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Niger

Education mandate for out-of-school young people

© Swisscontact

Between 2019 and 2022

15’000

young people aged 9 to 14 were given an education tailored to their needs

300

teachers were trained

315

alternative education centres for adolescents have been opened in the Dosso and Maradi regions

The challenges of education in Niger

In Niger, a very high number of young people have not attended school or had to leave early. This was due to population displacements as a result of various armed conflicts, as well as the unsuitability of State education programmes to meet the requirements of children or to address the concerns of populations.

For most children, starting or returning to school is impossible. In State schools, lessons are given in French, the official language, which is not understood by the majority of children whose mother tongue is one of the eleven local languages in Niger. So young people fail in school and have to leave without having acquired basic knowledge.

 

© Swisscontact

Offering an alternative education to out-of-school young people to enable them to return to school or vocational training

In order to improve the situation, the State of Niger has developed Community Centres for Alternative Education for Young People (CCEAJ). Enfants du Monde works in these centres in the Dosso and Maradi regions, on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, in collaboration with the NGO Swisscontact.

The aim of this mandate is, on the one hand, to adapt teaching to the linguistic and local context in order to facilitate the reintegration of pupils into school or the workplace and, on the other hand, to build the capacity of the teaching staff in order to improve the quality of education in the long term.

© Swisscontact
© Swisscontact

Abdoul Aziz, 23 years old, was trained at the CCEAJ in Tibiri, then directed to the Centre de Formation des Métiers. After 2 years’ training in metal construction, he now earns his living.

Focusing on occupations at the CCEAJ inspired me to do vocational training. I couldn’t see the point of the lessons at primary school.

© Swisscontact

Learning to read, write and count through work-related topics

Reading and writing exercises, learning vocabulary, maths problems or natural science activities, are focused on finding out about the different jobs in key sectors of the local economy such as agriculture, metal-working or jewellery making. The content covered is developed directly from contributions made by local professionals, thus involving support from the community and from parents.

Bilingual teaching in local languages and in French

The teaching is designed so that the students learn to express themselves in two languages, their mother tongue and French. In this way, the national languages (Fulfulde, Zarma and Hausa) and French are both subjects and a vehicle for knowledge. Failing at State school, girls at the Guidan Atchali CCEAJ rediscovered their zest for learning thanks to bilingual teaching.

“Here, we are successfully learning to read and write in French, because two languages are used in class and that helps us to understand.”

© Swisscontact

Educational and training material developed by Nigeriens for Nigeriens

Textbooks and teachers’ guides are produced by staff at the Ministry of Education in Niger, trained by education specialists from Enfants du Monde. The staff then train teachers directly, thus ensuring the establishment and continuity of the pedagogic approaches promoted by Enfants du Monde.

Encouraging critical thinking by looking ahead to the world of work

Our Swiss NGO places great emphasis on the participation of the students, especially the keeping of a “trades logbook”. The knowledge acquired about trades is also linked with greater issues. While studying market gardening practices for example, the conservation of water and soils is also covered as well as the land question.

Contact our team

In Switzerland
Enfants du Monde
Rue de Varembé 1
1202 Geneva
Tel: +41 22 798 88 81
Email: info@edm.ch

Sébastien Blat, Sahel Program Manager

Financial partners

Operational partners

©Tagaza Djibo/Enfants du Monde

My donation makes a difference

For example:

With 70 francs:

I am donating a bilingual textbook in French and Mooré (the local language) to 8 children in Burkina Faso to help them make better progress at school.

With 140 francs:

I am helping 250 pregnant women in Bangladesh to prepare for the birth of their baby and the risks associated with childbirth.

With 200 francs:

I am funding in-service training in bilingual education for 10 teachers in Guatemala to improve the quality of their lessons.

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