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UNESCO participated actively in the Seminar on the
follow-up to the Decade of Education in West Africa, held in Banjul,
Gambia, from 24 to 28 January 2000. The meeting was organized jointly by
the OAU and ECOWAS, within the framework of the Harare Programme of Action
adopted by the Conference of African Ministers of Education (COMEDAF) in
March 1999 in Harare, Zimbabwe, and ratified in July 1999 in Algiers,
Algeria, by the 35th Regular Session of the Conference of the Heads of
State and Government of the OAU. Thirteen countries of the sub-region, some of them at
ministerial level, took part in the Seminar, as did representatives of
SADC and Cameroon, in the capacity of observers. The participants in the
deliberations also included representatives of NGOs and regional and
international cooperation networks and organizations. The Seminar had the
following objectives: (i) setting up of follow-up structures and mechanisms and
the implementation of the Decade at the regional level; (ii) identification of the pilot projects to be
implemented during the Decade; and (iii) organization of consultations between the concerned
States on the hand, and the latter and the cooperation organizations on
the other, on the financing of the activities of the Decade at the
subregional level. The work of the Seminar was carried out in panels devoted
to the following themes: (i) the state of education in West Africa; (ii) access, equity, quality, relevance and strengthening
of capacities; (iii) subregional strategy for increasing research in
education; (iv) the status and role of teacher associations and
unions and the media in regard to the achievement of the objectives of the
Decade; (v) the financing of the Decade. The results of the Seminar can be summarized as follows:
(i) the OAU will continue to assume responsibility for
general coordination and the Secretariat of the Decade; (ii) subregional branches of the Secretariat will be
created; in this connection, the West African branch will be located in
Gambia; (iii) a focal point for the Decade will be created in the
ECOWAS Secretariat; (iv) each country will choose a focal point for the
Decade. The Seminar also indicated ten domains in which pilot projects
which are to be identified will be implemented; for each of these
projects, a country was designated to play a leadership role in the
preparation of the project file, and the coordination and follow-up of
project execution. The cooperation organizations present at the Seminar
were asked to indicate the projects to which they might give assistance.
During the World Education Forum in Dakar, the
delegations of the six African Francophone countries with the lowest
enrolment rate in West Africa, (Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Niger
and Senegal), decided to meet again at the highest level in Bamako. This
meeting was to be aimed at the creation of subregional awareness, the
examination of the direction to be given to the common effort, and the
identification of the means and strategies to be used to achieve the goals
of education for all within the time-frame established by the Forum.
Moreover, the organization was envisaged in Bamako, within the framework
of the United Nations System-Wide Special Initiative on Africa, of a
seminar to take stock of the strengths and weaknesses of the participation
of civil society in the effort of education for all. These meetings took
place in three stages: (i) a meeting of Ministers of Education and Finance; (ii) a Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the
six countries; and (iii) a seminar on the contribution of the NGOs/CSOs in
EFA. The meetings took place between 25 November and 2 December 2000.
The Meeting of Ministers welcomed the participation of
the ministers of finance, one which proved their determination to
contribute to the common effort of education for all. It also welcomed the
intention of the donor countries to alleviate the debt of the six
countries. It noted with satisfaction that Senegal and Mali had already
designed acceptable plans of action, while Chad and Guinea would probably
be ready before the end of the year. Niger and Burkina Faso would be in
the very near future. The meeting had prepared orientation documents for
the Summit of Heads of State and Government, namely: a Framework for
action, a political Resolution and a Framework for partnership. Five Heads of State and Government, about twelve
ministers of education and finance as well as representatives of national
and international partners responded to the Bamako appeal. In addition to
UNESCO, other such partners included the representatives of other
development partners, among them the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, French
cooperation, Netherlands cooperation, UNICEF, USAID, ISESCO and civil
society representatives who included teacher trade unions and
parent-teacher associations. The meeting was given added importance by the
presence of the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura who had
been invited by the President of Mali, H.E. Mr Alpha Oumar Konaré. The meeting of the Heads of State and Government produced
