"Education for All" Sub-Saharan Africa Conference (Johannesburg, 6-10 December 1999) previous page | next page The five convenors of the Education for All (EFA) Forum (UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank) have initiated the most ambitious assessment exercise ever undertaken in basic education: the Education for All (EFA) 2000 Assessment. Over 160 participating countries around the world are assessing progress made since 1990 with regard to the provision of education for all. Forty-nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are participating. A major event for the EFA-2000 assessment exercise in Africa is the conference of all Sub-Saharan African countries that will take place December 5-10, 1999. The conference will take place in conjunction with ADEA's Biennial meeting at the Mövenpick-Indaba Hotel and Conference Center. Building new visions for African education The theme of the Conference is Education for African Renaissance in the Globalized Economy, Communication and Culture. The EFA discussions will aim at: (i) building new visions within the broader context of promoting learning for development; (ii) reviewing progress made over the past decade towards the goals and national targets; and (iii)identifying emerging priorities, based on national and regional assessments and recommendations. Friday, December 10th will be devoted to the agenda for the 21st Century and Africa's message to the Global Summit Meeting (Dakar, April 2000) to ensure that Africa's specific problems are taken into consideration. According to Dr. Ko-Chih Tung, chairman of the EFA Regional Technical Advisory Group in Eastern and Southern Africa, "Some of the key issues are finding a cost-effective alternative to the traditional formal education and integrating formal and non-formal education for lifelong learning." The Participants To ensure partnerships between government, international and non-governmental organizations and civil society, country teams will be invited as well as NGO representatives. The NGO representation will come for an EFA/NGO meeting that will take place prior to the Sub-Saharan Africa Conference, December 2-4, 1999. People invited to this meeting from each country include: the minister and his/her senior official; the national EFA coordinator; a representative of civil society. Key concerns identified at Harare workshop The national EFA coordinators were brought together in Harare September 27-October 5, 1999. The meeting identified key concerns that will provide input into the Sub-Saharan Africa Conference. These concerns are summarized as follows: Before and beyond Jomtien: Most countries have been committed to national education policies long before the EFA movement. Southern African countries are referring to the SADC Protocol that corresponds to the EFA goals. Economic and social changes affect countries' ability to deliver education: The education policies of many countries have been adversely affected by macro-economic and other changes that have had a devastating consequence on their ability to deliver education. Some countries are affected by civil strife, with accompanying destruction of social life, disease and debt. Many are suffering under heavy debt burdens. In many countries, HIV/AIDS is a scourge with far reaching consequences for educational policy-makers. Access and quality: Most African countries have not reached their targets for access to education. An overriding concern is how to improve quality and the relevance of education. A key question relates to the sustainability of education in terms of its affordability and its relevance to society. International and national partnerships: Many countries are critical of their partnerships with donors who sometimes seem to pursue their own agendas rather than those of the countries in which they work. Also, it appears that few links have yet been forged with partners in civil society. The role of government: A distinction needs to be made between the functions of financing, regulation and provision of education. Strategies should involve different partners in terms of their resources and capabilities. The central role for government lies in standard setting and regulation. This is needed to encourage and facilitate the participation of other partners, including those in the private sector.

About ADEA | Working Groups | Programs | Publications | Newsletter | Databases | Calendar | Site Map | En français Association for the Development of Education in Africa 7-9 rue Eugène-Delacroix 75116 Paris, France Tel: + 33/ (0) 145.03.77.57 Fax: + 33/ (0) 145.03.39.65 adea@iiep.unesco.org Last modified: December 28, 1999