A UNESCO-led joint programme on basic education in Madagascar has proven successful. A series of stakeholders will share their experience on the programme’s innovative methodologies and approaches on November 3 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. High level government officials, UNDP and programme staff will provide a rich testimony on their varied experiences on this successful programme.
Since 2001, the “Joint Malagasy Government/UN System Program” contributes to making Education for All a reality in Madagascar through the efforts of a wide range of development actors including the UNDP and the private sector.
Universal Education For All The 2nd objective of the Millennium Development Goals stipulates the following “ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling”. In Madagascar, where only 37% of students complete primary school, universal primary education for all remains thus an important challenge. Active since 2001, the Joint Malagasy Government/UN System program has established a solid foundation for innovative educational policy reform.
The brief history of the Joint Malagasy Programme The basic objective of the Programme for the Promotion of the basic education for all Malagasy children implemented by the Malagasy government together with the United Nations is to meet the basic educational needs of all children, adolescents and adults, with the ultimate aim of contributing to national efforts to enhance human resources so as to further consolidate the bases for genuine, sustainable development in the country. Currently in its 2nd phase, the Programme projects to scale-up its activities in order to continue to successfully address major challenges facing the country.
Celebrities in Action through Sports… International sport celebrities have expressed their wish to actively join the fight against illiteracy and the right to basic education. Thus, with the participation of sports celebrities Stéphane DIAGANA, Emmanuel PETIT and Laurent CABANNES various sporting activities and events were organized in several regions of Madagascar during the first week of September in honour of International Literacy Day (the 8th of September). By teaching basic socialization rules and by promoting a culture of peace, sports create the necessary conditions for a disadvantaged child’s healthy development and reintegration into society, eventually allowing the child to find an appropriate path towards education. These international sport celebrities continue their battle for the right to education for all and two of them, Mr Petit and Mr Cabannes, will be sharing their experiences in Madagascar with the audience in the meeting of 3rd of November in the presence the Malagasy Minister of Population, Social Protection and Leisure and the United Nation System’s Resident Coordinator, programme beneficiaries as well as the Ambassador of the delegation of Madagascar to UNESCO.
