ACTIVITY REPORT

Launching of the Global Monitoring Framework 2015/2016

Development Goals in an Era of Demographic Change
Theme: Reflecting from the conclusions of the GMR report: what lessons
for the Gambia - Learning from best practices and initiatives?

Organisers: Organised by the Gambia National Commission for UNESCO in

collaboration with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education

Sponsors: UNESCO
Date: 19 September, 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENT
Pages

I Background of the Seminar . 3-7

1.1 Context
1.2 Justification
1.3 Objectives
1.4 Expected results
1.5 Target beneficiaries
1.6 Venue and organisation

II Opening .. 7
2.1 Opening remarks
2.2 Statements

III Content of the Seminar 10 30

3.1 Summary of Presentations
3.2 GEM Report 2016 Education for people and planet: Creating sustainable
futures for all
3.3 Presentation II: The Role of Civil Society in promoting inclusive Approach in
Education
3.4 Policy context and Educational statistics in the Gambia
3.5 SDG 4: Education 2030 A Framework for Action
3.6 The Responsiveness of The National Education Policy 2016 2030 to Sustainable
Development Goal 4

IV Closing... 31
5.1 Closing remarks
5.2 Vote of thanks

ANNEXES 32 - 41
Annex 1 Programme of the seminar
Annex 2 Media Report
Annex 3 Picture gallery

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I BACKGROUND OF THE SEMINAR
1.1 Context: The Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report (GMR) is
an authoritative, analytical, evidence-based report, which has monitored
progress on an almost annual basis towards the EFA goals, and the two
education-related Millennium Development Goals since 2002. It is
developed by an independent team and published by UNESCO. Drawing on
the latest available data and wide-ranging sources of evidence, the GMR
assesses the extent to which countries and the international community
have met their Dakar commitments, and proposes policies and strategies
to accelerate progress. In addition to monitoring the six EFA goals, most
reports have examined a topical education theme in considerable depth
and detail. Eleven reports have been produced to date covering diverse
themes including quality, gender, adult literacy, youth and skills, early
childhood care and education, inequality and governance, marginalized
populations, and armed conflict. A final report on EFA achievements and
remaining challenges is soon to be completed and will be launched in April
2015.
The EFA GMR series continues to respond to its original mandate and has
evolved over the years. Monitoring and measurement tools were refined
and augmented under the stewardship of successive directors. The GMR
has supplemented information gathered from the UNESCO Institute for
Statisticsits primary source of statistical information on national
education systemswith quantitative and non-quantitative policy-relevant
information from other partners and institutions, continually building its
evidence base for monitoring major educational issues globally, regionally
and nationally.

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As new sources of data became available, the GMR team found ways to
enhance its monitoring instruments to reveal key issues such as inequality,
both within countries and over time, in school attendance, attainment and
learning outcomes. Of special note is the World Inequality Database on
Education (WIDE), which was created by synthesizing a large amount of
information from household surveys and comparative assessment
exercises.
The first report in the series, the 2016 Report, will establish a monitoring
framework and discuss key financing challenges. The report will assess post-
2015 developments in governance, financing and intersectoral integration
that have implications for research and policy in education. The special
theme, decided with support from the GMR Advisory Board, will be:
Education, sustainability and the post-2015 development agenda. Thus the
2016 report will not only focus on the complex interrelationships between
education and key development sectors but will also determine which
education strategies, policies and programmes are most effectively linked
to the economic, social, environmental and political priorities of the new
sustainable development agenda.

This concept note for the 2016 report is organized in four sections:

1. New concepts and changing emphases in the post-2015 era

2. Monitoring the post-2015 education goal and other targets

3. Financing issues and challenges

4. The theme of Education, sustainability and the post-2015

development agenda.

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The Gambia National Commission for UNESCO in collaboration with the
Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) conduct the launching
of the Global Education Monitoring Report 2015/16 on the theme - Reflecting from
the conclusions of the GMR report: what lessons for the Gambia - Learning from best
practices and initiatives?

The Gambia being a part of the global community cannot be left behind in
localizing the SDGs to its education system especially SDG 4. The country
has keenly pursued meeting the demands of the various declarations since
Jomtien, Dakar to Incheon. The event in view is a drive to reflect on the
progresses so far of the Post-2015 agenda.

1.2 Justification of the Seminar

The new Sustainable Development Goals require education to be re-

envisioned. The goals go beyond accessing formal education to require an
interrogation of the quality and purposes of education, whether education
is equitable for all, and how education is placed in a context of lifelong
learning, where people and communities learn to be inclusive, peaceful, and
cohesive and create a world that is sustainable for future generations.
The majority of the Gambian community need to be abreast with
happenings around the world as far as the new agenda for development
are concerned. In information dissemination various methodologies need
applying. The launching of the GEMR will provide concerned stakeholders
opportunity to access first-hand information related to education access
and quality in the country measuring it against the global standards. It
gives also the opportunity to reflect on the national scenario allowing for
dialogue among the partners in education service provision.

