Aid to Technical and Vocational Education

In 1997, France earmarked 0.45% of its GDP (US$ 6.348 million) for development. In absolute values, it is ranked third among financial backers, behind Japan and the United States. Almost half of public financial assistance is directed, first, towards restructuring the debt and, secondly, towards investment and educational services. Around 3000 French specialist cooperation staff work abroad.

Since the reform of French cooperation was implemented on 1 January 1999, new bodies have shown that they fully intend to improve coordination of its policy for development.

In 1999, the CICID established a priority support area (zone de solidarité prioritaire, or ZSP) which received essentially French bilateral assistance. This area includes 55 countries, 37 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, which are among the least developed in terms of income. The strong priority accorded Sub-Saharan Africa (42.2% of all bilateral assistance) is attributable to the strong historical associations of France with the African continent.

The instrument used to intervene in countries in the priority area is a Priority Support Fund (Fonds de solidarité prioritaire, or FSP). This fund finances solely by means of donations support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the area of institutional, social and cultural development and research.

France is also active in the area of multilateral assistance: 24% of its cooperation budget is for multilateral cooperation (as against 76% for bilateral assistance), including 10% within the European Community.

A great many other players are involved in development assistance, including the NGOs, the regions, the départements, the communes, firms, trade unions, churches and professional organizations, etc. State allocations for all of them are relatively small. Their actions supplement or may unfortunately duplicate those of French central government cooperation, because of a lack of consultation, transparency and precision in the latter’s sectoral policies.

The aims of the priority support area are consistent with the priority concerns of cooperation in four respects:

Vocational education is regarded as a social and not an economic issue. This is confirmed in the organization chart of the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, in which vocational education comes within the ambit of the social development sub-committee. This approach is arguably attributable to the French presence within the formal education system, and its relative lack of interest in any non- formal education system originating within firms and/or the non-formal sector itself.

Co-operation activity on the part of France is undertaken within a firm State-to-State bilateral framework. Underlying its philosophy is the belief that, as a result of its help, a partner State will be able to assist its own society at large. Furthermore, co-operation with another State enables France to maintain prestige and political influence vis-à-vis its former colonies. It is thus entirely understandable that formal systems of education and training should get priority support.

Since 1 January 1999, the Development Cooperation Department has been attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that French development policy has subsequently been affected by two influences.

Projects supported under the Priority Support Fund use two mechanisms for dealing with vocational education, namely the establishment of special projects and support for social development funds. Out of 47 countries in the priority area which were financed from the Priority Support Fund, 12 received support for projects concerned with education, vocational education or continuing education. The majority of these schemes related to reform of the primary education and formal higher education systems. The remainder were concerned with continuing education, either at a very high level as in Senegal and Lebanon, with the introduction of continuing or specialized courses in management, or at a lower level (Haïti, Togo and Djibouti) in which an effort was made to strengthen contacts between economic and education or training operators.

Almost 60% of French development cooperation resources are earmarked for Africa (42.21% for Sub-Saharan Africa and 15.56% for Northern Africa) which accounts for a large majority of the poorest countries.

French aid in the TVE field is fairly diversified: assistance was given to 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa during the year 2000 (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

France is active in many fields of technical and vocational education: for example, teacher training in Mauritius; adjusting programmes to the requirements of employers in Benin; support for continued vocational training in Mali via the development of the Unités de formation et d’appui aux entreprises (UFAEs); and support for training in the tourism industry in Zimbabwe.

To promote the TVE sector, France is putting the emphasis on revitalizing systems of financing, as well as on increasing both the capacity and the autonomy of TVE institutions.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department