all the affected areas so that they can serve as role models for
out-of-school children
The
objectives of the campaign are to:
- make
every school/madrassa a girl-friendly institution
- make
every community/village/hamlet a girl-friendly community
- ensure
that every child of school-going age is enrolled in a school/madrassa
by September 2002
- assess
other needs of the community/village/hamlet
- develop
a strategic plan for the sustainability of the EFA Movement
- establish
literacy centres with polyvalent teachers to provide instruction
- link
Literacy and Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres with the
programme of the Mothers' Clubs
- encourage
the establishment of community based ECD Centres
ACTIVITIES
- Mobilisation:
Grade Twelve students in Regions Four, Five and Six will serve
as hosts to other students going to their areas
- Mobilisation:
Second-hand clothing will be collected through the assistance
of student volunteers. These will then be distributed as gifts
during the house-to-house visits
- Meetings:
One day focussed group meetings will be held at the divisional,
village and ward levels
- Sensitisation
The task team together with Grade 12 students will visit the affected
areas on an intensive sensitization programme.
- Data
Collection: The task team will also gather information and data
relevant to EFA activities.
- Follow-up
Activities: The Regional Education Offices, the committees, student
volunteers and partners within their areas are expected to follow
up on the activities of the task team. This will keep up the momentum
until school reopens in September 2002.
Mrs.
Sukai Bojang
Secretary General
The Gambia National Commission for UNESCO
smbojang@hotmail.com
MOZAMBIQUE - Celebration of the EFA week, Maputo 22-26 April
2002
UNESCO
Maputo, in co-operation with Ministry of Education, the EFA Movement
in Mozambique and the National Commission for UNESCO organised various
activities to celebrate the second anniversary of the World Education
Forum held in Dakar in 2000. The celebrations were an opportunity
to "renew the momentum generated in Dakar and to stimulate
public debate on key issues related to Education for All".
In
Mozambique the week was celebrated in 5 provinces from the 21st
of March until the 2nd of May 2002. The events and activities concentrated
on a drawing competition for both in- and out-of-school children
between the ages of 6-12 years. The theme of the drawing event was
"What I want to do when I grow up".
Other
activities included a visit by school children to a home for people
living with HIV/AIDS (including children living with HIV/AIDS),
debates on the topic of Education for All and alternative manners
in which to increase access and equity broadcast through both radio
and TV, and the signing of a 'school report' within the framework
of the global campaign for education, which was subsequently submitted
to the Canadian Embassy in preparation of coming G8 Summit.
The
closing ceremony was at Josina Machel secondary school on the 2nd
of May. During the closing ceremony parents, teachers, children,
civil society representatives present were able to view the drawings
selected during the drawing competition. Amongst the key addresses
were those from the Minister of Education, Ms Graça Machel
on Behalf of Movement de Educação Para Todos, the
representative from the Canadian Embassy, and the UNESCO representative
made key addresses of the event. Submitting the school reports to
the Ministry of Education and Canadian Embassy was part of the closing
event.
For
further information please contact:
Noel Chicuecue
National EFA Programme Officer
n.chicuecue@unesco.org
________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
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