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1.3 Objectives of the Seminar

The general objectives of the seminar are as follows: To disseminate the

findings and recommendations of the Global Monitoring Report on
Education 2016 and raise awareness on the bottlenecks that might affect
sustainable development prospects in The Gambia.
To seize this opportunity to sensitise youths, parents and key stakeholders
in education about the SDG 4 and its implications in terms of data need.

1.4 Expected Results

By the end of the seminar it is expected that the goals of SDG 4 will be
effectively disseminated to the seminar participants and, to the general
public through the media such as the television, radio and newspapers.

1.5 Target Beneficiaries

The UN agencies present in The Gambia;

the decision-makers (the government),
the Ministries of Education,
other departments indirectly working in the field of education,
Gambia Teachers Union,
students and parents of students,
youth groups,
researchers and training institutes

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1.6 Venue and organisation
The seminar was held at the Regional Education Directorate I Kanifing
of The Gambia.
The organisation modalities were discussed with the national
authorities namely the National Commission for UNESCO and Ministry
of Basic and Secondary Education :

- Dates : 19 September 2016

- Venue : Regional Education Directorate I, Kanifing
- Participants :
- Budget :

II. OPENING CEREMONY

2.1 Opening remarks

At the high table of the seminar the two ministries of education in The
Gambia were well represented as well as Civil Society Organisations. The
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education Research Science
and Technology was present. The coordinator of Education For All network
Gambia as well had a place at the helm in addition to representatives from
GEM and UNESCO Dakar office.

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Of the participants it was the right mixture ranging from youth
organisations, mothers clubs, parent-teachers associations, school
children, media personnel, parliamentarians to community leaders.

The Chairperson of the occasion Mr. Momodou Jallow Deputy Permanent

Secretary MoBSE recognised the presence of the Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Higher Education Research Science and Technology, the
Executive Director - Womens Bureau, the Vice Chairperson NATCOM
board, Madam Lily the UNESCO representative, Media fraternity and all the
people present. He extends apologies from PS Mr. Baboucarr Bouy of
Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education for not being at the opening
ceremony but will join the occasion later in the day.

In his opening remarks Mr. Jallow reiterate that the world has made lots of
commitments to education globally with various declarations starting at
Jomtien, Dakar to the most recent in Incheon South Korea. He said
although much progress has been made todays occasion will let us so will
see how far we have come both globally and nationally.

He alluded to the objectives of the seminar in that it is a session for

reflection and charting a course for the attainment of the standards set at
Incheon. How have we prepared to incorporate the goals set by SDG 4?
he inquired. The DPS reiterated the fact that all other SDGs are linked to
the goals set for education so if we get it right the rest will naturally fall in
place, he said. At this juncture he introduce the order of the proceedings
for statement delivery and presentations.

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2.2 STATEMENTS

Ms. Lily Hailu Neyestani Specialist at UNESCO Dakar office in her statement felt
honoured to be in The Gambia and seeing the many people she had the pleasure to work
with. The Specailist went on to say that the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM
Report) builds on the experience of the previous EFA GMR series which received a new
mandate to assess the progress of education under the 2030 Agenda.

Lily harped that the 2016 GEM Report is the first of the new 15 year series that explores
the complex relationship between education and other facets of sustainable
development, along with the monitoring implications for SDG 4. It shows that
education will not deliver its full potential to catapult the world forward unless school
participation rates greatly improve, learning becomes a lifelong pursuit and education
systems fully embrace sustainable development, she concluded.

Similar sentiments were share by Nihan Koseleci a representative from GEM who said
that local and national authorities, civil society, academics, the scientific community
and the private sector are some of the partners that can help implement global
agendas such as the SDGs. She said that increased civils society partnership was a
major attainment of the EFA agenda.

Ms. Koseleci continued to say that of the new education agenda access needs to be
monitored closely. Though the new agenda aims to achieve 12 years of education for
the current cohort by 2030, it should not be forgotten that 25 million children do not
even begin primary school, she concludes.

For his part the Permanent Secretary MoHERST, said that the launching of the report is
an event they are MoHERST take pride in associating themselves with. He highlighted
this event will avail the county the opportunity to take stock of the national picture as it
will share the findings of the report, discuss the results and raise the awareness of the
Gambian community in regard of it education system quality. PS Sisawo remarked that
theme of the report is education, sustainability and the post 2015 development

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agenda. He shared further that the report assesses post-2015 development in
education governance, financing and intersectoral integration with implications for
research and policy in education. In his opinion the panel discussion is an opportunity
to see the alignment or otherwise between the current education policy to SDG 4.
Before concluding and declaring the report launched he encouraged all stakeholders to
honour their commitments towards the childrens education for a more sustainable
future for us all.

