Press
Release No.2002-99
AFRICAN EDUCATION
MINISTERS CALL
FOR SOLIDARITY AND ACTION
Dar-es-Salaam, December 6 - The
Eighth Conference of Ministers of Education of African Member
States (MINEDAF VIII) has appealed to both the international community
and African governments themselves to make education one of the
pillars of development in Africa.
Organized by UNESCO, the United
Republic of Tanzania and the African Union, the five-day meeting,
which ended here today, brought together representatives from
a total of 49 countries, including 29 ministers, other UN agencies,
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
"The Conference launches an
appeal to the international community to accompany Africa in its
strategy to achieve educational renewal and cultural renaissance
for the building of the new Africa," says the Declaration
of Commitment adopted today. Convinced that the objectives set
by the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal (April, 2000),
can be achieved, the Declaration also made "a solemn appeal
for a continent-wide kick-start", based on the meetings results
and recommendations.
Recognizing the efforts being made
by countries to reach the Education for All (EFA) goals, the Declaration
noted that "progress remains limited and below expectations."
It points out that the rate of enrolment in the sixth year of
primary school, which stands at 56 percent, increased by only
four percentage points over the ten years between 1990 and 2000.
Over the same period, the girls/boys enrolment ratio improved
by just five points and the literacy rate by only ten points.
According to a report prepared
for MINEDAF VIII, some 40 million school age children across Africa
are still out of school. Contrary to trends in other regions,
the teacher/pupil ratio is increasing and in certain countries
classes of up to 100 children are not uncommon. Some 40 percent
of adults are illiterate. At present rates of progress, 20 sub-Saharan
African countries will not achieve the Dakar goal of Universal
Primary Education (UPE) by the deadline of 2015.
The Conference stressed the need
for bilateral and multilateral partners to pursue and reinforce
their support. According to the 2002 EFA Global Monitoring Report*,
bilateral aide to education fell by 16 percent over the decade
from 1990 to 2000. The report also concluded that likely aid requirements
have fallen short by about 50 percent, and that an extra US$5.6
billion will be needed annually to achieve the UPE and gender
parity goals alone.
"There is a need for sizeable
external assistance with a broader field of intervention, using
accelerated procedures," states the MINEDAF Declaration,
which proposes the cancellation of external debt "whose yearly
service in some countries exceeds the annual resources needed
to achieve education for all."
However, the participants clearly
recognized that the improvement of education systems in Africa
also requires a more rational use of human and financial resources
by African governments themselves, "undertaking numerous
innovative initiatives, and above all working hand in hand."
They stressed the determination of Africans "to be the artisans
of their own development and future" and reaffirmed their
"commitment to an alliance for the rebirth of Africa."
To this end, they agreed to reinforce regional cooperation.
They committed themselves to finalizing
their EFA plans by December 2003 and proposed a series of concrete
measures. These include devoting at least 20 percent of state
budgets to education, and 50 percent of the education budget to
primary education. The proportion of non-salary teaching expenses
should be increased to provide pupils with proper teaching materials,
and teacher training and salaries must be improved. A pupil/teacher
ratio of about 40:1 should be aimed for, repeat rates reduced
and the private sector encouraged to take in a high percentage
of pupils.
While giving priority to quality
basic education, MINEDAF VIII insisted on the need for a global
education strategy, creating a synergy within the education system
and between the education system and other economic, social and
cultural sectors. The strategy should emphasize the education
of girls and women; the teaching of science and technology; fighting
the impact of HIV/AIDS on education; the use of national languages;
and education for peace and tolerance.
****
* 2002 Education
for All Global Monitoring Report: Is the World on Track? Published
by UNESCO, available online at www.unesco.org/education
Contact
Sue Williams, Bureau of Public Information, Editorial Section
Tel: (+33) (0)1 45 68 17 06; Email: s.williams@unesco.org
Jasmina Sopova,
Bureau of Public Information, Editorial Section
Tel: (+33) () 45 68 17 17; Email: j.sopova@unesc.org
