Issued by: SA Communication Service
MID-DECADE REVIEW OF PROGRESS TOWARDS EDUCATION FOR ALL
COMMUNIQUE
MINISTERS OF EDUCATION, EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG, 23 FEBRUARY 1996
1. The World Declaration on Education for All (EFA) was adopted in Jomtien, Thailand, in March 1990. The purpose of the Declaration was to make the right to education and training - a right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a reality for every child, youth and adult.
2. The Jomtien Declaration affirms the right of each person to learn, to develop their full capacities, to live and work in dignity, to participate fully in development, to improve the quality of their lives, to make informed decisions, and to continue learning.
3. Since 1990, nations party to the Jomtien Declaration have sought in a variety of innovative ways to expand access to quality education and training for each citizen. Virtually all African countries have, formally or informally, affirmed the Jomtien Declaration and the Segou Declaration which defines Africa's own unique response to Jomtien.
4. During 1996, Ministers and officials are meeting to assess the extent to which they have achieved the initial goals of the Declaration in the Five years which have passed since Jomtien, and to set their targets for the year 2000.
5. Commitment to Education for All. Ministers of Education at the Eastern and Southern Africa meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, affirm once again their commitment to the values and goals of the Jomtien Declaration: principally the universal and inalienable right of all to quality education and training, and the special claim of each girl child to her full inheritance.
6. Ministers believe that, for Africa, the Declaration has provided an undeniable impetus to mount innovative education and training programmes embracing the needs for all citizens, and to build new partnerships between governments, teachers and pupils, parents and school communities, nongovernmental organisations and private enterprise. Investing in human capacity is the foundation of development in Africa.
7. Substantial Debt Relief. At the same time, Ministers express once again their concern over Africa's debt burden - estimated at over 300 billion dollars in 1994 - and in itself without doubt the most serious constraint on realising the goals of Education for All. They urge that global and national partners join in exploring ways such as Earmarked Debt Relief for Education to circumvent the worst consequences of debt.
8. Governance, Peace and Security. Ministers note with appreciation that during the past decade, democracy has won its way to the fore in Africa, bringing with it the liberation of social institutions and economic enterprise. At the same time, however, they note that political instability, civil strife and the ravages of economic decline have impeded the provision of education at levels anticipated early in the decade. A peaceful political environment is a necessary precondition for sustainable development in Africa. In committing themselves to its pursuit, Ministers will depend on partners throughout civil society. They are particularly concerned that special support be offered to rebuilding war-torn countries like Rwanda.
9. Mobilising partners and Resources. Government alone cannot achieve the goals of Jomtien. More and more, Ministers recognise that stronger partnerships for development must be forged within nations - and between African nations - at all levels. The contributions of the international development community to Africa are recognised, and Ministers urge that these be sustained over the longer term.
10. At the same time, Ministers urge that African communities be empowered to set their own priorities for development, design their particular solutions to Africa's development problems, and tackle them wholeheartedly together. Education is a long-term investment, and can only be achieved where political will, commitment and cooperation triumph, accompanied by a willingness on the part of African governments to allocate to human resource development the budgets needed for reform and expansion.
11. Coordinating African Initiatives. Ministers, seeking a way to accelerate Education for All programmes in Africa, resolve to work together through existing regional structures like the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), sub-regional structures like the South African Development Community (SADC), and institutions inside and outside Africa to promote human resource development. They therefore recommend that OAU take greater responsibility for coordinating Education for All initiatives. Further, the Ministers resolve to continue the process of strengthening and indigenising those institutions and initiatives established to promote education in Africa, and affirm their intention to support research, intellectual capacity-building, and exchanges within sub-Saharan Africa, and among South-South partners in the pursuit of self-reliance.
12. Finally, Ministers agree that Education for All is not a dream but an achievable reality. Given commitment, adequate resources for cost-effective initiatives, and enterprising partnerships, Ministers are convinced that appreciable strides towards the goals of Jomtien will be taken by AFrica by the year 2000.
Johannesburg 23 February 1996