Two Heads of State Open the Biennial Meeting
African leadership was represented by two heads of State, Presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Abdou Diouf of Senegal. Both were present for the opening of the Biennial Meeting. In his opening address, Mr. Museveni highlighted the central importance of education for the economic and political transformation of African countries within a global economy. However, he emphasized, solutions to Africa's educational development will only be effective within a context of sustained economic growth.
The development of human resources must be part of a whole package of transformation
"...The development of human resources must be part of a whole package of industrial transformation and modernization. I do not believe in universal global education in a situation of backwardness. That will not work... ... Industrial transformation and modernization will enable us to address employment, expand the tax base and develop markets for our raw materials..."
Mass education should not end with primary education
"... Mass education should not end with primary education. In the 1970s, many countries focused solely on primary education. In those countries that concentrated only on universal primary education, enrolment has dropped. Parents are no longer sending their children to school if instruction stops at the end of the primary level. There should be mass education for the primary and secondary levels ..."
I believe it is possible to fund education provided we have a focused approach
"... I am not convinced that it is so difficult to fund education. In Uganda, there is alot of wastage. We have taken steps to reduce the number of boarding schools because of their cost. We are now putting an emphasis on day schools. The funds we have should go into training teachers and building study facilities, libraries and laboratories. Removing the non-essential elements will make it easier to fund education. Another danger to mass education is large families.
I think it is possible to fund education provided we adopt a focused approach..."
The curriculum needs to be modernized, quality must be enhanced, women must be encouraged
"... The next problem is developing an adequate curriculum. The curriculum in Africa needs to be developed and modernized. Computers are still rare in most of Africa. The quality of education must be enhanced. The particular disadvantages of women must be investigated..."
Education is only possible in a context of sustained economic growth
"...It must be emphasized that education is only possible in the context of sustained economic growth. If we do not ensure that our economy is growing, we will not be able to sustain an adequate level of education. Funding agencies can only intervene symbolically. We must generate the resources ourselves..."
Sharing institutions
"...African countries should share services and institutions more, especially in the area of research. Exchanges between universities in East Africa have helped develop brotherhood between African countries. Students from all over East Africa have been to Makarere University. Presidents from Tanzania, prominent people from Kenya and Zambia have studied in Uganda. I studied at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. Cross fertilization in education can help us make better use of our resources..."
Excerpts from the opening address
delivered in Dakar by
President Yoweri Museveni
Uganda
While recalling the progress achieved, Mr. Diouf stressed Africa's great need for education and training. The challenges faced by the new partnerships are proportionate to the vastness of the needs. Trust, transparency about the interests of each party, respect for their differences within a non-hierarchical relationship, better listening by institutions and individuals should define these new partnerships.
We sometimes fail to do justice to the remarkable efforts that have already been accomplished
"... As we concentrate on the road still before us, we sometimes fail to do justice to the remarkable efforts that have been accomplished. Between 1960 and 1983, enrollments at all levels in African schools quintupled, reaching a total of 63 million. Their numbers increased at an annual rate of about 9% during the 1970s: twice as fast as in Asia and three times as fast as in Latin America. The net rate of enrolment in primary education rose from 36% in 1960 to 75% in 1983. The number of students enrolled in Africa's secondary schools reached 437,000 in 1983, as compared to only 21,000 in 1960. The rapid development in teaching since independence has opened the doors of education to sectors of the population that were, until then, almost totally excluded. The massive expansion of education has greatly enhanced Africa's human resources. The average level of education of male and female workers in a median country rose from less than half a year in 1960 to more than three years at the beginning of 1980, and the literacy rate among adults rose from 9% to 42%..."
New partnerships must be created to satisfy the tremendous need for education
"...Although African governments devote a substantial portion of their national budgets to education - up to one third in some countries such as Senegal - illiteracy rates and enrollment rates remain high. Given these conditions, it is increasingly obvious that the efforts of the State alone are not enough to achieve the goals of basic education for all, not to mention the investments needed at other levels and in other aspects of the educational system. This is why the partnerships needed should not be thought of in terms of the traditional aid relationship, but rather as a duty for all concerned to unite to meet the challenges facing our universal conscience in terms of equity, human rights and the interdependence of all the inhabitants of our global village..."
Partnerships should not be based on a "vertical" relationship based on authority
"...The type of partnership we should promote cannot be founded on a "vertical" relationship based on authority, constraint, an imposed balance of power, substituted sovereignty and the transposition of models, or, on the other side of the same coin, paternalism and condescension... Instead, it should be based on conditions such as authentic dialogue in a "horizontal" relationship in which the actors recognize each other as equals. It is important to develop our capacity for listening, not only to institutions but also to individuals. This is necessary in order to achieve a common understanding of development strategies..."
A key element in partnerships is trust
One of the determining factors in all partnerships is trust. It does not reside merely in a clear, balanced contract in which roles, responsibilities and burdens are shared fairly. It also involves mutual recognition of each partner's institutional and self interests, expectations, problems, sovereignty and cultures. It is maintained through common experience, and permanent communication..."
Partnerships and capacity-building
"...Stregthening
partnerships means strengthening each partner in its role at the policy
and political levels as well as the scientific and technical levels.
African leadership can only be legitimately exercised if it is accompanied
by institutional development strategies that combine efforts to achieve
nationwide social and political consensus with a high level of technical
expertise..."
Excerpts
from the opening address
delivered by
President Abdou Diouf
Senegal
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