EI supports teachers in the Central African Republic who struggle to bring quality education to their students despite decades of political violence.
The all Africa website has reported that due to widespread destruction and displacement, the educational sector has been badly affected by a dire shortage of teachers and adequate physical infrastructure. For thousands of children, classes take place not in solid buildings of brick, but in rudimentary “bush schools.”
UNICEF's chief education officer in the country, Farid Boubekeur, told the humanitarian news and analysis service from the UN Office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs that “needs are huge and funds insufficient. More appropriate infrastructure as well as qualified teachers are needed. Because of difficulties in the conflict-affected areas of the North, disparities in terms of access and quality are deepening.”
Many of the pupils attending schools in the northeast of the country were forced to flee their homes due to the conflict between rebel groups and government forces, and are now living in informal settlements in and around the village. According to UNICEF, there are more than 5,000 children of primary-school age and a total of 19 schools in the M'Brès Sub-Prefecture, 10 built of semi-perishable materials. Among the 76 teachers, 40 are pupils' parents, without any sort of qualification.
In line with country statistics showing an average of one teacher for about 94 students, the Ecole Ouande in the Linguiri village has two teachers, both contracted by the government, and one trainee. Unlike the two teachers earning a wage of 60,000 CFA (US$120), the trainee works for free, but is supported by parents who voluntarily contribute with 100 CFA each (50 cents).
Aid agencies have helped to build some 800 schools in the northwest, two-thirds of them “bush schools,” and have given basic teacher training to some 2,000 parents.
EI urges the national authorities to guarantee the employment of properly trained and qualified teachers; to stop resorting to unpaid trainees; and to provide decent teaching and learning conditions by building education infrastructures and paying adequate wages to teachers.
No comments:
Post a Comment