The Issue in Brief

In the face of major political change within a country, survival may depend on each individual's opportunity and ability to learn new skills and practices. In order to insure a smoother transition for the people, basic education and skills training is often a necessary provision. Nonetheless, in a country with a widely scattered population and few resources, how can instruction effectively reach those in need? One solution is nonformal distance education, which utilizes various media to communicate information and knowledge. Nonformal distance education, or distance learning, is an alternative in areas lacking adequately trained teachers and resources, and may prove crucial in helping rural populations survive.

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The Context in Mongolia

The 1990 transition from communist to democratic economy devastated the rural population, specifically the nomadic population of the Gobi Desert. The move from state management to private ownership placed heavy burdens upon the shoulders of the nomads, who were forced to accept new responsibilities to ensure economic health and survival for themselves and their families. The nomadic women in particular were affected by transition, as running the household suddenly required a number of arduous, unfamiliar roles and tasks, such as the management of animals and various forms of income production. Because families were scattered across vast areas, moving frequently, and dealing with harsh climates, distance learning was the only method of providing these women with open and widespread access to a desperately needed basic education.

The 1921 revolution brought a Soviet-style communist government to power in Mongolia, which persisted for decades. By the 1980s, a number of political reforms resulted in the implementation of a democratic government. The USSR originally had handled most of Mongolia's trade and provided 30% of their income, but all external sources of income had been exhausted by 1991. By this time also:

• crop production fell to one half its prior level,
  
• energy supplies failed causing industrial output to drop by a third,
  
• inflation rose to 2,000%,
  
• the GDP dropped to one third of its previous level per capita,
  
• paid maternity leave and child care for women no longer existed,
  
• social services collapsed, and
  
• the high level of education of the population became unstable.
  

Of the entire Mongolian population, 30% (or about 1/2 million) of the people live a nomadic or semi-nomadic way of life. They move their homes 3 or 4 times a year in climates ranging from 40 degrees Celsius in the summer to -40 degrees Celsius in the winter. Their income production is based on animals; they use the parts and products of sheep, goats, horses, and camels to make food, clothing, handicrafts, and fuel for use or trade. Previously, the state managed herds of animals, paid regular wages regardless of productivity, and cushioned the impact of livestock disasters. By 1995:

• 95% of all livestock was privately owned;
  
• families were responsible for obtaining their own herds;
  
• those in the household needed to produce their own goods and services, as well as market their own products; and
  
• people trying to abandon the problems of city life caused an increase in the number of herding households.
  

Because of these changes, the labor and management required to care for the herds fell to the women and those children who were kept out of school to help. The women's traditional roles now included taking care of the animals and using meager resources to produce marketable goods, requiring skills relied on 60 years earlier that were now unfamiliar, forgotten, or in need of improvement.

The government of Mongolia approached UNESCO for assistance in implementing a project to provide non-formal skills instruction to the women of the Gobi Desert. The Gobi Women's Project began as a three-way partnership in 1992; DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) provided a grant of $1.4 million, UNESCO provided technical assistance for implementation, and the Mongolian government provided the necessary resources and people to reach 15,000 nomadic women in the six Gobi provinces.

To look at an overview of the project, project activities, or project outcomes and implications, click on the corresponding heading.

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