BRIDGE project to develop girls’ education in Taiz [Archives:2007/1101/Local News]

By: Fatima Al-Ajel
TAIZ, Nov. 7 ) In a move to expand local initiatives to develop girls' education in Yemen, the Broadening Regional Initiative for Developing Girls' Education, or BRIDGE, program, in cooperation with the Yemen Times, has launched a project in 59 schools in six regions of Taiz governorate.

A four-day workshop that concluded Wednesday focused on the importance of developing girls' education in Taiz, as well as discussing the BRIDGE program's process to improve basic education levels (grades 1 to 9) in rural schools and communities.

Journalists, civil society activists, businesspersons, policymakers and other interested individuals from Sana'a and Taiz participated in the workshop and a field survey. Media coverage and reports will be released to reflect the true situation of girls' education in Taiz.

BRIDGE seeks to encourage girls to attend school by improving and expanding activities, as well as teachers' competence, by promoting the importance of girls' education among parents and civic leaders and by improving local communities' planning and administrative capabilities.

Under the theme, “Improve schools' strategy,” the Japan International Cooperation Agency initiated the three-and-a-half-year BRIDGE project in June 2005, in cooperation with local authorities. The project grants schools YR 500,000 to improve their girls' education strategy.
——
[archive-e:1101-v:15-y:2007-d:2007-11-08-p:ln]