Welcome to Action Education Switzerland
Acting for a
inclusive education
For Action Education, education must be accessible to all, guaranteeing the same learning opportunities, without any discrimination. We therefore advocate inclusive education which recognises that all people can learn and that everyone has their own interests, abilities and learning needs. Our projects therefore aim to remove barriers and obstacles participation and learning for all learnersWe are committed to helping people of all ages, in all their diversity, to realise their full potential.
Inclusive education: definition and issues
Inclusive education refers to an education system that guarantees every individual, whatever their specific needs, abilities or background, an equal access to quality education. It aims to eliminate all forms of discrimination to ensure that all learners can participate fully in school life.
However, despite international commitments, this approach remains an ideal that is far from being achieved.
Inclusion: far from a reality
Even though governments made a joint commitment in 2015 to build a truly inclusive education system by 2030, where everyone could receive a minimum of 12 years of free education without discrimination, it has to be said that inequality and discrimination continue to grow.
To date, 250 million children, adolescents and young people in the world are still excluded from education for reasons such as disability, poverty, gender, ethnic origin or geographical isolation. (UNESCO, 2023).
But at a time when multi-sector crises are multiplying and intensifying to the point of becoming permanent, it is more urgent than ever to build a truly inclusive and resilient education system where every learner is treated with dignity and can learn. unimpeded.
How does Action Education promote inclusive education?
The projects developed by Action Education aim to remove barriers to quality education and to build learning environments that are accessible and adapted to the needs and abilities of each individual.
Our actions are aimed primarily at the most vulnerable and marginalised populations, in particular women and children.
Our projects to defend inclusive education
Children from ethnic minorities living in remote areas are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and are often excluded from state education systems. This is because the distance between school and home is often too great, because households are poor and because the official language of instruction is not one that these children master. This is particularly the case in Vietnam, where children from ethnic minorities do not master the official language of instruction, Vietnamese.
In addition to the creation of mobile libraries, which travel through remote areas in vehicles loaded with books, Action Education has developed a bilingual education project: Children from ethnic minorities first learn in their mother tongue, then are gradually introduced to Vietnamese in Vietnam or Lao in Laos, which allows them to integrate gradually, learn better and avoid dropping out of school.
Our inclusive education projects also enable us to combat the patriarchal traditions that still deprive young girls of an education in Burkina Faso, and to welcome and care for migrant children in India.
Our ambitions
Educating future citizens
A group of pupils, democratically elected by the others, divides up the various aspects of school life by "department": environment, cleanliness, school grounds, canteen, etc.
This encourages children to take part in issues that concern them directly, and gives them a sense of responsibility. It fosters a sense of social awareness and civic responsibility, and gives them the opportunity to work on their command of language, both oral and written, and their ability to make themselves heard and express their ideas.
Protecting children's health
Action Education believes it is necessary to ensure the well-being and respect for the rights of all children in order to guarantee their access to quality education.
One of our priorities is therefore to provide children with a healthy environment. This means installing gender-specific latrines so that young girls can go to the toilet and avoid harassment. As well as giving importance to nutrition, it is necessary to ensure that children are neither deprived nor malnourished. Poor sanitary conditions have a considerable impact on children's education. Repeated illness leads to absenteeism and discourages parents from sending their children to school.
We also attach particular importance to the nutrition of the children we support.
Combating child labour
Children are also exposed to the dangers of trafficking and forced labour. In the world today, 160 million children are still forced to work, half of them in dangerous jobs.
Our priority is to ensure that no child is at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation such as early marriage, rape, prostitution, child labour, abandonment, trafficking or drug abuse.
To do this, we are raising awareness in communities and developing preventive measures to provide effective support to families so that their children are in school and not at work.
Our news
on Inclusive Education
World Toilet Day: Ensuring sanitation to protect education, health and dignity
Every 19 November, World Toilet Day reminds us of a reality that is too often ignored: nearly half of the world's population still does not have access to safe toilets. The consequences are serious, especially for women, children and the elderly.
Action Education Magazine n°167: "Educational inequalities in Europe"
In this new issue of the Magazine, I invite you to discover how Action Education is working to improve access to quality education and reduce inequalities through our programmes in Bulgaria, Romania and France, so that no-one is left behind...
The City of Geneva supports Action Education as part of one of its projects in Vietnam
Worldwide, 175 million children aged between 3 and 5 have no access to pre-school education. Yet early childhood care and education (ECCE) is an absolutely crucial step. It enables the holistic development of children's...
Our projects
for Inclusive Education
Investing in Early Childhood Education and Protection in Madagascar (IEPPE)
The aim of the project is to facilitate the development of a learning environment and the socio-emotional and cognitive development of children aged between 3 and 8, and their success throughout their educational career.
Promoting quality and inclusion in early childhood education and parenting in Vietnam
This project aims to improve the quality of educational services for children from ethnic minorities from birth to 8 years of age In Vietnam, nursery and primary schools often face challenges in terms of governance and quality of...
Investing in Early Childhood Education and Protection in Burkina Faso (IEPPE)
The aim of this project is to contribute to the management of the educational continuum between pre-school and primary school by state institutions, decentralised services and communities, in order to maximise the development and success of children aged between 3 and 8...
Laos: innovative approach to literacy and maths from an early age
The aim of this project is to improve the quality of teaching in the basic subjects (Lao language and mathematics) and the learning environment for children from ethnic minorities, by means of targeted interventions both in the school and in...
India: access to healthcare and education for migrant children
The aim of this project is to improve the living conditions of migrant children in India and give them access to their fundamental rights.Every season in India, many families are forced to migrate in search of work to support their families.
Nutrition and education for ethnic minority children in Vietnam
The aim of this project is to promote quality early childhood care and education for marginalised children from ethnic minorities, and to support them in improving their performance at school.in the mountainous northern provinces of Hoa Binh and...
Laos: improving access to quality education for disadvantaged children in rural areas
This project aims to use an integrated approach to improve school readiness, children's health and the development of pre-school and primary school children.
