The Africa-America Institute report, State of Education in Africa: Conference Outcomes 2015, offers a wealth of insights and recommendations from leading education thinkers and practitioners on approaches to expanding education and strengthening the capacity of Africans and educational institutions.
The report follows the institute’s Second Annual State of Education in Africa conference on Sept. 2 in Lagos, Nigeria, that assessed the progress of primary, secondary, tertiary, technical and vocational education in Africa. Panelists tackled such issues as equipping new educators with the tools they need for success; reforming science and technology education unlock and energize bright minds; early childhood education—helping the most at-risk to succeed; and global best practices in education.
Conference participants heard from Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, co-founder of Andela, a movement to build the next generation of African world class technology leaders by training participants to become software developers and providing them with internships in the United States and Nigeria; and Patrick Utomi, Ph.D., founder and CEO of the Center for Values in Leadership and proponent of a world shaped by a “pedagogy of the determined”—a world based on values, institutions, and a web of relationships that support continual improvement of the world and community.
Education increasingly is being linked to sustainable economic development on the continent. Reformist policymakers are calling for national systems to focus more on equipping students with skills to meet the demands of modern society than on acquiring knowledge that often proves useless in addressing local development challenges.
I spoke with AAI President and CEO Amini Kajunju (above, l.) about the conference, following her return to the institute’s headquarters in New York City.
Did the conference meet your expectations?
Kajunju: The conference far exceeded our expectations. AAI invited some the world’s leading thinkers, practitioners and innovators in education to participate at our Second Annual State of Education in Africa conference and discuss how to put forth bold strategies to improve the African educational system. We knew that the conference would generate engaging discussions, but we were pleasantly surprised to hear some of the education innovations that are taking place on the continent, especially using technology, and the passion and commitment of teachers and administrators challenge the status quo to improve learning outcomes and address education challenges. These new approaches are occurring often despite limited resources, large class sizes and government inaction in some Africa countries. We aimed to organize a solution-driven conversation and we achieved that.
How was it different from the 2014 conference?
Kajunju: This State of Education in Africa conference is different firstly because we organized it in Africa. We had a successful inaugural conference in New York, but felt that we needed to be on the continent to connect with leading educators as well as parents and business leaders who are working to improve education in Africa. We built on the 2014 conference to expand the selection of topics to include panel discussions on teacher training, early childhood education and global best practices in education.
We also invited representatives of the private sector to participate in panel discussions. And it was crystal clear that businesses operating in Africa are in urgent need of a skilled and educated workforce. National education systems and the private sector must forge a stronger connection to ensure that universities produce graduates with the right skills for today’s workforce. About 65 percent of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35 years. About 10 million young African youth will enter into the labor market each year. We need to ensure that young people are equipped to skills to be gainfully employed in the job market and to sustain growth in Africa.
This year we also organized our first-ever PitchFest where innovators submitted cutting-edge ideas, tools, information and technologies that can help bring about a better educational system in Africa.
The report describes several steps that should be taken to improve education systems in Africa. Does AAI have a strategy to ensure that African governments act on these steps?
Kajunju: Through the State of Education conference outcomes report and other AAI-initiated efforts, we hope to inspire a movement of educators, policy makers, government officials, business leaders and others who want to strengthen the education sector. Educators can use the report to go to their Ministries of Education with concrete strategies and approaches on transforming the sector.
AAI is also entering into a formal partnership with the African Union, where we will share our reports and insights and advocate for greater education opportunities and action on overcoming some of the entrenched challenges in the education sector. Through the partnership, we will keep the pressing issues discussed at the State of Education in Africa conference in front of government leaders.
How will you monitor implementation? Are there timelines for governments and/or educational institutions to act?
Kajunju: Our conference built in networking opportunities for educators and innovators to connect around education issues in their communities and on a national level. The implementation must be organic and come from the ground up. During our day-to-day work, we will do our part to bring these issues to the forefront.
None of the presenters were ministers of education. Was this deliberate?
Kajunju: Our hope was to invite the Ministry of Education of Nigeria as a keynote speaker. However, the person was not yet identified. However, we do have plans to create a “ministers of education round-table” at every State Of Education conference. Indeed, education is a public good and it is critical for governments to get to participate in the SOE conversation.
What surprised/delighted you most about the PitchFest?
Kajunju: Firstly, we were overwhelmed with the level of interest in our first PitchFest. We were absolutely delighted that we were able to uncover some incredible, yet practical innovative ideas and approaches to strengthening education in Africa.
Samson Abioye, executive director of Pass_NG, an online tool that helps students prepare for Nigeria’s admission examinations was the winner of the PitchFest competition. This online tool is helping to give more Nigerian students access to secondary and tertiary education. Other finalists included a mobile library and outdoor readers hub for children, an African children’s radio and television program, and a storytelling app for kids that narrates African folktales, while incorporating basic skills.
