Qatar, Mali sign deal to help Malian children gain access to education

QNA Doha The State of Qatar, represented by the Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD), and the Republic of Mali, represented by the Ministry of Economy and Fin...

QNADohaThe State of Qatar, represented by the Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD), and the Republic of Mali, represented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, signed a loan agreement to support the implementation of the PACETEM project. This project aims to provide out-of-school children (OOSC) in Mali with access to quality primary education, in collaboration with the implementing strategic partner Education Above All Foundation (EAA).The goal of PACETEMs (Programme d’accès à l’éducation pour tous les enfants au Mali/Access to Education for All Children in Mali) is to enroll and retain 596,597 OOSC across the country. PACETEM aims to reach OOSC with limited access to primary education, such as children from nomadic communities, children in remote locations, overage children officially excluded from school, and children with physical disabilities, by utilising tried and tested strategies.The PACETEM project, managed by the Education Development Center (EDC) and implemented in collaboration with the Malis Ministry of National Education, local governments, and target communities, aims to scale up innovative and effective strategies that are already in place. Each consortium member implements initiatives in response to the needs of the local community. Project strategies could include, for example, enrolling children who did not enroll at the appropriate age, establishing single-classroom schools in low-population-density communities, providing mobile schools for nomadic communities, integrating official primary curriculum into Koranic schools, and establishing accelerated-learning programs for overage children. The project is supported by an innovative financing mechanism that combines grant and loan assistance to help OOSC students gain access to education.In Mali, marginalised children frequently face multiple barriers to accessing education, such as a lack of nearby schools and teachers, poverty, insecurity, low quality and relevance, or the need for their children to engage in economic activities to support the household. By addressing these educational barriers, the project hopes to have a positive impact on UN Sustainable Development Goal 4, “Ensuring equitable and inclusive education for all and enhancing lifelong learning for all.”Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of QFFD, said, “It is our responsibility to ensure that young people can plan for their future. To assist out-of-school children in Mali, QFFD contributes to infrastructure adaptation to meet the needs of physically impaired children, provides teacher training and school supplies to girls and disadvantaged households, builds new schools, and reintegrates children beyond the standard primary-school age.”CEO of the Education Above All Foundation Fahad Al Sulaiti, noted that : “Todays agreement between QFFD and Malis Ministry of National Education presents an important step in our joint global efforts to identify new ways for education financing to create lasting impacts, particularly for low-income countries that are the hardest hit by the global education funding crisis. With a special focus on supporting the most marginalized out of school children into quality primary education, including girls, children from remote or nomadic communities, and children with disabilities, we aim to increase school retention rates and ultimately raise social and economic prospects, for them and their communities.”Mali’s ambassador in Qatar, HE Cheick Ahmed Tidiany Diakite, said, “Today’s ceremony represents the culmination of both parties’ efforts to sign the loan. Allow me to thank the Minister for his availability, as well as the Director of Mali’s Public Debt, the Director General of the QFFD, the CEO of the EAA Foundation, and his collaborators.”