EAC steps up regional action on education

NAIROBI: TANZANIA has called for greater focus on foundational learning as the basis for improving education outcomes across the East African Community (EAC), alongside continued investment in teachers, quality education and skills development.

The Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Adolf Mkenda, made the call recently at the opening of the four-day 2nd EAC Regional Education Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, which has brought together more than 600 education leaders, policymakers and stakeholders from across the eight EAC Partner States.

Prof Mkenda underscored the importance of strengthening education systems to equip learners with the knowledge, competencies and adaptability required in a changing world of work.

The conference is addressing persistent learning gaps, unequal access to education, skills mismatches and growing pressure on education systems across the region, while seeking to strengthen regional cooperation in education.

While partner states have expanded access to education and pursued major reforms, persistent inequalities continue to affect children in rural and marginalised communities, learners with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

Learning quality remains uneven, while teacher shortages, resource constraints and weak transitions between education levels continue to limit opportunities for many young people.

During the meeting, the East African Community (EAC) partner states committed to strengthening education systems, improving learning outcomes and increasing investment in teachers, skills development and equity.

The conference addressed persistent learning gaps, unequal access to education, skills mismatches and growing pressure on education systems across the region.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, chief guest Beatrice Askul Moe Cabinet Secretary for East African Community (EAC) and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, representing Kenya President, called for greater investment in teacher education, professional development and improved working environments.

“As regional integration deepens, our systems must become more interoperable. A child moving between partner states should not have their education interrupted because they crossed a border,” she said.

Ms Askul also called for education systems that promote equity and facilitate greater mobility of learners across the region. “Curriculum transformation without teacher transformation cannot succeed.

As a region, we should regard our teachers not simply as employees of national systems, but as a community of East African professionals,” she said.

The Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, Rt Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs of Uganda, called for stronger regional cooperation and harmonisation of education systems.

She said education must support the region’s integration agenda and prepare learners to participate in an increasingly interconnected East African economy.

She emphasised the need to align education policies, curricula and qualifications to facilitate the mobility of learners and skills across partner states, while ensuring that education systems respond to the region’s shared development priorities.

EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Ariik Malueth, highlighted progress made by the Community in establishing regional frameworks to enable Partner States to advance together in education.

“At basic education level, the EAC has developed strategies to support harmonisation and strengthen the foundations for lifelong learning and skills development.

At TVET level, the EAC TVET Qualifications Framework has been developed and is awaiting approval, which will support greater recognition of qualifications, skills mobility and stronger alignment between training and the regional labour market,” he said.

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Mr Malueth also highlighted the region’s work on guidelines for compiling education statistics to strengthen the availability of comparable and reliable evidence for regional education policy.

He said the programme had also supported the revision of the primary school curriculum to incorporate statistics, with the aim of strengthening analytical capabilities from an early stage.

At higher education level, the EAC is advancing the East African Common Higher Education and Research Area, with emphasis on harmonisation, innovation, partnerships and the mobility of knowledge and skilled graduates across the region.

“These initiatives demonstrate that regional cooperation in education is already producing practical frameworks. Our responsibility now is to ensure that these frameworks translate into better learning, stronger institutions, relevant skills and greater opportunities for East Africans,” Hon Malueth said.

Executive Director of Uwezo Uganda and Board Chair of RELI Africa, Dr Mary Goretti, described the conference as an important platform for policy dialogue, bringing together policymakers, researchers, practitioners and other education actors to exchange evidence and shape practical responses to shared challenges.

She called for stronger links between evidence, policy and implementation to ensure that reforms translate into improved learning outcomes.

The conference is examining progress since the inaugural regional education conference held in Arusha in 2024, identifying implementation gaps and building agreement around actions requiring greater political, technical and financial commitment.

Priority areas include early and foundational learning, teacher capacity and professional development, inclusive education, digitalisation and innovation, TVET and skills development, stronger links between education and industry, research and data and sustainable education financing and governance.

The conference has brought together partners and stakeholders including UNICEF, GIZ EAC, RELI Africa, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Mzizi Elimu Afrika, PAL Network, EASTECo, IUCEA, FAWE and the Association of African Higher Education Financing Agencies (AAHEFA), among others.

The conference is expected to generate practical policy recommendations and implementation actions, strengthen regional consensus on education priorities and contribute to a conference communiqué or roadmap setting out agreed commitments, priority initiatives, timelines and next steps.