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EFA
Africa Bulletin Board
-October 2002
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MEETINGS
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The
eighth Conference of Ministers of Education of African Member States:
MINEDAF VIII
The eighth Conference of Ministers of Education of African Member
States (MINEDAF VIII) will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from
2 to 6 December 2002.
The Conference takes place after important recent developments such
as the creation of the African Union and the adoption of NEPAD,
which sets a new framework for education in Africa. Furthermore
it is held two years after the World Education Forum in Dakar, and
coincides with the 2002 deadline of the Dakar Framework for Action
for the development of national action plans for Education for All.
MINEDAF VIII should thus constitute a symbolic moment for all partners
to demonstrate that the collective commitment to Education for All
will be sustained.
The purpose of MINEDAF is to contribute to mobilizing world opinion,
decision-makers and the international community in favour of the
promotion of Education for All. The intended outputs of the conference
are a Statement of Commitment and a Plan of Action.
Among the major themes to discuss at the conference are: Changes
in education to meet Regional commitments in the context of AU and
NEPAD; strategies for universalising Education for children and
adolescents; issues and strategies for the promotion of adult education
in the context of long life learning; issues and strategies in secondary
and higher education; improving the relevance and quality of education,
mobilising and managing resources for the implementation of EFA;
and regional Co-operation in Education.
For further information, please consult the MINEDAF web site: www.minedaf.org
Contact:
Aimé Damiba,
Consultant, UNESCO-BREDA
a.damiba@unesco.org
NGOs and civil society prepare for MINEDAF VIII in Malawi
from 30 September to 2 October 2002.
A
Regional Consultation of non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and
civil society organizations (CSOs) took place in Lilongwe, Malawi
from 30 September to 2 October, with the purpose promoting participation
of civil society in education in Africa, and strengthening political
will and momentum for partnership building between governments and
NGO/CSOs in preparation of MINEDAF VIII.
A
total of about 100 civil society participants (international and
regional NGOs/Networks and National NGOs/CSOs/networks working in
the field of education) discussed and validated a document on civil
society perspectives on EFA in Africa, which include an assessment
of civil society participation in EFA processes and recommendations
on advancing the EFA goals in African societies. The document will
be one of the official working documents in the MINEDAF VIII conference.
Furthermore they prepared the participation of NGOs/CSOs in the
MINEDAF general sessions, thematic panels and a Special Session
between Ministers and NGOs/CSOs.
The
organisers of the meeting were the government of Malawi, the UNESCO
Secretariat, members of the Africa Group of UNESCO and the Collective
Consultation of NGOs on EFA (CCNGO/EFA)
Contact:
Eva Iversen UNESCO Contact Team, CCNGO/EFA, UNESCO-BREDA
e.iversen@unesco.org
Susanne
Schnuttgen and Claire Mollard, UNESCO Contact Team CCNGO/EFA; Basic
Education Division, UNESCO Headquarters
Email: s.schnuttgen@unesco.org
/c.mollard@unesco.org
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EDUCATION IN AFRICA
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UNESCO
pledges co-operation with G8 on Universal Education
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Dakar - 09/07/2002 - UNESCO Director General
Koïchiro Matsuura has written to Canadian Prime Minister Jean
Chretien in the aftermath of the G8 Summit in Kananaskis pledging
the UN agency's co-operation with the group of the world's industrialised
countries in their support of Universal Education.
Congratulating
Chretien for "the highly successful outcome" of the Summit,
Matsuura said it pointed to "accelerating progress towards
Universal Primary Education." "I welcome in particular
the G8's strong endorsement of the report of its Task Force on Education
and its commitment to increase significantly, bilateral funding
for developing countries that have demonstrated a strong and credible
policy and financial commitment to achieve Universal Primary Education
(UPE)," a UNESCO release quoted the Director General as saying.
"This
reinforces the Monterrey Consensus and provides the financial backing
for supporting countries selected for the fast-track initiative
for achieving UPE," Matsuura added. He pointed out that "this
represents an important step in meeting the pledge we made at the
World Education Forum at Dakar (Senegal) two years ago, that no
countries seriously committed to Education for All (EFA) will be
thwarted in the achievement of this goal by a lack of resources."
Recalling that "UNESCO continues to play its assigned role
in promoting the broad vision of EFA as enunciated by the international
community at Dakar," Matsuura said: "We look forward to
working closely with the G8 in translating the pledges made at the
Kananaskis Summit into reality".
He
also expressed the hope that UNESCO would "sustain the constructive
engagement of the G8 in education, particularly basic education,
all the way up to the target date of 2015 for achieving the goals
of EFA."
African
governments urged to introduce bursaries for girls
Nairobi,
Kenya (PANA) - Nairobi - 10/07/2002 - To meet the educational requirements
of all needy girls, African governments are urged to replicate the
Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) bursary scheme and
other financing mechanisms. FAWE's executive director Penina Mlama
told at the end of the group's 5th general assembly in Nairobi in
July 2002, that access to education for an increasing number was
threatened by poverty.
The
assembly brought together 31 FAWE members, 15 African education
ministers, 21 representatives of donor agencies and 33 FAWE national
chapters. Among other things, the meeting discussed the progress
of the education for all (EFA) policy by the year 2015 as outlined
in the Dakar declaration of 2000. Mlama disclosed that FAWE has
attempted to influence policy in favour of girls' education, adding
that it had managed to convince a number of countries to highlight
some of its concerns into their education policies and plans. For
example, several countries including Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal
and Burkina Faso have adopted policies that allow pregnant girls
to return to school after delivery, Mlama disclosed.
Mlama
bemoaned the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on society noting
that it had dealt a particularly big blow to the education systems
throughout sub-Saharan Africa and more so to the girl child. "The
majority of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa are occurring
among young people; especially women aged 15 to 24. Girls bear the
brunt of all these negative aspects including poverty, teenage pregnancy,
cultural practices such as early marriages and sexual harassment,"
she lamented.
Senegal to begin teaching local languages in primary schools
Dakar,
Senegal (PANA) - Dakar- 9/07/2002 - Education authorities in Senegal
have decided to begin teaching national languages in primary schools
beginning next October, The Division for the Promotion of National
Languages (DPLN) has announced.
In
the first year of primary education the languages will be exclusively
taught during the first semester to enable pupils to read, write
and do arithmetic in them. French will be introduced during the
second semester, but it will only be taught orally," Babacar
Diouf, director of DPLN told PANA. Diouf explained that French and
the national languages would be taught simultaneously beginning
from the second year of primary school, and he added that the teaching
of national languages "will enable us to improve the acquisition
of French in our schools. We want to make the cohabitation between
French, the country's official language, and our national languages
to be a dynamic one."
Senegal
has 27 local languages, 11 of which have the status of national
languages after having been codified, DPLN said. National languages
have been taught at public kindergarten schools and the University
of Dakar since the early 1970s.
World Bank supports education in DR Congo
Kinshasa,
RD Congo (PANA) - Kinshasa - 22/08/2002 - The Democratic Republic
of Congo is among the countries that should benefit from the "Accelerated
Programme", launched by the World Bank in favour of Education
For All (EFA), the UNESCO Kinshasa Office has announced. The release
issued from the said office states, that the new programme intends
to concentrate EFA funding efforts in 18 countries considered as
the most favoured which fulfil the required conditions, and to intensify
assistance to 5 other countries, namely Bangladesh, Tanzania, India,
Nigeria, Pakistan and DR Congo.
Quoting
UNESCO Director General, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, the release
further pointed out that if increased support to education should
depend on a large-scale reform of the governance system, then education
could be unfairly penalised. It would, thus be preferable to link
assistance to education to the reform of the education sector, its
good governance and transparency, the same source states.
Forum on education to be held in Congo soon
Brazzaville,
Congo (PANA) - Brazzaville - 08/08/2002 - A Forum on education will
be organised in Congo, with the aim of formulating reform strategies
for the Congolese education system, the adviser in higher education
at the ministry of primary, secondary and higher Education, Mr.
Elenga Camara, disclosed.
"
This forum could be held in November, at the earliest, and in the
first quarter of 2003, at the latest," Mr. Elenga Camara said,
adding that the purpose of the meeting is to identify efforts to
undertake, the preparation of a national education programme by
2010, reforms to be effected per sector. It will be organised by
the Congolese government with support from UNESCO. As regards basic
education, the themes selected for discussion include the improvement
of learning quality, youth and adult literacy and that of dropouts
of the education system. At the secondary level, participants will
examine education-training policies, and those relative to reconstruction
and school equipment, partnership dynamics and education funding.
Teaching conditions will also be looked into, the same source said.
A technical guide to fighting poverty recommended
Bamako,
Mali (PANA) - Bamako - 09/08/2002 - The national co-ordinators of
the UNESCO network of associated schools has recommended in Bamako
the translation into French and several African languages of a technical
guide titled " Feed people, fight famine ".
The
recommendation was made following a sub-regional meeting held in
August on teaching materials between UNESCO intermediaries and teachers
from four West African countries of Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and
Senegal. Participants also recommended the use of the guide as new
teaching tool to enable pupils to combat famine. During the meeting
organised by UNESCO, development partners like UNICEF, FAO and WFP
pledged to support the project to make easier its implementation
in West African educational systems.
