Participants from 46 countries exchanged knowledge & innovation at the KIX African Continental Research Symposium

19 October 2022
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Credit: UNESCO IICBA/Institut de la Francophonie pour l'éducation et la formation

More than 260 participants from over 46 countries took part in the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) Continental Research Symposium from Oct. 4 to Oct. 6, 2022, hosted at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Organized by the KIX Africa 19 Hub and the KIX Africa 21 Hub and facilitated in English, French and Portuguese, the symposium’s theme focused on “Reimagining education for a better impact on learning outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.” It explored areas such as curriculum, assessment, pedagogy, teachers, inclusion, equity, and policy-making.

Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki, Director of UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), welcomed participants noting the symposium, “aims at creating an environment to share new research and innovations on improving students’ learning outcomes while overcoming the shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and laying the foundations for more robust education systems.”

The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education of The Gambia, H.E. Claudiana Cole, Minister of National Education and Higher Education of Guinea Bissau, H.E. Martina Moreira Moniz, and the Minister of Education and Higher Education of São Tomé and Príncipe, Julieta Izidro Rodrigues, were present and provided their expertise on bridging the gap between research and policy. Virtual remarks were provided by the Ministers of Education of Cote D'Ivoire, Mali, and Benin.

During the symposium, government representatives, educational researchers, local education group policy stakeholders, and members of international organizations engaged in plenary, breakout, and poster sessions to strengthen the application of research for policymaking. Participants immediately began to envision practical applications for what they learned. For example, as a result of the symposium, a participant who serves as a department head in their national Ministry of Education remarked, “What I will do differently is to reorganize staff in my department to start on data collection of learners with disabilities to inform government on their needs.”

It was particularly exciting to bring nearly 200 of the symposium’s participants together in person, with attendees traveling from 37 countries across Africa, as well as from North America, Europe, and Asia.

The KIX Africa 19 Hub is a consortium that includes UNESCO IICBA (Lead), UNICEF-Eastern and Southern Africa, and the AUC’s Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Directorate. The KIX Africa 21 Hub is a consortium comprised of l’Institut de la Francophonie pour l’éducation et la formation (Lead), le Conférence des ministres de l’Éducation des États et gouvernements de la Francophonie, et l’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie.

Read the full report here and learn more about the symposium, its theme and sub-themes, objectives and research papers here [symposiumafrica.gpekix.org]. For further information or inquiries, please contact the KIX Africa 19 Hub and KIX Africa 21 Hub Secretariats at kix.iicba@unesco.org and programmekix@francophonie.org.