Reverse Linkage

57 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION A s a relatively new capacity building tool, the real impact of RL partnership intervention lies in the opportunities it creates to spread to other sectors and achieve sustainable development objectives in fields beyond the original requirements. As the demand for this approach is rapidly growing, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is exploring new applications of RL partner- ships to overcome the challenges of economic development in its member countries. This Reverse Linkage (RL) partnership takes a very effec- tive economic approach, and has proved an efficient means of capacity building. Thanks to its peer approach, the part- nership facilitates the transfer of expertise, technology and necessary resources to the countries that most need it. In addition to the direct benefits offered in building bilingual capacity, this RL partnership has indirect benefits such as strengthening linkages between countries, and sharing experiences, which can open new horizons for cooperation and give rise to new and effective synergies. Case history Despite IsDB and Chad signing an agreement in 1998 to improve bilingual education in Chad, the initiative still has a long way to go. Bilingual, specifically Franco-Arab, schools in Chad serve only 5 per cent of the population, and language quality is a concern shared by all stakeholders in the educa- tion process. No standardised model for the implementation of bilingual education at school level has been developed. Instead each institution implements bilingual education depending on existing human and material resources. Also, the Government of Chad lacked a clear strategy for implementing bilingual education, including: • A definition of the concept and practice of bilingual education • A high-level coordination mechanism • The capacity to train bilingual teachers, both initially and continuously • An evaluation of bilingual teaching and learning to ensure quality • The development and updating of bilingual teaching curricula • The implementation of an action plan for the progressive spread of bilingualism. Reaching above and beyond the financial resources required to improved bilingualism, this project forms part of the IsDB Member Country Policy Strategy (MCPS) 2014–2016. It stems from the framework programme on the generalization of bilingual education in Chad (April 2013) supported by IsDB. French and Arabic are the two official languages of Chad, and bilingualism is a necessity in the country’s educa- tion system since the majority of the population use both languages. The introduction of bilingual education is a key factor in combatting exclusion and marginalisation, which are potential incubators of extremism and violence. The overall goal is to consolidate peace and social cohe- sion through linguistic partnership, cultural harmony and value-based education. The RL programme will consolidate the latest IsDB activities in the field of bilingual education and include comprehensive capacity development in the Chadian use of Arabic, working within the framework of the Franco-Arab bilingual education policy. Objectives The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the improvement of the teaching of the Arabic language, as part of the policy of the Government of Chad aimed at develop- ing Franco-Arab bilingualism. The specific objectives are to: • Build capacity in the management of national policies and strategies for the development of Franco-Arab bilin- gualism • Strengthen capacity in the training of engineering teach- ers and trainers within bilingual Franco-Arab education • Strengthen the capacities of translators Reverse Linkage Triangular Cooperation between Chad, Tunisia and IsDB for Arab language capacity building Ali Jarray, Lead Coordinator; Habib Oumar, Local Coordinator; Gali Ngandjei, Assistant Coordinator; Karim Ben Rejeb, Focal Point; Tunisian Agency for Technical Cooperation (ATCT)