Country Profile
The republic of Côte d'Ivoire or the Ivory Coast is a country located in Western sub-Saharan Africa, and shares its borders with Liberia, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. The country was
previously a French colony during the nineteenth century and was established an independent state in 1960. Côte d'Ivoire has a long history of social and political unrest, with recurring conflict since the late 90s [Côte D’Ivoire Government; 2011]. It is one of the most resource-rich but socio-political fragile states in the world (OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2013), with a low human development and high levels of poverty. The nation has experienced deep conflict with a coup d’etat in 1999 and two civil wars, the most recent during 2010-2011. In 2011, a general election was held in a move to re-establish some constitutional order but a post-election crisis subsequently occurred. Since 2013, political dialogues between the ruling government party and those in opposition were initiated, with the support of international agencies. However, the impact of decades of violence and political uncertainty continue to beset the country (The World Bank, 2015). A country analysis shows the key drivers of conflict continues to be ethnic divisions, political corruption and a general climate of violence (UNICEF 2014a). A United Nations periodic review raised concerns about the inadequacy of the government in addressing issues of national security and reconciliation in ensuring a safe and enabling environment (Amnesty International 2015). A 2015 United Nations Resolution further affirms the need for continued improvement in the country’s tenuous security situation and to work towards conflict resolution, asserting that ‘the Government of Côte d’Ivoire bears primary responsibility for ensuring peace, stability and the protection of civilians in Côte d’Ivoire’ (United National Security Council (2015b) S/RES/2226 2015, p.2). To date, the country continues to face threats of instability, notably in regards to issues related to human rights, socio-political conflict, social integration particularly with the reintegration of former combatants.
What national-level policies are there related to children, early childhood development and peacebuilding?
The review identified four policies related to early childhood development and peacebuilding: 1. Ministère de l’Education et de la Formation de Base (1998) Plan National de Developpement
du secteur Éducation/Formation 1998‐2010 Côte d’Ivoire.
http://www.ilo.org/public/french/employment/skills/hrdr/topic_n/t3_cot.htm
2. Organisation Internationale Du Travail (2008) Programme pays pour un travail decent 2008- 2013 Côte d’Ivoire.
3. Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur; (2009) Plan d’actions à moyen terme du secteur de l’éducation Côte d’Ivoire
4. Côte d’IvoireGovernment (2011) Côte d’Ivoire Plan d’Actions A Moyen Terme ŔPAMT_2011.
The findings suggest that a policy priority for the government of Côte d’Ivoire is that of establishing national security and development. A report submitted to the United Nations Security Country described an ongoing challenge towards national reconciliation and building a social cohesion strategy (United Nations Security Council 2015). An early national education policy [Côte d’Ivoire 1998] emphasised the importance of key reforms to strengthen the sector's role in Education / Training in poverty reduction and national development A similar rhetoric of national development was later Côte d’Ivoire with a focus on restoring the education sector [Côte D’Ivoire 2011]. The overarching policy drive was to ‘reinstall urgently the education system in its fundamentals with a focus on post-crisis cyclical challenges; and ensure a solid foundation for its development over time, taking into account the structural challenges prior to the crisis and that remain.’ [Côte D’Ivoire 2011, p4). The policy outlined the structural challenges facing the future of the country and the
26 importance of ensuring the development of an effective and equitable education sector.
Significantly, the document defined the policy priorities of the government of Côte d’Ivoire ranging from early childhood education to higher education in terms of restoring the education system which has suffered gravely from conflict and crisis. The policy also recognised the pivotal role of education and vocational training in contributing to the country's overall development in terms of enhancing employment and labour productivity, growth and poverty reduction [Côte D’Ivoire 2011, p15]. Supported by external stakeholders such as UNICEF, The World Bank, and the African
Development Bank, the government of Côte d’Ivoire indicated its intention to invest in the financing of universal primary education [Côte D’Ivoire 2011, p13]. However, while policy developments over the last two decades indicated that Côte d’Ivoire has achieved some progress in terms of the re- establishment of macroeconomic, structural and social policies, challenges nonetheless remain to consolidate peace and strengthen social cohesion (International Monetary Fund 2015).
How are children and childhood portrayed in policy?
Preschool education in Côte d’Ivoire is generally overseen by the Ministry of Education. Although there are no identifiable policy targeted specifically at early childhood development, the review showed some intention by the government of Côte d’Ivoire to develop and promote the education sector including childcare provisions, in a bid to prepare children for subsequent schooling [Côte d’Ivoire 2011, p16]. The policy evidence showed the role of children as constructed predominantly in terms of their vulnerability and their rights to education and a stable environment. The national education policy [Côte d’Ivoire 1998], explicitly recognised children as having human rights with their basic rights to education. The policy asserted that ‘Significant efforts have been made by the government to alleviate the financial costs to families. These include the abolition of tuition fees in primary education and the elimination of parallel contributions. Specific measures were planned to reduce the opportunity cost of the children's education represents for poor households.’ [Côte d’Ivoire 1998, p.4]. A later document [Côte d’Ivoire 2011], showed more extensive coverage of children from the early childhood stage to higher education, as it defined the policy priorities for education. The policy plan essentially outlined the government’s vision for the next three years in enhancing provisions for children, by restoring the education system through the prioritisation of primary education in areas that have been most affected, and to initiate progress towards the universalization of quality primary education [Côte d’Ivoire 2011]. The document went on to highlight the role of early childhood education in benefitting the most vulnerable children: ‘Early Childhood Education (ECE) essentially limited at the preschool, concentrated mainly in urban areas, covering less than 10% of the pre-school population. Developing alternatives are necessary to "develop and improve the care and education of young children and especially for the benefit of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.’[Côte d’Ivoire 2011]. The review also revealed a focus on parental education, with government intent to promote parental education within supportive community structures. Strongly featured as part of the education plan in Côte d’Ivoire, there was some evidence of the promotion of early childhood education and to increase provisions from 10% to 20% by 2020, particularly in rural areas for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations [Côte d’Ivoire 2011, p9].
