Education experts from across Africa are calling for a system that will deliver a meaningful digital innovation transformation, beyond the presence of computers in classrooms.
They say that the continent is increasingly consuming whatever foreign powers are suggesting and delivering, without taking into consideration the nature of the African student, the environment under which they study, and the expectations of the job market.
These are some of the ideas coming out of the ongoing Innovating Education in Africa Expo in Addis Ababa, courtesy of the African Union Education Department.
Gaspard Banyankimbona, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) at the African Union Commission, says passing knowledge from one generation to the next has always been the purpose of the current education systems.
However, he adds, it has reached its limit and must now evolve to the creation of new ideas which respond to the emerging challenges of the economies across all sectors.
He stresses that digital transformation is not simply about putting computers and tablets into classrooms. It is about transforming the way we teach, the way we learn, the way we conduct research, and ultimately the way we build Africa’s future.
The Expo organized under the theme, “Digital Transformation of Education: Scaling Innovative Solutions,” has gathered industry leaders, innovators, and change-makers from the AU and other educational institutions and government departments across the continent.
Susan Opok Tumusiime, Executive Director, Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Uganda Chapter, on her part, says there is a greater need to ensure that all children are first in school so that no young person is left behind.
Tumusiime explained the success of the Higher Education Access Certificate (HEAC), which FAWE designed for students who completed their UACE (Senior 6) but could not, for some reason or another, get the required passes to join a university for a diploma or degree.
The participants say that Africa is being touted as the next investment destination of the world, and the next hunting ground for employees by the world due to its growing population, as most of the world sees either the population growth stagnating or the population falling. By 2050, one out of every three young people in the world will be African, according to reports, which gives Africa the opportunity to ‘take over the market”.
However, this needs an African population that has been well-prepared to take on the task in a world that is digitally advancing very fast, hence the need to equip the young people with digital skills, creativity and confidence, while keeping them connected to their cultures and values, according to the AU.
However, there are also serious challenges to this ambition, with many schools still lacking electricity, millions of learners not having access to affordable internet, and many teachers yet to receive the training they need to use digital technologies effectively.
Esther Apio, a Lecturer at Kampala International University, says while many countries have put in place policies that can prepare children for the digital transformation era, implementation remains a challenge, while teachers also remain unprepared for the task.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Government of Canada, Claude Landry, Head of Cooperation, Pan-African and Regional Development Program, reaffirmed Canada’s longstanding partnership with Africa in advancing quality, inclusive and future-ready education systems.
She noted that education and skills development remain among the most powerful drivers of inclusive growth, resilience and prosperity and are fundamental to realizing the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and Africa’s broader economic transformation.
She further underscored that as Africa advances implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, investment in education represents an investment in the continent’s competitiveness, productivity and workforce mobility.
Moses Bayingana, the Principal Digital Transformation Coordinator at the AU, is putting in place measures that will help close the African digital school gap to ensure equity between communities and among the countries.
He acknowledges that there are many challenges, including limited backbone infrastructure, last-mile connectivity, expensive digital gadgets, and unreliable power supply in most rural areas.
For that, he says that these challenges cannot be left to an individual entity but that government ministries, departments and agencies, like the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Energy/Electricity, the Ministry of ICT and others must work together on a joint approach-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
