Title: Embracing digitalisation to improve the sustainable delivery of education and training in Africa

Date: Friday, 21st October 2022

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Mauritius time (GMT+4)

Venue: Le Méridien Île Maurice

Storyline: Despite African countries quickly introducing changes in education policy and practice responses to COVID-19, they remain far from resiliently meeting issues of quality, continuity, inclusivity, and equity. Gaps in policy, connectivity, infrastructure, and remote learning systems, among others, limit opportunities for the learning environment to tap fully the potential of digital learning technologies. A collaborative study by AUC and OECD (2021) covering Africa's regional economic blocks found that the crisis brought about by the pandemic strengthens the role of digitalisation in contributing to Africa’s productive transformation and in fulfilling Agenda 2063. But this requires governments to promote the dissemination of digital innovations beyond large cities through place-based policies. Africa’s workforce also needs to be prepared to embrace digital transformation and guarantee social protection. As part of encouraging smaller firms to compete in the digital age, governments should also remove barriers to innovation. Partnership and collaboration are central to the success of these recommended actions. It is therefore important to deepen regional and continental co-operation for digital transformation. Education technologies (EdTech) can have a positive impact on learning if countries harness the efforts of multiple actors and integrate EdTech into the broader education system policy and practices. This requires a comprehensive approach.

Objectives: 

  • Share experiences and working practices around EdTech issues such as capacity and required skills needed, tracking policy implementation, school connectivity, budgetary allocations, and lessons for resilient educational systems.
  • Share ways member countries are supporting the design of ICT-oriented education policies and strategies, including in decision making and implementation of effective use of ICT in education that could be emulated in other countries.
  • Share ways of improving the curricula required for the adoption of ICT in education levels, including level of the workforce’s digital competence and capacity of teachers. 
  • Explore strategic recommendations of regional cooperation in digital education to improve economic competitiveness of Africa, with partners and stakeholders engaged in supporting the use of digital technology in education.

Expected outcomes: 

  • Shared understanding of strategies for leveraging digitalization in education training and skills development, and the role of ICT in enabling attainment of resilient, inclusive, and equitable quality education.
  • Shared knowledge, experiences, good practices, and lessons to inform policies and programmes aimed at enhancing ICT in all education levels and understanding of country needs and status of ICT in education.
  • Fostered partnerships among key stakeholders to advance policy and strategy development and ICT implementation in education.

Moderator: Dr Tarek Chehidi, Global Head, Future of Work and Public Sector, Teach for All

Rapporteurs: 

  • Dr. Youshra Rajabalee, Lecturer, Mauritius Institute of Education
  • Ahmedou Ahmed Djibaba, Directeur Général par intérim, Ministre de l'Emploi et de la Formation professionnelle, Mauritanie

Expert perspective: Mr. Joseph Nsengimana, Head, Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning in ICT, Mastercard Foundation

ADEA response: Remote Education Benchmarking Toolkits for Basic Education, TVSD, and Higher Education (TBC) & Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS): pre-recorded video (5 minutes)

Panellists: 

  • Hon. Edgar Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Zimbabwe
  • Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohammad Santally, Pro VC Planning and Resources, University of Mauritius.
  • Ms. Jacinta Akatsa, Director, CEMASTEA, Kenya
  • Alfie Hamid, Regional Manager for Cisco Corporate Affairs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Cisco South Africa.
  • Laís Oliveira Leite, Education consultant at Eduix ltd. Edupreneurs: Networking and empowering education eEntrepreneurs towards a resilient EdTech ecosystem in Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe).