By Ken Sackey
Accra, July 16, GNA – African governments and leaders must prioritise foundational learning to provide the continent with future opportunities and long-term prosperity.
They should expand investment in foundational education and skills to ensure that Africa’s youth can contribute to the continent’s socioeconomic progress,
The recommendation was made by discussants at a Presidential Media Briefing on Foundational Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa held in Accra on Tuesday.
The event, organised by Human Capital Africa, an advocacy organization for improved literacy and numeracy skills of African children, was a prelude to the 6th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union scheduled between July 18 and 21, 2024.
It was on the theme: “Prioritizing foundational literacy and numeracy to achieve African Union Agenda 2063 goals” and was attended by diverse stakeholders in the education sector across the continent.
Participants included President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, General Oluṣẹgun Ọbasanjọ, former President of Nigeria, Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Former President of Tanzania and Chairperson, Global Partnership for Education and Board of Directors and Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, former President of Liberia.
Others were representatives from the African Union Commission, Aliko Dangote, Founder and President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group and Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa (HCA) and former World Bank Vice-President, Africa Region.
Gen. Obasanjo urged African leaders to implement a lifelong education plan for the continent’s socio-economic growth.
He warned that the continent would keep lagging in its development agenda unless education, particularly foundational learning, is given prominence as the basis of educational development.
Gen. Obasanjo emphasised that education must be considered a matter of life and death to maximise the continent’s human resource potential.
He said it was encouraging that some African governments had recognized the situation and were taking steps to remedy it, saying that leaders on the continent needed to understand that education, the foundation for improved economic outcomes, was a lifelong process that was unlikely to be over.
President Akufo-Addo, for his part, stated that it was critical for Africa to recognize that it was in a crisis when it came to promoting education on the continent, emphasizing that it was the only path to development.
“It is important for all of us in leadership on the continent today to recognise, as the data shows that we are in a severe existential crisis. We are not going to be able to overcome the challenges to development which are the existential crises that we have to confront unless we get right the reasons why we’re here, foundational learning,” he said.
The President said that much had been accomplished in Ghana concerning education since he assumed office, and that he was eager to discuss them with his counterparts at the AU mid-year review meeting.
He said that education in Ghana had curricular reforms, expansion of infrastructure, motivation of teachers and other improvements, but that “Obviously, still a lot needs to be done.”
“We’re in a position whereby we can say that Ghana is making very serious efforts to come to grips with this matter. That’s the first. The second, of course, is to define the interventions that make sense, the interventions that are doable and that will also have maximum impact,” he emphasised.
Dr Ezekwesili noted that without investing in foundational learning, Africa could not meet its continental developmental goals.
She said foundational learning did not only predict a child’s future academic success but also support a country’s broader economic development goals.
GNA