Blazing the Trail: the Village Schools of Save the Children/USA in Mali
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 380 209 PS 023 038 AUTHOR Velis, Jean-Pierre TITLE Blazing the Trail: The Village Schools of Save the Children/USA in Mali. Education For All: Making It Work. Innovationi Series, 4. INSTITUTION United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). REPORT NO ISSN-1020-1025 PUB DATE 94 NOTE 37p.; Photographs may not copy well. For other documents in this series, see ED 369 535 and PS 023 036-039. AVAILABLE FROMBasic Education Division, UNESCO, 7 place de Fortenoy, 75353 Paris 07, SP, France. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Literacy; *Community Involvement; *Curriculum Development; Educational Innovation; *Elementary Education; Equal Education; Foreign CountrieS; *Literacy; *Nonformal Education; *Partnerships in Education; Womens Education IDENTIFIERS *Mali; Nongovernmental Organizations; Save the Children Federation ABSTRACT The principle of primary education has long been established in the impoverished sub-Saharan nation of Mali, but despite official affirmations in favor of access to education, Mali still has one of the lowest rates of primary school attendance. This booklet describes the efforts of Save the Children/USA in mo "ilizing community support for 22 schools in rural settings. The introductory chapter describes the country of Mali and its paradoxical situation regarding education. The next chapter emphasizes how a primary school in Mali differs from all other schools in the world because it is a village school, entirely independent of the State; this is the outcome of Save the Children/USA, a non-governmental development organization. The subsequent three chapters describe the organization's role in promoting education. Adding an education element to its program involved a literacy campaign for adults, with a special emphasis on women, andproviding support for primary schools. The village school was conceived as a result of the adoption of the Bangladeshi approach to basic education, which depended on complete commitment of the village communities. Beginning with4 village schools in 1992-93, the experiment proved conclusive, and within 2 years, 50 villages had asked for the creation of a village school. The achievements of the organization discussed in the next three chapters concern: ensuring respect for the equality of sexes among the pupils, motivating national andinternational non-governmental organizations operating in this field in Mali, and inspiring programs initiated by the government. One of the several questions raised in the chapter entitled "Prospects for the Future" concerns the future of Mali children whenthey leave the village schools. Included in U.e booklet are descriptions of some specific features of the Mali branch of Save the Children/USA. (BAC) l U S DEPARTMENT OF MC %TON Office of Educational Resesicri and Improvement EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATICN CENTER IERICI FOR L This document has aeon reproduced as received from Ine.person or organization as originating it O Minor changes hai.e been made to improve reproduction Quality Points ot view or Opinions stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official Yf OERI position or policy IINNOVATIONSSERIES Ulna $1111111111111 .111111 A I ,f ;." I1 .17 S PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 7.0.\(\ `(\k a TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Airrnmi (`FalTrMOIC1" 2 _ 1:5211 COPY AVAII_ABLE. 4V- tr St -I 0.. " ".Di .1./11L. forcopyGAILABLE 3 t Y C7N- NSA ,1 15/ Introduction: A token of liberty 4 Education in action 6 An obstacle to be overcome 8 In Oartnership with the community 10 A promising start 12 Towards equality of the sexes 14. Blazing the trail for NGOs 15 ...and for the Ministry of Basic Education 17 Prospects for the future 19 Features- 22 Save the Children / USA in Mali 12 Indicators 23 Small programme up-date 25 Teachers of a special kind 26 Diamogoa village without a school 28 A breakdow n in education 29 Bibliography 30 -rtes 7E411 lob- 5 2 7-, Instruction rescues man fromObscurity. To be able to read is like entering into the light.' Yakouba Dambili, Pupil at the village school of Donterek4 BEST COPY t:; Introduction Learning Mali, a land which covers a vast area of sub- Furthermore, of all the countries of West Saharan Africa, with no outlet to the sea, is Africa, Mali has the longest experience of literacy to read and essentially a rural country.Industrial initiativesit was selected as the pilot country for write is an activityis extremely limited. The country's the Experimental World Literacy Programme and affirmation mineral resources are as yet barely exploited and the first literacy centres were opened there in 1968. of liberty output from the agricultural sector, although it is More recently, after playing an active part in the the source of the greater part World Conference on of its income from exports, Education for All, held at is subject to the