Education unions should keep a safe distance from political parties was the message Marieme Sakho Dansokho told members of the African regional committee in Accra from 14-16 April. The Secretary General of the Teachers' Union of Senegal (SYPROS) said that some of the difficulties faced by African education unions are aggravated by being dragged into political conflicts in their countries.
In some African countries, such as Benin, this has resulted in a fragmentation of the education union movement, according to Sakho Dansokho, also a member of the Education International (EI) Executive Board. She made her remarks in a discussion on the neglect of trade union rights standards on the African continent, where only a few countries fully respect those standards. She stressed that it will be difficult to achieve the desired levels in all countries across the region when education unions do not work together. So in the spirit of increased collaboration, the regional committee welcomed the engagement of a growing number of member organisations in the " Unite for Quality Education" campaign, as it was felt that more organisations should participate.
"The global campaign will test our joint capacity in Africa to mobilize our classroom teachers and education support staff", said Chief Regional Coordinator Assibi Napoe, reminding the committee that the campaign's objective, the improvement of education quality, is of particular importance to Africa.
Education International General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen informed the Committee that some African countries are lagging behind in achieving their Education for All (EFA) targets. "In Nigeria we find the largest number of children out of school”, he said, adding that "Only 14% of the country's school-aged girls attend classes." Van Leeuwen assured that EI will raise these concerns with its Nigerian affiliate and explore ways to increase pressure on the Nigerian government.
In addition, the Committee received reports from the Early Childhood Education taskforce, and from the planning committee for the EI higher education conference, which will be held in Ghana in November. The Committee approved a budget and working program for the event, and confirmed that a range of workshops and seminars will be organised by the Regional Office in Accra, including capacity building programs and workshops addressing rights and equality issues, including an event on LGBT rights in Nairobi in September 2014. The Committee also set the agenda for the African Regional Conference to be held in the third week of September in Nairobi, Kenya.
In an act of solidarity with Nigerian colleagues, the Regional Committee strongly condemned the bomb attack at a bus station in Abuja, Nigeria, on 14 April that killed at least 71 people, by observing a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims.