CONFINTEA VI

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Preparatory Conference in Africa in Nairobi

 

Power of Youth and Adult Learning and Education for Africa’s Development Statement

Recommendations

25. Recognising that the fulfilment of the right to education for adults and youth is conditioned by frameworks of policies, legislation, funding and implemen tation which seek to address challenges facing countries in the region, we therefore recommend the following:

On CONFINTEA VI

26. The CONFINTEA VI conference should be action- and output-orientated. Participating governments should make a strong commitment to revitalise ALE and there should be an action agenda for effective and rapid international, regional and national follow-up. An advocacy group for youth and ALE composed of governments, bilateral and multilateral organisations and the private sector should be set up to mobilise funds for youth and ALE and take seriously the needs of Africa.

Policy and Action Plans

27. Every country should have a comprehensive national youth and adult learning and education policy and action plans (which also provide a comprehensive language policy and support for the creation of literate environments). This policy should be backed by legislation together with strengthened capacity to give effect to the policy. This policy should take into account strategies for poverty alleviation.

Funding

28. There should be renewed state sector, donor and private sector commitment to sustainable funding of youth and ALE and the current attempts to establish minimum funding benchmarks as a percentage of national education budgets should be intensified while strategies are developed for mobilising funds and for the accountable and transparent utilisation thereof.

Structures

29. There is a need to ensure that new structures, such as the growing establishment of National Qualifications Frameworks, ensure that youth and ALE needs are adequately served.

Inclusion

30. All African states should promote inclusion through youth and ALE programmes that take into consideration the specific needs of minorities, vulnerable and marginalised groups and groups with special needs.

Participation

31. Government, civil society and the private sector should jointly develop con crete strategies for the involvement of youth and adult learners directly in policy and programme formulation and implementation. This should include an effective communication and media strategy.

ICTs and Media

32. Africa should capitalise on the digital dividend, on job training, skill upgrading, promoting open and distance learning, and the use of traditional media and the new ICTs. Governments should develop strategies and partnerships which enhance the use of ICTs and media to advance youth and ALE.

Professionalisation of Youth and ALE Personnel

33. The terms and conditions of service of youth and ALE practitioners and adult education personnel, particularly in literacy, adult basic and non-formal edu cation, need to be urgently addressed. Professional qualifications for adult educators need comparable status to those of conventional educators and trainers. There should be increased training and research capacity-building through the creation and development of higher and other tertiary education institutes (including vocational and technical institutions), ALE research centres and departments for the development of educators and trainers.

Partnerships

34. Governments, communities, civil society organisations, the private sector and development partners should work together to develop and implement youth and ALE policies and programmes.

Quality Assurance, Monitoring and Evaluation

35. Governments should develop quality assessment, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms as well as ensure that research and data collection take place in order to formulate and regulate policies and programmes and to evaluate the impact of youth and ALE. They should also develop frameworks for learning validation which are equivalent to systems of formal education, regardless of where and when the learning occurred and ensuring fair equivalence between formal and non-formal learning.

  1. Quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation should be conducted at the sub-regional and regional level. A peer evaluation strategy that involves civil society should be developed. Regional information communication and management systems should be created to produce and disseminate results and best practice.
  2. African states should establish a monitoring mechanism with clear benchmarks and indicators for implementing these recommendations. The results of such activities must be communicated and shared at the regional level.
  3. The African region recommends that CONFINTEA VI mandates the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning or sets up a monitoring committee to monitor progress annually in youth and ALE performance according to set benchmarks defined during the conference.

Source: www.unesco.org

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