Literacy & Adult Education: 1.7 million out-of-school children (6-11):- National Council for Literacy and Adult Education
03 September, 2013
KHARTOUM, Sudan (Sudanow)- In the context of the Ministry of Education and Instruction plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by 2015 for every child to find a seat at school, The General Secretariat of the National Council for Literacy and Adult Education (NCLAE) organized a coordination workshop for partners of the execution of a project for education of out-of-school children in cooperation with Qatar Authority for Education and Social Development and UNICEF on August 18-19 under the auspices of Education and Instruction Minister Suad Abdul Raziq.
The workshop was part of a relevant effort for provision of adequate and appropriate opportunities and serious attempts for offering quality education to all segments and sectors in the rural and urban regions and for removing disparities. A statistical report by Ministry for 2009-2010 indicates that the boys’ enrolment rate was 84% and that of the girls was 80.6% with an average of 82.3%. The report also indicates that the rate of admission of children at the basic school age (6-13) for 2009-2010 was 76.8% for males and 69.4% for females with an average of 73.2%. This shows that about 26.8% of both genders, estimated at three million children, are out-of-school. A study carried out in Sudan during 2011 showed that the out-of-school children (6-11) are estimated to number 1.7 million of close rates for males and females.
The workshop was aimed at coordination of partnerships between the NCLAE General Secretariat, the international organizations and the civil society organizations. The organizations which took part in the workshop are operating in 10 states in the context of a four-year unified working plan financed with 20 million dollars aimed at cutting down the rate of out-of-school children and offering them an opportunity to resume education for curbing the rate of illiteracy. The targeted children are those of the 7-9-year group of ages who have never enrolled or who has failed to continue at school from the first stage and dropped out.
A special attention is accorded to girls’ education, granting 60% of the opportunities to girls. The programme also accords attention to less advantageous groups like the nomads and those of special needs.
In meeting over two days, the workshop reviewed the experiences of the organizations, the remedies situation, linkage between the alternative and formal education and enabling and training the educational councils in the targeted regions.
In its presentation, Sudan Plan concentrated on small numbers to fix feet and work in a proper way. In this regard, an opportunity was provided for teaching 8,000 nomads quality lessons with emphasis on east and north localities of Darfur and Gedaref. The standard for determination of the target for 2013 for the formal education showed an enrollment increase in those regions to 430,000 children compared to 3,480 children in the alternative education. This demonstrates the importance of interaction of the formal and alternative systems of education in addition to improvement of the school environment by introducing of teaching aids and tools that help in the teaching process and training of teachers with emphasis on introducing basic capacity-building.
Plan Sudan said the main activities during the first year included the building of seven classrooms out of local materials, rehabilitation of 30 classrooms in the targeted semi-mobile localities in the settlement regions, activation of the educational councils and mothers’ councils of 13 schools to lead the change and persuade the community. The activities also included 130 girls’ clubs for raising awareness among the communities in addition of 16 campaigns for persuading the children to go to schools and to remain there. Quarterly clubs and advocacy workshops were also organized with participation by the local communities, Plan Sudan said.
ZOA organization said it operates in North, South and West Darfur and its activities cover the construction of classrooms out of improved environment-friendly classrooms, provision of text-books, school uniform and teachers’ training in cooperation with the Open University and parents councils’ training in addition to campaigns for raising awareness of enrollment and adult education services.
In the short-term, this organization made efforts, during 2013-2014, for raising to 1,500 the number of pupils in 25 schools, plus building classrooms in remote regions, bridging the gap between boys and girls in 25 schools by improving access to schools, , offering incentives to the children, providing the basic teaching materials in the existing schools and training the volunteer teachers.
The Canadian Children of War Organization pointed out that its objective o improve the opportunities of quality education out-of-school children and youths besides increasing the number of centers for children, girls and nomads. It added that its strategic objective is to improve the school environment for the basic and adult education tracks in addition to supporting the community and the Ministry of Education and Instruction in fields of education for child nomads and girls. This effort is being made in 10 administrative units in six localities that include Sariyah, Baidhah and Kraink in West Darfur as part of a plan for integration of 10,000 children (5,600 boys and 4,400 girls) in the basic education. The Canadian organization noted that this requires environment improvement of 85 centers for absorption of 1,500 learners, 85% of them girls.
As regards the teaching skills and aids, the Children of War Organization said two workshops were held in accordance with a training directory approved by the Ministry of the State, besides an advanced training course on teaching skills and accompanying activities.
The activities of the Canadian organization also included provision of text-books and raising awareness of the community with the importance of education, especially for girls. It said the timing of carrying out those activities is based on the social and economic circumstances, that is, the basic education is conducted at the formal timing while that of the youths is chosen in a way that does not affect the farming timing.
Ms. Valina, coordinator of INTERSOS programmes in the Sudan, said the activities of her organization in Central Darfur in general education for 2013 cover several aspects, including continued assessment of on-job needs, increasing the education opportunities to 4,900 pupils in Central and West Darfur by improving the environment, with emphasis on the girls, building classrooms, teachers’ lodgings and offices, teachers’ training, boosting participation in school activities and improvement and provision of water for schools, with emphasis on sustainability of the schools and building the capacity of the staff. This objective is consolidated by introducing income-generating activities in 2014 as the main goal is is to provide quality education for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), focusing teaching both sexes, with emphasis on girls, offering assistance to families, especially the women.
Towards the close of its deliberations, the workshop called for establishing central coordination through the partners’ headquarters, distribution of roles at the lower level and provision of a central, state and local coordination network in addition to a close coordination between the partners at central and state levels for each project, particularly the girls’ education, provision of follow-up indicatives for the children who are absorbed in the project.
The workshop recommended maki9ng a plan for each two states which are similar in the work and the roles, with concentration on the roles of the parents councils in the schools, and working out a plan for training and distribution of the roles at the state level between the partners at the administrative level along with documentation of the successful experiences for circulation for the general benefit. 
Besides, assistance should be provided for the persons with special needs through establishment of a follow-up body and rallying the private and government support for the project, offering incentives to the teachers cutting part of the cattle tax in support of the nomads’ teachers in addition to offering incentives to the civil service teacher to ensure sustainability and follow-up of the decisions on absorption of all children at the school age through the ministry, the state and the locality, obtaining assistance by the civil service recruits in carrying out the statistics, distribution and establishing a complete database.
The workshop recommended participation of the private sector in support of the project and seeking partnerships with the major organization, especially the UN agencies, and concentration on advocacy for attracting the support.
The workshop also recommended provision of support for training leaders of the adult education at the locality level in addition to promotion of the education of children on the media and through the administrative units, particularly in the state. Solutions should be found for the inaccessible regions, the workshop recommended, calling for organizing community awareness campaigns on the objectives of the project, with emphasis on the head of the family.
The workshop stressed the need for establishing a liaison between the formal and informal education and the Ministry of Education and Instruction has to provide the teachers after giving them advanced training courses, utilizing all available venues of training. It also recommended a continued maintenance project for the schools for ensuring a proper learning environment and issuing a decision for enrolment of the children in schools upon establishment of the project.
END
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