Stakeholders have stressed the urgent need for sincere commitment and attention from both national and sub-national governments to foster significant development in the education sector in 2024.Amb. Fatima Mohammed, Permanent Observer of the African Union (AU) to the United Nations and Cristina Duarte, the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, made the call while speaking during a virtual briefing at the official opening of the Africa Dialogue Series (ADS) in New York,
The ADS 2024 with theme: “Education through Science, Technology and Innovation toward the Africa We Want” started from May 6 to 24, 2024 virtually through www.un.org/osaa and @UNOSAA1.
Mohammed described the theme as instructive, saying to educate an African for the 21st century will help build resilient educational system for increased access to inclusive lifelong quality and relevant learning in Africa.
“This, basically, is a clarion call to action, to rallying cry for African states to prioritise education as a corner stone for progress and development.
“It is a vision that is very much linked to the SDGs and Agenda 2063 of the AU.
“This Summit was declared urgent due to the severe crisis facing education worldwide and the slow progress toward achieving SDGs centered on education,” Mohammed said.
She decried pandemic such as COVID-19 to have impacted negatively on the quality of education in Africa and threatened decades of progress within the continent.
She reiterated focus will be to devise effective system of transformational strategies for education in Africa and to tackle challenges posed by limited education financing.
“There will be emphasis in recognizing teachers, digital agents of change and highlighting the need for their adequate support and empowerment.”
Also , Duarte said the ADS 2024 is a 30-day celebration aimed at bringing Africa challenges on the stage, as