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COUNTRY ACTIONS
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International
literacy day at BREDA: an initiative to be pursued
Like
in other regions of the world, the Regional Office for Education
in Africa (BREDA), in collaboration with the Senegalese government,
chose a concrete and symbolic way of celebrating International Literacy
Day. The event, held at BREDA office on Friday 6 September, was
chaired by the Minister of Technical Education, Professional Training,
Literacy and National Languages who received an important set of
literacy materials from the BREDA Director. The said donation was
meant for the 10 Educational Research Centres (ERC). The Minister
further received, on behalf of his ministry in charge of preparing
the national literacy week, a set of self-training books for State
officials and posters for the awareness campaign scheduled from
8 to 14 September 2002.
The
ceremony organised to deliver the said books was meant to provide
material support to the ERC and the Department of Literacy and Basic
Education, which plays a crucial role in the fight against illiteracy
among the Senegalese population. These books will enable a wider
public to improve and complete their acquisitions in arithmetic
and reading and to sensitise the public about the importance of
literacy.
The
theme focussed on this year for the celebration of the International
Literacy Day in Senegal is: " National languages for local
governance of quality ", while at the international level,
the following theme was dwelt on: " Literacy, source of freedom:
a challenge for the 21st century".
Today,
there is no doubt that illiteracy is constantly rolling back in
the world (from 22.4 to 20.3% in 5 years) and this regression is
even more encouraging as concerns adult women, particularly in Africa.
These changes are however extremely slow and there is need to redouble
our efforts if we want to take up the Dakar 2002 bet.
Abdon
Sofonnou
UNESCO-BREDA
s.abdon@unesco.org
Integration of health issues in the National Action Plans
'If
the bodies of the learners are healthy, then their minds will be
more receptive to learning. By ensuring the health and education
of our people, you are offering them the strongest tool of all for
the eradication of poverty.' Koïchiro Matsuura, Director General
UNESCO.
For
UNESCO, an organisation with an educational mandate, health has
become a crucial issue. As stated by the Director General: 'Health
is an essential condition for teaching and effective learning, and
is also an outcome of quality education. Combating diseases, therefore,
must be a key element in efforts to achieve Education for All, and
health must be high on the agenda of the education sector at all
levels'.
It
is therefore a priority for UNESCO to ensure that health issues
are adequately addressed in the National Action Plans now being
developed by governments. For instance to ensure this, UNESCO/BREDA
has provided technical assistance to Guinea Bissau during a workshop
with national authorities that took place from 24-29 June 2002 in
Gabu. A school health expert from Senegal participated at this meeting
and assisted the national authorities in identifying, and effectively
addressing, health and nutrition problems.
In
the National Action Plan from Guinea Bissau, the provision of food
to schoolchildren has been foreseen through school cantinas supported
by the World Food Programme. Because micronutrient deficiencies
among school children are known to affect school performance, an
effort to eliminate such deficiencies is a valid, and probably necessary
strategy for achieving the EFA goals.
Lieke
Berghauser Pont
Associate Expert Preventive Education
l.berghauser@unesco.org
The
process of preparation of the EFA-NAP nearly completed in Liberia
The
following activities relating to the preparation and finalising
of the EFA plan for Liberia have been completed:
An
EFA plan preparation has been completed, covering the education
sector. Political consultation with validation has been done, and
new legal steps have been taken for EFA since Dakar. Additionally,
the EFA Forum has been established. A number of EFA consultations
with the law makers have taken place, especially the Legistlative
Committees on Education, as well as the civil society organizations.
The
Technical preparation of the plan has been completed, taking into
account education sector analysis, macro-economic and social framework,
a long-term strategic plan for education in general and EFA in particular,
as well as a medium-term operational plan for education in general(MTP)
and EFA in particular.
It
is important to add that the Education Co-ordination Committee set
up by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Planning and Economic
Affairs, comprising members from the NGOs and UN agencies that are
involved with the education sector is also reviewing the Draft EFA
Action Plan for finalization. UNICEF\Liberia has taken the lead
to provide technical and material assistance in getting the draft
finalized.
The
first meeting of the EFA Forum was held on August 27, 2002, to brief
members on the EFA and the National Action Plan. The second meeting
took place, September 5, 2002 to discuss launching possibility of
the Forum, and it is expected to be launched by 15 September 2002.
Isaac
Roland
EFA National Co-ordinator,Liberia
vauhan@yahoo.com
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