Inaugural East African Community (EAC) Education Conference calls for joint regional efforts to transform the sector in the digital age

The Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Philip Mpango, has called for joint and concerted regional efforts to tackle challenges in the bloc’s education sector. H.E. Mpango made this call today during the opening ceremony of the Inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference held in Arusha, Tanzania.

The four-day conference, 12th - 15th August 2024, themed,’Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Collective Action for Quality, Inclusive, and Life-long Learning in East Africa,’ focuses on improving education in the region.

H.E. Mpango urged EAC Partner States to enhance their education systems to meet the demands of the 21st century. He emphasized the need to embrace global education reforms that focus on flexibility and technology integration.

“It’s upon us to invest in education, adopt innovative approaches and ensure quality learning opportunities for every child. Together, we can create an education system that not only addresses today’s challenges but also ensures a prosperous future for the region,” he stated.

The Vice President acknowledged the region's significant challenges in the education sector, stating that increasing teacher capacity, improving funding, and embracing digitization are essential. He highlighted the region’s youthful population and high fertility rates as both opportunities and responsibilities for building a better future.

H.E. Mpango noted that Tanzania is already updating its curriculum to better prepare students for the modern world. “Within the education system, we have divided secondary education into two streams, one focusing on general education and the other on vocational education”. To this end, we will have some students who will graduate with both a secondary school certificate and also a Vocational Training Certificate, added Vice President.

The Vice President disclosed that the reforms will also involve more investment in education infrastructure such as class rooms and houses for teachers, improvement in teaching environment, improving quality and quantity of teachers and ensuring availability of teaching aids and materials such as books and computers.

The conference aims at facilitating discussions on building resilient education systems that address the diverse needs of learners and improve quality education across the EAC. Regional education stakeholders will develop and share best practices for implementing evidence-based, innovative, and sustainable education solutions.

The conference also aims at establishing a regional network and forum to strengthen multi-sectoral partnerships for advancing education in the EAC. Additionally, the conference will amplify the need for enhancing quality education for disadvantaged children and outline concrete actions for sustainability.

On her part, EAC Secretary General, H.E Veronica Nduva, highlighted the importance of the regional education conference, stating, “Today marks a milestone as we launch our first regional conference on education. It shows our collective commitment to education as a key to our children’s futures.”

She acknowledged progress made in the region’s education and stressed the need to address ongoing challenges. “While we’ve made strides in education, many children are still out of school, and dropout rates are rising. Foundational learning remains a critical focus.” The Secretary General further called for unified efforts to make a significant impact on education and encouraged all stakeholders to contribute to creating a shared future for everyone.

Addressing the conference, Tanzania’s Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Hon.Prof. Adolf Mkenda, noted that improving the quality and accessibility of primary and secondary education has been a top priority for the government.

“We are committed to continue investing in infrastructure development, teacher training and ensuring the availability of quality learning materials,” he stated.

Prof.Mkenda noted that investing in regional educational infrastructures is critical to facilitate the implementation of productive educational reforms.

Also present at the event was Tanzania’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Hon. Dennis Londo; African Union Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, H.E. Prof. Mohamed Belhocine; Head of the EU Delegation, H.E. Christine Gau; EAC Deputy Secretary General Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth; and various heads of delegations and institutions.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of East African Community.