ADEA and USAID organize a High Level Workshop on National Book and Reading Policies in Africa under the Global Book Alliance

Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) 14th June 2019 – The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), in close collaboration with the Kenya Ministry of Education and the African Union Commission (AUC) and with USAID support, is organizing a High Level Workshop on National Book and Reading Policies in Africato support quality education for national development. The workshop, held under the auspices of ADEA’s Books and Learning Materials (BLM) section of the Inter-Country Quality Node on Teaching and Learning (ICQN-TL), will be held at the Parkinn by Radisson Hotel in Westlands Nairobi, Kenya from 17th to 19thJune 2019. 

This strategic meeting is part of the long-lasting partnership between ADEA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), supported by the Global Book Alliance (GBA). It is a culmination of activities built on the gains made thus far, in following the Action Plan developed by ADEA and USAID in January 2018. 

The aim of this workshop is to create synergy among practitioners, governments, technical and financial partners, and all relevant stakeholders to work together in formulating and implementing their National Book and Reading Policies, with a special focus on national languages and to support quality education for national development. The main objectives are to:

  • Discuss a harmonized approach in formulating and enacting national book policies.
  • Agree on an inclusive framework for National Book and Reading policies.
  • Develop a set of principles to guide in National Book and Reading Policy formulation.
  • Disseminate a framework for National Book Policies.
  • Nominate Book Policy Champions from each country represented.
  • Launch the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) Reading Culture Cluster proposed by the Africa Union Commission.

It is expected that around 50 participants representing the book industry as well as technical and financial partners from across Africa will join this event, which aims to provide the following main outcomes: 

  • A clear understanding of the strategic role the book publishing industry and a public reading sector play in national development.
  • A better understanding of the need for National Book and Reading Policies (NBRP).
  • A concrete understanding of the place, role and importance of books in national languages in the development of a sustainable literate environment.
  • Ownership by delegates of the proposed framework for NBRP. 
  • Validation of harmonized guidelines for NBRP formulation

The Global Book Alliance aims to transform book development, procurement and distribution, especially in Africa and Asia, to ensure that children everywhere have the essential books and learning materials produced in languages children use and understand, including braille and sign languages. So many studies have shown that children do not have reading materials in languages they speak and understand, which facilitate early reading acquisition. To this end, USAID and partners have developed this Alliance to address the scarcity of titles in African languages, improve the efficiency of procurement and financing and strengthen supply chain management systems.

ADEA is actively collaborating with the African Union Commission and other key partners at the country level to ensure that the countries revisit and endorse the Continental Framework for National Book and Reading Policies, which the two organizations revised in 2009.

For more information, please contact:

  • Lily Nyariki, ICQN-TL’s Focal Point of the Books and Learning Materials section  (Anglophone countries), T.(+254) 733 712117 / (+254) 706 569 707, lmnyariki@gmail.com / l.nyariki@adeanet.org
  • Aliou Sow, ICQN-TL’s Focal Point of the Books and Learning Materials section (Francophone countries), T. (+224) 622 54 48 26, aliou2sow@yahoo.fr

Media:

  • Stefano De Cupis, Senior Communications Officer, ADEA, T. (+225) 2026 4261, s.decupis@afdb.org

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About ADEA

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue. It is a partnership bringing together African policymakers in charge of education, science and technology; development cooperation partners; researchers and education technical experts. ADEA contributes to the empowerment of African countries to develop quality education and training systems that respond to the countries' emergent needs and drive social and economic transformation sustainably.

www.adeanet.org

About ICQN-TL-BLM

The ADEA’s Books and Learning Materials section (BLM) of the ICQN-TL is committed to supporting processes conducive to formulating adequate National Book Policies that improve the provision of good quality educational materials, effective schooling, and literacy across Africa. It strives to accomplish this by calling on governments, the private sector, development agencies, and civil society to consider a holistic approach that includes substantial input from African partners to achieve viable book policies.

About GBA

The Global Book Alliance is an international effort involving multiple stakeholders working to transform book development, procurement, distribution, and use to ensure that no child is without books. Its mission is to guarantee that children everywhere have the books and learning materials they need to learn to read and read to learn. New and innovative solutions are needed to solve the learning crisis, and the Global Book Alliance is taking the lead on identifying and implementing these solutions.

www.globalbookalliance.org