By Lamin B. Darboe
Information Officer, MoBSE
Minister for Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE), Claudiana Cole signed a Framework Agreement with the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation during the World International Summit for Education (WISE) held in Doha, Qatar on 9th December, 2021.
The goal for the Framework Agreement between MoBSE and EAA is to support the implementation of educational activities with the view to accelerate enrolment and retention of all remaining Zero Out of School Children (OOSC) in The Gambia. This will also ensure quality primary education and attain OOSC or Universal Primary Education status.
MoBSE and other education stakeholders in The Gambia will design an education project targeting the remaining 61,765 OOSC. This project will be rolled out in partnership with EAA and other education stakeholders.
The Gambia was among the first four nations in the world to join EAA’s global OOSC campaign, initiated at the WISE conference two years ago. EAA’s Educate A Child (EAC) programme works hand-in-hand with a selected number of countries to “go the last mile” by identifying and enrolling the most invisible children, the pockets of OOSC that have yet proved hard to reach.
While education is key to achieving the SDGs set out by the United Nations, many countries are yet to reach universal primary education. As it stands, more than 59 million primary-aged children are out of school worldwide.
The new Zero country level pledges were accompanied by “Zero Out of School Children” being officially adopted by the UN into its Decade of Action, and follow EAC’s recent achievement of enrolling 10 million primary-aged children in education around the world.
EAC has been in discussion with MoBSE on enhancing access to quality primary level education for out of school children in the country, thus the MoBSE team together with other education stakeholders in the country have participated in several meetings with the EAC team; to concretize the strategies towards having a viable project for OOSC initiative.
MoBSE in partnership with UNICEF and other educational partners in the country, are in the process of finalizing the project design to identify and enroll all the out of school children into quality primary level education, and to ensure that these children will remain in school till completion.
About Education Above All Foundation
Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness, Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser. EAA aims to change the world, one student at a time. Its believes that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the right conditions to achieve SDGs.
Through our multi-sectoral approach, unique financing models, focus on innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, EAA aims to bring hope and real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalized boys and girls.
EAA is comprised of four programs: Educate a Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach out to Asia (ROTA), and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC). In addition to providing equitable access to quality education for children worldwide, EAA advocates for the protection of education from all forms of attack.
About Educate A Child
Educate A Child (EAC), a global programme of the Education Above All Foundation launched in 2012, aims to trigger significant breakthroughs and a material difference in the lives of children who have no access to primary education. It has been helping millions of out of school children all over the world, through partnership and innovation, to overcome the access and retention barriers blocking their path to education.
Playing a leadership role in the field of OOSC and quality primary education, EAC strives to achieve individual and social outcomes for these children and their communities, resulting in a more sustainable world for everyone.
