JICA Training Program for Early Childhood Education in Central and West Africa

2010年10月20日更新

From September 27 to October 20, 2010, Ochanomizu University accepted 10 individuals from Central and West Africa (Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso) and held training sessions on early childhood education on behalf of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). All 10 participants play a leading role in the field of early childhood education in their own countries as administrative officials, school inspectors, or faculty of teacher training schools. This is the fifth year that Ochanomizu University conducted training for French-speaking countries in Central and West Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa has exceedingly high rates for mortality, malnutrition, and disease among children under the age of five-all problems that need to be dealt with urgently. In recent years, the international community recognizes the importance of a comprehensive approach linking security with education beginning at infancy, and is enhancing support structures for early childhood education in developing countries. The reality in Sub-Saharan Africa, however, is that there are still not enough specialists in early childhood security and education.

The training sessions thus aimed to contribute to the development of human resources in Africa by holding lectures, class observations, and workshops about Japan’s systems, policies, childcare programs and methods, and human-resource training and evaluation related to early childhood education and childcare, and through them, enhancing the participants’ knowledge and skills in child assistance.

Post-training questionnaires indicated a high level of satisfaction and appreciation for the achievement of the sessions’ six objectives:
1. Identification and categorization of problems in the participants’ organizations
2. Concept, contents, and trends of early childhood development (ECD)
3. Disparities in early childhood education and how to resolve them
4. Childcare contents and methods, and creation of educational material appropriate to developmental stages
5. Teacher education and training systems
6. Evaluation of early childhood education programs
On the last day of the program, each trainee presented an action plan based on their findings from the training sessions, which they will implement after returning to their own country.

Ochanomizu University promotes various international assistance activities, many-including the acceptance of these trainees-of which were held in October 2010, which we have designated as International Assistance Activities Month. Some are also listed as part of the Festa activities of members of the Japan Association of National Universities.