fluctuations Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990, of the world market and to Mali became further theravagescausedby committed to the struggle periodsof droughtand againstilliteracy.Dem- invasion by locusts, making ocracy came to Mali in Mali one of the poorest March 1991,withthe countries of the world. investiture of Alpha Outnar Although economi- Konare as President the cally poor, Mali has a rich first Head of State of Mali to culture and history. Many be democratically elected. peoples theBambara, The present government Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, oftheThirdRepublic Kasonke, Malinke, Moors, includes a Minister of Basic Minianka, Peuls, Sarakole, Education and, as further Senoufo, Songhai, Tama- proof ofitsdedication, sheks, Tukulors have co- devotes nearly a quarter of existed for centuries in a its budget to education. At glorious mixture of Ian- least three-quarters of this guages and traditions. goestorunningcosts, The principle of primary education for all mainly teachers' salaries. has long been firmly established. The Constitution There is, however, a wide gap between guarantees the right of every Malian to education intentions and reality. Enormous obstacles still and the main objectives already laid down by the stand in the way of social, economic and cultural educational reformof 1962 were the development. Despite repeated official affirma- encouragement of high quality mass education and tions in favour of access to education, Mali still has thedemocratizationofeducationbythe one of the world's lowest rates of primary school 1 -":11 111I development of basic education and literacy. attendanceabout 20 per centwhich, in view of the high rate of population growth, represents a affirmation of liberty.Itis asine qua nonof a Mali has one steady diminution since 1980. greater involvement in the democratic management of the world :c Alphar Oumar Konarc is well aware of this. of affairs. The country is in a serious situation. We lowest enrolment rates less than Questioned on the matter in April 1993, he replied: have fought for democratic change. but fewer and 20 per cent. "Democracy takes time The democratic fewer people have access to decent schooling: this foundations of the State can never be fully is a harsh blow to democracy (...1. Guaranteeing a consolidated without the massive participation of democratic way of life means improving and the rural populations. They will remain fragile as extending the basic education system. long as the literacy rite in the Republic of Mali This is a challenge that the village schools remains so low. Learning to read and write is an are doing their utmost to take up. At first sight, this school appears to be sticks, counts out loud. The class,in chorus, just like many other primary schools throughout repeats his additions with enthusiasm. the world. Yet it differs in one striking way - it is Classes last two hours, during which time the the village school, independent of the State children have had lessons in reading, writing and and owing its existence entirely to the will and mathematics, have expressed themselves orally the combined efforts of the whole village and have performed other sensory exercises, under community, which wanted it to be established. the guidance of a teacher and his or her deputy. This is how a typical school day goes at Neguela, veihen visitors arrive, the children stand up Ntiobala, Dontereke, or in any one of the fifty or so and start to chorus the Malian national village schools in the Kolondieba administrative anthem, which they sing in their mother district. tongue Bamanankan (Bambara). The classroom is At first sight, this school appears to be filled by thirty children, aged about ten, boys and just like many other primary schools throughout girls in equal number, their brightly-coloured the world. Yet it differs in one striking wayit is dresses, shirts, bedizened T-shirts and the girls' the village school, independent of the State and kerchiefs, multi-coloured necklaces and earrings owing its existence entirely to the will and the bringing a welcome touch of colour to offset the combined efforts of the whole village community, corrugated iron roof, bare walls and earth floor. which wanted itto be established. Otherwise, The anthem completed, the children sit down again barely two years earlier, the majority of the and take up their tasks. children who attend it today would have had no This morning, as on nearly every morning chance whatever to go to school and to learn to for the past six months, they have come to study read, write and count. with their teacher, in their school, in their village. The classisa lively one and thereisgreat competition to attract the attention of the teacher so as to be questioned. On this occasion agirl has been called upon. With obvious pleasure she goes ti up to the blackboard and deciphers thewords written upon it. Syllable by syllable she recites them aloud, pointing with a ruler at each word as she goes along: The whole class repeats each word after her at the top of their voices.