Focus on Schooling :Focus on Schooling : access, quality and relevance of education for rural childrenaccess, quality and relevance of education for rural children

Chair Person : Hon. Minister Gerald Namerembe BitamazireChair Person : Hon. Minister Gerald Namerembe Bitamazire

Major facilitator:Major facilitator: Dr. Lavinia GasperiniDr. Lavinia Gasperini

Raportour :Raportour : Dr. Azene Bekele-Tesemma Dr. Azene Bekele-Tesemma

Major issuesMajor issues

Access/equityAccess/equityEIMS to monitor progress in ERPEIMS to monitor progress in ERPSchool building policy tailored to MGTSchool building policy tailored to MGTSchool feeding on homegrown food cropsSchool feeding on homegrown food cropsAffirmative actions for attracting and retaining girls to complete Affirmative actions for attracting and retaining girls to complete primary schoolsprimary schoolsDistance learning including radio-education and ICT as appropriate Distance learning including radio-education and ICT as appropriate Financial and material support for educating rural HIV/AIDS Financial and material support for educating rural HIV/AIDS orphans in livelihood support programsorphans in livelihood support programs

Quality /RelevanceQuality /RelevanceHaving indicators for monitoring qualityHaving indicators for monitoring qualityResearch and technical assistance in characterization of learning Research and technical assistance in characterization of learning needs and quality of rural communities as a tool for decision needs and quality of rural communities as a tool for decision making making Strengthen and compile data bank Strengthen and compile data bank accumulation, retrieving, repackaging and disseminating accumulation, retrieving, repackaging and disseminating knowledge and information for improved relevance of learning of knowledge and information for improved relevance of learning of the rural communities the rural communities

TargetsTargets

Rural childrenRural children

GirlsGirls

DisabledDisabled

Children at workChildren at work

Refuges/displacedRefuges/displaced

Minority ethnic groupsMinority ethnic groups

Nomadic/pastoralist/remote dwellersNomadic/pastoralist/remote dwellers

Recommendations Recommendations

Examine GMO food relevance to school feeding programExamine GMO food relevance to school feeding program

Governments to ratify conventions related to children Governments to ratify conventions related to children

Take incentive measures to families to avoid children Take incentive measures to families to avoid children exploitation at home and promoting schooling exploitation at home and promoting schooling

Create gender responsive environment in and around the Create gender responsive environment in and around the schooling communitiesschooling communities

Promote involvement of communities in school Promote involvement of communities in school governance governance

Measure the quality of students interims of skills and Measure the quality of students interims of skills and competence that they have obtainedcompetence that they have obtained

Recommendations continuedRecommendations continued Promote decentralization of curriculums to capture the Promote decentralization of curriculums to capture the needs and cultures of rural peopleneeds and cultures of rural people

Issue policies that encourage the built-up of infrastructures Issue policies that encourage the built-up of infrastructures necessary for rural learning and rural enterprisingnecessary for rural learning and rural enterprising

Issue policies that make availability of training materials Issue policies that make availability of training materials books free of charge books free of charge

Develop indicators for assessing the current learning status Develop indicators for assessing the current learning status and monitoring progress being made periodicallyand monitoring progress being made periodically

Adopt MGT as a tool to improve access Adopt MGT as a tool to improve access

Focus on skills that have relevance to improved livelihoods Focus on skills that have relevance to improved livelihoods of rural communitiesof rural communities

Recommendations continuedRecommendations continued

Develop curriculums focusing on mainstreaming training Develop curriculums focusing on mainstreaming training in marketable basic skills at basic education programs (eg. in marketable basic skills at basic education programs (eg. Grafting mangoes, artificial insemination for cows, Grafting mangoes, artificial insemination for cows, preserving and storage, market intelligence, etc.) preserving and storage, market intelligence, etc.)

Encourage Tertiary level education to be connected to Encourage Tertiary level education to be connected to adding value of the productions of the rural communitiesadding value of the productions of the rural communities

Governments to promote education/training for farmers’ Governments to promote education/training for farmers’ children on off-farm jobs that are relevant for adding value children on off-farm jobs that are relevant for adding value to on-farm activities of the communities to on-farm activities of the communities

Recommendations continuedRecommendations continued

Issue policies that target education relevant to Issue policies that target education relevant to wealth creation in the rural settingwealth creation in the rural setting

Government to create support infrastructures such as Government to create support infrastructures such as energy, roads, markets and grassroots organizations energy, roads, markets and grassroots organizations which have bearing to better schooling which have bearing to better schooling

Create a mechanism by which relevant institutions Create a mechanism by which relevant institutions and professions can complimentarily cooperate for and professions can complimentarily cooperate for relevance of education for rural people relevance of education for rural people

Focus on complementarities between education and Focus on complementarities between education and training training