#DisruptingAfricanEducation: ‘Governments of the day are responsible for the education of their children’
SANDTON – Former African leaders gathered in Sandton to use their knowledge and experiences to discuss education solutions.
Former Africa leaders gathered in Sandton to use their experience and knowledge to discuss disruptive ideas to help solve challenges facing education in Africa.
The second annual Fundi Education Forum, in partnership with the African Presidential Leadership Centre, saw leaders from South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya, among others gathering with educators, business leaders, investors and innovators to find potential solutions.
At this year’s forum former Beninese President Nicephore Soglo, former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and South African politician and former president Kgalema Motlanthe used their institutional knowledge and experience to discuss how partnerships and collaborations can be used to help solve many challenges faced in the education sector.
Kikwete, Motlanthe and Odinga also shared their views at a CEO Breakfast in Parktown.
This year’s theme is centred on ‘Disrupting African Education’ and the various role players to make a meaningful contribution to the academic landscape in Africa.
Motlanthe explained that one of the biggest mistakes that the government has made has been not improving the training of teachers. He said that the system is failing at a basic education level and while the vast majority of learners are enrolled at school at the beginning of their school careers, many drop out before they reach Grade 12. “Failing to invest in teacher training has cost us dearly and continues to cost us dearly.”
He added that this improved teacher training also needs to include the use of technology so that the education system can catch up with the rest of the world. “The failure in the education of the Africa child serves as a dead weight in our capabilities as a nation.”
Odinga said that Kenya also had a segregated education system, similar to South Africa, and when the education system was opened to everyone, they had experienced many challenges as they did not have the facilities available and teachers were not able to cope with the sudden influx of learners. He added that integrating technology into the education system has also been a challenge as many teachers do not have knowledge of technology so it is important to ensure that the teachers have the necessary skills and training to facilitate technology education before introducing it into the curriculum.
However, he added that introducing technology to schools will mean nothing if there is no connectivity. “Many people don’t realise that it is better to introduce connectivity in schools rather than bringing laptops to schools… if you don’t introduce this, then you have a differential system where children in urban areas have connectivity, they have access to information compared to their counterparts in rural areas.”
Kikwete highlighted that the challenges surrounding the education system are not due to a lack of funding but rather the management of the funds. He added that while some higher-income countries are spending the same amount of money per capita on education, the results are far better. He added that the funds will be of no use if they are not managed effectively.
“The governments of the day are responsible for the education of their children. One thing that African governments are doing well is in the investment in education, the majority of the countries, the budget is at 20 per cent.”
However, he added that there are financing gaps and these gaps will have an impact on the three pertinent challenges faced in education which include performance, access and retention.
Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela gave a keynote address at the event and shared a story from her childhood and how the opportunity to study at a good school had drastically changed the course of her life, compared to that of her classmates. “The quality of education, is it freeing the mind? Is it creating citizens that can take this continent forward?” she concluded.
Details: Fundi Education Forum 011 670 6110.
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