African governments showcase their commitment to and progress towards addressing the learning crisis that has left 9 out of 10 African children unable to read a sentence with understanding by the age of ten.
*New York, September 19th, 2023* — The Harvard Club New York today played host to a landmark event, the Human Capital Africa Roundtable on the learning crisis in Africa. Held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the event convened Heads of State, Ministers of Education, business leaders, civil society organizations, and prominent African intellectuals from diverse sectors to deliberate on the pivotal role of Foundational Learning in improving education for the future of Africa, and to showcase the leadership being demonstrated across the African continent to address it.
Mr. Frank Nweke, a member of the HCA advisory board, opened the event with a powerful remark that highlighted the magnitude of the learning crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa and shared some hope that evidence-based approaches can help reverse the situation.
He ended with a strong call: “The time for action is now!“
The event commenced with a compelling address by the Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, who set the tone for the day by emphasising the urgency of the learning crisis, and the need to address the fact that 9 out of 10 children in Africa are unable to read with understanding by the age of ten. Importantly, she celebrated the leadership demonstrated across the continent to take ownership of the challenge.
She said: “Education is a key catalyst to resolve many of the continental challenges we face. Every child deserves quality education and this can only be achieved if we all take responsibility and invest in foundational literacy and numeracy wherever we are. If we do not, then the ripple effect will extend beyond Africa, to the economies of big nations. Setting the right foundations for learning during the early years, before the child ends grades 2 and 3, is fundamental. This is a challenge we can solve, and we can change the situation faster than we imagine if we are all coordinated. I am inspired by the leadership being demonstrated by African governments.”
The CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mark Suzman said: “We’re all here because we believe every child deserves a quality education. A great education is essential to a future where everyone, everywhere, can live a healthy life and reach their full potential.
Unlocking that potential starts with youth, especially in Africa. By 2050, one in every four people will be African. Fifty percent of the African population will be under 25. Many of the people who will transform the continent—and find solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges are children now.
These are the people who will start businesses that lift their communities, who will tackle climate change and build food security, and who will make discoveries that can help reduce maternal mortality and eradicate malaria.
It’s valuable to make these commitments here in New York – but the real work is being done by talented teachers and school leaders in classrooms and communities across Africa.”
That work is being led by committed governments across the continent who are taking ownership of the need to develop solutions that will address the learning crisis. Their work will inform not just the approach that is taken across the wider African continent but has important lessons for how to tackle this challenge globally. The leadership being taken by African governments was represented by the Minister of Education of Malawi, Hon. Madalitso Wirima Kambauwa, and the State Minister of Basic Education for Uganda, Dr Joyce Moriku.
Hon Kambauwa said: “Malawi is taking a holistic approach to policy making that prioritizes foundational learning and we are making significant advancements. We recognize that the teacher is the most important part of the learning process, and we are improving the training and deployment of teachers – ensuring that they are equipped to teach, and they are deployed to the areas that need them most – especially rural areas. We are revising the national curriculum to support our national development strategy and its focus on human capital. We are enhancing school feeding programs so that children have food in their stomachs when they learn, targeting an expansion from 2200 schools today, to the 6900 primary schools in the country. Finally, we recognize the importance of an integrated assessment framework to help guide us, and we have begun the process to harmonize our assessment tools, including the use of the HCA scorecard. We are determined to continue this journey, in partnership with HCA, as we champion the need to collect data and use it to enhance transparency and accountability at all levels. Foundational learning is the backbone of future learning, and together we can chart a better future for our children.”
Dr Joyce Moriku said: “As a country we have moved from commitment to action. We have invested in the human capital scorecard to ensure that we collect the data we need to make policy decisions. Foundational learning provides the basic building blocks of learning. More investments should be made and there is a need to learn from homegrown solutions to fix the learning crisis.
Ultimately, we aim to establish a system capable of understanding classroom needs, implementing structured pedagogical interventions, observing progress and adjusting interventions based on the system’s reaction, and maintaining regular accountability to the targets we set to improve FLN outcomes.”
Delivering the keynote address, Professor Jeffrey Sachs said: “This is the most important meeting taking place this week at the UN – this is the most important goal for Africa – there is no investment that has a higher economic, social, financial, or human return than education.
There is no development without education. We must invest in children and the infrastructure to ensure children have what they require to learn. There is a need for a plan to ensure every child in Africa has access to free education at upper secondary school level. The biggest question in my 43-year career is why we are not investing as much in education – education is everything.”
The work of Human Capital Africa was recognized by partners from across the development, private sector, and philanthropic ecosystems, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, USAID, FCDO, Equity Bank, the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Each organization committed to working together to resolve the learning crisis.
Closing the event, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili said: “We must all work together to ensure that we retain a focus on this issue and continue to build its salience across the continent, and the world. We are making progress, but we must reinforce our efforts if we are going to address this challenge. I am inspired by and so thankful for the commitment, and the leadership being demonstrated by so many of our leaders in Africa, and for the support that we have from this ecosystem. Our commitments manifest into action, but this journey is still just beginning. We will work harder, together, to ensure that no child is left behind. Thank you.”
The Human Capital Africa scorecard will be launched in several new countries and subregions over the coming months, and as we approach the African Year of Education in 2024, the African Ministerial Coalition on Foundational learning, convened by HCA and ADEA will continue to share knowledge, and showcase success to the rest of the continent, and the world.