the following results: the Heads of State and Government showed resolute
political commitment to education by putting it among their foremost
priorities. This political commitment should also lead to the commitment
of society as a whole, and sealed by a national consensus around education
for all, and basic education in particular. It should be accompanied by a
financial commitment expressed in concrete terms by the mobilization of
endogenous resources and the priority allocation of loans and subsidies to
EFA. The Heads of State and Government committed themselves to devoting 4%
of their GDP to education, with about 50% of the education budget being
earmarked for basic education. At least 50% of the revenue gained from debt alleviation
is to be allocated to education, and at least half of this education
allocation invested in basic education. The annual external aid needs of
each of the concerned countries have been estimated at about US $40 to 50
million. The Heads of State and Government committed themselves to
promoting community participation and to recognizing and encouraging the
contribution of the NGOs, and civil society and private sector
organizations. Emphasis was put on the crucial role played by the teacher
trade unions and parent-teacher associations, as well as the need to
improve output. There was a high level of attendance at the seminar on
the contribution of the NGOs/CSOs to EFA, with representatives from civil
society, ministries of education, professional organizations, the media
and bilateral and multilateral organizations. The seminar noted the
remarkable contribution made by the NGOs/CSOs in areas such as community
mobilization, the use of alternative approaches, the creation of school
health programmes and provision of STD/AIDS preventive education, the
empowerment of women, the strengthening of capacities, the production of
teaching materials, as well as the creation of mechanisms for dialogue and
civic education for peace, the protection of the environment, democracy
and the promotion of the family. The seminar suggested that the NGOs/CSOs
be given greater scope for consultation, cooperation and participation in
decision-making on educational reform, and in the formulation of the
national Plans of Action of education for all. Dialogue could be
established through national coalitions of NGOs/CSOs which were to be
created and strengthened everywhere where they already existed. UNESCO's
support was requested to this end. Assistance from UNESCO and the World Bank was requested
for several activities, in the context of the follow-up to the decisions
taken at the Bamako meetings. In cooperation with the World Bank,
bilateral partners, notably French cooperation, Netherlands cooperation,
USAID, the Nordic countries, civil society and the other partners of
education for all, UNESCO should assist each of the countries rapidly to
set up an EFA cell in order to re-examine the implications of the Dakar
Forum on the objectives, strategies and timetables already in place for
the ongoing programmes of the decade. The timetables were designed to
respect the 2002 deadline for the finalization of the EFA national Plans
of Action. The World Bank has made known its readiness to facilitate the
coverage of any readjustment made necessary by the Dakar and Bamako Summit
commitments. A follow-up task force should be set up to accompany the
initiative which was to form part of the priority programmes to be
included in the Dakar Forum follow-up plan. Moreover, a working group
comprising the Director of the Division of Basic Education, the Director
responsible for education for Africa, and the Director of the Africa
Bureau of the World Bank and the representatives of bilateral partners,
should be set up to help implement the initiative. The assistance of
UNESCO, the World Bank and the other partners was expressly requested in
the following areas: (i) dissemination of the Dakar results; (ii)
promotion of social peace and security; (iii) improvement of the condition
of teachers and their output; (iv) strengthening of the capacities of the
NGOs to enable them to play their role as partners; and (v) dissemination
of the Bamako recommendations. This UNESCO programme strives to promote basic education
for street children and to prevent children in difficult circumstances
from succumbing to a life on the streets. Activities in Africa during the
present biennium (2000-2001) have included: the launching of the
UNESCO/UNAIDS Project "Promote access to basic education and vocational
training for children in difficult circumstances" in southern and East
Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Swaziland; (ii) Based on the results of these
analyses, a subregional workshop for the professionals of eight countries
of the region, was held in Windhoek (Namibia) during the second half of
2001. It brought together the following countries: Botswana, Lesotho,
Malawi Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In Guinea,
the "Project to educate street children" which is aimed at the
strengthening of the professional skills of social workers and educators
in the prevention of drug abuse and AIDS, prepared by an NGO (SIDAERTE).
