Starting school is an important stage that will influence children's involvement in school and their academic success in the future. Children who start school with a good foundation are more likely to develop a sense of belonging that will encourage their involvement in the educational environment, and will be a source of motivation for them to complete their studies.
In Malagasy culture, the mother is responsible for bringing up children and the school for teaching them. The mother inculcates values in the child and the school's mission is to give the child skills. However, education is not restricted; children learn at all times and from everything around them.
To help communities play their part, the Investing in Early Childhood Education and Protection (IEPPE) project was launched by Action Education in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for Madagascar and Burkina Faso. It aims to raise parents' awareness of their role in preparing their children for school, to facilitate the transition from pre-school to school.
Starting school is an important stage that will influence children's involvement in school and their academic success in the future. Children who start school with a good foundation are more likely to develop a sense of belonging that will encourage their involvement in the educational environment, and will be a source of motivation for them to complete their studies.
However, the first day of school is neither the beginning nor the end of the transition process. It extends over a long period and involves a variety of practices involving children, families, the community and the educational environment, particularly during the pre-school-primary continuum.
After months of design and production, the weeks of 30 October and 6 November marked an important milestone for the IEPPE project. The school preparation tools designed were distributed to parents at the 20 intervention sites, in the school districts of Antsirabe II and Ambohidratrimo.
The aim of the IEPPE project is to raise parents' awareness of the importance of looking after their children at pre-school and of their roles in the domestic, social and school environment for the holistic development of their children and their full potential, in order to prepare them for primary school.
Parents are also informed about the role of the endogenous facilitators, who are part of the community mobilisation mechanism for supporting and sustaining the achievements of the IEPPE project at each site.
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