Linekela Halwoodi
SWAKOPMUND – Namibia will take centre-stage at the Transforming Education Summit organised by the United Nations in New York and billed for September this year.
Dignitaries from Namibia and Italy will co-lead discussions around inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools.
The education ministry is currently leading the discussions on transforming education, with countrywide consultative meetings with various stakeholders.
Speaking at the consultative meeting in Swakopmund last week, deputy education minister Faustina Caley said Namibia is one of only two African countries selected to co-lead on the thematic action tracks at the summit which aims to strengthen and accelerate the implementation of existing multilateral agreements, particularly the 2030 agenda.
“We are embarking upon this national consultative process to ensure that all the constituencies have a voice in compiling the final report. Noting the normal learning crisis, a massive technological, socio-economic, political and environmental change worsened by the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, United Nations’ secretary general Antonio Guterres decided to convene the Transforming Education Summit on 19 September 2022 during the 77th UN General Assembly,” she explained.
Furthermore, the summit seeks to mobilise political ambition, action, solutions and solidarity to transform education, to take stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses, to reimagine education systems for the world of today and tomorrow, and to revitalise national and global efforts to achieve SDG-4.
“Achieving this objective requires inclusive dialogue and meaningful engagement across the full set of stakeholders, particularly our young people. The young people, the students and teachers, it is our intention that this national dialogue ensures meaningful engagement beyond government and has the broad spectrum of representation,” Caley added. The thematic action tracks will place a spotlight on the areas that require greater attention and action, and which can accelerate progress on education.
The thematic action tracks are inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools. It includes teachers, teaching and the teaching profession. Likewise. learning and skills for life, work and sustainable development as well as digital learning and transformation, and the financing of education.
Also speaking at the conference was Erongo education director Erenfriede Stephanus, who said: “I want to pause on the achievement of universal literacy and numeracy. The major component is acquiring knowledge and valuable skills in the learning environment, hence the urgent need to build more educational facilities and upgrade the present ones to provide a safe, inclusive and effective learning environment to all. The prevalence of extreme poverty and other factors, and now with the recent Covid-19 pandemic, have reduced the progress of many targets, and also the recommendation of the national conference in Namibia.”
She observed that children from poor households have a higher probability of dropping out while their counterparts from rich backgrounds remain in schools.
“Today, we are granted the opportunity to deliberate and give inputs for consideration for the upcoming national conference in August, as well as the Education Summit that will take place in September later this year,” she added.
Currently, there are 262 million children and youth who are out of school globally, while at least 60% of children and adolescents are not achieving minimum proficiency in reading and maths.