Tanzanian Vice President: East African Community’s education systems face challenges

Arusha. Vice President Philip Mpango has said education systems across East African Community (EAC) member countries are grappling with several challenges, including limited access to education, concerns about the quality of educational systems, and the integration of technology.

Dr Mpango said EAC member countries can therefore leverage human resources, especially youth, to drive development and increase cooperation in improving education systems.

He delivered these remarks here during the opening of the first East African Education Conference and the celebration of the African Union Education Year on August 13, 2024.

The Vice President emphasised that establishing effective education systems is crucial not only for EAC member countries but for the entire continent.

He noted that, despite significant efforts, challenges persist at all levels of the education system.

He cited other challenges, including how to address emerging issues such as artificial intelligence and digital matters, insisting that the conference discussing EAC education developments and challenges is crucial for progress.

“Our region has made significant strides in education, despite facing challenges that have hindered us from achieving our full goals. Under Articles 102 and 103 of the EAC Treaty, we have committed to cooperating and making joint efforts in education, training, and human resource development for the benefit of both the region and individual countries,” he stated.

Dr Mpango said progress has been achieved in integrating education systems, creating various strategies, and establishing systems to facilitate the mobility of students and workers, regional quality assurance standards, and joint efforts to improve access, equity, and the quality of our primary education systems.

He said that the year 2024, designated as the African Education Year, is important for taking action and recognising that the educational challenges on the continent primarily stem from insufficient investment in the sector.

Regarding human resources, Dr Mpango said population growth necessitates increased financial resources to meet the needs for quality education and health and that the increase in human resources, especially youth, will help build a strong economy.

“EAC, like all of Africa, has a large number of young people with high birth rates. This means we will continue having a growing youth population impacting our economy if we use our human resources effectively through what is known as the demographic dividend,” he said.

“To benefit from this dividend, we must invest heavily in the education and health of our children. High birth rates in our countries indicate that we need to save more in financial and human resources to meet the ongoing needs for quality education and health,” he added.

East African Community Secretary General Veronica Nduva said the conference, gathering over 600 stakeholders, occurs after the AU has declared 2024 as the African Education Year.

She said the conference aims to discuss ways to improve the crucial education sector, and that through the EAC treaty, member countries will continue collaborating in enhancing the sector.

“Establishing robust education systems, digital utilisation, and curriculum implementation, strengthening teacher capacity, accountability for sustainable development, and strategies for youth employment, education, and vocational training were among the key issues of discussion,” she said.

The Minister of Education, Science, and Technology, Prof Adolf Mkenda, highlighted challenges facing the sector as equitable access to quality education, technological growth, and learning environments, emphasising the need for cooperation to address these challenges.