KIGALI, (Xinhua) — Policymakers and educationists gathered at an education forum in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, Monday to discuss pathways to end learning poverty, a major threat to Africa’s future workforce.
“Learning poverty” is the inability of children to meet basic literacy and numeracy milestones.
The meeting drew about 500 delegates, including ministers of education, development partners, and experts from across sub-Saharan Africa, seeking to scale successful education initiatives that enhance foundational learning.
“Learning poverty is unacceptable and a fundamental threat to the continent. Foundational learning is the cornerstone of all future learning. Prioritizing it is not an option,” Obiageli Ezekwesi, chief executive of Human Capital Africa, an advocacy organization, said at the opening of the forum.
Ezekwesi, former Nigerian education minister, said action without accountability is not enough, adding that there must be a capacity to track progress on foundational learning.
Rwandan Education Minister Joseph Nsengimana said the forum offers an opportunity for Africa to unite for collective growth and equip every child with the skills necessary to contribute to socioeconomic development.
Wongani Taulo, education adviser at UNICEF Africa, said the continent “is running out of time to shape a generation of critical thinkers.”
She argued that governments need to invest more in foundational learning to unlock the potential of millions of children across Africa. “The solutions lie with all of us, we must dedicate more resources to foundational learning and not forget pre-primary so that children are ready to enter school,” she said.
Victoria Kwakwa, vice president for Eastern and Southern Africa at the World Bank, noted that education today builds the Africa of tomorrow, and to truly transform the continent, there is a need to invest in the next generation of learners.
Underlining the need to strengthen partnerships with the private sector to boost foundational learning, participants said aligning resources, expertise, and innovation from both sectors would expand educational access, improve quality, and drive sustainable impact across communities.
The forum, which will run through Wednesday, offers a platform for countries to exchange progress made on commitments in foundational learning at previous forums.
Through a series of presentations, panels, round table discussions, and formal and informal dialogue, participants will share knowledge derived from foundational learning efforts on the continent and jointly plan the way forward toward meeting targets.
The learning poverty rate in sub-Saharan Africa stands at around 90 percent, according to the latest UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, which could affect the continent’s future workforce.
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