ADEA WGECD News, June 2013

The WGECD e-newsletter main objective is to disseminate messages, knowledge, studies and early childhood issues. This 1st number will review the main activities, events and studies achieved so far. You can send your comments to   r.diwara@unesco.org copy r.bal@unesco.org  

Website: www.ecdafricanetwork.org   E-mail: wgecd@afdb.org

 
Announcements and Events 

ECD Voice 

The ADEA-WGECD has agreed on launching a quaterly newsletter called « ECD   Voice »  with the support of  searchers, professionals and communicators. The first number to be published in July, 2013 will focus on « Africa ECD Research and Scho- lar: a matter of urgency » and will be coordinated by the new network set up during the Thematic Consultation on Education held in Dakar (Senegal) in March, 2013. It will be published in French and English. We seize the opportunity to encourage all the members of the Steering Committee to suggest new articles/thematic for con- tribution. 

 
The Thematic Consultation on Education in the post 2015 agenda, 18-19 March, 2013, Dakar-Senegal 

The meeting hosted by the Government of Senegal, in collaboration with UNESCO and UNICEf, reviewed the progress and challenges, and the way forward  for educa- tion in the post-2015 development agenda.  The countries and  development part- ners made a big advocacy for early childhood development as high priority for the port 2015 agenda. The early childood community was represented by the Consulta- tive Group on Early Childhood.

 
African Scholars and Institutions {AS&I) initiative  

The  UVic-ECDVU initiative resulted from the observation that ECD capacity pro- motion was not only essential for government and non-government ECD leaders in African countries ( but universities and related tertiary institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as well.    

 
Analytic document on community approach 

The ADEA-WGECD is currently working on the elaboration of an analytic document 

« Community Approach: an imperative for ECO in Africa: analysis and benchmarks for action ». The publication aims at helping Governments and partners in scaling up ECD community centres. Mr. Mamadou Ndoye, Former Minister of Basic Educa- tion and Former Executive Secretary of ADEA is working with Rokhaya Diawara. A call for contribution was launched for the purpose. 

 
Mobilisation campaign for ECD in the Post 2015 Debate 

In order to put ECD on the top priorities for post 2015, the ADEA-WGECD has launched a campaign, using social media with an objective of one million "likes" at the end of the year. Two junior consultants (Fatou Fall and Georges Bassene) are recruited to work for a period of six month on the management of social media  (Facebook, twitter, blog). 

Our Facebook and Twitter pages are available (www.facebook/wgecd) (www.twitter.com/wgecd). Please send your comments and suggestions to the wgecd@afdb.org  

 
Creation of WGECD Task forces GTDE 

As agreed in the ADEA WGECD workplan, three task forces were identified for ECD in Africa : capacity building in Africa, policy development and support to planning; and research and knowledge sharing. Patience Awopegba of IICBA is the lead for capacity building. 

We highly encourage you to apply for policy development and support to planning; and research and knowledge sharing. 

 
Feature Stories

Co-organisation with the  Reseau Educa- tion pour Tous en A/rique (REPTA) of the 1st  edition of the Cotonou meetings on early childhood and community approach (Cotonou-Benin,  27-29 November, 2012). The meeting aimed at setting up a new African net- work to support the community development of early childhood. 

Meeting: http://youtu.be/EYhAeclKFzY

Community school : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbdQ3nCUfmI

 
Mapping of ECD institutions: ADEA-WGECD has launched mapping of ECD institutions , as a pre- lude of the start up of the inter country quality node . This objective of the study is to better structuring  pre and in-service training of ECD staff. Dr. Alan Pence, of University of Victoria , has conducted the  study.  

 
Capacity building of national and regional netwoks: Given the various institutional difficulties experienced by ADEA-WGECD, it has been agreed "to strengthen the national and regional networks' capac- ities through the tracking of the available expertise in ECO in the countries and the identification of their needs, in view of creating a community of practices." The   study was conducted by Eveline Pressoir and aimed  at   updating   the   list  of   national   networks working on early childhood.

 
Validation of training modules  on indige- nous  curriculum: This workshop co-organised by ADEA-WGECD and IICBA (International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa) from 18 to 20 April, 2012  in Abuja (Nigeria) aimed at validation a series of seven modules on indigenous curriculum designed for the empowerment of literate persons working in ECD. http://www.eng.unesco-iicba.org/node/66 

 
Finalisation workshop of the utilisation of Bouba  and  Zaza  guidebook  during  the Consultative  Group  side  meeting: ADEA, UNESCO and Michel Lafon Printing House have de- signed the «  Bouba et Zaza » series in the « Culture d'enfance  »  collection.  After  the  publication  of  12 titles, the  guidebook is published.

 
Support of the inter country quality node in the identification of training needs of 12 member countries, the mobilisation of resources and the holding of the training programme with the universities.  

 
Attendance in meetings and conferences

The ADEA-WGECD attended the following meetings:
 

JANUARY

Sevres I and II Meetings, 9-12 January and 19-21 February, 2013 {Paris, France)
As a follow-up of the Cotonou meeting on early childhood and community development organised by WGECD and REPTA in November, 2012 two other meetings were held in Sevres that aimed at the elaboration of documents for the Cotonou follow- up. The meetings resulted in the drafting of the reports (Acts), the elaboration of an analytic document and the validation of countries information sheet.

 
FEBRUARY

Workshop of elaboration of a methology for the learning of reading and writing for primary education  organised by the In- ternational Organisation of Francophonie, 25 February– 1 March, 2013 (Dakar-Senegal)
Early childhood was highly addressed especially the efficient use of mother tongues in learning/early-learning activities. Discus- sion were held with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for the setting up of both an early literacy project for toddlers and a family-literacy approach.

 
MARCH

Writing through Visual/Virtual: Inscribing Language, literature and Culture in Francone Africa and the Caribbean, » 7- 9 March, 2013 in Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
It was designed to encourage trans-disciplinary understanding of the com- plex intercation between language, literature, arts, visual and virtual domains of expression in Francophone Africa and in the Caribbean.

 
MAY

Advancing the Early Childhood Development Agenda in Africa-: From Policy Analysis to Implementation, 7-10, May 2013 Dakar, Senegal
The World Bank, in collaboration with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), UNICEF and UNESCO organized a technical meeting aiming at advance the ECD agenda. Participants from Francophone countries of West Africa (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo), partners (World Bank, UNICEF, GIZ) and Universities (Yale University, University of Londonetc)  attended the meeting.