Madagascar

Joint Programme: "Supporting the Promotion of Education for All – Non-Formal Education"

Malagasy Government
United Nations System

Country Profile

Population: 18 606 000 (2005)
Population below national poverty line: 71.3 % (1999)
GDP per Capita (PPP) in US$: 857 (2004)

Context

In 1999 Madagascar had a national programme which was essentially aimed at developing primary education. However, the internal efficiency of the traditional system was poor as over 60% of children failed to progress to the second year of primary education. Among the contributing factors identified were: a) a considerable number of children, adolescents and adults were receiving no training whatsoever designed to meet their current need for basic education; b) the high illiteracy rate of 47%; and c) the virtual non-existence of training centres, particularly in rural areas and the non-formal sector.

The government therefore called on the United Nations System to work in partnership to develop a programme to promote basic education for all in order to achieve a significant reduction in illiteracy and low educational levels. Developed within the framework of an UNDAF exercise, the programme’s formulation and validation was funded by the UNDP, drawing on UNESCO’s expertise. Sixty officials from various ministries, with support from domestic and international consultants, as well as focal points of the United Nations System, were responsible for its conceptualization. This broad based expertise ensured that the programme was based on the policy frameworks, development strategies and various commitments on which Madagascar had agreed.

It was anticipated that activities would be conducted in areas with a high prevalence of poverty and a low provision and take-up of education. Four (out of six) provinces were therefore selected for the first phase and 1,000 literacy sites were set up. The initial stage, which ran from 2001-2005, provided an opportunity to implement and test the technical and financial feasibility of various innovative methodological approaches, which have now been shown to be effective. The current challenge, according to the government’s road map, is to eradicate illiteracy by upscaling these methodologies to the national level.

Programme

The overall objective of the programme is to extend access to and improve the accessibility of basic education, as well as to improve the context and conditions in which learning takes place. The specific objectives are:

The programme has contributed to the development of the country´s non-formal education policy and developed mainly three innovative methodological approaches: a) Intensive Functional Literacy for Development (AFI-D); b) Basic Technical and Vocational Training (FTPB); and c) School Support Action for Malagasy Teenagers (ASAMA). In addition, the package of programme activities includes capacity building for community management and the purchase of inputs and small-scale basic start-up equipment.

a)
AFI-D has been conducted for adults aged 17 and over as a means of achieving social, economic and cultural development. It consists of initial literacy (6-8 hours per day, for 48 days) and additional basic training (36 days). In addition to literacy, arithmetic and basic bookkeeping, there were also awareness-raising discussions on agriculture, the rearing of livestock, fishing, the environment, health, HIV and AIDS, civic education and parenting. The aim of these discussions was to encourage behavioural change with a view to improving learners’ quality of life. For the additional basic training, more specific topics were chosen by the learners themselves. Examples include traditional fishing and fishmongering, tourism, and the protection of biodiversity.

Facilitators are given a six-week intensive training course by trainers, who in turn are given an intensive six-week training course by universities. Facilitators are resource persons from the NGOs responsible for delivering the literacy services. They must be from the same village as the learners.
b)
FTPB is used for those adults who just have become literate. They are trained in a trade of their choice, such as agriculture, the rearing of livestock, tailoring and sewing, and carpentry/joinery, among others. Training is delivered by local resource persons and lasts between ten days and three months depending on the trade. Learners who have already formed partnerships may subsequently apply for micro-loans or receive a small loan to purchase inputs and small-scale start-up equipment.
c)
ASAMA is for adolescents aged 12-17. The content of ASAMA incorporates all subjects recommended by the national curriculum. The language of instruction is Malagasy, except in French lessons. The entire five-year primary school curriculum is covered in three blocks over the ten month period. Before getting started, ASAMA learners can follow a six-week learn-to-read course through Ambohitsoratra, which is a special method of learning to read in a playful way inspired by the “planet of the Alphas” method. The methodological approach relies heavily on the participation of the adolescent, who is to a large extent responsible for his or her own learning. It draws on the learner’s life experience and feelings. Educators have received three ten-day sessions of special training in how to deliver ASAMA. In addition, they must have the ability to communicate well with adolescents in difficult circumstances and possess a good command of the primary education content.

From 2001-2007 the programme was overseen by the Literacy Directorate of the Ministry of Population. It is currently being supervised by the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research. One national and six regional committees are responsible for the operational running of the programme, with over 100 NGOs as implementing partners. Devolved technical service providers at community level are responsible for selecting intervention sites. Each province has a Provincial Piloting Committee and there is also a national-level Council for Guidance and Validation. Since 2006 training for facilitators has been decentralised to provincial capitals.

In order to create a literate environment, multipurpose resource centres have been set up at community level, which function as libraries and information centres. They are set up in existing buildings or buildings supplied by the community administration.

For its implementation the programme relied on social mobilisation at grassroots level, the rational use of local resources and the development of partnerships. Institutional capacity-building activities and literacy activities are the mainstay of the programme. Communities’ capacities are currently being built to enable them to take over the running of literacy activities in the long term.

Work is underway to mobilise resources and raise awareness at the regional and international levels in order to increase the visibility of and support for the programme.

Lessons learned

The main lessons learned include: a) the essential role the community has to play in ensuring the success of literacy activities; b) partnerships with and the empowerment of local authorities have been factors in the success of grassroots activities; c) in deprived areas, the distribution of food (food-for-training) can act as an incentive for learners and thus help ensure that goals are achieved; d) the motivations, though they do exist, are sometimes insufficient to guarantee that objectives are achieved and support measures need to be found for some impoverished target populations; e) communication, literacy awareness-raising and other forms of non-formal education have been more effective than formal schooling and are having tangible outcomes; f) provision and planning for post-literacy activities should be considered as soon as literacy training begins; and g) the calibre and commitment of the educator/facilitator are key factors for the success of literacy activities.

Contact

Raymondine Williette Rakotondrazaka
National Coordinator of the National Coordination and Implementation Committee
Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research
Lot AVB 127 A
Avarabohitra Itaosy
Antananarivo
Madagascar
cnce@wanadoo.mg