III. CONTENT OF THE SEMINAR

The content of the seminar included the following presentations:

3.1 SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTATIONS

Presentations:
GEM Report 2016 - Education for people and planet:
Creating sustainable futures for all Nihan Koseleci
The Role of Civil Society in promoting inclusive Approach in Education
Siyat Gaye

Policy context and Educational statistics in the Gambia - Alpha Bah

System Analyst
SDG 4: Education 2030 A Framework for Action Lily Hailu Neyetani
The Responsiveness of The National Education Policy 2016 2030 to
Sustainable Development Goal 4 Mariama Chow

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Presentation I: GEM Report 2016 - Education for people and planet:
Creating sustainable futures for all Nihan Koseleci

Commencing her presentation Nihan alluded that a year ago, in September 2015, the
member states of the United Nations agreed on a new sustainable development
agenda with 17 goals to be achieved by 2030 among which is a global goal on
education.

She said member states also outlined a process to follow up and review progress,
globally and by goal which is the first report in a fifteen-year series to monitor progress
on education in the new sustainable development agenda.

Going further, she recalled that the Sustainable Development Goals are the collective
vision of the international community. They merge the previous development agenda
known as the Millennium Development Goals and the environment agenda known as
the Rio process.

What is unique to education is the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG4)

focusing on education and aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education
and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

She further states that SDG4 in turn merges and significantly expands upon the
Millennium Development Goals and the Education for All agendas in education, which
guided the international community until 2015.

When representatives of the international education community convened the World

Education Forum in May 2015, it gave the Global Education Monitoring Report (or GEM
Report) a mandate to monitor education commitments in the new sustainable
development agenda.

Moving from commitment to action the international community has proposed 11

global indicators to monitor progress on the 10 targets of SDG4. Countries will be
obliged to report information on each of these 11 global indicators. The international
education community has also proposed an additional 32 indicators, called thematic
indicators that would help give a wider view of progress over the next fifteen years.

This Report analyses each target and their respective indicators in detail, raising
substantive issues and identify gaps where further work is needed.

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In addition, it provides emerging evidence on baselines for selected indicators. It is
important to say that many indicators have not yet been measured on a global scale,
especially those related to learning outcomes. Ms. Koseleci outlined some of the
Reports findings from the monitoring part below:

Against the first target (4.1) of universal completion of primary and secondary
education by 2030, there are still 263 million children, adolescents and youth out of
school according to UIS in 2014.

Against the third target (4.3), globally more than 200 million students are now enrolled
in higher education. In the Gambia, in 2012, the tertiary education gross enrolment
ratio was only 3%.

For the fourth target on skills for work (4.4), we have found that having strong
reading skills doubles the probability of having a decent job.

Related to the fifth target on inequalities in education (4.5), we have found that
gender disparities increase by education level..

In the seventh target on education for sustainable development (4.7), new GEM
analysis indicates the challenge of mainstreaming ESD and GCED in curricula: for
example, while 73% of 78 countries with data included the key term sustainable
development, only 36% included the notion of climate change. The terms global
citizenship or global identity appeared in the curricula of only 42% of countries.

The presenter remarked that the world is far from providing the education facilities and
learning environments envisaged in target 4.a: indicating that 3 out of 10 primary
schools lack an adequate water supply.

Our own analysis of target 4.b has found that around 25,000 scholarships were offered
by governments last year, which reach only 1% of mobile students from developing
countries, although a proper mechanism of measuring them is currently lacking.

The Report outlines six key steps that countries should take to strengthen national
monitoring of education in the next 3 to 5 years

Assessing the quality of education cannot be reduced to learning outcomes. It should

include looking at policies, curricula, textbooks and teacher education programmes,

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judging them against the way they address tolerance, human rights, and sustainability,
for instance.

Schooling alone cannot deliver all the expected outcomes from improved education by
2030. We need to focus on lifelong learning, yet at present, education opportunities
available to adults are barely being monitored at all.

Countries should engage in debates and exchange ideas on good practices of key
education policies, for example how to address disadvantage in education. Regional
organizations can encourage and support these processes, as examples from Europe
and Latin America suggest.

Finally, countries should consider adopting a national education accounts approach to

help monitor education spending not only from governments and donors but also from
households. This would provide important information as to whether the costs are
shared fairly.

The 2016 GEM Report has assessed the likelihood of achieving the target of universal
primary and secondary completion by 2030.

The message is stark: if past rates continue, not even the EFA goal of universal primary
completion would be achieved by 2030. Rather, the world is set to achieve universal
upper secondary completion half a century late.

Southern Asia is just behind the global average, estimated to achieve universal upper
secondary completion in 2084. Sub-Saharan Africa falls behind that, estimated to
achieve the target at the end of the century.

It is clear that we need an unprecedented break with past trends if current education
commitments are to be achieved.

The sustainable development agenda draws together those working on all aspects of
human development and the environment for the first time.

