Online Forum On Non-Formal Education

"We invite a wide range of participants to voice their views on the current state of non-formal education in the context of basic education as a whole" - Dr Amina Osman.

An online discussion on non-formal education in Africa was launched on 25 October 2004 by the Working Group on Non-Formal Education (WGNFE), which the Commonwealth Secretariat co-ordinates.

The Forum is titled 'Challenging Non-formal Education in Africa: Where Do We Go From Here; What Role For An ADEA Working Group?'. Anyone with a direct or indirect interest in non-formal education issues in Africa may register for the discussion.

WGNFE was formed in 1996 by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). Its objective is to explore the nature and impact of non-school and adult varieties of education that are of interest to African decision-makers.

Dr Amina Osman of the Secretariat's Social Transformation Programmes Division stated: "We invite a wide range of participants to voice their views on the current state of non-formal education in the context of basic education as a whole; its contribution to poverty alleviation and development; and how it can meet the needs of different categories of learners within a diverse but equitable system of provision."

The Forum will use English, French and Portuguese in order to ensure broader interaction among participants. It will cover four areas -- the nature and characteristics of non-formal education; social, economic and cultural contexts; the preferred direction for further development of non-formal education as a form of basic education; and the role and mandate of the WGNFE in facilitating such development across Africa.

Dr Osman said the Forum will enable the WGNFE to respond to the needs and priorities expressed by countries and to provide effective guidance through the sharing of its extensive knowledge and experience base. 

The WGNFE was created by the following countries and agencies: Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Zanzibar (United Republic of Tanzania), Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, UNESCO and the Club du Sahel.

For more information please contact the Moderator at phoenixcenter@telia.com or the WGNFE Co-ordinator, Dr Amina Osman, at nfe@commonwealth.int.

The online forum is available at www.harare.unesco.org/wgnfe_edf/index.htm .

 

CNIS - the Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 208  3 November 2004