Obviously, quality education has key significance in reducing inequality within the society and providing equal opportunities for all, regardless of their background or socio-economic status. However, by ensuring that every African child has an access to quality education, and no one is left behind, the continent can address most of its challenges and realize its development aspirations.
As the experiences of other developed nations and some other African countries indicated, quality education plays a significant role in equipping the young generation with better knowledge, skills and competence which are crucial to generate active, efficient and competitive human capital who can contribute meaningfully for the development of their countries, aside from improving their own and families’ livelihood.
Africa, as a continent with a high level of illiteracy rates, is investing significantly to expand education facilities, access quality education for every child in the continent, empower its young generation and address most of the challenges thereby accelerating its economic progress and bringing sustainable peace.
Recognizing the pivotal role of education, the African Union is also working untiringly to help countries create a more inclusive environment, expand educational infrastructure, and access quality education for all. Mainly by prioritizing the topic, it is promoting education as a fundamental human right. This was also stated in each and every of Union’s agendas.
For instance, in relation to the “International Day of Education” held on 24 January 2024 under the theme ‘Learning for lasting peace’, the irreplaceable role of education in fostering sustainable development, promoting peace, and empowering individuals to build a better future was highlighted.
In his statement, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation with AU, Prof. Mohamed Belhocine said that through investing in education for lasting peace, Africa invests in the future of Africa, a future where every child in Africa can learn, grow, and thrive in a world free from the shadow of conflict. This aspiration is also the Organization’s dedication to promoting education as a fundamental human right.
In the same way, this year’s AU 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council Meeting and the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State and Government of the African Union which is scheduled to be held from February 14 to 18th, in Addis Ababa declared 2024 as the Year of Education considering the urgent need to mobilize more resources for improved access to quality learning across the continent.
In his interview with ENA, Education, Science and Innovation Commissioner Professor of AU, Mohamed Belhocine stressed the need for mobilizing more resources to improve education in Africa.
According to the Commissioner, Africa comes from a baseline situation whereby poverty, nutrition, burden of debt, conflicts, and human-made or natural disasters are creating competing priorities for governments, the professor noted, adding that you may therefore somehow neglect some of these priorities when you have to deal with all these competing priorities.
After COVID-19, we realized that not only the progress that was made has been somehow stopped, but the situation is compounded now. “That is why this idea of having education as the theme of the year was put on the table because we think that with that we will be able to re-galvanize member states, the population and youth to think more about education,” the Commissioner elaborated.
Despite positive trends, many African countries are struggling to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for education by 2030.
According to him, using Agenda 2963 as blue print African countries should give priority for quality education. He pointed out that, initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area and harmonized recognition of qualifications has key roles to enhance mobility and knowledge exchange. “In this regard, the AU’s role lies in policy formulation, harmonization, and setting norms and standards, facilitating free trade and the movement of people. For instance, we (Africans) need to have a harmonized system of recognition of diplomas and qualifications at all levels in all countries. And that’s what we are developing as a Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation. We are trying to formulate policies, to formulate strategies, norms, and standards, which will help countries to see whether they are at the same level or if there are gaps.”
With regard to funding, Professor Mohammed stated that support through partners like the African Development Bank, UN agencies, and bilateral partnerships has been mobilized as the AU cannot fully depend on the contribution of member states.
Professor Mohammed also told ENA that “When we talk about resources, there is always the same situation. I mean, competing priorities are there. So to tell you that we have the necessary resources is not true, but we are trying to mobilize, we are also mobilizing resources through partners, through the African Development Bank, which is one of our key partners. But we have also cooperation and partnerships with many, many different sectors, starting with, for instance, UN agencies. The EU-AU Innovation Agenda and teacher training programs exemplify successful collaborations.”
Stating that the global call for increased funding and innovative solutions, potentially inspired by the Global Fund model for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, had gained traction, the commissioner extended similar calls on education to address the out-of-school crisis in Africa. The commissioner mentioned that there are established international standards for financing, such as the expectation from UNESCO for countries to allocate 10-15 percent of their national budget to education. However, not all countries are able to meet these benchmarks. Additionally, due to the significant demographic youth population in Africa, the region is expected to have the highest proportion of young people globally in the near future. This demographic situation means that even with strong political will and commitment to achieve universal education coverage, there may be financial constraints due to insufficient GDP in certain circumstances.
So, the issue about how to better help these countries to get universal coverage of education and the idea of having better coordination in terms of funding by financial and by multilateral partners has now come to the fore. “We can (now) think of a global fund which could help countries to reach universal coverage. And this is very important. As we are speaking now, the total young school-age population we have in sub-Saharan Africa in general is half a billion. And as we speak, 100 million of these children are not going to school or are not attending school. This is a huge mass of children.”
According to him, many countries are doing their best. However, some are still lagging behind.
With 100 million children currently out of school, the AU emphasizes Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a second chance. The African Strategy on TVET and partnerships like the German Skills Initiative for Africa offer training opportunities.
Stressing the need to decolonize history education, and recognizing the prevalence of colonial narratives in curricula, the commissioner stressed that the AU advocates for teaching real African history written by Africans.
A comprehensive work on African history by African scholars exists, and translating it into digestible curricula for all levels is a key objective, the professor stated.
Commissioner Mohammed concluded by stressing the urgency of addressing the education crisis: “This is a huge problem for our continent and even beyond… These are the children who will try to cross borders… We need to show that there is an international idea to support what countries are already doing.”
The AU’s 2024 theme underscores the critical role of education in Africa’s development and serves as a call to action for increased investment, collaboration, and innovative solutions to ensure quality learning for all.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2024
