African Teachers Dialogue Over The Future Of Education

A TOTAL of 15 celebrated teachers from eight African nations recently converged on Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to share best practices and help shape the future of education on the continent.

The summit, attended by Ghanaian teacher, Sitsofe Enyonam Anku, and four teachers from South Africa namely Marjorie Brown, Colleen Henning, Phuti Ragophala and Wendy Horn, among other teachers, was also aimed at influencing education policy in Africa.

A release issued by Varkey Foundation, organizers of the Global Teachers Award, said “each of the 15 teachers hailing from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Ghana and Tanzania are now members of the Varkey Teacher Ambassadors (VTA) network”.

It further stated that “these individuals are celebrated as among the continent's best teachers through their success and share a global spotlight through the biggest education prize of its kind in the world.”

It added “ as part of this network, these acclaimed educators continue to work with the Varkey Foundation to shed light on the expertise and capacity of teachers worldwide, giving those who work on the front line of education the recognition and voice that they deserve and helping to influence policy and practice”.

According to the release, “the group of 15 convened at Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi for a high-level conference on Wednesday 18 July and Thursday 19 July to share best practices and formulate a range of initiatives.”

In order to help them become influential and to help their voices reach the ears of governments and policymakers, teachers at the summit received advanced social media training, and were shown how to tell their stories in powerful pamphlets and videos.

“This will also help them reach, inspire and support more teachers, which is vital because the Varkey Foundation recognises that teachers are the most important agents of change in education,” the release explained, adding that “other sessions at the forum focused on the crucial issues impacting education in sub-Saharan Africa, not least empowering girls and driving teacher recruitment and retention.”

At the end of the first day, Elias Abdi, Director-General of Kenya's Ministry of Education, addressed the delegates and a host of other outstanding teachers and education groups at a special Global Teacher Prize reception dinner.

“When I teach history to girls at my school, I always encourage them to think critically and to see themselves as global citizens,” Marjorie Brown said in the release.

It also quoted the Chief Executive of the Varkey Foundation, Cate Noble, saying “there has never been a more important time for the voices of African teachers to be heard in the crucial debates on the future of African education.”

“Africa is home to some of the world's fastest growing economies and is bursting with energy and new ideas, not least here in the emerging tech hub of Nairobi. But if Africa is to realise its abundant potential, we must ensure its children are skilled for the bright future they are reaching out to grasp. These challenges can only be solved by governments listening to teachers and putting their views front and centre,” Cate Noble added.

BY Melvin Tarlue