President Paul Kagame joined other African leaders and more than 30 ministers from various African countries, experts and researchers for the 3-day Continental Conference on Education, Youth and Employment in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
The gathering aims at assessing the level of implementation by AU member states of the commitments and decisions made to develop education in Africa.
It also focused on showcasing successful models, innovative and sustainable solutions and educational transformation from across the continent to meet the requirements of the 21st century.
“There is no exaggeration, in saying that education can transform lives,” President Kagame told the delegates at the conference.
Kagame added, “the economic impact of giving every child the right to learn, should not be underestimated. Studies show that for one additional year in school, earnings can increase by 10 percent.”
“As we speak, many young Africans are putting their lives in danger, to go find better opportunities abroad. This is a sign, that we need to do more to empower our youth. Africa is our common home, and we must ensure that every African has a future in this continent.” President Kagame
The conference aims to foster partnerships and collaborations to deepen knowledge sharing among policymakers, researchers, educators and civil society stakeholders, and explore sustainable financing of education through leveraging local resources and other innovative mechanisms to transform education systems.
The forum also seeks to address key areas that will contribute to reducing out-of-school children and improving learning, such as curriculum reform and competency-based learning, teacher development and professional support, continentally responsive learning outcomes assessment, literacy in environmental sustainability and climate change, and integrating local knowledge and cultural perspectives into curricula.
The conference will discuss how to utilise digital technologies in education, and themes such as ‘inclusive education and equity’, ‘STEM education and 21st century skills’, ‘vocational and technical education’, and ‘financing and governance for educational transformation’.
