Kobe University's Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS) invites the Education Minister's Advisor from the Republic of Yemen and holds International Symposium on March 6, 2007.

The government of Yemen was invited to participate in the "Education for All: Fast Track Initiative (EFA: FTI)" by the international donor community after the G-8 Kananaskis summit in June of 2002. Since the summit, Yemen has been implementing its basic education strategy and action plan progressively. She has been considered a model country of the FTI initiative due to her government's strong commitment to education, especially girls' education. As a result of this commitment, the level of donor support has increased in recent years. At the same time, Kobe University's GSICS has been implementing the JICA's Girls Education Project in Yemen's Taiz Governorate with the consulting firm, PADECO, since June of 2005. The Yemeni Ministry of Education recently sent ten high-level officers to Taiz Governorate to learn about the implementation experience from the JICA project in order to apply and accelerate its education policy implementation.

Through this symposium, we will introduce the Yemeni government's basic education strategy and action plan, as well as the Japanese ODA's support on basic education in Yemen. Further, using the Yemeni experience as a case study, we will discuss the promotion of girls' education, through presentations and panel discussions among policy makers, practitioners, and researchers.

Date&Time:

10:00-17:30 Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Venue:

Main Conference Room, 1st Floor, Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University
(Check "Access/Campus Map" for more details)

Language:

English, Arabic, Japanese

Program:

Morning Session:

Chair: Dr. Yasuo Uchida (Professor, GSICS, Kobe University)

• 10:00-10:15 Opening Remarks
  Prof. Motoki Takahashi (Dean, GSICS, Kobe University)
• 10:15-10:45 "Basic Education Development Strategy and Mid-term Result Framework in Yemen"
  Dr. Hound Al-Seyani (Advisor to Minister of Education)
• 10:45-11:15 "Current Status on Girls Education in Yemen and Girls Education Policy"
  Ms. Fatheyah Al-Shawafi (General Director, Girls Education, Ministry of Education)
• 11:15-11:45 "Current Status on Girls Education in Taiz Governorate in Yemen"
  Ms. Muna Nasser Ahmed Ajlan (Head of Educational Services Section, Girls' Education Department, Taiz Governorate Education Office)
• 11:45-12:30 Questions & Answers
• 12:30-13:30 Lunch

Afternoon Session:

Chair: Dr. Mikiko Nishimura (Associate Professor, GSICS, Kobe University)

• 13:30-13:50 "Yemeni Government Policies and Japanese Support on the Yemeni Basic Education"
  Dr. Keiichi Ogawa (Associate Professor, GSICS, Kobe University)
• 13:50-14:10 "Concept of the JICA Girls Education Project in Taiz Governorate, Yemen"
  Prof. Tatsuo Kawashima (Professor, GSICS, Kobe University)
• 14:10-14:45 "Progress of the JICA Girls Education Project in Taiz Governorate, Yemen"
  Dr. Mahdi Ali Abdulsalam (Director, Taiz Governorate Education Office)
• 14:45-15:00 Coffee Break
• 15:00-16:15 Panel Discussion "Girls Education and the Japanese ODA Support"
  Panelists:

  • Dr. Hound Al-Seyani
  • Dr. Mahdi Ali Abdulsalam
  • Ms. Fatheyah Al-Shawafi
  • Dr. Daniel N. Sifuna (Professor, School of Education, Kenyatta University)
  • Mr. Denis Kunje (Senior Researcher, CERT, University of Malawi)
  • Prof. Tatsuo Kawashima
  • Ms. Yoshiko Koda (Ex-World Bank Education Specialist)
  • Ms. Ayako Tanigawa (Education Consultant, PADECO)
  • Dr. Keiichi Ogawa
• 16:15-17:15 Questions & Answers
• 17:15-17:30 Closing Remarks
  Prof. Motoki Takahashi

Contact:

Dr. Keiichi Ogawa (E-mail: ogawa35@kobe-u. ac.jp)