Arusha, Tanzania – August 13, 2024

Tanzania's Vice President, Hon. Philip Mpango, has urged East African nations to prioritize investment in education to ensure the region's youth are equipped for the challenges of a rapidly evolving world. Speaking at the official opening of the first East African Community (EAC) Regional Education Conference in Arusha, Mpango emphasized the critical need for reforms that align education systems with both academic and vocational demands.

“We must invest in education, as the saying goes, 'if we think education is expensive, try ignorance.' We will pay dearly if we don’t invest in education,” Mpango declared. He highlighted Tanzania’s ongoing efforts to implement competency-based education reforms that aim to equip students with practical skills, ensuring the relevance of the education system in the face of global changes.

The conference also saw the participation of the Policy Forum, alongside three representatives from Rural Youth Collectives (RYCs) involved in the EOL project, highlighting the crucial role of civil society in addressing educational challenges. Their involvement brought a focus on integrating youth perspectives into the broader discourse on education reform.

The Inaugural EAC Regional Education Conference, which coincides with the African Union’s designation of 2024 as the Year of Education, brought together key stakeholders from across the region to discuss the urgent challenges facing education in East Africa. Among the issues addressed were the quality of education, financing, digitalization, and the integration of artificial intelligence and green technologies into the educational framework.

The Vice President's remarks set the tone for a series of discussions on the importance of collective action and regional collaboration to combat the education crisis. Veronica Nduva, Secretary General of the EAC, underscored the need for practical outcomes from the conference, stating, "What is important is not what will be discussed in the conference but what will be implemented and followed up after the conference."

Nduva also pointed to alarming statistics highlighting the extent of the education crisis in the region, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the children are unable to read and understand a simple story.

Meanwhile, Elke Wisch, UNICEF’s Country Representative for Tanzania, called for greater investment in teachers, innovation, and stronger regional collaboration. Wisch emphasized that building education systems that reflect the diverse needs of African people is essential and that these systems must correspond to the rapid changes happening globally. “Innovation and technology should be harnessed, and a stronger regional collaboration is needed for a resilient outcome,” Wisch stated.

Mohammed Belhocine, the African Union's Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, echoed these sentiments, stressing that investment in teacher training, creativity, problem-solving, and enabling environments is crucial. He also noted that the success of educational initiatives should not be measured merely by the number of children enrolled or policies implemented, but by the quality of education provided, which meets the community's needs and fosters a sense of belonging.

The conference calls for governments across the EAC and Southern African Development Community (SADC) regions to increase funding for education. It is agreed that while governments are primarily responsible for providing quality education, the involvement of civil society organizations and other stakeholders is essential to overcome the region's challenges.