Sahel countries gather around the monitoring of the integration of PVE into education systems
©UNESCO/M. Fall
Mali, Niger, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau met for two days in Dakar to review progress in integrating the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) into their education programs and the teaching and learning processes of their respective countries.
Organized by UNESCO's Multisectoral Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) and the ‘’Institut de la Francophonie pour l'éducation et la formation (IFEF)’’, with financial support from the United Nations, this workshop provided an opportunity to review the recommendations of previous capacity-building seminars for member states and teacher trainers in 2017 and 2018, which brought together nearly ten African countries.
One of the main recommendations was the establishment of a virtual platform for sharing information and experiences on the prevention of violent extremism through education (PVE-E).
This web platform called "Learning to Live Together Sustainably" was created and presented to the focal points during the working meeting, held from 14 to 15 May 2019, at the IFEF offices in Dakar. The meeting also provided an opportunity for country representatives, designated as PVE-E focal points, to review the actions taken by the education authorities to prevent violent extremism.
In April 2019, Burkina Faso drew up a PVE-E action plan for post-primary and secondary education, which includes training for trainers and teachers andraising awareness among 200 administrative and school staff members in the Sahel, North and East regions, which are the epicenters of several security incidents.
According to Mr. Souleymane Coulibaly, researcher at the Ministry of Education of Burkina Faso, the department he represents has also developed several strategic documents to accelerate the enrolment of students (primary, post primary and secondary) in areas with high security challenges.
A National Strategy to Combat Drugs, Addiction and Violence (SNL-DTV) has also been developed to prevent violence, addiction and drug use in schools.
In the case of Niger, several modules and guides have been developed relating to human rights education in primary schools and the prevention of gender-based violence in schools.
Mr. Jafarou Salley of the Nigerien Ministry of Education also explained that his country has organized trainings to enable teachers to diagnose and care for children with minor psychological disorders and those affected by serious disorders and to refer them to specialists.
In The Gambia, the focal point, Mr. Mbara Saine, revealed that a revision of the basic education curriculum, including PVE themes, is ongoing.
Following the country interventions, the following recommendations guided the meeting: development of a communication plan, dissemination of the web platform at country level, integration of PVE-E into the education sector plan and integration of a research dimension through partnerships with universities.
More information :
1. https://en.unesco.org/preventing-violent-extremism/education
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