Association pour le développement de l’éducation en Afrique

Press Release

Ministerial Seminar on Education for rural people opens in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, September 2005 : The Ministerial Seminar on Education for Rural People was officially opened this morning in Addis Ababa by Hon. Mr. Wondwossen Kiflu, Vice Minister of Education of Ethiopia, host country to the meeting. The seminar is organized by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO) and the International Institute for Educational Planning (FAO) in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia.

The meeting brings together Ministers of education, agriculture, rural development and fishery from eleven African countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda) for the first time. The Addis Ababa meeting is also attended by representatives of NEPAD, the African Union and other African organizations, including civil society organizations, as well as a variety of bilateral and multilateral development bodies such as the ILO, Oxfam, UNESCO, UNICEF, the Swiss cooperation agency (DDC), the Dutch cooperation, the German Adult Education Association and the World Bank.

In his opening speech, Hon. Mr. Wondwossen Kiflu said that “education has a crucial role to play in creating opportunities and equipping rural people with appropriate knowledge and skills for improving their incomes. ”

Stressing the need to raise levels of literacy so that farmers and workers will be more productive, Mr. Kiflu revealed that, in the last fours years, Ethiopia has succeeded to increase by about 50% the gross enrolment ratio at primary level in rural areas. Ethiopia’s remarkable experience will be presented to the other participating countries, along with other reports coming from Madagascar, Niger, Senegal, Uganda and South Africa.

The following other keynote speakers addressed the meeting this morning during the opening session: Mrs. Marcella Villarreal, Director of the Division on gender and population of FAO, Mrs Lalla Ben Barka, Director of the UNESCO Bureau in Dakar (BREDA), Mr. Mamadou Ndoye, Executive Secretary of ADEA, Mr. Guido La Tella, ambassador of Italy in Addis Ababa.

“Education for rural people should become a national priority given that it is essential to the attainment of all the Millenium Development Goals” declared Mrs. Villarreal, who added that, “rural populations are often forgotten when addressing the Millenium Development Goals”. “However, without taking into account their needs – they represent more than 70% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa –poverty reduction objectives cannot be achieved ”.

Mrs. Ben Barka insisted stressed that addressing the “marginalization” of the majority in sub-Saharan Africa – the rural people—is a “moral imperative and an essential condition” for global development strategies.

Mr. Ndoye reminded participants that “development cannot happen without education”. He added that “priority should be given to education in rural areas in order to achieve an equitable development.” “So far, rural areas have suffered from flagrant inequity and we must address this great injustice”.

In this respect, he declared that despite progress realized in access to education “recent statistical data shows shocking disparities between urban and rural areas. In primary education, gross enrolment rate in rural areas is only at 70.1% vs. 103.5% in urban areas, indicating a difference of 33.5%. Even more revealing, the rural attainment rate (28%) is far behind that in urban areas (61%)”. “The gap is even greater at secondary and tertiary levels, in technical and vocational education or in literacy and even greater for women and young girls” he added. “All those concerned with achieving EFA goals must take the measure of the urgency of the situation and of the need to give first priority to initiatives in favor of equity for rural populations”.

By giving the rural people a chance to struggle against poverty and hunger we would also be reducing rural migrations which create new pockets of poverty in suburban zones, added Mr. Ndoye.

“We are in a beginning of a process that could lead to rapid changes if countries and the international community mobilize themselves in favor of rural education” Mr. Ndoye said, speaking to reporters.

The closing of the Seminar is planned for Friday September 9, 2005.

About ADEA

Since its founding in 1988, ADEA has become a partnership between African ministers of education and cooperation and development agencies. One of the principles underlying ADEA’s philosophy is to consider that the responsibility for educational development falls to African governments. For this reason, it strives to encourage a process that fully empowers African ministers of education. ADEA’s activities focus on policy dialogue between governments and funding bodies, among African governments themselves and among development organizations. They are also aimed at building institutional capacity in Africa by developing technical skills, establishing networks for information exchange and encouraging the sharing of successful strategies and experiences.

Addis Ababa, September 7, 2005

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For further information, please visit the ADEA Web site: or contact:

Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, Publications and Communication Officer, ADEA

In Paris: +33(0)14503 7769;

In Addis Ababa:17 36 60

Pierre Antonios, Media Relations Officer, FAO

In Rome:+39/ 06. 57053473;

In Addis Ababa: Hilton Hotel, Tel:+251/ 1-518400

Association for the Development of Education in Africa

International Institute for Educational Planning

7-9, rue Eugène-Delacroix, 75116 Paris, France

Tel.: +33(0)14503 7757 Fax: +33(0)14503 3965

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