Certainly, schools must become more green, changing their pedagogy, linking up with
communities and increasing their connections with nature.

But beyond formal education, government agencies, religious organizations, non-profit

and community groups, labour unions and the private sector can all help change
individual and collective behaviour.

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This can happen through awareness campaigns about an environmental problem, and
its solution such as Ethiopia ran in 2015, for instance, aimed at encouraging solar
lighting.

The workplace is likewise an essential centre for environmental learning through

training and practice

Education can help with the shift to a more sustainable way of living.

It shapes values and perspectives, and is proven to be the best tool for climate change
awareness.

One of the biggest strains on the environment, for instance, is population growth.
Education, especially of girls and women, is the most effective means of addressing this
growth, increasing womens autonomy over fertility-related decisions.

Education also enhances peoples resilience to climate-related risks. and encourages

their support for and involvement in mitigation actions.

By 2020, the world could have 40 million too few workers with tertiary education
qualifications than are needed.

Faster speed is crucial. If low income countries achieved universal upper secondary
education by 2030 the first education target in the new agenda - wed lift 60 million
out of poverty by 2050.

Education can also ensure this economic growth doesnt leave people behind, firstly, by
helping people find work, but perhaps more importantly, by helping people find decent
work

New analysis for this report shows that 39% fewer workers from poorer backgrounds
would be in low paying informal work and in working poverty if they attained the same
education level as workers from richer backgrounds.

The greening of todays industries and the growth of new green companies will require
new skills and calls for continuing education and training for workers, often on the job.

Through research and innovative development education can support the shift to
green growth.

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However, many countries, including many in sub-Saharan Africa, have halted or
reduced investment in agricultural research, which needs to be reversed.

In addition, farmers urgently need help stepping up their productivity to feed our
increasingly growing population.

Our report shows that field schools and extension programmes helped farmers
increase productivity by 12% and their net income by 19% at the same time.

This chapter looks at the links between education on health, nutrition, water and
energy sources.

It shows that, ultimately, a holistic approach to human development is needed to

address multidimensional poverty challenges.

The links between education and health are far stretching.

Health and nutrition are essential for education: they condition childrens ability to
attend school and learn, and their families ability to support them.

Similarly, access to quality health care for teachers can reduce teacher absenteeism
and attrition.

But education on its own is not enough to achieve equality in society and ensure all
have access to the most basic of services.

We need to integrate education with actions such as social protection programmes

that seek to reduce risk and vulnerability.

Educating women is at the heart of social development. More educated mothers are
more likely to seek help during pregnancy and childbirth and are better able to feed
their children well and keep them in good health.

Our projections show that if women achieved universal upper secondary education by
2030 in sub-Saharan Africa, it would prevent 3.5 million child deaths in the decade
beginning in 2050.

Outside of health benefits, education also broadens womens employment

opportunities, which is crucial in the face of wide gender inequalities in pay, promotion
and in work.

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Studies from very different countries and contexts have also shown how education
increases womens political empowerment. This should be a major global priority. In
2014, only 22% of national assemblies were made up of women.

Persistent violence and armed conflict undermine personal security and well-being.
Preventing violence and achieving sustainable peace require democratic and
representative institutions and well-functioning justice systems. Education is a key
element in political participation, inclusion, advocacy and democracy.

What we know already is that conflict and violence are taking a disturbingly large toll
on education systems. In conflict-affected countries, 21.5 million children of primary
school age and 15 million adolescents of lower secondary age are out of school,
representing 36% and 25% of the total respectively.

Our latest research with UNHCR, showed that 50% of refugee children are out of
primary school and 75% of refugee youth are out of secondary school.

Meanwhile, education is often directly under attack, with teachers and students
directly impacted, and schools used for military purposes.

Education can be a powerful preventative tool for violence and conflict. Data from 100
countries shows that countries with wider education gaps are more likely to be in
conflict.

Yet the issue has not been given proper attention in peace agreements. Of all
agreements signed between 1989 and 2005, almost one third made no mention of
education at all.

The content of education is crucial in laying the foundation for and maintaining peace.

Language in education policies can also be a source of wider grievances especially if

they discriminate against certain population groups.

Education can also lead to more constructive political processes, and more peaceful
protests by helping people participate in politics and access political information,.

Secondly, a functioning justice system is critical for sustaining peaceful societies.

However, many citizens lack the skills to gain access to complex justice systems. In
2011, according to court user survey results in the Former Yugoslav Republic of

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Macedonia, only 32% of individuals with primary education were well informed about
the judicial system, compared with 77% of those with higher education.

Urbanization is one of todays defining demographic trends.

Fast urbanisation is putting a strain on education systems. More than one-third of

urban residents in lower income countries live in slums or shanty towns

In addition, 6 out of 10 refugees lived in urban areas.

Currently, the broad education sector is largely missing from key urban development
discussions. It must be integrated into future urban planning so that the education
needs and rights of all are met as urban populations change.

