Edugist has led conversations on how to prioritize education in Africa to mark the International Day of Education, 2023.
The independent impact-driven media house with a focus on telling the story of education in Africa convened experts and stakeholders on Twitter Spaces with the goal of mainstreaming action oriented conversations to transform learning in Africa.
Keen observers of the education space agree that when the General Assembly of the United Nations voted to declare an International Day of Education on December 3, 2018, it was evident that the declaration was long overdue. Having a day of education, among other things, advances the narrative of education all over the world, and most especially across Africa.
The culmination of the vote resulted in every subsequent January 24 being announced as the official International Day of Education. With a different theme and focus each year, this year’s theme “To invest in people, prioritize education” is one of the most important conversations of the 21st century.
The stability and wellbeing of a country rest largely on the quality of life of its people and the level of excellence of the education it provides to its people, especially its children and young adults.
Asides offering stability, education gives meaning and purpose to human existence. This meaning and purpose, offer direction to an individual like a compass.
It is then safe to say education is life’s compass.
As part of Edugist’s mission to champion the story of education in Africa, a priceless conversation tagged “How can we prioritize education in Africa?” ensued on Twitter Spaces to commemorate the International Day of Education, 2023 on January 24.
Edugist poses four (4) relevant, crucial and accountability questions which demand urgent attention from stakeholders, lawmakers and all involved authorities.
- Is education prioritized in Africa?
- How can we prioritize education in Africa?
- Who should be the key players in fostering quality education in Africa?
- Is quality education an investment?
With Edugist’s Senior Correspondent Grace Aderemi-John moderating the session, the panelists included Prince Louis Adekola, International Education Researcher & CEO, Edvant Edge Africa; Chido Onumuah, Journalist, Rights Activist & Media Trainer; and Elvis Boniface, CEO, Edugist.
Challenges of education in Africa
On how we can prioritize education in Africa, the panelists established that we cannot prioritize education without looking into the challenges facing education in Nigeria and Africa at large.
These challenging factors, according to the panelists, include limited funding (the budget allocated to the education sector is very minimal compared to the job to be done and the results expected), overdependence of the education sector on government, limited access to training for educators and education administrators to keep them abreast of the fast growing world we live in, unqualified teachers and poor facilities and a lack of basic infrastructure.
Role of key players in fostering quality education in Africa
It was also established at the session that there is a need for the education sector to be decentralized.
Education, the panelists affirmed, is not solely the responsibility of the federal government.
“The job should start at the Local Government level, where they’ll tackle the issues of education as they pertain to their district, then move upward to the State and then the Federal Government.”
Students and parents are key players
As part of the key players, the students are not left behind. “The students must have a say. Students are among the most important individuals in a society. Students should not sell their rights to politicians or anything else that takes their will and power away. Students must lend their voices and be part of the movement to restore the education sector. Students must invest in more learning beyond the walls of the school and be better prepared for the future.”
No stones were left unturned in the session as the role of parents was also strongly emphasized.
“Parents must be actively involved; they are key players in fostering education. They should not just dump their children in school without following up actively. P.T.A meetings should be revitalized.”
Prioritizing education is everyone’s responsibility
Ultimately, the panelists confirmed that making education a priority is the responsibility of everyone. “We are all key stakeholders, and we must work within our different capacities to ensure that education is prioritized in Africa.”
The International Day of Education is important for promoting legislation that offers equal and affordable education to all societal segments.
Education has the potential to change the sad narratives across different sectors, but first, we have to change the narrative of education. It can never be overstated that quality education is not a luxury. Quality education, indeed, is a human right.