Significantly, an overriding discourse in the policies on Côte d’Ivoire is the focus on vulnerable children, and the recognition that a significant number of Ivorian children live in vulnerable conditions due to poverty. The mid-term statement for education, for example, stated that "Many children do not attend school, even if there is a nearby often because of family poverty. The strategy aimed to help the most vulnerable children to attend school through measures that reduce or offset the costs of families." [Côte d’Ivoire 2009 p.10]. The policy articulated the government’s
commitment towards the promotion of early childhood programmes in that ‘Large section of classes for children of five years will be gradually implemented in public primary schools and in rural areas as a priority and for the poor’ [Côte d’Ivoire 2009 p.7]. In a move towards the delivery of more
27 integrated provisions, the document stated that a national policy on a school nutrition strategy will seek to ‘prioritise improvement of service (with the aim of providing one meal a day school) in favour of children with the most acute risk of failure in school attendance. This targeting will be done geographically, priority areas being determined by two criteria of poverty and access rates / completion rates.’ [Côte d’Ivoire 2009 p.11]. An inherent link was therefore established between education and health policies with the aim of improving children’s welfare. Similarly, the subsequent policy asserted the need to increase access to education for the most vulnerable children, in
particular girls. The policy set out several measures to enhance education access and reduce the financial implications for families in their children’s schooling, through for instance ‘(i) building school canteens, (ii) free distribution of school kits to children orphaned by AIDS, (iii) the distribution of dry rations to girls, (iv) the provision of micronutrients and essential drugs; (v) the removal of barriers related to enrolment in primary education.’ [Côte d’Ivoire 2011, p9]. A rhetoric of child protection is therefore consistent across the policies. In particular, the social sector policy for decent work specifically mentioned children and their protection against all forms of child labour and exploitation. The undertaking of a national survey on child labour was an indication that due attention has been placed on the social protection of children at national government level (Organisation Internationale Du Travail 2008).
How is peacebuilding encouraged?
The review on Côte d’Ivoire showed some policy evidence of the promotion of the principles of peacebuilding through social reforms in schooling and education. For example, the early 1998 education policy [Côte d’Ivoire 1998] described the role of schools in promoting social integration and equality: ‘To this end, the school should play a key role, … in order to give everyone the opportunity to integrate into society for all children of all social strata’, to ensure ‘equal opportunities between rural and urban, equal opportunities between men and women.’ [Côte d’Ivoire 1998 p2]. The document went on to assert the important role of schooling in contributing to the principles of sustainable peace in ‘building a society of tolerance, increased freedom and peaceful democracy’ [Côte d’Ivoire 1998 p.2]. The document was clearly driven by a key policy objective to establish equity for the future progress of the country. In addition, it affirmed the right to education for all citizens in Côte d’Ivoire as a way of building human capital and encouraging citizenship. The policy showed the intentions of the government of Côte d’Ivoire in providing
opportunities for people to improve their standard of living and increase participation in the building of sustainable development in Ivory Coast.
The mid-term education policy document [Côte d’Ivoire 2009], highlighted the provision of niche or grassroots activities in the promotion of national development and social integration. For example, the policy mentioned the development of parenting programmes and education for preschool children and the reorientation of the education system in encouraging social justice in terms of greater fairness and equality. The subsequent mid-term policy recognised past and present social inequalities as the first step in the development of new policy strategy, with establishing the foundations of a healthy sector development, equitable and conscious of using the human, financial and material resources efficiently [Côte d’Ivoire 2011]. The policy also alluded to the reparation and reconciliation towards sustainable peace through the rebuilding of the education sector in the 'the rehabilitation and reconstruction of movable and immovable property of the degraded education or destroyed during the crisis' [Côte d’Ivoire 1998, p7]. Thus, while peacebuilding was not explicitly mentioned in the policies, there is evidence of a national drive to promote social equality and justice as core principles in the progress towards sustainable peace.
Policy highlights
The policy review on Côte d’Ivoire showed government intent to address issues of national security, and the social and economic inequalities in society. Significantly, there was also a distinct policy
28 drive to enhance the education system for the benefit of society, for example through the
promotion of universal primary education. However, despite government intent and aspirations, key challenges persist:
1. Ongoing structural challenges - the country faces significant challenges in the implementation of an efficient and equitable education sector due to the country’s longstanding social and economic crisis.
2. Inequality in access to education remains a major concern – less than half of Ivorian pupils complete primary school which is well below the regional average [Côte d’Ivoire 2011]. There is a need for clear actionable policies to enhance equal opportunities and access to Education for All. A conflict analysis report showed that the country’s long-standing experience of conflict and natural disasters have had severe impact on Chad’s education system in compromising access, equity and quality for its people (UNICEF 2014a).
3. Funding of the education sector – the country has been affected by difficult macroeconomic conditions in the last two decades which has had dire consequences in terms of the decline and freezing of external funding for education. Funding constraints have considerably inhibited the effective use of resources and improvements to the education sector [Côte d’Ivoire 2011].
4. Absence of policies related to children and early childhood development - the questionnaire responses suggested there are no discernible policies related to children or early childhood development, largely due to limited resources and a lack of coordination among government ministries. A key area of advocacy is therefore policy development with a clear vision of prioritising children and early childhood development for the immediate future.1 Concerted
policy focus and direction for the value of early childhood education and supporting children’s holistic development have the potential to contribute significantly to building social cohesion in Côte d’Ivoire.
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