A Discussion with Edouard Gueye, Diocesan Coordinator of Literacy, Dakar, Senegal
With: Edouard Gueye Berkley Center Profile
July 20, 2015
Background: As
part of the Education and Social Justice Project, undergraduate student
Sabrina Khan interviewed Edouard Gueye, who serves as the diocesan coordinator
of literacy of Dakar. In this interview, conducted in July 2015 at the Center
for Pedagogical Training in Mbour, Senegal, Gueye discusses the challenges
facing literacy in Senegal and the importance of Catholic education.
What do you like the
most about your work?
The thing I like the most about my work is that we are in the social domain. We are an office, but we are also men on the ground. We live the reality of the fieldwork, the joys and pains of the populations we help. I really like visiting the populations we help, seeing their conditions, and sharing their sufferings and joys. Ultimately, this means being one of them and doing everything I can to not identify them as someone different. I really like doing fieldwork.
What is the importance of Catholic education to children in Senegal?
In Senegal, we often hear someone say, when someone has done something bad, “What you have done is not Catholic.” This saying illustrates the importance of Catholic education. Once you have received a Catholic education, you behave like a Catholic, and your good behavior is appreciated. If everyone had the chance to receive Catholic education, our society would be better than it is today. Catholic education does not admit behavioral errors that unfortunately exist today in Senegal. Thus, Catholic education would be an ideal for our society. It means justice and respect for others, whether they be Catholic or non-Catholic.
What is the greatest challenge facing literacy in Senegal?
The greatest challenge involves being able to raise the literacy rate to 100 percent in Senegal. To be able to do that, we must first involve all parties. That means not just teachers, but also parents. Teachers cannot achieve a literacy rate of 100 percent if parents do not recognize the importance of education. Everyone must understand the importance of education, parents and teachers. We have to start at the source; parents must be educated even if they are too old to be able to go to school. We can always help them. That’s why our literacy program is aimed at educating, not just reading and writing. Everyone must understand, for example, the rights and duties of a child.
In general, what do you think attracts Muslim parents to Catholic schools?
Parents know where to find serious education. Students of Catholic schools are at a higher level than students of public schools. The whole world wants this and is aware of our high standards, whether they are Catholic or Muslim. Our work is always controlled. But, our religious studies are never imposed upon anybody, and parents know that, too. Catechesis is reserved for Christian students.
The thing I like the most about my work is that we are in the social domain. We are an office, but we are also men on the ground. We live the reality of the fieldwork, the joys and pains of the populations we help. I really like visiting the populations we help, seeing their conditions, and sharing their sufferings and joys. Ultimately, this means being one of them and doing everything I can to not identify them as someone different. I really like doing fieldwork.
What is the importance of Catholic education to children in Senegal?
In Senegal, we often hear someone say, when someone has done something bad, “What you have done is not Catholic.” This saying illustrates the importance of Catholic education. Once you have received a Catholic education, you behave like a Catholic, and your good behavior is appreciated. If everyone had the chance to receive Catholic education, our society would be better than it is today. Catholic education does not admit behavioral errors that unfortunately exist today in Senegal. Thus, Catholic education would be an ideal for our society. It means justice and respect for others, whether they be Catholic or non-Catholic.
What is the greatest challenge facing literacy in Senegal?
The greatest challenge involves being able to raise the literacy rate to 100 percent in Senegal. To be able to do that, we must first involve all parties. That means not just teachers, but also parents. Teachers cannot achieve a literacy rate of 100 percent if parents do not recognize the importance of education. Everyone must understand the importance of education, parents and teachers. We have to start at the source; parents must be educated even if they are too old to be able to go to school. We can always help them. That’s why our literacy program is aimed at educating, not just reading and writing. Everyone must understand, for example, the rights and duties of a child.
In general, what do you think attracts Muslim parents to Catholic schools?
Parents know where to find serious education. Students of Catholic schools are at a higher level than students of public schools. The whole world wants this and is aware of our high standards, whether they are Catholic or Muslim. Our work is always controlled. But, our religious studies are never imposed upon anybody, and parents know that, too. Catechesis is reserved for Christian students.
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