The survey was carried out using: (i) questionnaires addressed to public
and private professionals, and the general public, and (ii) focus groups
for the parents and children in difficult circumstances. The results of
the survey might also prove useful for the professionals of the other
countries of the region. In Mali, the "Cyber Classe" (second chance school) Pilot
Project for street children was launched in June 2000, in close
collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Mali and the Minister of
Education. It uses computer-based play activity to attract street children
to school. Mali also forms part of the first phase of the education projet
"Le Livre blanc de notre avenir", (The White Book of our future-Mali),
launched by UNESCO and P.A.U Education (a Barcelona publishing house). The
project was aimed at attracting the street children to participate in the
creation or improvement of the teaching tools and practices used for their
instruction. The pupils and teachers accordingly noted, illustrated and
narrated the everyday experiences of the rehabilitation of children in
difficult circumstances, and shared their respective experiences. This new
instructional tool and medium also serves to create awareness not only in
governments and sponsors, but also in society as a whole, about the
creative potential of street children. The NGO ENDA-Bamako identified and
supervised the six centres participating in the project. The "Livre
blanc", synopsis of the different contributions made by the six centres,
will be made available shortly. A "national exchange and reflection Seminar-Workshop on
the assumption of responsibility for children in difficult circumstances"
was organized at BREDA (Dakar) from 28 to 30 November 2000. About thirty
employees with responsibility for children in difficult circumstances, and
who work for agencies of the United Nations System, governmental bodies
and NGOs from different regions of Senegal, participated in the Seminar.
Two identification missions were also carried out in Gabon, within the
framework of cooperation with the Gabonese Government with a view to the
setting up in Libreville of a pilot project to rehabilitate children in
difficult circumstances. The project comprises: (i) the creation of a
professional training centre for young people in difficult circumstances
(farm-school in Mélen), and (ii) the putting into operation of a
reception, protection, socialization and education centre for children
without a family (Angogé Reception Centre).
The Guidance and Counselling Programme concerns the
non-academic aspects of education, in this case the emotional and social
dimension of the school life of the child. It gives greater significance
to the education of children, enabling young people to acquire the
capabilities and knowledge they need to achieve autonomy. The programme
seeks to create and institutionalize the guidance and counselling services
in parallel with school life, while giving priority to the education of
girls and putting emphasis on HIV/AIDS preventive education. The programme
was established in 1994 by the African Ministers of Education, and now
involves 27 sub-Saharan African countries. It is managed by the Ministers
of Education through a Board of Governors. A Working Committee, composed
of members from the participating countries, is responsible for the
follow-up and implementation of the project. Since 1996, regional training
courses have been organized in English for the benefit of political
leaders, teachers, trainers of teachers, young people and social workers
in Malawi where there is a temporary Centre for Guidance, Counselling and
Youth Development in Africa. A permanent centre is being built. Since
1999, regional training centres have been organized in French in Côte
d'Ivoire and Senegal. Training has a multiplier effect when it is carried out
at regional and national levels. Sixteen training kit units have been
created by local teams, and concern subjects such as gender sensitivity,
social work and the reproductive health of adolescents. Other training kit
units will be created for AIDS orphans, enterprise management education,
and the promotion of harmony between ethnic groups. The programme will
also include manuals and videos. It is flexible enough to be adapted to
the different needs of each Member State. It is jointly financed by
UNESCO, DANIDA and Finland. UNICEF, UNFPA, the United States of America,
Germany, ISESCO and the Rockefeller Foundation are also collaborating in
the project. Lastly, the programme is relayed at the national level by
Governments and the National Commissions for UNESCO. During the 2000-2001 biennium, local workshops were
organized in the 27 participating countries, and the preparation of
guidance and counselling training materials for the Francophone Group
continued. The resulting materials included manuals to supplement the
training kit units on: the reproductive health of adolescents; the rights
and duties of girls and women; personal, family and domestic life skills.
Training kit units prepared for the Anglophone Group include HIV/AIDS
Education, Enterprise Education, and Racial and Ethnic Harmony. The
following is a summary of the other activities undertaken during the
biennium: (i) a training course for guidance and counselling
trainers for the Francophone Group in Rabat, Morocco, from 27 to 31 March
2000; (ii) the meeting of the Board of Governors in April 2000
in Dakar Senegal; (iii) the fourth regional training course for the
trainers of guidance and counselling trainers for the Anglophone Group in
Domasi, Malawi, from 10 to 28 July 2000, and the second regional training
course for the trainers of guidance and counselling trainers for the
Francophone Group in Dakar, Senegal, from 13 November to 2 December 2000;
(iv) the meeting of the Working Committee for the
Anglophone Group in Lagos, Nigeria, from 27 November to 2 December 2000.
