Stakeholders, including university leaders, high and primary school educators, parents and guardians have called for the reinvention of learning models in Africa’s educational institutions to produce quality graduates fit for the ever-changing and unpredictable labour markets.
The stakeholders, speaking during the ReImagine Education Roundtable organised by the Africa Leadership University (ALU) in Nairobi, agreed unanimously that in the digital age, Africa needs graduates who can provide solutions to the continent’s challenges and by consequence, create opportunities they seek.
The discussions at the event themed “Developing Africa’s Next Generation of Leaders” echoed Kenya’s Ministry of Education reforms of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC), which seeks to offer education that will produce graduates with competencies, skills and knowledge vital for work life in the competitive world.
The Ministry of Education’s Deputy Director Ms. Elizabeth Otieno illustrated the CBC’s potential and called upon stakeholders to increase the scope of reaching out to many African students and equip them with skills required in the modern world.
“The CBC is capable of equipping learners with competencies such as communication skills, which can help them network and express themselves and what they are doing. It prepares learners with the 21st-century skills to solve problems in our society, and we look forward to industrializing out of our education system,” said Otieno.
ALU CEO Mr. Veda Sunassee expressed his agreemet with the general thinking in Kenya’s education sector that there is a need to reimagine education that aligns with the needs of the changing world and Africa with a focus on 21st-century competencies.
“Education is one of the critical sectors that need reforms, and it is imperative, especially in the African context. It’s time for us to look at models that incorporate more of our indigenous education, which prepare us to leapfrog the continent’s economic development and prosperity that it has not seen for a very long time,” said Sunassee.
“With a median age of 19.7 out of a population of about 1.2 billion people in Africa, we’ve got a lot of people in need of higher education. There is a need for African Centric education to meet the needs of Africans,” he added.
He reiterated the need to construct education systems that prepare young people for an ever-changing labour market.
Amref International University Vice Chancellor Prof Joachim Osur called upon collaboration from all sectors to create strategies, especially students, to produce workers who are highly literate and skilled in disruptive models to fit in the knowledge economy.
“A graduate should be able to solve problems by first identifying the problems. There’s a need to revamp the education system to enable them to identify the problems. There’s a need to transform the education sector, and Kenya is making attempts through the CBC, which is at an early stage, there is a need to educate more stakeholders about the system for them to embrace the transformation,” said Osur.
During the one-day event, the educators had the opportunity to engage in insightful discussions, workshops, and presentations centered around the future of education in Africa.
Educators were introduced to ALU’s innovative learning model, which offers a blueprint for African higher learning institutions to nurture practical skills and outcomes among students.
The panel discussion, moderated by Folu Adeyeye, Director of Marketing and Communications at ALU, explored the question: How should High Schools and Educational Institutions adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of the 21st Century World?
The panellists were Nina Mutegi, CEO of Mirema School; Emma Miloyo, Founder and Director of Design Source and Kiota School; Akinyi Odongo, OGW Founder and President of the Akinyi Odongo Group; Esther Muchiri, Chairperson, The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; Dr Anne Achieng Aseey, Senior Lecturer, University of Nairobi (UoN) and Sean Karanja, ALU alumni.
The ReImagine Education Conference has a history of catalysing meaningful change across various African countries in the higher education sector. The discussions and collaborations that transpired during this event are expected to impact the future of education in Africa.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
