From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Fri Apr 24 2009 - 19:35:21 EDT
An emphasis on education for migrant communities in Eritrea
By Miriam Mareso
GELEB, Eritrea, 17 April 2009 – Over the past three years, the Tigré
community in Geleb, on the Eritrean coast, has seen improved access to
education for its children, as well as increase safe water and use of
latrines. The availability of such services has greatly improved the
quality of life for members of this nomadic community, who live part of
the year in semi-desert areas.
“I’m the oldest one among all these people, and I have seen so many
things happen in our community and in Eritrea. But what we have now, we
have never seen before – the clean water, the school… This gives us
hope,” says one of the elders in the community.
Education, in particular, has brought a sense of fulfillment to the
community members. The elders say their children are learning new
concepts and skills, which they hope will provide a future different
from their own lives, which are largely determined by the daily struggle
for survival and seasonal migrations in search of water.
“I am sitting here, watching our children go to school. And I am doing
my best to help them learn what is important, to save them from
ignorance. When I hear our children speak English and other languages,
this is what makes me feel fulfilled,” says the elder.
New opportunities for nomadic children
Nomadic populations in Eritrea move twice a year between the lowlands
and the highlands. These migrations are incompatible with the formal
school calendar. Generally, classes are already in session when the time
comes for nomadic children to resettle. As a consequence, they end up
being excluded from the formal system.
Non-formal Complementary Elementary Education (CEE), with its flexible
calendar, is more suitable to their migration patterns. As a result, CEE
is having a positive impact on access to education for nomadic boys and
girls by providing them with new opportunities for learning.
The establishment of education committees composed of community elders,
mothers and fathers has also contributed to the increased value
attributed to the education of girls amongst pastoralists – and to the
appreciation of its long-term benefits for the community as a whole.
“UNICEF and the government request that we send more girls to school,”
said the elder. “This is a piece of welcome advice. The community is a
combination of boys and girls. Unless the girls are developed, the
community cannot develop. The sun gives light to the outside world in
the daytime. The moon and the stars shine in the sky at night. The light
inside our homes is given by our women and our girls. Education can make
that light even brighter.”
The way forward
So far, education for pastoralists has mainly been provided through CEE
in Eritrea. But the country is now moving towards developing a provision
that is tailored around the needs and lifestyles of this group.
In December 2008, the first National Consultation Conference on Nomadic
Education was held in Eritrea. The event, led by the Eritrean Ministry
of Education and supported by UNICEF, saw the participation of a
representative from the Kenyan Ministry of Education and of elders and
representatives from several Eritrean nomadic communities.
The event sealed UNICEF collaboration with the Ministry of Education
towards the conceptualization of a nationwide policy for Nomadic
Education in Eritrea and renewed the country’s commitment to provide
basic social services to this minority group.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/eritrea_49393.html
UNICEF Image
<http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/images/ibc_eritrea_nomads1.jpg>
UNICEF Image
<http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/images/ibc_eritrea_nomads2.jpg>
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