Education in Africa in very bad shape – Amb. Mohammed, AU Permanent Observer to the UN

These alarming statistics were released by Ambassador Mohammed at a briefing she had with the Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Special Adviser on Africa, Cristina Duarte, on the Africa Month (May) and the Africa Dialogue Series (ADS).

Ambassador Mohammed, who unveiled the AU theme for 2024 as “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa,” stressed that the theme “is a clarion call to action….a rallying cry for African member states to prioritize education as a cornerstone for progress and development. “

She said that the “initiative underscores the importance of building transformed resilient education systems that not only increase access but also ensure inclusivity, quality, and relevance in learning.

“It’s a vision that resonates deeply with the aspirations of every African seeking to unleash their potential and contribute meaningfully to the global community, ” she noted.

Ambassador Mohammed recalled that in 2022 the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres had convened a global Summit on Transforming Education in view of “the severe crisis facing education across the world and the slow progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education (SDG4).

She said that the AU responded rapidly by setting up “a task force which came up with clear recommendations and a declaration which was presented to AU leaders,” resulting in 2024 being declared as the year of Education.

Though she acknowledged that some “considerable efforts have been undertaken by Member States of the continent to guarantee universal access, completion, and excellence in basic education for all,” the current statistics showed that the crisis in the sector in the continent has become much more serious than before.

Ambassador Mohammed pointed out that the AU is working with the UNESCO Global Education Coordination Mechanism led by UNESCO and has played a pivotal role in regional coordination efforts for the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and support towards achieving SDG4 through collaboration among nations.

She stressed that the AU’s 2024 theme “revolves around the comprehensive spectrum of education and skills development, spanning from early childhood education to tertiary and vocational education, and lifelong learning,” noting that “the focus will be on devising and implementing effective, sustainable, system-wide transformational strategies for education in Africa,  addressing the challenges posed by limited education financing.”

To commemorate the theme for the year, she said that a series of activities will be organized at different levels – national, regional, continental and global – all “aimed at advancing the implementation of key declarations and action tracks towards building responsive and resilient education systems across Africa.”

According to the AU Permanent Observer to the UN, the Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Department of the AU Commission, in collaboration with the Committee of Ten Head of States (C10) on Education in Africa will lead the technical leadership and coordination of the efforts, “engaging with AU Member States, regional economic communities, development partners, UN agencies, private sector entities, youth, and other education stakeholders. “

She also pointed out that the focus on education in 2024 is to build upon the momentum generated by the Transforming Education Summit (TES) of the UN Secretary General and to “foster a collective effort among Member States and partners to spotlight recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen resilient education systems for enhanced access to inclusive, quality, and relevant education throughout Africa, through tangible actions implemented at the national level.”

The partnership between the AU and the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (OSAA), Mohammed said, “is very much in line with our broader strategic partnership with the United Nations as well as (SDG) 17 and Aspiration 7 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.”

She stressed that the  Africa Dialogue Series (ADS) launched in partnership with the OSAA will take place throughout May and would focus on the theme of the year and will offer opportunity to share perspectives of three sub-themes, which are – STEM Education for the Fourth Industrial Revolution – Generating Decent Jobs for African Youth; Transforming Education in Africa by Leveraging Innovative Finance and the Digital Revolution; and  Education and Learning in Crisis-affected Areas.