By Mang'ombe Tembo and Gabriel Mekbib
Zambia recently conducted a high-level national policy dialogue meeting facilitated by the Ministry of Education (MoE), UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and the Africa 19 KIX Hub Secretariat to address challenges in the education sector.
Mr. Mang'ombe Tembo, an MoE official and KIX focal point, welcomed participants to the meeting held on November 27, 2023, which focused on three KIX key themes: improving teaching and learning, leaving no one behind, and meeting the data challenge in education. More than forty participants representing civil society, development organizations, and government engaged in discussions and presentations to identify sector priorities.
Under the theme of improving teaching and learning, the dialogue outlined priorities such as providing teaching and learning materials, strengthening teacher professional development, enhancing competency-based curriculum, and fostering community school engagement.
Discussions on "leaving no one behind" centered on inclusive education, identification and assessment, management and administration, and infrastructure excellence. Participants underscored the importance of creating a conducive environment for all learners and combating discrimination.
In addressing the data challenge, the participants resolved to translate good assessment practices into policy, enhance teacher skills, develop policies for using learning data, solidify instructional leadership, and build capacity for data collection and analysis. The dialogue also emphasized the importance of academia and research in informing policy and the consistent use of evidence for decision-making.
The dialogue resulted in a published call to action, a culmination of commitments by policymakers, innovative insights from presenters, researchers, and academia, as well as reactions from participants, including Teacher Unions, cooperating partners, and practitioners at the KIX Zambia National Dialogue. View the call to action here.
