Experts in education gathered in Kenya to drive forward educational reforms.

NAIROBI, July 24 (Xinhua) — Education experts kicked off a four-day meeting in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday to discuss ways of accelerating education reforms to help boost skills development in Africa.

The fourth African Curriculum Association (ACA) conference brought together over 150 participants including officials from African countries, the African Union, the United Nations as well as stakeholders drawn from more than 30 countries to exchange views on how to strengthen the continent’s education systems.

In his opening remarks, Beatrice Muganda Inyangala, Kenya’s principal secretary in the State Department for Higher Education and Research, said the conference was convened at a time when African countries are keen to develop relevant school curricula that will prepare students for the future that is dominated by technological changes.

“The continent is aware of the need to implement educational reforms that will align basic education curriculum and teacher education with initiatives that will improve learning outcomes,” Inyangala said.

She urged Africa to reflect on innovation that will equip learners with skills and competencies within the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Yaw Osei Adutwum, Ghana’s minister of education, urged Africa to develop educational curricula that will supply the necessary human capital to boost the continent’s socioeconomic status.

“We want learners to be inculcated with a mindset to believe that they can grow up and join any profession in the world,” Adutwum said.

He revealed that Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of reducing the proportion of the population that is living in extreme poverty. “With the right educational reforms, we can develop local solutions that will enable the continent to leapfrog and improve its overall standard of living.”

Gertrude Namubiru, ACA secretary general, said Africa can strengthen its national curricula through borrowing and adopting international best practices, adding that the continent can enhance its educational systems through joint curriculum research programs and the exchange of information in Africa.