Ministerial Seminar hosted by the Government of Ethiopia
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
7-9 September 2005.
Press clippings

Ministers of education, agriculture, fisheries and rural development and high-level official from of eleven countries in Sub-Saharan Africa agreed to make Education for Rural people a top priority. Recommendation for action are synthesized in a joint communique.
Participating countries were Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

The seminar was organized by the FAO, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and UNESCO/International Institute for Educational Planning, with the support of the Italian Development Cooperation (DGCS) and the Norwegian Education Trust Fund and the World Bank.

Agenda and presentations

Wednesday 7 September 2005

• Opening speech of Ms. Marcela Villareal (FAO)
• Opening speech of Mrs Lalla Aicha Ben Barka Director of the Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (UNESCO/BREDA)
• The MDGs and the situation of rural people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The interrelation among the fight against poverty and hunger and ERP -
  Mr. Marcelino Avila (FAO)
• Stocktaking on Education for Rural People in Africa: mapping rural disadvantage -
  Mr. Tegegn Nuresu Wako (ADEA)
• ERP: Experiences and lessons from Ethiopia -
  Mr. Ayalew Shibeshi (Addis Ababa University)
• ERP: Experiences and lessons from Mozambique -
  Ministry official from Mozambique
• ERP: Experiences and lessons from South Africa -
  Mr. John Samuel (Nelson Mandela Foundation)
• Presentation of country reports:
  Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar Niger, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda

Thursday 8 September 2005
Sharing experiences of agencies

• Experiences of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) - Ms. Sabine Schenk, SDC
• Experiences of the World Bank - Mr. Aidan Mulkeen, World Bank
• Experiences of UNICEF - Mr. Mamadou Bagayoko, UNICEF Burkina Faso
• Experiences of ILO - Mr. Vyacheslav Korovkin, ILO
• Policy agenda for improved focus on capacity building relevance to rural people in Africa. Issues, strategies and actions - Mr. Azene Bekele-Tesemma. World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Nairobi
• Education in rural Tanzania: The COBET experience

Parallel theme-based working groups:

Working group 1: Focus on schooling : access, quality and relevance of education for rural children

Contributions:

• Redefinig the role of multigrade-teachin. Challenges and policy implications. Mr. Virgilio Juvane
• ADEA WG on the Teaching Profession. Penina Mlama
• Joining the world of ICT. Mr. Demissew Bekele

Working group 2: Strengthening rural communities through non formal education

Contributions:

• Ms. Amina Osman (ADEA WG on Non Formal Education)
• Mr. Azene Bekele-Tessema (ICRAF)
• Mr. Gunter Heidrich (FAO - SFLP)

Working group 3: Vocational skills for agriculture and rural development

Contributions:

• Vocational skills for sustainable rural development - Keith Holmes International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP)
• Liens entre la formation professionnelle et le developpement rural - BADO B. Jean

Friday 9 September 2005

Presentation & discussions of the findings of the working groups

• findings group 1
• findings group 2
• findings group 3

Country-based working groups on the lessons learned, strengthening the national programmes, and strategies to mobilize resources.

Round table on the findings of the country-based groups and conclusions on priorities and actions for Ministries in addressing ERP as a key for the MDGs.
Press conference with the Ministers of Education, Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries.