Current political context
… country divided since September 2002 but a peace process is in progress :
• Ouagadougou Peace Agreement signed by President Laurent Gbagbo and head of the Forces Nouvelles Guillaume Soro, on 4 March
• Guillaume Soro appointed Prime Minister New Government announced 7th April (new Minister of Education)
• Public servants in process of redeployment
• Presidential elections planned for late 2008
The state of education in Côte d’Ivoire
• Before the conflict 78% of children were in school
(88% of boys, 67% of girls)
• Even at this time, an estimated one million children
(including 605,000 girls) were out of school
• The situation has deteriorated with the conflict:
overall enrolment rates in 2005 estimated at 54%
Effects of the conflict on education sector
Central North and Western Zones
• Destruction and pillage of schools
• Progressive degradation of
infrastructures
• Departure/flight of many teachers
(over 60% in some regions)
• Lack of teaching and learning
resources
• Reduction in enrolment rates
• Failure to hold exams
Southern Zones
• Overloaded classrooms
• Progressive degradation of
infrastructures
• Lack of teaching and learning
resources
• Increased violence in schools
Rewrite the Future: overall goal
• 270.000 children in 9
regions of Côte d’Ivoire
complete a cycle of
quality primary
education in safe,
participatory learning
environments by end
2010
Access objective
• Enable 45.450 children
to gain access to
education, therefore
contributing to the
Ministry of Education’s
goal of increasing
overall primary
enrolment rates to 95%
and girls’ enrolment
rates to 90% by 2010
Quality objective
• To develop capacity
of teachers and
communities to
improve relevance,
teaching, learning
and participation for
children in schools
and non-formal
education centres
by end 2010
Protection objective
• Key duty-bearers ensure all children (especially vulnerable groups such as girls and children associated with armed forces) are protected and accepted in and around the learning environment
Finance objective
• To ensure that each
school in the Save the
Children intervention
areas has a budget
sufficient to cover its
annual running costs
by end 2010
Save the Children regions of activity
9 DREN (Directions Régionales de l’Éducation Nationale)
Save the Children Sweden: Abengourou, Abidjan 1, Bouaké, Bondoukou & Korhogo (5 DREN)
Save the Children UK: Abidjan 2, Man, Odienné & San Pedro(4 DREN)
Key achievements to date: Access
132 primary schools rehabilitated and equipped
Beginning of rehabilitation, Korhogo After rehabilitation, Korhogo
Key achievements to date: Access
Support for 45 non-
formal education
centres (minor
rehabilitation, basic
furniture and
equipment, provision
of teaching, learning
and recreational kits)Non-formal education centre, Afounvassou, Abidjan II
Key achievements to date: Access
• Participation with UNICEF’s back to school
campaign: logistical and human resource
support, children’s participation and
development of messages
• Partnerships with two local NGOs to campaign
and build awareness in communities not
targeted by UNICEF
Key achievements to date: Quality
• Distribution of 50.000
school kits for children
in 146 schools
• Distribution of teaching
kits to 766 teachers
• Distribution of
recreational kits to 146
primary schools
Key achievements to date: Quality
Teacher training:
• Roll out of the Ministry of
Education’s new skills-
based learning
programme to teachers in
all 146 schools
• Sessions on child rights,
particularly protection and
participation
Key achievements to date: Quality
Training for School
Management Committees
• Mission and mandate of School
Management Committees
• Organisational and financial
management
• School maintenance
• Child rights, particularly
protection and participation
• The school project approach
Key achievements to date: Quality
Encouraging child participation
in School Management Committees:
• Including child members as
participants in training
• Adapting training modules and
methods to make them more child-
friendly
• Developing action plans to
encourage children’s involvement
in school management and
decision-making
School Management Committee members, San Pedro
Key achievements to date: Protection
Training for Teachers
• Modules on child rights and
protection issues
• Development of Teacher
Codes of Conduct
• Training on positive discipline
and alternatives to physical
and humiliating punishment
Key achievements to date: Protection
• Training of School Management Committees on child
rights and development of action plans for the
protection of children in the school environment
• Establishment of Children’s Clubs, with training on
children’s rights and development of action plans
• Training of 50 staff members of 7 local NGOs on
advocacy for children’s rights
Key achievements to date: Finance
• Training for 146 School
Management Committees
(including children) in
basic financial
management skills
• Preliminary research on
financing in the education
sector in Côte d’Ivoire
Other achievements
• Children’s workshops: Mid-way to the MDGs
“School is important because you learn to reflect and
to write well. It’s important to know how to read so
that I can know what’s happening in my country. The
teacher also explains to me the phenomena of my
country and the politics of my country. I will be able
to earn a living if I go to school. I won’t just sit and do
nothing, not knowing how to work. School helps you
to evolve. School is a right.”
Bamba, 12, President of the Children’s
Club, EPP Mont Glas, Man
Other achievements
Press conference with
Good Will Ambassador
Kolo TOURE
18 June 2007,
marking mid-way
to the MDGs
Other achievements
One year anniversary celebration
12 September 2007
Send-off of 30,000 school kits and
children’s press conference
Activities March-December 2008
• Continued support for 96 schools from 2006 and 2007 (kits, training, children’s clubs etc)
• Continued support to 45 non-formal education centres
• Continued support and training for children’s clubs in all schools
• Financing of 40 school projects
• Regional Education Fora
• Rehabilitation and equipment of 44 new schools
• Distribution of 50,000 school kits manufactured in CdI
• Training for school management committees of 50 new schools
• Training for teachers of 50 new schools
• Research on child protection issues in the learning environment
Financing challenges and difficulties
• Ending of Sida financing in 2008
• Programme has been reduced in one region
• Funding only secured for xxx crowns in 2009
and 2010
Programmatic challenges
• Staff are becoming overworked as programme
scales up each year
• Protection and finance strategies
• Repetitive teacher strikes
Is Rewrite the Future in Côte d’Ivoire a rights based programme?
• Programme strategy is based on CRP(understanding and awareness of HR, CRSA, planning(dimensions of changes), monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, etc)
• A balanced combination of activities under the three pillars• Practical, direct interventions• Strengthening existing structures and mechanisms within
education sector• Developing the capacity of communities and civil society to
realize children right to education• Child participation• Non discrimination
What is effective, ethical and meaningful child participation in rewrite the future in Côte d’Ivoire?
• Involving children at all stages of the
programmes
• Incorporate specific elements aimed at
increasing children’s participation in the
learning environment and beyond
Children’s participation in the programme cycle
• Research/planning: through consultations,workshops and
trainings
• Delivery: Child-led initiatives, peers education, children’s
clubs, child-led organisations
• Advocacy and awareness raising
• Monitoring and evaluation: child-led
evaluations/participation in GIM process
Programme activities aimed at increasing children’s participation
• Training of teachers/educators and children in
children’s rights and participatory approaches
• Support to children’s participation in school
administration through school management
• Support participation in children’s clubs and
school cooperatives
• Child-led advocacy and campaigning
Some examples of children participation to the programme cycle
• Children participation in the Situation analysis Côte d’Ivoire in 2006;
• Children expressed their difficulties in accessing quality education
• In over 146 schools working with the programme, children have been included as effective members of schools management committees
• Children’s clubs have been supported within each school• Representatives from the clubs participated to the
development of codes of conduct
Challenges
• RtF versus national education policy • Lack of child friendly material• Involving younger children in monitoring and
evaluation• Involving children in the evaluation of schools
activities including their teachers • Negotiating a common agenda between parents
associations and children’s clubs• What’s next after 2010 ???