Progress and Activities of the KIX Africa 19 Hub

19 November 2021
Murape Primary School, Zimbabwe
Credit: GPE/ Carine Durand

The Regional Hubs are a key knowledge exchange and knowledge brokering mechanism for KIX. The hubs lay the groundwork for multi-year inter-country learning exchange, facilitate engagement with key in-country partners and define national and regional priorities in education. The priorities identified informed the regional calls for proposals issued in 2020, and set the stage for the newly funded regional grants projects. In this news item, we provide an update on the progress of the KIX Africa 19 hub.

In 2020, the KIX Africa 19 hub focused on establishing a relationship with the 18 GPE partner countries that constitute the hub, understanding their goals for the collaboration, and creating a platform for country representatives and experts to exchange their experiences in addressing equity, quality, and inclusivity in education. The countries that make up this hub are located across Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. Throughout 2021, the hub has shifted its focus, working to strengthen partnerships between countries to promote capacity building and ongoing knowledge sharing on educational policies and innovations.

A notable outcome has been the launch of the Africa 19 Digital Repository. This digital library gathers educational resources relevant to the hub and member states, and has been shaped by its members’ hopes and needs. It includes a compilation of policy documents, research, data, factsheets and infographics compiled from various sources, including from country representatives.

In other efforts of knowledge exchange and brokering, the KIX Africa 19 hub launched several Community of Practice (CoP) series covering all of KIX’ six thematic areas. Participants engaged in six different sessions on the Foundations of Educational Quality with the African Curriculum Association (ACA). Driven by the hub’s objectives, participants shared their expertise, experiences, challenges, and innovations in curriculum teaching, learning, and learning assessments to enrich their understanding of these areas. Additionally, the regional experts, ministry officers, and policy actors extracted policy ideas from exchange with other ministries and technical advisors. Some of the sessions covered: competency-based assessment, education systems that develop 21st century skills, and teacher professional development, among others.

Past Community of Practice (CoP) series have focused on strengthening national education systems for innovative data usage and management. Here, interactive capacity strengthening sessions and knowledge sharing among thirty Ministry of Education officers and other representatives from fifteen countries looked to confront their challenges in gathering, managing, storing, and using education data. As a continuation to this CoP, the Hub is currently engaged in a KIX Data Challenge Strategy with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to create a coalition of education stakeholders, at regional level to facilitate and support the strengthening of national EMIS capacities.

Additionally, the hub has also convened a CoP on strengthening systems for early childhood education (ECE) where over sixty participants from twelve countries in Eastern, Southern, and Western Africa exchanged evidence and practices about ECE in sessions coordinated with UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, the African Union Commission, and the African Early Childhood Network.

Current CoPs also include learning events focused on disability inclusive education bringing together participants to share practices and brainstorm solutions to expand and improve interventions related to inclusive education and learning for children with disabilities. 

Of particular relevance has also been the KIX Africa 19 Hub’s National Dialogue in Kenya. This dually virtual and in-person session led to a call to action to guide how to address the challenges faced by Kenya in the implementation of education sector policies within the hub’s six thematic areas.

For more updates on the KIX Africa 19 Hub and to learn more about past and upcoming events, visit their website here.