To improve pre-school infrastructure in the Vinaninkarena and Andranomanelatra Teaching Administration Zones (ZAPs), 08 schools have each benefited from a room equipped for children, a play area and latrines adapted for young children and gender-specific latrines. This is an initiative of Action Education in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through the Investing in Early Childhood Education and Protection (IEPPE) project.
Early learning is crucial to a child's overall harmonious development between the ages of 3 and 5. This enables them to flourish in all areas: emotional, social, moral, cognitive, linguistic, physical and motor. For UNESCO, pre-school is "a means of promoting equity and social justice, inclusive economic growth and sustainable development".. Preparation and stimulation from early childhood make it easier for children to start primary school and help to reduce repetition and drop-out rates. Children who benefit from a pre-school year adapt more easily to the school environment, and later have a better chance of completing their studies.
With this in mind, the Malagasy government decreed in 2023 in the Loi d'Orientation du Système Educatif à Madagascar (LOSEM) that children should attend pre-school for at least one year.
Flagship project
The IEPPE project is in line with the Malagasy Education System Orientation Law and is helping to improve pre-school infrastructure and facilities. On 27 and 28 March 2024, a total of 8 pre-school activity centres were inaugurated in the two rural communes of the Antsirabe II school district (CISCO). Representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Head of the Antsirabe II District, the Mayor of Andranomanelatra, the Delegate to the Mayor of Vinaninkarena, representatives of the educational administration zone, and the Indian Ocean Territory Coordinator of the NGO Action Éducation were all involved in this flagship initiative of the IEPPE project.
The cost of bringing these buildings up to standard by 2023 is around ARIARY 80 million per site. The aim is to make it easier for children to go to school and to help raise community awareness of the importance of education from early childhood. They will also help to improve children's immediate learning environment and promote learning experiences that contribute to their socio-emotional and cognitive development. In addition to these 08 inaugurated CAPs, 02 other pre-school activity centres are currently under construction and will be operational by June 2024.
Improving the quality of and access to pre-school education
The IEPPE project aims to improve access to and the quality of pre-school education by encouraging stakeholders, i.e. state institutions, decentralised services and communities, to take responsibility for the development and success of children aged 3 to 8 in the 20 sites of the 2 CISCOs in Ambohidratrimo and Antsirabe II. It will run from 2022 to 2025. The IEPPE project focuses on three main areas: improving children's immediate environment and learning experiences; synergy between decentralised authorities, government technical services, community structures and CSOs; and finally, the ongoing commitment and responsibility of stakeholders from local to regional level for the continuum between pre-school and primary school.
Numerous impacts observed
The head of the pedagogical administration zone, Josiane Rasoloniaina, talks about the impact of the IEPPE project on the schools she manages: "We have many advantages. The infrastructure eases the burden on the parents of the pupils, because if there were no building, it would be the parents who would have to pay for the construction. And for the pupils, the infrastructure complies with standards. Because in addition to the buildings, there are also the materials that will help teachers pass on their knowledge. So the transmission of skills is effective thanks to the various games. In early childhood, play is an important part of education. For children, lessons are understood, and they enjoy learning. The infrastructure also helps to increase the number of pupils in rural areas. Parents and carers have been trained to maintain the facilities.
The teachers have also received pedagogical training from the project. The teachers realised that before, the strategy was not sufficient. And with the materials, they were able to apply this training. It's been very satisfying. The benefits are visible and it's been easy to apply. These facilities will help to attract more children to school, because children love games and a pleasant environment. Right from the start of the project, we even noticed an increase in the number of pupils in the beneficiary establishments. Teachers in schools that did not benefit from the project have at least received new knowledge. So, for these schools, they certainly don't have the infrastructure, but there has been a sharing of skills".
Thus, the effectiveness of early childhood education depends not only on material goods, but also and above all, on qualitative activities. Action Education Madagascar is fighting for quality education for all, so that everyone can enjoy their rights and contribute to a fairer future. Because, as the Malagasy saying goes, "ny fianarana no lova tsara indrindra" or "education is the most beautiful legacy".