The following is a summary of the activities undertaken
during the first semester of 2001: (i) the meeting of the Working
Committee for the Francophone Group in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in March
2001; (ii) the Youth Forum for AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, from 23 to 26
April 2001, and another Youth Forum for AIDS orphans in Malawi from 18 to
21 April 2001. The activities envisaged for the second semester of 2001
were as follows: (i) the fifth regional guidance and counselling training
course for the Anglophone Group in Lilongwe, Malawi, from 9 to 27 July
2001; (ii) the meeting of the Board of Governors in October 2001; (III)
the International Conference on Guidance and Counselling, the launching of
the Association of Guidance Counsellors in Africa, and the meeting of the
Working Committee on Guidance and Counselling for the Anglophone Group
from 15 to 19 October 2001; (iv) the third regional training course for
the trainers of guidance and counselling trainers for the Francophone
Group in Abidjan, in November-December 2001; and (v) the Youth Forum for
AIDS orphans in Zambia, in December 2001. Within the framework of the Special Project for the
"Promotion of girls' and women's education in Africa", UNESCO and the
Government of Burkina Faso organized a three-day seminar on the
establishment in Ouagadougou of a Centre for the education of girls, with
particular attention being devoted to the examination of the required plan
and timetable of work. The participants in the seminar comprised a
wide-ranging group of people, from both the public and private sector, who
are actively involved in the education of girls and women, as well as the
representatives of various organizations. The evaluation of this Special
Project, which is envisaged in document 30 C/5, was now being prepared.
In 1996, as a follow-up to the World Conference on
Special Needs Education held in 1994 in Salamanca (Spain), UNESCO launched
the Project on Inclusive Schools and Community Support Programmes.
The purpose of the project is to support action and
disseminate information on small-scale innovations at national, provincial
and local levels, promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities
and learning difficulties in regular schools. Project action comprises
teacher training, the creation of structures to provide pedagogical
support, the education of parents, pre-primary education, the education of
the deaf, adult education and the transition to the world of work. Phase
II of the project (1998-2000) encompassed eleven countries, five of which
are African, and was funded by Denmark, Finland and Norway. With the near
completion of almost all the projects, several countries envisaged
follow-up activities for the spring of 2001. The evaluation of phase II
was envisaged for the spring of 2001, thus leading on to phase III. The
latter was scheduled to begin in the autumn of 2001, taking in a number of
countries already involved in phase II as well as one or two new ones.
The following activities were carried out in Africa
during the 2000-2001 biennium: (i) In Cameroon, the NGO APEHM which is active in the
field of social rehabilitation and the education of handicapped children,
is responsible for the execution of the activities of this small-scale
project. The latter is aimed at facilitating the definition of a given
policy, teacher training, the setting up of support services, and the
sensitization of parents and the community to the education and social
rehabilitation of handicapped children, in particular to the integration
of handicapped children into regular schools. The schools participating in
this project have several integrated classes, and the support team is
continuing its efforts to secure a global approach in schools, in order to
bring in and train the entirety of teaching personnel. (ii) In Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana Society
for the Deaf, the Ghana Deaf Education Project was aimed at training a
national team of trainers in the teaching of sign language, documenting
sign language, and the production of training materials. The project was
also aimed at meeting the communication needs of the deaf by strengthening
the existing structures, the provision of technical guidance, the training
of personnel, and the establishment of a core resource team. The Section
of Special Needs Education believes that the aims and objectives of the
project have been achieved. Sixteen adult deaf people were given sign
language and documentation training. Thirty-four teachers of the deaf and
thirteen interpreters were trained in sign language structure and
teaching, and sign language interpretation respectively. A resource team
has been set up with the responsibility for disseminating workshop
results, and a sign language dictionary is being produced. The established
partnerships probably constitute the major gain which should be
strengthened and maintained in order to create the bases for the future
development of the sign language. A partnership of trust and cooperation
has been established between the Section of Special Needs Education and
the Ghana Society for the Deaf. Debates are being organized on questions
relating to the deaf and the sign language. As a follow-up to the project,
the Section of Special Needs Education will inform the principals of
schools for the deaf about the subject, in order that they can integrate
the teaching and learning of the sign language in their term plans and
objectives. Deaf adults will be encouraged to promote the sign language
training programmes in the schools, and the Section of Special Needs
Education will continue to explore the possibilities of offering
employment as assistants to adult deaf people. Two follow-up workshops
were envisaged during the year for teachers of the deaf and interpreters.
