The Global Partnership for Education commended the Senegalese education unions for their active commitment to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular in the area of quality education for all.
At its latest meeting, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) commended the Coalition of Organisations in Synergy for the Defense of Public Education's (Coalition des organisations en synergie pour la défense de l'éducation publique - COSYDEP) participation in its Board of Directors, stating that the Senegalese structure enabled education policies better suited to the needs of the countries of the South to be conducted.
Monitoring education policies in the countries of the South and guaranteeing the rights of all children to education
"We could not leave Dakar without first visiting the headquarters of the COSYDEP, whose [participation in] our Board of Directors has strengthened the role of civil society" in the education policies of the countries represented within the GPE, stated GPE executive director Ms. Alice Albright, adding that the COSYDEP "represents the countries of the South", and that "we will continue this partnership".
At the end of the of the 11th Triennial of Education and Training organised earlier this year by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (Association pour le développement de l'éducation en Afrique), Ms. Albright visited the COSYDEP, of which some Senegalese Education International affiliates are members: the Union of Senegalese Teachers (Syndicat des Professeurs du Sénégal), the National Union of Elementary Education (Syndicat National de l'Enseignement Elémentaire), the Unified and Democratic Union of Senegalese Teachers (Syndicat unitaire et démocratique des enseignants du Sénégal) and the Democratic Union of Senegalese Teachers (Union Démocratique des Enseignantes et des Enseignants du Sénégal).
"During our two terms of office (2013-2017), we were tasked with representing all of the countries, in particular by monitoring (... ) the education policy in order to ensure that it enables all children to enjoy the right to education...", said Mr. Cheikh Mbow, the COSYDEP's national coordinator, and member of the GPE's Board of Directors, within which he represents the civil society organisations of developing countries.
Basic information
The GPE is the only multilateral partnership dedicated to ensuring that every child in the world's poorest countries has access to education and quality education. It brings together international organisations and private sector bodies, and sixty-seven developing countries are represented within it.
Since 2009, the COSYDEP has enjoyed financial support from the Civil Society Fund for Education set up by the GPE.