IRIN – Madagascar’s unresolved political crisis is causing havoc in its education system after steep cuts increased the island state’s inability to meet schoolchildren’s basic needs, bringing a spike in child labour.

A World Bank report published on 1 February, noted that Madagascar’s leader, Andry Rajoelina – who ousted President Marc Ravalomanana from power in March 2009 with the backing of the army in a move widely condemned as a coup – slashed the budget allocation for public services by an estimated US$200 million in one of the world’s poorest countries.

“The crisis, at both a political and economic level, is accelerating the erosion of essential services in the whole social sector, and the impact on children is severe,” Bruno Maes, Madagascar representative for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) told IRIN.

“We are seeing a minimum 20 [percent to] 30 percent decrease in the education budget; as a result, funds and materials are not reaching schools. The second impact of the crisis is an increased vulnerability of already poor families, which means that more children are having to work,” he said.

Read more – http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=88111

IRI – Madagascar’s transitional government is allowing the export of illegally harvested precious hardwoods as a source of revenue to keep itself afloat. Conservationists say the cost is incalculable, and the huge Indian Ocean Island stands to lose its status as one of the world’s biological hotspots.

Groups like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Conservation International (CI) say illegal logging in Madagascar exploded in the aftermath of a political crisis that replaced President Marc Ravalomanana with Andre Rajoelina, current leader of the Transitional Authority, in March 2009. 

Read more – http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=87978

IPS – The illegal logging of precious wood rose sharply during the political crisis that gripped Madagascar during 2009. Forest communities, who could be part of the preservation of these resources, have been swept up in the rush for rosewood.

Rosewood, or Dalbergia baroni, is a very valuable hardwood, in great demand worldwide. Along with related species from Latin America and Asia, it has been over-exploited, and is a protected species in Madgascar.

Read more – http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=49808