Young People in Mali Promote Distance Learning
Photo - from left to right: President of The Malian Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations (FEMACAU), Secretary General of National Commission, Head of UNESCO office in Bamako
Nearly 250 young members of the Malian Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (FEMACAU), including nearly 50 laureates of the Miss Sciences competition, set up by the CapED Programme, are participating in the promotion of distance learning offered by the Ministry of National Education (MEN) through radio and TV as part of the educational response to COVID-19. The volunteers who come from eight regions across Mali are divided into 28 WhatsApp groups. Each young person is tasked with integrating other people into the groups.
These groups aim to promote the broadcasting schedule of the lessons proposed by the National Office of Radio and Television (ORTM) and to raise awareness on the fight against gender-based violence and COVID-19. This campaign targets around 100,000 youth.
Within the framework of the operationalization of the ten recommendations that came out of the ministerial conference organized in March 2020, UNESCO, through the CapED Programme, is supporting the MEN to produce digital resources for basic education to ensure the continuity of learning. These activities are aligned with the action plan resulting from the national strategy to combat COVID-19 drawn up by the MEN and funding partners. Mali has taken the option of broadcasting programmes for classes sitting exams through radio and TV. For this first step, nearly 90 minutes of lessons are being broadcast on the national TV channel from Tuesday to Thursday.