AUC Deputy Chairperson Mwencha Addresses Ninth High Level Group Meeting on Education For All
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, February 24, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Ninth High Level Group (HLG) meeting on Education for All (EFA), officially kicked off on 23 February 2010 at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the chairmanship of Mrs. Irina Bokova, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The ceremony took place in the presence of the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mr. Erastus Mwencha, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mrs. Lalla Ben Barka, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mr. Meles Zenawi and the Minister of Education of Ethiopia, Mr. Demeke Mekonnen. The meeting was preceded by a press conference addressed by Mr. Mwencha (AUC), Mrs. Bokova (UNESCO) and Mrs. Ben Barka (ECA).
Speaking on behalf of the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mr. Jean Ping, the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC, Mr. Erastus Mwencha thanked UNESCO for the opportunity given to the African Union Commission to organize jointly, with UNESCO and the Ethiopian Government, the Ninth Meeting of the High-Level Group on Education For All. He described the HLG as an important mechanism designed to create political dynamics to mobilize financial and political support to promote the objectives of Education For All, which was initiated ten years ago, and the Millennium Development Goals linked to education. The Deputy Chairperson explained that, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union launched the Second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015). “The Plan of Action of this Second Decade of Education for Africa highlights the following seven priorities: Gender and Culture; Education Management Information Systems; Teacher Development; Tertiary Education; Technical and Vocational Education and Training; Curriculum, and Teaching and Learning Materials; and Quality Management », he noted.
Deputy Chairperson Mwencha presented the AU’s projects on the Pan-African University, which is aimed at endowing Africa with productive research institutions and a critical mass of engineers and researchers in five fields that are relevant for its sustainable development, namely: space sciences; water and energy sciences (including climate change); basic sciences, technology and innovation; life and earth sciences; and governance, humanities and social sciences. He also recalled the Dakar Framework for Action which stated, among other objectives, that by 2015, all children of primary school age should have access to free education of good quality and that gender disparities regarding education should be eliminated.
Mr. Mwencha further indicated that, the African Union Commission is in the process of establishing tertiary education and scientific research as one of the principal pillars of the new architecture for the development of the African continent, alongside the peace and security pillar, “where we cherish the hope of seeing our people live safe from fear and need” he emphasized.
Addressing participants, Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO recalled the two themes of the HLG meeting on EFA. They are: “Impact of the financial and economic crisis on education”, and “Marginalization and inclusion in education”. Faced with these challenges, Ms. Bokova said UNESCO is ready to work with partners and governments, to help establish appropriate policies in education. She said, “Education is my first priority. I am convinced that access to knowledge and skills is the key to fighting poverty and building more democratic and resilient societies.” She stressed that Africa must ensure quality education that meets the requirements of today’s world. She reiterated the importance for Education for All in Africa given that, the six EFA UNESCO education goals were initially adopted in Senegal.
Stressing on the need for equity in education, Ms. Bokova explained that equity and inclusiveness in education, are needed most urgently in the case of girls – and in particular, adolescent girls. “Girls have strongly benefited and the enrolment rates have more than doubled”, she said, adding that, “when equity is at the center of policies, education can break the cycle of marginalization and offer hope in the future”. She reiterated her commitment to strengthen the international strategy on teachers launched last year in Oslo, to build capacity in low-income countries at all levels of the education system. “No turnout in quality is possible without a concerted drive to recruit and train teachers, pay them adequately, and offer them professional development opportunities”, Ms Bokova emphasized, adding that national ownership, national committees and national leadership can send a strong signal by committing to specific strategies geared towards the marginalized, and reporting on progress towards equity. “Our legacy will be measured by our collective commitment to guarantee the right to quality education,” she indicated.
Ms. Ben Barka on her part stressed that the challenges on the education system are enormous. She said the continent must react to the global crisis to secure education. She explained that, finance and inclusivity is important for securing and expanding the education sector in Africa. According to Mrs. Ben Barka, the combination of all these factors makes it difficult to reduce poverty. She underscored the need for UNESCO, AU and ECA to accelerate their efforts to promote education given that human resources are essential for the development of Africa.
Prime Minister Meles Zenawi began by congratulating Ms. Bokova for his election as Director General of UNESCO. He pointed out that, despite the many challenges facing the education sector in Africa, considerable efforts have been made to ensure that education is accessible for all. Taking the example of Ethiopia, Prime Minister Zenawi said primary school education is already accessible to all and progress is also underway to extend this reform at the secondary level. He urged African leaders to mobilize the resources needed to attain the MDGs in the area of education.
According to the Ethiopian Minister of Education, Mr Demeke Mekonen, the number of teachers, schools, universities and technical vocational centers in Ethiopia has multiplied. “To provide relevant and quality education, we have set up a Higher Education Relevance and Quality Audit, and a new outcome-based Technical and Vocational, Educational and Training (TVET) strategy with the potential to enhance lifelong learning” he said. “We have developed a program of Information Communication Technology through the School Net Program with a particular focus on rural transformation. For early childhood care and education, we have undertaken policy development, curriculum design, standard setting and supervision”, he added.
Worth recalling that, Mrs. Bokova laid the first corner stone for the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) on 23rd February 2010 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia before proceeding to the official opening of the HLG on EFA at the ECA.
The High Level Group meeting on Education for All ends today Wednesday 24 February 2010, at 5:30 pm, in the plenary hall of the African Union Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Journalists are invited to cover the official closing ceremony at 5:30 pm.
SOURCE
African Union Commission (AUC)