Cities can attract human capital and foreign direct investment by positioning
themselves as global hubs for higher education, skills, talent, knowledge and
innovation.

Education can also help cities to become green. Curitiba and Medellin are both cities
that have used education initiatives to become among the greenest cities in the world.

Similarly, Inviting education planners to the table in discussions around urban policies
would help address unequal access to quality public schools, and the uneven
distribution of quality teachers by area.

Teacher preparation and mentoring programmes can reduce discriminatory attitudes

that exacerbate social marginalization and exclusion throughout cities.

The report also shows that education also has a positive social impact on cities,
particularly in reducing crime.

The GEM Report pays special attention to the importance of developing integrated
approaches to solve complex, collective problems.

However, the notion of integrated planning still exists mostly on paper as its potential
benefits are not fully realized.

Few countries have genuinely pushed for integrated actions and budgets. Without
strong political incentives and adequate financial backing, planning and
implementation in most contexts will not change their ways of working.

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One key barrier standing in the way of progress is the persistent finance gap for all our
development goals, including for education.

Mobilising more domestic resources will be critical. For some this can be done by
increasing the priority given to education. In others, polities to raise tax revenue is
needed. The Report shows education can help with this aim: across over 120 countries
low literacy rates can be associated with reduced tax revenues.

In addition, aid is not being allocated to those facing the biggest education challenges.
Rather it is frequently associated with donor trade-related interests. To reach our goals,
aid must be better aligned to helping those most in need.

The graph on this slide illustrates the gap between aid to education and actual need.
For example, Chad only received US$3 per child in 2014, even though only 28% were
completing primary school. Mongolia, by contrast, received $45 per child even though
almost 100% are completing. Liberia and Mauritania, in red, have roughly the same
completion rates but receive vastly different amounts of aid to education.

These policy recommendations suggest how education systems can contribute more
effectively to sustainable development.

Support collaborations and synergies across all sectors and partners.

Governments need to view formal and non-formal education and training as key to their
efforts to tackle cross-sector problems.

Education can help reduce income inequality, but not on its own.

Education systems need increased and predictable financing to:

(a) universalize completion of primary and secondary education;

(b) increase numbers of qualified, knowledgeable and motivated teachers;

(c) provide good quality education to marginalized populations; and

(d) prepare for the impact of climate change, natural disasters and the possibility
of protracted conflict.

Among many benefits of improving equity in education, universal primary and secondary
education, especially for girls, would curtail population growth, transform social norms
and practices across generations, and limit the burden on the planet.

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Last, we need to revisit the purposes of education: what learning is needed to achieve
the ambitious 2030 Agenda.

In developing skills policies, education systems should address both medium- and long-
term needs and the implications of sustainable growth.

Civic, peace and sustainability education programmes can be important levers for SDG
progress.

Presentation II: The Role of Civil Society in promoting inclusive Approach in Education
Mr. Gaye in his presentation cited the fact that the forces of globalization have propelled
the growth of civil society and civic action and opened up a global public space for debate
and actions. He said of recent we have witnessed a remarkable rise of civil society as a
global phenomenon. CSOs he said have contributed to creating global public opinion,
which is shaping the socio-political agenda and generating a cosmopolitan set of norms
and public demands that transcend national boundaries. As noted by the Cardoso panel,
civil society is as much part of todays global governance as are governments;
constructive engagement with CSOs is a necessity for the United Nations, not an
option. In the past twenty years, civil society actors have mounted high-profile
campaigns for greater accountability on the part of those who govern. Today they are
the driving force behind wide-ranging innovative multi-stakeholder consortiums for the
public good.
He would recall the Special Session on the Involvement of Civil Society in Education for
All 46th Session of the International Conference on Education IBE, Geneva, 58
September 2001 convened by the then Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Kochiro
Matsuura that provided a landmark framework and recognition of the role of civil
society in EFA. These Special Session had as its theme, Involvement of Civil Society in
Education for All reflecting on the overriding importance attached to the role of non-
governmental and other civil society organizations in EFA processes and movement.
He also gave reasons as to why CSOs are important saying that governments cannot do
it alone underpinning the following which prompt CSO involvement:
Lack of human and financial resources

