The increase in conflicts and civil wars is one of the major factors causing children to lose educational opportunities. On the occasion of World Children’s Day on November 20, we would like to introduce this pioneering initiative.
A coup d’etat occurs. All Japanese experts leave the country.
The “School for All” project is a JICA initiative in which schools, parents, and local communities work together to support children’s learning, rather than leaving education to the government. In Mali, the program began in 2008.
We are often asked, “Why do communities need to work together to educate their children? Primary education has only recently become widespread in West Africa, and many parents have not had the opportunity to receive elementary school education. That is why there is a strong desire for children to receive an education and for the entire community to support their children’s learning. However, government finances are still tight, and collaboration with parents and the community is essential to maintain elementary school education.”
This is how Mr. Morio Iwata, a member of the team of experts supporting the “School for All” project in Mali, describes the project. Since the Ministry of Education in Mali introduced this initiative, the project has overcome many difficulties, including two coups d’état and the Corona disaster, together with the ministry’s staff.
Mr. Iwata was dispatched to Niger, West Africa in 2001 as a Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) member. His subsequent involvement in educational support in Niger and Senegal led to his involvement in the “School for All” project, and he has been working on the same project in Mali and Senegal as a JICA expert since 2011. He is currently providing remote assistance from Senegal to Mali.
The “School for Everyone” program began with the election of a representative member of the “School Management Committee,” consisting of the school principal, parents, and local residents, by the local residents. Through careful discussions with colleagues at the Ministry of Education, we sought a way to make this completely new approach acceptable to everyone without resistance,” said Mr. Iwata.
In 2012, when the number of target schools had grown from the initial 156 to approximately 1,500, a military coup took place in the capital Bamako, forcing JICA experts to evacuate Mali. This was just as the “School for Everyone” initiative, which had become an official model for the Ministry of Education and was beginning to take root, was about to be expanded and disseminated to elementary schools throughout the country.
Residents voting in the election of a representative member of the school steering committee. While the custom in Mali has traditionally been for the family lineage of the village head to hold key positions in the community, the School Management Committee of “School for Everyone” decided the representatives in the form of election of committee members by secret ballot by parents and residents. Bringing in democratization was an important factor in the success of “School for All.
The challenge of “complete remoteness” is a result of many years of trust.
Five years after the coup, the political situation began to stabilize and the project resumed. During the suspension of the project, the Ministry of Education in Mali expanded the number of “Schools for All” to 4,500 schools with the cooperation of other aid organizations, but further support was needed to create a sustainable system. In order to ensure that the project would not be interrupted again by the departure of experts, Iwata and his team decided to provide support in an unprecedented “fully remote” manner.
The first thing we embarked on to meet the new challenge was the use of digital technology. Fortunately, the use of the Internet via smartphones was rapidly spreading in the support areas around the capital city of Bamako, and we worked to ensure uninterrupted communication among the parties involved through monitoring using online questionnaires, remote training using video streaming, and chat groups with education administration officials who patrol schools in rural areas. We made every effort to ensure that communication between the parties concerned would not be interrupted. In addition, with the cooperation of Seiko Epson, we were able to conduct virtual meetings with a sense of presence using a video projector with built-in high-quality speakers. This enabled high-quality communication between the Ministry of Education of Mali, local NGOs, and JICA experts who were based in Senegal but also traveled to Japan and other African countries, leading to greater cohesion and mutual trust throughout the project.
(Left) Parents trying to complete an online survey on their smartphones.
(Right) Group chat with a local representative reporting on the situation at a school site
Mr. Iwata and his team also invited a total of 21 members from Mali’s Ministry of Education and local NGOs to the neighboring country of Senegal to discuss the project plan, implementation structure, and policies, as well as to share the necessary attitudes and rules for remote implementation and to provide training on how to handle digital equipment. After the members returned to Mali, they continued to monitor progress daily through regular weekly online meetings, e-mail, and chat applications. Key to the success of the project has been the trust that has been fostered with Hassan Samasek, director of Mali’s Ministry of Education, and the other members of the team.
JICA’s technical cooperation is a process of encouraging, thinking together, learning together, and helping the people of the partner country to develop the wisdom and strength to solve problems on their own, while staying close to the policies, culture, and customs of the country. Therefore, it is routine for us to carefully discuss and decide on the details of project activities for hours or days until we are both satisfied. Especially with Director Samasek, through these years, we have come to understand each other’s personality, beliefs, work ethic, and passion for education in Mali, and we trust each other deeply. Without that, I don’t think this remote support would have been possible.”
Regarding the cooperation with Japan, Mr. Samasek said, “When I visited Japan for training, I was very impressed by the sincerity and honesty of Japanese people’s work. When I visited Japan for training, I was very impressed by the sincerity and honesty of the Japanese people in their work, and I felt as if I understood why Japan has become a developed country. Having the opportunity to work with experts from such a country, I strongly encouraged all staff members to learn and absorb the working styles of these experts, and as a result, the performance of the entire bureau has greatly improved. Thanks to the attentive and detailed support, we have never felt that we are too far away, even with remote support.
Director Samasek plays a key role on the Malian side
Mr. Iwata (left) and Director Samasek (right), who have built up trust through careful discussions.
Mr. Iwata also says that the understanding and strong backup from JICA headquarters in Tokyo was also a big support in moving forward with the project remotely while going through the process of changing plans and adjusting the budget due to the political unrest. I am very proud of everyone at JICA Headquarters in Tokyo who believed in the project and supported the children of Mali from afar, even though they could not see firsthand what was happening on the ground and the results of the project,” he said.
The “School for All” has great power to create peace-building in the community.
The remote implementation of the project is expected to be a new form of support in West Africa, where children are in danger of losing learning opportunities due to political instability and other factors. Mr. Iwata emphasizes that the “School for All” project will not only improve the educational environment and learning for children, but will also help build peace in West Africa.
Through “School for All,” community members meet regularly, discuss and find solutions, commit to action and implement them, praise and encourage each other for the results, and repeat the process – thereby building the community’s building their collective capacity to solve their own problems peacefully. Since this will be done in elementary schools throughout the country, I can think of no other more effective and sustainable means of peacebuilding, and that is the kind of cooperation that will lay the foundation for the region’s stable development. And it is precisely because this is Japan that the government and people of Mali trust and have high expectations of us.”
Mr. Iwata says that he is reminded from time to time of the words of the UNESCO Charter, which states the purpose of cooperation in education: “War is born in the hearts of men, so we must build a cordon of peace in the hearts of men. Today, Mr. Iwata is working hard with the people of Mali and West Africa to realize a future where children can learn with peace of mind.
© Source JICA
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