KAMPALA, UGANDA: Participants at the 8th African Leadership Forum (ALF) have noted that good benefits have been accrued from governments’ investments into education since independence but that there was need to accelerate to increase more access and quality.
They said during a session on ‘Education and Skills development’ at the ALF in Kampala, organized by the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development (UONGOZI Institute) with the theme, “Realising sustainable development goals in Africa: Progress and way forward”.
The Patron of the ALF, who is also the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Board Chair and Tanzania’s fourth phase President Jakaya Kikwete also used the forum to explain that there have been good leaps in the development of education across the continent, using Tanzania as an example which had a few professionals at independence but had gone through phases including government efforts through Public Private Partnerships that produced over 2500 ward secondary schools across the country.
However, he cautioned that there is an education crisis in the world, but more pronounced in the developing countries, with over 240m pupils out of school, but 100 of those being in Africa.
“There is that crisis, but also even those in school, the learning outcomes are low, which means that they don’t get the skills for that level of education,” he said
As the GPE Board chair, he noted that the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) encourages developing countries to allocate at least 20 percent of their national budgets to education, aligning with the 2015 Incheon Declaration’s recommendation of 4-6 percent of GDP and 15-20 percent of public expenditure.
According to him, GPE came up with a partnership compact which defines mutual accountability and focuses all partners on achievement of the priority reform.
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The compact came up with guidelines to introduce the partnership compact and set out how to consider and agree on a priority reform that can spur education system transformation.
The compact articulates how a GPE partner country intends to work with others around a priority reform with the potential to catalyze systemwide change.The partner country leads and develops its compact with the support of an inclusive local education group.
The GPE is a multi-stakeholder partnership and funding platform that focuses on ensuring every child in developing countries receives a quality education, prioritizing the most vulnerable, and aims to transform education systems to achieve lasting change
According to GPE, despite dramatic improvements over the past decades, progress towards achieving universal access to education has stagnated, and 251 million children, adolescents and youth are still out of school. More than 80 percent of them live in the countries and territories eligible for GPE support.
Access to education is a priority area of GPE 2025, the partnership’s strategic plan. GPE promotes the mainstreaming of equity and inclusion in all education policies and plans to ensure that all children enjoy their basic human rights without discrimination.
During the session on education and skills development, former Chief Scretary Ombeni Sefue urged that it was important for families to take the first responsibility in children’s education whist states also do their best to provide quality education infrastructure.
The Chief Secretary of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Engineer Zena Said emphasized the importance of nutrition in child education and learning abilities.
The Director of AIMS Industry Initiative Dr. Charles Mberi Kimpolo called for a design of education in a manner that responds to private sector needs and design the curriculum to see that it responds to Africa’s needs.
Executive Secretary, Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Mr. Albert Nsengiyumva, noted that while African governments had done some good job in education since independence focus currently should turn on how to accelerate and get more benefits and contextualize the system to the continent’s needs through curriculum re-adjustments, vocational development, technology use and reposition of higher education.
An Economist at Development Reimagined – Uganda Mr Trevor Lwere said that Africa has to find a way through a fog of challenges, with bold, courageous moves that may not necessarily align with conventional thinking.
The forum has featured four thematic sessions on poverty eradication and economic growth, health and well-being, education and skills development; and environmental sustainability and climate action.
The forum is a key event preceding the 11th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which will be held from 9 – 11 April 2025.
The Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development, commonly known as UONGOZI Institute, is a regional leadership development hub operating under the Office of the President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Established in 2010 by the Governments of Tanzania and Finland, the Institute is dedicated to inspiring and equipping African leaders to deliver inclusive and sustainable solutions for their nations and the wider continent.