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It is widely accepted that the cost of funding education for all is prohibitive and beyond
the resources of most countries in the world, especially developing countries.
Democratic principles and processes
Nature of democratic systems calls for broad-based participation in all aspects of
education policy,
Frequent changes in education ministries, which often lead to discontinuity in the
processes of education governance, e..g civil society organizations are less
exposed to changes and therefore have an important role to play in ensuring
continuity of the EFA process.
Pluralistic perspective on education and recognized the strength of civil society
in this regard.
Need for relevance and new vision
The pattern of co-operation in countries varies, but experience tells us that close
co-operation between education and civil society is an important means and will
be an important means to fulfil the SDGs goals
On the part of what kind of action CSOs play in EFA the presenter cites that they are
alternative service providers sometimes comparatively more flexible than the state,
closer to the grass roots and local cultures and more innovative in approach. CSOs have
emerged as leaders and major actors in the provision of non-formal and alternative
education, with experience in linking education to other development sectors and
building partnerships at different levels alluding to Gambias example in the likes of
Action Aid, Future In Our Hands, Christian Relief Service etc.
Reaching out to disadvantaged groups:
Civil society organizations particularly cater to the needs of disadvantaged groups,
including girls and women, children in slums or isolated rural areas or extreme poverty,
street children, nomads, the disabled, populations affected by conflict and
displacement.
Education for all means the participation of all for a different kind of education,
Civil society has proved its role as innovators, as sources of new thinking and new
practices and helped to move the EFA vision forward by responding to changing

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 learning needs through diverse initiatives and critical analysis of existing concepts
and practices.
Defining new content and approaches- innovative curricula in areas such as civic
education, health education, science education, environmental issues peace conflict and
intercultural dialogue.
In concluding he presents the Gambias Experience in relation to the role of CSO in
Education.
Decentralization & organization of community involvement:
Expansion and the increasing role of community involvement in education
management and participation in defining education and assessing quality and
processes;
The development from loosely structured to institutionalized and systematic
involvement in Local education governance through Teacher-Parent Associations
(PTAs), School Management Committees (SMCs) and mothers clubs
Grass roots structures are now involved in local resource mobilization and, to some
extent, moral community support for instance communal labour, Community-based
committees create spaces for all constituencies of local civil society including traditional
and religions authorities or women and young people to participate in local education
policy choices, thus help to reconcile traditional and modern views on education.
CSO A key partner with diverse interests
Participation in policy dialogue and national consultations on educatione.eg.
National consultation on the MoBSE Education 2016-2030 Central Coordinating
Meeting, Local Education Group, Joint Donor Review
Service provision- Provision of education by supporting build of learning facilities
and provision of learning material to capacity building- E.g. Action Aid, UNICEF,
FIOH etc.
Advocacy Sensitization and advocacy campaign on access to education and
barriers to education e.g. girls education
In 1996, the UN Economic and Social Council established consultative status for
NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs).

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 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has provided a new platform for
them to participate in the global follow-up and review process for the SDGs
(United Nations, 2015b).
In the education sector, increased civil society activity was a key achievement of
the EFA agenda and Dakar
Framework after 2000 (UNESCO, 2015a). CSOs became more active in tracking budgets
to increase transparency, advocating for more funding for marginalized groups, and
raising awareness and empowering communities

Presentation III: Policy context and Educational statistics in the Gambia - Alpha Bah

System Analyst
The presentation gave an overview SSE outlining the various school
categories in the provision of education.
Public government and grant-aided; and Private conventional and
madrassa. He illustrates the national completion rate at grade twelve in the
various education regions thus:

Gr12- Gr12- SSE-CR

Gr12-Boys SSE-CR
Region Girls Total
Entrants Boys Girls
Entrants Entrants

Region 1 3,148 3,062 6,210 66.1% 60.8%

Region 2 2,601 2,689 5,290 35.3% 34.5%

Region 3 613 703 1,316 30.1% 32.6%

Region 4 211 226 437 24.0% 24.3%

Region 5 675 781 1,456 26.7% 29.2%

Region 6 188 199 387 7.6% 7.6%

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 National 7,436 7,660 15,096 37.1% 36.1%

He espoused the implication of the above statistics that students in the

greater Banjul area have a higher chance of completion than those in the
rural regions.
For the Gross Enrolment Rate at the ECD level Bah said that significant gains
are registered with Region 2 getting the highest GER 56%. He also
elucidated that trained ECD facilitators have increased significantly in the
system.
ECD-GER Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Total
Boys 45.3% 54.6% 38.4% 42.1% 23.8% 48.9% 44.8%
Girls 48.3% 57.3% 40.5% 48.2% 26.3% 45.9% 46.8%
Total 46.8% 56.0% 39.5% 45.1% 25.0% 47.4% 45.8%

For the Lower Basic level an increase of 12.8% was registered over a three
year period in the GER. Girls have had a surge over boys at this level by 5.4%
with a 106.7% against 101.4%.

Gross Enrolment Rate - Lower Basic Education

Gender 2013 2014 2015 2016

M 91.7% 95.4% 99.0% 101.4%
F 93.9% 98.7% 103.5% 106.7%
Total 92.8% 97.1% 101.2% 104.0%

In terms of national teacher stock Mr. Bah explained that there has been a
great increase from 2010 where the total number of teachers was 7, 971
teachers to 14, 943 teachers in 2016 increasing by 50%. He was quick to add
that the number of indigenous teacher across all levels outweighs that of
foreign teachers but more importantly at the senior secondary school level
where the revise used to obtain.

