Summary of the Seventh Meeting of the Caucus of African Ministers of Education
The Caucus of Ministers met twice in Dakar, on October 16 and 17, 1997, with some fifty Ministers and heads of delegation in attendance. In the course of the meetings, a new chair was elected, and the Bureau was expanded. From now on, ten Ministers of Education will sit on ADEA's Steering Committee.The seventh meeting of the Caucus also gave the ministers an opportunity to gather information on the Associationâs most recent meetings, the progress of ongoing activities, and new education initiatives on the continent.
Report on the Steering Committee and Bureau meetings
The meeting was chaired by the Honorable Amanya Mushega, Ugandaâs Minister of Education and Sports. The first item of business was to inform the Caucus of the decisions made at the last Steering Committee meeting. Concerning the presidency of ADEA, the proposal to alternate the ADEA Chair between funding agencies and African Ministers was rejected, since the professional demands placed on the Ministers make it difficult for them to combine their official duties with the role of ADEA Chair.
The key points discussed during the Bureauâs two most recent meetings in Accra (February 10-11, 1997) and Kampala (August 21-22, 1997) were presented. World Bank President James Wolfensohnâs appearance at the Accra meeting allowed the Ministers to express their views on two critical points: (i) funding agencies should rely more on local and regional expertise where it is available; and (ii) countries should be given more leadership in programs tailored specifically to their needs.
Bureau expands to ten ministers
Questions concerning expansion of the Bureau, the rotation of Ministers, and continuity within the Bureau were addressed at the Kampala meeting. These issues also featured prominently in the discussions in Dakar.
Expansion of the Bureau, which had already been considered on several occasions, was approved. The Caucus will now be represented by ten ministers in place of the current seven, a change that will strengthen the Ministersâ representation on the ADEA Steering Committee.
On the issue of selecting the Bureauâs members, the Caucus adopted a system designed to ensure continuity while still allowing rotation of the various member countries. From now on, countries will be elected for terms of two or four years. In regions represented by two or three members, one country will be elected for a four-year term, and the two others will be elected for a two-year period.
Briefings on various activities
United Nations Special Initiative for Africa
Messrs. Birger Fredriksen and Armoogum Parsuramen of the World Bank and Ms. Aïcha Bah Diallo of UNESCO were present to update the ministers on the progress of the United Nations Special Initiative for Africa.
They reminded the participants that all African countries are eligible to participate in the initiative. The World Bank currently administers a Norwegian trust fund in the amount of US $4.5 million that is designed to assist countries with low literacy and education rates. New ten-year loan instruments have been developed, and interested countries are encouraged to submit detailed workplans and expenditure programs.
Pan-African Conference of Education Ministers
The Honorable Sibusiso M. E. Bengu, Minister of Education for South Africa, informed the members of the Caucus that his country will host the Pan-African Conference of Education Ministers, slated for April 20-24, 1998 in Durban. The Conference will be devoted to the double theme of higher education and basic education.
Inauguration of the Decade of Education in Africa
Mr. Pascal Gayama, Assistant Secretary-General of OAU, informed the ministers that the official ceremony inaugurating the Decade of Education in Africa will be held at OAU headquarters in Addis Ababa on November 22, 1997. A number of ministers will probably be invited to represent their regions.
UNESCO General Conference
The Caucus agreed that cooperation on issues involving Africa was essential. Towards that end, the members decided that the African Ministers of Education would meet with the Caucus of African Ambassadors during the General Conference in Paris.
New initiatives
Caucus members were briefed on three new initiatives:
- Guidance Counseling and Youth Development Center in Lilongwe, Malawi. The primary goal of this outstanding center is to provide training and develop expertise in orientation and counseling.
- Institute for Planning and Capacity-Building in Addis Ababa. Among other roles, the Institute will serve as a center for teacher training, research, and information-sharing in curriculum development, distance education, as well as education planning and statistics.
- Institute of Science and Technology in Rwanda. Rwandaâs Minister of Education, the Honorable Joseph Kalemera, informed the ministers that an Institute of Science and Technology has been established in Rwanda. The Institute, which will begin operations in January of 1999, will offer specialized courses in environmental technology, computer science, information, technology and engineering. Mr. Kalemera also indicated that the Rwandan government was willing to make the Institute available to other African countries.
News of the creation of these three centers met with a warm reception from Caucus members.
Election of Caucus Chair and Bureau of African Ministers of Education
A new Bureau of Ministers was elected as follows:
- West Africa: Ghana (two years), Guinea-Bissau (two years) and Senegal (four years)
- Southern Africa: Botswana (two years) and South Africa (four years)
- Central Africa: Chad (four years) and Sao Tomé and Principe
- East Africa: Tanzania (four years) and Uganda (two years)
- Indian Ocean: Madagascar (four years)
The meeting closed with the election of Mr. Amanya Mushega, Ugandaâs Minister of Education, as President of the Caucus and the Bureau of Ministers.
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