Senegal

Allocation: US$7 million

Years: 2020-2021

Grant agent: AFD

Key document: Application and program document

The US$7 million grant supports the following interventions:

• Learning continuity, including for the most vulnerable children (teacher training on distance learning practices, production and dissemination of learning materials in print, radio/TV, offline/online)
• Reopening of schools by ensuring safety of students and personnel (provision of handwashing kits, masks, thermometers, disinfection of facilities, repair and maintenance of water points/latrines, communication campaign, learning assessment and remedial actions, psychosocial support, school canteens)
• Reinforcing a learning approach and resilience of the education system with action-research activities feeding into the monitoring of the program and response plan
• Enabling the participation and performance of vulnerable students, including children with disabilities through psychosocial support and the provision of health and food kits
• Flexible distance learning schedules will be proposed for radio and television programs so that girls in charge of household chores can also access these distance learning programs, along with communication and sensitization campaigns to mitigate girls from abuse, exploitation, and marriage (aimed at parents of students and communities)
• The activities will be coordinated with other interventions from the regular national budget and other external contributions, in line with GPE norms and standards for joint sector monitoring and accountability.

In late March 2020, the UNICEF office in Senegal received a GPE grant of US$70,000 to support the Ministry of Education with developing an education sector response plan. Senegal has used the funds for radio and TV education programming.

Senegal considers its human capital to be the driving force in its emergence trajectory (focus 2 of the Emerging Senegal Plan) for the diversification of its economy and development of social harmony and political stability in order to achieve “an emerging Senegal by 2035 with a civic-minded society governed by the rule of law”.

The education sector policy is set out in the Education and Training Quality, Equity and Transparency Improvement Program (PAQUET-EF) established for the period 2013-2025 and revised to be aligned with the international agenda (SDG 4, Strategy 2030).

The Senegalese education sector is divided into four levels, of which two are mandatory:

• pre-primary: at least 1 year between the ages of 5 and 6
• elementary: 6 years between the ages of 6 and 11
• lower secondary: 4 years between the ages of 12 and 15
• upper secondary: 3 years between the ages of 16 and 18.

From 2000 to 2016, access to technical and vocational and education and training (TVET) improved, as did the pursuit of higher education.

The gross enrollment ratio (GER) in higher education remains low—7% in 2017—which prevents Senegal from training sufficient professionals or senior technicians (“short degrees”) needed by the various sectors to increase productivity, attractiveness and innovation capacity.

The PAQUET-EF focuses on three objectives:

• Objective 1: substantially improve learning outcomes at all levels;
• Objective 2: promote coverage, diversification and integration of the education and training system at all levels;
• Objective 3: introduce results-based transparent and effective sector governance.

The general approach of the sector plan is to focus on the initial objectives of quality, equity and good governance while strengthening the focus on equity of access by reducing vulnerabilities, developing the pre-primary level and consolidating the basic cycle (basic education curriculum for 10 years + 1 year of pre-primary school).

The plan also calls for incorporating all forms of teaching (including non-formal teaching) and creating transfer points, particularly through the development of vocational counselling mechanisms to guide students toward the vocational and technical streams.