The Section of Special Needs Education will continue to coordinate and
supervise the activities relating to the sign language, and to draft
reports for the Ghanaian Ministry of Education. A budget for activities
relating to the sign language will be presented to the Government through
the Ghanaian Ministry of Education, and the Section of Special Needs
Education will explore the possibility of other funding sources. (iii) In Madagascar, the Minister of education is
responsible for setting up a pilot project on inclusive education which is
aimed at the acquisition of pilot experience in this domain in Madagascar,
and its gradual development. Training has been given to the teachers in
three pilot schools, and they are being regularly supervised by a project
team. Teachers from a teacher training college are also involved in
following up the project. The college has decided to include an
instruction unit on inclusive classes in its curriculum. The teachers have
begun to adopt new teaching methods, and there is now better communication
with special needs children. The work in the schools is continuing, with
greater importance being given to the training of teachers and the
carrying out of regular visits by the support teams. Extra effort will
also be put into the work with the teacher training college. The project
team is trying to collect the funds required for the project to continue.
(iv) In Mauritius, the Association of Parents of
Mal-adjusted Children of the Island of Mauritius (APEIM) is a national
organization of parents which is working inter alia for the integration of
handicapped children into regular schools. The project is aimed at
sensitizing and informing the general public, the authorities, teachers
and school personnel. It also seeks to promote the right of the children
to education. Its purpose is to serve as a catalyst whereby the issue
would be given priority by the community and the concerned authorities.
The project began with six schools, integrating six mentally handicapped
children into regular classes. The results were positive in all but one of
the classes, the one which had not volunteered to participate in the
project. This may have been the reason for the difficulties encountered.
It was envisaged that thirteen new schools would participate in the
project during the following school year The APEIM sensitization campaign,
in partnership with UNICEF, was intensified in January 2001 by the use of
three televised clips stressing the rights of the child, and a
twenty-minute film on inclusive education which was aimed at teachers. The
clips and film were to be used during training sessions. The team is aware
that the road to inclusion will be a long one, and seeks to receive
greater assistance from the Ministry of Education. A national policy for
the education of children with special needs is currently being prepared
in Mauritius. UNESCO contributed to the process by sending a consultant to
the country in the spring of 2001 to work in concert with the ministry,
the NGOs and other concerned bodies. (v) The Gauteng Education Department is responsible for
project execution in South Africa. One of the functions of the department
is to design and ensure the implementation of a policy which caters for
the different training needs of the handicapped. The project is being
implemented in two schools: a poorly-equipped regular school in an
impoverished rural area, and a well-equipped neighbouring school for the
blind. Much effort has been put into the task of sensitizing all those
concerned, including the personnel of both schools, parents and the
community. Training workshops are organized for the parents once a month,
and the results obtained so far are very encouraging. The project is
managed by the UNESCO Office in Pretoria. The creation of sustainable inclusive education policies
and practice "The creation of sustainable inclusive education policies and
practice" implies a comparative and concerted approach for taking action
and designing projects relating to inclusive education policies and
practice. The project, designed by the Canterbury Christ Church University
College in the United kingdom which is coordinating it with the
participation of the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), draws on
the knowledge and experience of researchers and field actors in England,
Brazil, India and South Africa. It seeks to reduce the level of academic
and social exclusion. The project is being carried out in two different
areas of South Africa: in rural Kwazulu-Natal, and the urban district of
Pretoria. Eight schools have been chosen for the study in Kwazulu-Natal.
The major obstacles to training and development in the region are poverty
leading to malnutrition, adolescent pregnancies, an inaccessible school
environment which is insecure and insanitary, and a lack of human and
material resources. These problems notwithstanding, positive aspects
exist. These include a committed and motivated personnel, increased
training in the concerned departments and community involvement. The
Pretoria project takes in a variety of schools, reflecting all the
complexities of a social and educational system in transition. The
majority of the schools concerned by the project are situated in a region
with very poor housing whose population has a very high growth rate due to
the influx of migrants from the countryside. One of the schools is
situated in a region which has a traditionally high concentration of
coloured people. Its lot, during the period of apartheid, was relatively
better than the rest of the schools for Blacks. By contrast, two other
schools are traditionally attended by a majority of Whites from Afrikaner
suburbs. They were the first Afrikaner schools in Pretoria to open their
doors to black children. A number of obstacles to education have been
identified in the schools, and they range from extreme poverty, the abuse
of minors and family violence to racism and cultural exclusion. The Educators for Basic Education Programme (EBEP), aimed
at framing an inclusive policy for the training of educators for basic
education in both the formal and the non-formal sectors, covers nine
countries, including six in Africa, namely: Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali,
Senegal and Zambia. All these countries had their national plans of action
approved by the foreign experts in February 2001. The action of the UNESCO Office in Dakar on behalf of the
Community-based Educational Resources Centres (ERC) run by the UNESCO
Clubs fits into the framework of the Jomtien follow-up. The Literacy
Caravan project launched in Senegal under the UNESCO Co-Action programme
with UNESCO regular programme funds and the active collaboration of the
Netherlands Embassy in Dakar was operational by the middle of the year
2000, which made it possible, among other things, to attain the objective
of providing Senegal with a network of ten educational resource centres.
