The World Bank and the Educate A Child Initiative, a program of the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), signed an agreement on June 8, 2021 to partnership aimed at enrolling up to 35,000 out-of-school children in school in Djibouti. This first partnership will establish an innovative, results-oriented financing model based on the number of enrollments of out-of-school children, aimed at supporting the government of Djibouti.
Access to education at all levels of education continues to be one of the major challenges facing the authorities in Djibouti, with at least one in five school-age children never having attended. school. Deprived of the opportunity to acquire life skills, these children are deprived of the learning opportunities afforded by access to quality, equitable and safe primary education.
EAA’s $ 3.8 million commitment, with support from Qatar Development Fund, is part of Expanding Learning Opportunities Project, which further includes an allocation of $ 15 million from the World Bank and $ 9.25 million from the Global Partnership for Education. The project aims to support Djibouti’s efforts to expand access to quality education for vulnerable children, including refugees, girls, children with special needs or from rural communities, and to improve childcare practices. learning and teaching. In addition to expanding equitable access to education and improving retention in school, the project aims to transform the education system by giving more latitude to schools and establishing quality standards and a system for regularly measuring student achievement. compliance with these standards.
“ We are delighted to launch this first partnership between Education Above All and the World Bank ,” said Jaime Saavedra, Managing Director of the Pole of Expertise in Education at the World Bank Group. “It is essential to address the disadvantage that out-of-school children faced before the pandemic and to tackle the additional impact of COVID-19 on learning losses and out-of-school children. Together, we will ensure that all children have the opportunity to develop the skills they need to reach their full potential. “
The partnership implemented in Djibouti is the first to be deployed as part of a broader framework agreement between the EAA and the World Bank , which, in 2019, jointly committed to providing access to education. primary education benefiting two million out-of-school children in more than 40 countries by 2025, with a global commitment of up to $ 250 million.
“This new partnership is helping to ensure universal education for all school-age children in Djibouti with quality and inclusive education over the next five years,” said Moustapha Mohamed Mahamoud, Minister of Education and Professional training of Djibouti. “It plays an important role in improving Djibouti’s human capital and unlocks the potential of youth as an engine of growth. “
To achieve its objective, the project will revolve around four specific targets: strengthening the institutional capacity to develop sub-regional plans for enrollment and retention in primary education; the implementation of gender-sensitive interventions to encourage girls’ education and their transition to secondary education; teacher training to improve remedial education; and support to facilitate the registration of refugee children by providing them with teaching and learning materials in the appropriate languages. To support this work, global communication campaigns will be implemented to strengthen inclusion and support the registration of targeted vulnerable groups in the country.
Fahad Al Sulaiti, CEO of the Education Above All Foundation , said: “ Today marks an important milestone in the collaboration between EAA and the World Bank with the support of the Qatar Development Fund to ensure the education of millions of out-of-school children around the world. With the objective of eliminating the many obstacles in education, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this project will have a profound impact on marginalized children in Djibouti by offering them the opportunity to learn and develop, and the possibility of securing a better future for themselves and their families . “
After the deployment of the education project in Djibouti, the EAA and the World Bank will continue, as part of their partnership, to support initiatives aimed at mobilizing resources, advocating for education and reducing poverty in the region. developing countries on three continents. The target countries envisaged are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Morocco, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo , Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tanzania, Chad, Thailand, Uganda and Zambia.
The Education Above All Foundation (EAA)
The Education First Foundation is a global education foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. The foundation aims to bring hope and real opportunities in the lives of children, young people and women living in poverty and marginalization, especially in developing countries and living in precarious conditions, especially due to conflicts and natural disasters. We believe that education is the most effective way to reduce poverty, generate economic growth and create peaceful and just societies; it is also a fundamental right for all children and an essential condition for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more information, visiteducationaboveall.org .
The EAA foundation is made up of four programs: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC). In addition to providing access to education to children around the world, EAA advocates for the safeguard of inclusive and quality education for all.
The Educate A Child (EAC) program
The Educate a Child (EAC) program, a global program of EAA, aims to trigger significant breakthroughs and material difference in the lives of children without access to primary education. EAC supports millions of the world’s most difficult to reach out-of-school children by giving them the opportunity to seize their right to a quality education.
Through partnership and innovation, millions of children continue to receive support to overcome the barriers that hinder their access to quality education. Acting as a catalyst for children out of school or most at risk of dropping out of primary education, the program strives to achieve individual and social outcomes for these children and their communities, and to create a more sustainable world for all of us.
The World Bank
The World Bank Group is the largest educational funder in the developing world. In FY2020, we provided approximately $ 5.2 billion for education programs, technical assistance and other projects designed to enhance learning and provide everyone with the opportunity to access learning. education he or she needs to be successful. Our current portfolio of education-related projects totals $ 20.6 billion, underscoring the importance of education to achieving our two goals: ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. We work on education programs in more than 80 countries and are committed to helping countries achieve theSustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 by 2030.
The World Bank in Djibouti
The World Bank’s portfolio in Djibouti includes 14 projects totaling $ 255 million, financed by the International Development Association (IDA) , the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries. Focused on education, health, social safety nets, energy, rural community development, urban poverty reduction, public administration modernization, governance and private sector development, it places particular emphasis on women and young people.
Source: Education Above All/World Bank