EI affiliates in the African Region have celebrated the recently launch Unite for Quality Education campaign and held an additional regional launch event in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Coming together on 25 and 26 November 2013 for a Zone IV meeting in Central Africa, representatives of EI member organisations from Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Rwanda and the Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville) highlighted their support for the worldwide campaign.
Speaking at the meeting, EI Chief Regional Coordinator, Assibi Napoe, said the launch of the campaign came at a time the region was confronted with a number of educational and union challenges. She lamented the fact that access, equity and quality challenges, and poor conditions of service for teachers remain a major stumbling block to ensuring that every learner acquires a quality education. “Teachers’ conditions of service remain generally poor across Central Africa and the whole continent”, she said. Napoe called for strengthening of social dialogue between governments and education unions in the region.
Dennis Sinyolo, EI Senior Coordinator, Education and Employment, presented the aims of the Unite Campaign and its key priorities. He stressed the need for governments to invest in free quality public education as the only tried and tested way for ensuring equity, equality, quality and sustainability. “Every child has the right to quality education and to be taught by highly-trained, well- resourced, well-paid, motivated and supported teachers, and to learn in safe and healthy school environments”, Sinyolo stressed.
Speaking at the launch, Head of the Secretariat of the International Task Force on Teachers for EFA, Edem Adubra, expressed the Task Force’s support for EI’s Unite campaign. Adubra said EI and other partners had been instrumental to the creation and work of the Teacher Task Force, whose mandate has helped strengthen international advocacy on teacher issues.
The EI Zonal meeting and Unite launch were held at the same time as the 6th Policy Dialogue Forum and related events organised by the Teacher Task Force, from 25 to 30 November in Kinshasa. The Policy Dialogue Forum focused on the management of teacher education, and addressed four specific sub-themes, namely, teacher education; attracting and retaining teachers; equity and teacher education management;and teacher education management in post-conflict and post-disaster contexts.
EI is one of the founding members of the International Task Force on Teachers for EFA and a permanent member of its Steering Committee. To find out more about the Teacher Task Force and the 6th Policy Dialogue Forum, please, follow the link below: