Nonformal education in Francophone West Africa: A case study of the Senegalese experience of community -based schools

• Main Author: Gassama-Mbaye, Mbarou
• Language: ENG
• Published: ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst 2004
• Subjects: School administration|Curricula|Teaching
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3136728

The study reviews the history of education in Francophone West Africa from the post-colonial era to the current period. It gives primary attention to the conflicting goals of formal and Islamic education, the place of nonformal education during colonial period and looks at the attitude of policymakers towards nonformal education after independence. Furthermore, it examines the role of international partners of development, the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF and bilateral cooperation in shaping education policies in Third World countries; presents the background of the Education for All (EFA) movement, its goals, and rationale; and analyzes the Fast-Track Initiative (FTI), the place of nonformal education in the movement, and its implications in Third World education policies. The study focuses on the Sénégalese experience. After presenting the education system and the strategies of the government to achieve Education for All in 2015, the author, drawing on field research using interviews, focus groups, surveys, and observations, describes different models of community-based schools and contrasts government and NGO schools. The study analyzes the attitudes of parents, students, and teachers, officials of the Ministry of National Education, the Delegate Ministry of Professional Training, Vocational Education, Literacy and National Languages and NGOs towards community-based schools and raises the issues of girls' education, religious education, and teacher's training. At the end, the author highlights the challenges that community-based schools face and provides recommendations for the state, communities, and school administrations to improve access and to assure the relevance of education to local populations.