The regional project for the building and equipping of educational
resource centres in Gambia, Mali and Mauritania was completed in the
second half of 2000, with side benefits from which an educational resource
centre in Burkina Faso profited too. A new educational resource centre was
set up in Senegal (in Bakoum in the Kolda region), and the first centre in
Guinea was opened in Bolivel. Incidentally, the evaluation team headed by
INEADE (Institut National d'Etudes et d'Action pour le Développement de
l'Education) completed its study on the purpose and operation of the ERCs
run by the UNESCO Clubs in Africa. This critical evaluation provides
guidelines for further development of the existing dynamic. A programme for monitoring and evaluating non-formal
education was launched jointly by the Division of Basic Education and the
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, with inputs from the International
Literacy Institute, University of Pennsylvania. Draft guidelines for the
setting up of a non-formal education management information system were
prepared and databases and non-formal education monitoring schemes were
developed in an action-oriented research project in the United Republic of
Tanzania. In cooperation with the ADEA Working Group on Non-Formal
Education, selected non-formal education programmes in Africa (such as a
skills training project in South Africa, a community skills development
programme in Namibia, and a programme for nomadic and tribal populations
in Kenya) were reviewed so that specific features and typologies of
non-formal education programmes could be analysed. The report on the
findings of this review and analysis is currently being prepared. The results of UNESCO's experience in the production of
gender-sensitive post-literacy reading material and radio programmes in
Africa were also brought together and published on the occasion of the
meeting on girls' education organized at the Dakar Forum. Furthermore, in
close connection with the Special Project for Women and Girls in Africa,
African Stories was printed and disseminated worldwide to introduce the
materials produced during the UNESCO-DANIDA workshops for developing
gender-sensitive materials. A series of post-literacy booklets produced at
UNESCO-supported workshops early in the year 2000 was distributed too.
On the occasion of International Literacy Day, celebrated
on 8 September 2000, the International Reading Association Literacy Award
was presented to the Adult Literacy Organization of Zimbabwe (ALOZ,
Zimbabwe). Insofar as book policies are concerned, the programme in
support of sustainable book development gained momentum in all the
participating countries, namely, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique,
Namibia, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania, and contributed to
developing national textbook policies, establishing joint private/public
sector coordinating mechanisms and training book sector personnel. One of
the major events organized during this biennium was the first
International Book Sector Consultation, held in Uganda (January 2000). In
the framework of the EFA Assessment as of the year 2000, a thematic study
on "Book Provision and the Learning Environment" was undertaken jointly
with the ADEA Working Group on Educational Materials Development and
presented to the Dakar Forum. Furthermore, UNESCO is cooperating with the
International Reading Association to provide training in workshops for
trainers of trainers in critical thinking, in the framework of teaching
reading skills in Nigeria and the United Republic of Tanzania. The UNESCO/DANIDA-funded Basic Learning Materials
Initiative (BLMI) for sustainable book development has supported training
workshops in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Namibia and Malawi to train
trainers and upgrade professionals in textbook publishing, design and
production; authorship of children's books; skills in preparing teachers'
guides and appropriate research in book development and management of
printing. UNESCO provided financial assistance for all countries in the
BLMI to participate in the Zimbabwe International Book Fair in August
2000. A handbook to guide Textbook Approval Boards was produced in
collaboration with Mozambique. To encourage the development of small businesses, the
following activities are in progress in Africa: (i) in Benin: assistance
for weavers through the setting up of a guarantee fund and the
organization of training, and collaboration with a micro-financing
institution with a view to providing an integrated education, training and
health programme for adolescent daughters of persons benefiting from
microcredits; (ii) in Madagascar: collaboration with a local association
to promote and improve the economic and social status of weavers - setting
up of a micro-financing scheme and training in management.
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