Role of the government in relocating school-based programming

• In Event: Maintaining Quality Education Services while relocating 55% of intervening schools to a more secure environment

Proposal

The McGovern Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition (MGD4) project is a CRS-led initiative in support of the education system with financial support of USDA and in collaboration with local partners and the Ministry of Education in Mali. The Project is currently in its 4th phase, from November 2020 through September 2025. Key stakeholders of the MGD4 Project include the local Communities, the Government of Mali through the National Center of School Canteens (CNCS), the Implementing Consortium Partners (Amprode Sahel, Guamina, Caritas Mopti and Bamako, EDC). This paper will focus on the Government of Mali’s unique role in supporting relocating schools while maintaining and promoting government education priorities.
The emphasis for this phase is placed on improving literacy instruction while building sustained capacity and generating ownership at the local, regional, and national levels, with a gradual transfer of canteen to government budget. This aligns with two recommendations from the final evaluation of the third phase: a) Continue collaboration and engagement with communities and local government; b) support the government in expanding community ownership of canteens and implementing the school feeding law.
This also aligns with the national PRODEC II on quality education and the added value of school canteens on students’ attendance and attentiveness.
According to UNICEF Mali’s Country Office Annual Report 2021, Of 6.5 million school-age children, over 2.3 million are out-of-school (SDG-4) due to school closure, teachers strike, inequality, poverty, and the pandemic. Monitored by the Education cluster, 1,664 schools were reported closed (20% of total schools, over 50% in the region of Mopti) preventing 500,000 children from learning and affecting 10,000 teachers. The gross enrolment rate (GER) at 1st cycle of basic education (6-11 years old) was 79% in 2021. Overall, the completion rate for Basic-I (fundamental 1 or 6-11 years old) slightly declined from 48% (2017) to 43% (2020) as well as the completion rate for Basic-II (fundamental 2) from 35.4 to 34.5%.
This presentation will tackle the following topics with the purpose of pointing out the role the Government has played in accompanying MGD4 in these challenging times to achieve its objectives:
 Government (CNCS) engagement and role in the mapping of 147 schools with canteens in the new intervention areas.
 CNCS support in mobilizing the Government local Education Services i.e Academy and CAP and other local and regional authorities in the new zones to be fully supportive of the relocation process
 CNCS support in the Communication with Donor (reassuring the Donor through an official communication to CRS and endorsing the relocation process; letter sent to USDA).
 Government’s firm decision to transfer 25% of MGD4 canteens schools to the state budget starting from year 3 despite difficult security context and relocation process the project is facing.
The presentation will focus on experiences sharing on how the Government of Mali has beyond speeches supported MGD4 Project and has been a genuine stakeholder to ensure implementation and sustainability of the Food for Education/MGD4 interventions.

Author

• Boussanga Sarmoye, Government