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All Teachers Gambian Non Gambian Total
Lower Basic 93% 7% 100%
Upper Basic 91% 9% 100%
S. Secondary 79% 21% 100%
Total 90% 10% 100%

SSS Teachers Gambian Non Gambian Total

Government 99% 1% 100%
Grant-Aided 77% 23% 100%
Private 69% 31% 100%
Total 79% 21% 100%

The presenter lastly shed light on the competency rate in English and Maths
at Grade 3 of the Public Lower Basic schools. He explained that in Math
Region 4 was top of the list while in English it was Region 1. The tables below
indicate the general picture.
NAT 3 - % of students who achieve competency level in English, Public Schools, 2015

ENGLISH Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Total-Public

# Sat 6,693 11,747 4,052 1,860 3,642 3,108 31,102
% Min. Req. 68.8% 68.3% 65.1% 67.9% 51.3% 56.7% 64.8%

NAT 3 - % of students who achieve competency level - in Maths, Public Schools, 2015

Maths Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 Region 4 Region 5 Region 6 Total-Public

# Sat 6,689 11,746 4,044 1,861 3,641 3,112 31,093
% Min. Req. 54.7% 55.7% 53.1% 55.9% 40.3% 44.6% 52.2%

Presentation IV: SDG 4: Education 2030 A Framework for Action Lily Hailu Neyetani
Ms. Lily set commenced her presentation by giving the paradoxes and
tensions associated with societal development. She remarked that
economic growth may give rise to ecological stress and unsustainable
patterns of production and/or consumption; poverty reduction to

24
vulnerability, inequality and exclusion while an interconnected world could
lead to division, intolerance and conflict.
She called on all the people present to get use to the SDGs especially SDG 4
and get to spread the message of it. She highlighted the 17 goals to her
audience before specifically exposing on the SDG 4 which she said aims to
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all.

Lily went on to indicate that SDG 4 has 10 goals in total separated as 7

targets and 3 Means of implementation. She adduced that all States Parties
can use the SDG 4 targets to craft their nation level targets. Following up
that education goals are interlinked with other SDGs such as goals 3, 5, 8, 12
and 13.
In the monitoring of national education targets the presenter advised for a
more rigorous exercise at national, regional and international level. She
analogise this in the form of the inverted pyramid with the national being
the base.

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Finally, she lauded the Gambia for integrating SDG 4 into its newest
education policy and posited the possible next steps could be:
Identifying additional national and sub-national capacities required to
address/ respond to new SDG4 thematic areas (global citizenship,
sustainable lifestyles, environmental education)
Updating the Education sector strategic plan and preparing costed
action plans which include actions that put in place the necessary
conditions and capacities for effective implementation
Ensuring re-prioritization and refocusing of actions and investments
of all education partners around the SDG4-based Sector Policy/plan
Reinforcing the role of the LEG throughout the implementation &
monitoring of the sector plan for enhanced coordination among
education stakeholders and strengthened partnerships
Further defining monitoring mechanisms (such as joint sector reviews
as a policy and strategy revising period) for continuous assessment &
feedback during implementation
Strengthening the links across ministries/SDGs

Presentation V: The Responsiveness of The National Education Policy 2016

2030 to Sustainable Development Goal 4 Mariama Chow
In her introduction Ms. Chow explained that The Gambia is committed to all
the education related development agenda. That the National Policies are
anchored with the current development agenda which are set within a given
timeframe. In addition she informed the gathering that the National Policy
2004-2015 was synchronized with the EFA and MDGs 2015 similarly as has
the 2016 2030 policy been synchronized with SDG 2030.

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In summing up the introduction she posited that 2016-2030 is sustaining and
building on gains made from the preceding policy and that it is responsive
to SDG 4.
Mariama would proceed to illustrate as tabulated below the responsiveness
of the 2016 2030 Education Policy of The Gambia to SDG 4.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 Education Policy 2016 - 2030
Ending: 2030 Ending: 2030
THEME: THEME:

ENSURE INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE AND

QUALITY EDUCATION AND PROMOTE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR

LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES SUSTAINANLE DEVELOPMENT

FOR ALL

The Gambia as a nation remains

4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys
highly committed to developing
complete free, equitable and
its human resource base with
quality primary and secondary
priority given to free basic
education leading to relevant and
education for all (3.1.1) currently
effective learning outcomes
the secondary level is covered
Promote a broad-based education
at the basic level for lifelong
learning and training (3.2.1)

Government will continue to

4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys ensure an equitable access to
complete free, equitable and quality teaching and learning for
quality primary and secondary all special needs children. All

