Dakar will host the Forum on Improving Primary Learning in Africa from January 28 to 30, 2025.
The event is organised by the Conference of Ministers of Education of French-Speaking States and Governments (CONFEMEN) in partnership with the Gates Foundation. The main objective of this forum is to stimulate momentum around effective strategies to improve primary learning on the African continent.
Scheduled to take place in Dakar, the Forum on Improving Primary Learning will bring together African decision-makers, education experts and practitioners, and technical partners to address the major challenges facing education in Africa. More than a hundred participants, including ministers and education officials from 21 countries, including Nigeria and Mozambique, as well as representatives of institutions, civil society, and international organisations, are expected in Senegal.
Prof. Abdel Rahamane Baba-Moussa, Secretary General of Confemen, emphasised in his remarks: “If less than half of the students (48%) reach the minimum level of competence and even less (38%) in mathematics, we will have more difficulty achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
He added that “only 11% of children master reading in 3rd grade, according to a study conducted in 18 African countries (2017-2022).”
These figures illustrate the worrying situation of education in sub-Saharan Africa, where learning levels remain low, particularly at the end of primary school. The results of the PASEC 2019 assessment show that student academic performance is strongly linked to the quality of teaching, despite the efforts made by national governments.
The forum, chaired by Prof. Mariatou Koné, Minister of National Education of Côte d’Ivoire and current president of CONFEMEN, will also be marked by the presence of Moustapha Mamba Guirassy, Minister of National Education of Senegal, and the Commissioner of the African Union (AU) for Education, Professor Mohamed Belhocine.
This event is part of the momentum created by the African Union’s Year of Education in 2024 and aims to capitalise on the results of the PASEC2024 program. It will serve as a platform for government stakeholders, with a particular focus on French-speaking Africa, to exchange on successful initiatives aimed at improving learning outcomes.
Mr. Hilaire Hounkpodote, PASEC coordinator, stressed the major challenge facing education systems in Africa: “The main challenge lies in the ability of countries to adjust their strategies to improve basic learning in response to the results of assessments such as PASEC, in sometimes difficult contexts.”
The forum will address several key issues such as the state of learning in Africa, methods of learning to read and mathematics, as well as the role of cognitive science in teaching.
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