September 2008

Rewrite the Future in Côte d’IvoireSeptember 2006- September 2008

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

Beginning of rehabilitation, Man After rehabilitation, Man

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 ???

Thank you for your attention