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 education leading to relevant and
effective learning outcomes
4.2: Ensure that all girls and boys
have access to quality early
childhood development, care and
pre-primary education so that
they are ready for primary
education
4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in
education and ensure equal
access to all levels of education
and vocational training to the
vulnerable, including persons with
disabilities, indigenous people and
children in vulnerable situations
regional education directorates
will be provided with at least one
functional resource centers to
cater for the diverse needs of all
Special needs children. All
teachers in special needs schools
will be trained to respond to the
needs of children in their classes.
(5.8.3)
Government will introduce
universal access to ECD services
and to this end, support will be
provided for the implementation
of the community based and the
annexed centres. In the case of
the privately run ECD centres,
government will continue to
monitor compliance. (5.5.2)
After the achievement of gender
parity at Basic and Secondary
education, government will
continue to consolidate the gains
registered in this sub-sector on
one hand and continue to pursue
initiatives to attain parity at
tertiary and higher education
levels on the other(5.10.1)
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4.6: Ensure that all youth and a
substantial proportion of adults,
both men and women , achieve
literacy and numeracy
4a: Build and upgrade education
facilities that are child, disability
and gender sensitive and provide
safe, non-violent, inclusive and
effective learning environment for
all
A relevant and comprehensive
Non-Formal Education (NFE)
programme will be executed
including distance education
using modern technological
media focused on literacy,
numeracy as well as life and
livelihood skills. The NFE
programme will be designed
according to learners needs in
the fulfillment of their right to
education . (5.9.1)
These facilities will include but not
limited to kitchen, storage, water
and sanitary services. All
educational buildings should be
accessible to all (5.3.1)
..no individual or section of any
community is excluded from
reaping the benefits of education
provided in the country on
condition that the prevailing
circumstances so permit.(5.6.6)
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 One key pronouncement under
improving learning outcomes is
4c: Substantially increase the
the : Continuous provision of an
supply of qualified teachers,
adequate supply of trained
including through international
educators through cost effective
cooperation for teacher training in
pre-service and in-service training
developing countries..
programmes (4.3.1)

IV. Panel Discussion in Local language

The next activity that followed the presentations was the translation of the
presentations in the local languages Mandinka and Wolof. This was done
to reach out to people in the audience who may have been left out such as
the representatives of Parent-teacher-associations, community leaders and
traditional communicators. It is as well envisaged that when aired on the
nation television and radio the outreach will be greater especially on the
education forum programme of the national broadcaster which has a large
followership.
A thought shower session was blended with this segment where
participants contributed with comments and recommendations. Key among
the points raised were:
Empowerment of disadvantages groups (i.e. the Heard of Hearing,
physically challenged persons etc.)
The need for increased and continuous teacher professional
development

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 Increased access to scholarships funds
The interrelatedness of the Sustainable Development Goals
The two ministries of education to further cement their collaboration
Need to continue engaging the private sector and CSOs,

V CLOSING CEREMONY

5.1 Closing Remarks

The Deputy Permanent Secretary in his closing remarks said it has been a
long and fulfilling day and beckoned all to keep spreading the message of
the SDGs but more specifically SDG 4. He also pay gratitude to the CSOs
and private sector for always being there of the education sector in the
country and said that the doors of MoBSE will remain open for any positive
engagement.
5.2 Vote of Thanks
The Principal Programme Officer from National Commission for UNESCO
Mr. Senghore gave the VOT. He expressed gratitude to the Global Education
Monitoring office for their sponsorship and sending human resource to
partake in the seminar. Unesco was also commended for all its support as
well as the two ministries of education, civil societies and all those present.

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 Programme
Launching of the Global Monitoring Report 2015/2016
Education for people and planet:Creating sustainable futures for all
08:30 09:00 Registration of participants
09:00 09:10 Prayers and welcoming statement NATCOM
09:10 09:20 Opening statement the Permanent Secretary MoHERST
09:20 09:40 Statement by the Programme Specialist - UNESCO
09:40 10:00 Statement by the Coordinator EFA Campaign Network The Gambia
10:00 10:30 Breakfast

10:30 11:30 GEM Report 2016 - Education for people and planet:
Creating sustainable futures for all Nihan Koseleci

11:30 12:00 The Role of Civil Society in promoting inclusive Approach in Education Siyat
Gaye
12:00 12:30 Policy context and Educational statistics in the Gambia - Alpha Bah

System Analyst
12:30 13:30 SDG 4: Education 2030 A Framework for Action Lily Hailu Neyetani
13:30 14:30 Lunch and prayers
14:30 15:00 SDG 4: what implications in terms of policy orientation and education
financing and data to be moderated by the Gambia Teachers Union.
15:00 16:30 Panel Discussion in the local languages (Wollof and Mandinka).
Theme: Reflecting from the conclusions of the GMR report: what lessons
for the Gambia - Learning from best practices and initiatives?
Panelists: Mr. Lamin Fatajo, Director H/R, Mr. Mustapha Drammeh SEO
Gender Unit, Mr. Ousman Ceesay, Principal Assistant Secretary (Office of the
PS)
16:30 17:00 Closing ceremony.

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