Luanda - Angola's Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Maria do Rosário Bragança, on Thursday acknowledged the need for urgent transformation of the African education system, with a view to offering greater quality and competence in the training of staff, for the development of the continent.

This position was expressed during the presentation of the theme 'The process of transformation of education systems: Innovative practices and financing in the African context', at the Biennale of Luanda, in order to accelerate progress towards achieving the goals of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-4) of 2030.

According to Maria do Rosário Bragança, in order for education focused on the 'Culture of Peace' to occur, there needs to be an urgent transformation of the education system, a process recognized by African ministers of education and UNESCO.

For the minister, despite the advances made over the last five decades in access to education, especially for girls and women, there has been a deterioration in the quality of education, due to the lack of investment in teachers who are the driving force in the development of education.

This situation, he continued, has been aggravated by the great population explosion on the continent, the pressure of young people and the need for them to be educated as well as empowered so that they can contribute to peace.

Therefore, he defended the introduction of the theme 'education focused on the culture of peace' in the curriculum of educational systems.    

He advocated that the generic training curriculum be implemented from the basic to the higher level, corresponding to the real needs of each country, with very clear equity, in order to provide people with what they need, as well as their inclusion and relevance.

For his part, the African Union's Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohamed Belhocine, said he agreed with the Angolan minister on the transformation of the education system, as Africa is in a major crisis in this sector.

Mohamed Belhocine said that on the continent, particularly below the Sahara, there are 98 million children at primary and secondary levels outside the education system, a fact that could pose a threat to society if the education system is not changed.  

"Education is one of the primary responsibilities of governments, including the issue of financing," he stressed.

Digital transformation in Africa

As for digital transformation to make it more efficient, as well as create competence for greater inclusion and employability on the African continent, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the African Union, Mohamed Belhocine, said that the African Union is the key institution for the integration and development of Africa, with the capacity to conduct initiatives to explore technologies for education.

As for digital transformation to make it more efficient, as well as create competence for greater inclusion and employability on the African continent, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the African Union, Mohamed Belhocine, said that the African Union is the key institution for the integration and development of Africa, with the capacity to conduct initiatives to explore technologies for education.

He considered that digitalization has recently arrived on the African continent, but there is already a state on the rise in its implementation.

According to Mohamed Belhocine, the African Union has been working to bring digital literacy to citizens, with the creation of continental standards, having already finalized one on qualification for vocational training.

'We are currently working on another numerical standard, for young graduates, anywhere that allows them employability and mobility on these platforms', he stressed. 

He also said that the AU favors innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of young people, having made a great effort in terms of training, with the attraction of initiative to Africa, as a result of training two million operators in startups.

The commissioner also spoke about the challenge of connectivity, where he said that without capable infrastructure, there will be no in-depth digitalization in Africa, as well as equity in the distribution of benefits.

Financing education

Regarding the education financing system, Angola's Minister of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Maria do Rosário Bragança, said that there are still thousands of children outside the education system and a lot of pressure from young people who need to be empowered for self-employment.

In this context, she said that countries are increasingly finding it difficult to fully assume full budgets for education.

The minister pointed out some mechanisms that should be used to counteract this situation, such as the participation of the private sector at national and international level, especially corporate social responsibility, based on a new social contract for education, so that it is not only the government that develops the education sector.

She underlined that of the programs carried out with the 'Education for Peace' curriculum in post-conflict regions, there was inadequate continuity due to the lack of sustainable funding.

“It is necessary to use the partnership mechanisms that exist, even with the support of UNESCO itself,” she said. 

The Biennale of Luanda contributes to the implementation of the “Action Plan for a Culture of Peace in Africa”, adopted in March 2013 in Luanda, Angola, as part of the African Union's 'Act for Peace' campaign.

It is in line with Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, the seven implementation of the African Union's Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want”', as well as the 'Silencing the Guns in Africa”' initiative by 2030.

The 3rd edition of the Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence - Biennale of Luanda takes place this Wednesday, under the motto: “Education, Culture of Peace and African Citizenship as Tools for the Development of the Continent”.

The event, which closes on Friday, is addressing in six panels the themes 'Young people, actors in the promotion of the culture of peace and social transformations of the continent/High-Level Dialogue', 'Technology and education as tools to achieve gender equality', 'The role of women in peace, security and development processes' and “The process of transformation of education systems:  innovative practices and funding in the African context.”

“The Challenges and Opportunities of the Integration of the African Continent and the Prospects for Economic Growth”, “Climate Change, Ethical Challenges, Impact, Adaptation and Vulnerability”. ANM/MGM/ART/DOJ