The ADEA launches the 2005 edition of the
African Education Journalism Award - Akintola Fatoyinbo
Bamako, Mali, 22 November 2004 – Yesterday the ADEA launched the fourth annual competition for the African Education Journalism Award - Akintola Fatoyinbo. The Prize recognizes the best articles on education written by African journalists and published in the African press. The official opening of the competition was announced by His Excellency Mamadou Lamine Traoré, Mali’s Minister of National Education, on the occasion of the Conference on primary school contract teachers that is currently being held in the Malian capital. More than 150 people are taking part in this sub-regional meeting, which has brought together education ministers from thirteen French-speaking countries, the secretary-generals of the education ministries, representatives of trade unions, parent-teacher associations, bilateral and multilateral cooperation agencies, as well as education specialists and researchers from teacher training institutes.
Pascal Hoba, one of the organisers of the competition from the ADEA Secretariat, announced that the Prize would henceforth be extended to include the Portuguese-speaking countries; he also briefly summarized the history of the award and highlighted its goals:
- To promote coverage of education by the African media;
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To encourage newspapers to print high-quality articles about education so as to stimulate public discussion of this issue throughout Africa;
- To support the development of a network of African journalists who specialise in educational matters.
The competition honours four journalists every year. The award-winning journalists and their editors-in-chief are invited to participate in a study tour that is organised around seminars on current educational issues and visits to major media organizations that are partnering the award. The partners include Le Monde de l’éducation, Le Monde interactif (Le Monde online), and Radio France Internationale (RFI) in Paris and The Times Education Supplement (TES) and the BBC in London.
Professor Alfred Opubor, coordinator of the ADEA Working group on communications for education and development (COMED), emphasised the need for greater interaction between the African Education Journalism Award and training by the COMED WG, which strives to promote quality education for all. He also expressed his satisfaction at seeing that there were high-quality prize-winners every year. Professor Opubor also pointed out that several winners of the award in previous years were present to take part in launching this year’s competition. Fousséni Traoré, a Malian journalist from the Républicain newspaper and winner of first prize for the French press in 2004, told the audience that he felt that his professional skills had improved following the study tour to Paris and London. He had subsequently decided to specialise in the field of education.
Before announcing the opening of the 2005 competition,
His Excellency Mamadou Lamine Traoré, Mali’s Minister
of Education, emphasised the crucial role of journalists in stimulating
public discussion of educational issues in Africa. He thanked the
ADEA and its partners for having taken this welcome initiative.
For the 2005 edition, any article produced in English or in French
by an African journalist and published in a newspaper, weekly magazine
or other publication can enter. Articles must be submitted to the
ADEA before 1 April 2005. An international jury composed of education
specialists and established journalists will evaluate the articles
and then select four (two in English, two in French). As in preceding
competitions, the prize-winners will be invited to take part in
a study tour. A sum of 2000 euros will also be awarded to the first
prize winners, with 1000 euros going to the winners of second prize.
About the COMED Working Group
A major premise underlying the Working Group on Communications for Education and Development is that information exchange and communication among partners are essential to well-managed and efficient educational systems and to the achievement of quality education for all.
Based in Cotonou, COMED gets financial support for education in Africa from the ADEA, the World Bank and the Norwegian Education Trust Fund. It helps African governments in establishing structures able to conceive and implement high-quality information and communication programs and to train African journalists in how to report education and development issues.
About ADEA
The ADEA was created in 1988 to foster greater collaboration and coordination between development agencies working in the field of education in Africa. Since then, the ADEA has become an instrument designed to reinforce African Ministries’ leadership capabilities as they work with funding agencies and to develop a consensus between ministries and agencies on approaches to the major issues facing education in Africa.
The ADEA’s activities focus on strengthening policy dialogue between the development partners. It also strives to build institutional capacities within Africa through developing technical skills, setting up networks to exchange information and encouraging the sharing of successful strategies, innovations and experiences.
Bamako, Mali, 22 November 2004
For further information, you may contact:
Professeur Opubor, Coordinator, Working
Group on Communications for Education and Development (COMED),
WANAD Center,
in Cotonou : +229/31 34 54; e-mail: comed@wanad.org
Pascal Hoba, Communication Consultant, ADEA
in Paris: Tel: +33/ (0)145 03 7768; e-mail: p.hoba@iiep.unesco.org