WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU —  African countries need to work together to find solutions to the common education challenges in Sub-Saharan countries, an official said.

Isa Karaveri, from the Ministry of Education in charge of pacification said this on August 26 while officially opening a four-day meeting at Serena Hotel in Gisenyi. The meeting was meant to discuss the way forward for African countries in achieving quality education.

"Radical improved education is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable economic growth at a level sufficiently high to reduce poverty, and help build more inclusive, democratic and equitable societies. That is why we need to come together to find a solution to the common education challenges,” Karaveri said.

The meeting organized and sponsored by the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) drew participants from Burundi, Kenya, Angola, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa and Rwanda the host. UNICEF officials in charge of Educational programmes also attended.

Karaveri enumerated several challenges hampering education in Africa which include poor enrollment and access to primary education especially for the poor in rural areas, HIV/Aids, incompetence of teachers, low quality education and poor policies among other things.

He said he is optimistic that Africa will soon achieve quality education since many Governments have of recent shown strong political will to re-launch growth of the education sector.

John Mukita, one of the participants from Madagascar, said that African governments need to give more attention to teacher’s issues which he said is the main cause of low education quality.

"Improved education quality and efficiency will require major improvements in the quality of teacher training as well as in teacher support and management,” he said.

Mukita observed that in countries with high HIV/Aids prevalence rates, the diseases has affected the quality of education.

He explained that absenteeism among teachers due to HIV/Aids-related illnesses has left a negative impact on the quality of education. Provision of education to a big number of HIV/Aids orphans poses a dramatic challenge to many countries, he said.

He however said that, governments are trying to work together by launching major reforms to promote education such as reducing the high cost to parents by abolishing school fees, increasing budgetary allocation to education and supporting teachers.

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