Achievements in education

Basic education enables children and youth to acquire the knowledge and life skills needed in their daily lives and that will underpin their lifelong learning. These skills will also enable them to take advantage of economic opportunities in the labour market and to participate actively in the development of their communities.

CIDA's investments have contributed to generating noticeable results in basic education. The following are some recent examples (2009-2010):

• In 2001, only 700,000 Afghan children, none of whom were girls, attended formal schools. In 2009-2010, with CIDA's contribution, 6.2 million students, one third of them girls, were enrolled in school in the country. The same year, 23,500 individuals received literacy training. CIDA also helped establish more than 4,000 community schools to provide basic education to 125,000 children, 85 percent of them are girls.
• In Bangladesh, some 17,000 newly recruited teachers completed their certificate in education and more than 2.6 million children, 60 percent of them girls, completed the pre-primary program. CIDA also contributed to the funding of 6,500 non-formal primary schools for working children.
• In Colombia, 2,500 children and youth (including 1,533 girls) were enrolled in alternative back-to-school programs.
• In Ghana, the enrolment rate increased to 88.5 percent.
• In Mali, access to basic education increased by 4.7 percent, for boys as well as girls.
• In Mozambique, the number of girls enrolled in Grade 1 increased to 75.3 percent. The textbook-to-student ratio in elementary school is now one to one. Bilingual education has expanded through the distribution of 24,000 bilingual teachers' manuals across the country.
• In Pakistan, more than 120,000 teachers and education professionals received training in fields such as learner-centred teaching, classroom management, and subject content.
• In Senegal, more than 21,000 educators received training. The overall school enrolment rate increased to 92.5 percent and the completion rate for primary school increased to 59.6 percent.
• In Tanzania, 968 classrooms, 709 teachers' lodgings, and 716 latrines intended for primary schools were built. The annual rate of students advancing through to secondary school increased by 15 percent.