As Sustainable Development Goal 4 is reshaping education policies and practice around the world, extending the number of years of schooling is widely acknowledged as a way of improving education quality. However, different... [ view full abstract ]
As Sustainable Development Goal 4 is reshaping education policies and practice around the world, extending the number of years of schooling is widely acknowledged as a way of improving education quality. However, different contexts entail different priorities. Considering the case of Madagascar, 80% of the population works in agriculture and net enrollment ratio in the rural area remains low (primary: 71.9%, lower secondary: 19.2%, upper secondary: 3.4%). It is of great interest to know the way these children with little education adapt their lives to such environment. This study investigates their trajectory from school to work and tries to examine the extent to which education fails in assuring decent work in that situation.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted for two weeks in February and March 2017. The participants were composed of 7 head teachers, 10 groups of teachers, 8 groups of students and 3 groups of parents from 6 primary schools, 2 lower secondary schools, 4 upper secondary schools and a rural training centre in the district of Miarinarivo, Itasy region. The results revealed three major findings. (1) As rural children grow up, their aspiration shifts from a dream to the most likely achievable goal. Performing a cash paying occupation concurrently with agriculture is considered the most decent work. (2) Given the apparent mismatch between the education system and the sociocultural context, the more the children advance in their schooling, the bigger the fear of unemployment grows. (3) Teaching at primary schools remains the easiest path to a decent work. However, the emerging policy of recruiting better-qualified teachers is likely to deprive rural people of that opportunity.
While this study sheds light on the fit between the rural context and current education in practice, it will contribute to ongoing discussions about the balance between basic knowledge, life skills, and employability.
