Madagascar: school committees and remedial classes lift reading standards

A programme designed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is tackling low literacy and high dropout rates in Madagascar by placing parents and local communities at the centre of school management.

The School for All programme was first introduced in Niger in 2004 and has since been extended to 11 African countries. Its central pillar is the School Management Committee, through which parents, teachers and community members jointly decide on educational priorities, finances and the allocation of budgets.

On the outskirts of Antananarivo, committees also organise meals for pupils, while pre-school lessons draw on Japanese storytelling methods. Remedial classes target children who have fallen behind.

Marie Harivola Malala Razanadrasoa, who chairs one such committee, said the first benefit was transparency. Tinasoa Helimalala Rabezandry, a primary school head teacher, reported "a big improvement in reading".

Masahiro Hara, chief adviser to the JICA project, said that when all stakeholders work and create together, educational development can be sustained.