Education conference preps in top gear

DAR ES SALAAM: PREPARATIONS for the 4th International Quality Education Conference (IQEC), which is scheduled to take place from November 12 to 14 at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam, are on the right track and have reached an advanced stage.

The much-awaited conference will be held under the theme ‘Fostering Resilient Education Systems for Sustainable Development in Africa’.

The conference is aimed at ensuring that education systems provide answers to the current challenges and be able to withstand transformations brought by science and technology.

In her media briefing in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Tanzania Education Network (TEN/MET) National Coordinator Ms Martha Makala highlighted that a number of issues targeting to improve education sector will be discussed by the attendees.

“During the conference, government, policy makers, academicians, students, teachers, researchers, government and private sectors as well as civil society organisations will get an opportunity to deliberate on the status of the quality of education through sharing ideas and experiences.

“The main purpose of the conference is see how the education system in the country and in Africa responds to the fast changes being recorded in science and technology in the world today.

“With pride, TEN/MET is preparing to welcome almost 350 stakeholders who play key roles in education sector from Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Sudan, Lesotho, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

“We also expect to host high profile representatives from the education sector such as ministers, permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries and parliamentarians.

“Similarly, this conference will involve listening to  presentations and dialogues focusing on  education policies that target to eliminate challenges facing this powerful sector in the country and Africa at large,” Ms Makala said.

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According to her, eight agendas will be discussed throughout the conference period which include measures to strengthen education systems for the sustainable development in Africa and how to ensure access to qualify education to all among others.

“As TEN-MET, we are looking forward to a productive conference that will help a lot to bring positive changes in education for the benefit of the sector itself,” Ms Makala says.

On his part, Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC) Director of Education Services Makoye Japhet noted that improvement in education sector is an endless process.

“The ongoing changes in science and technology as well as cultural changes have serious impact on the trends of education hence the reason we keep on meeting to find solutions that can respond to emerging education challenges in the today’s world,” he said.

To make this year’s IQEC successful, TEN/MET has collaborated with Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC), CAMFED, Msichana Initiative Organisation, PESTALOZZI Children Foundation, Shule Direct, Plan International, Save the Children, UWEZO Tanzania, African Child Projects, HakiElimu, Policy Forum, UNHCR, Agakhan Foundation, Flaviana Matata Foundation and Tai Tanzania.

Education is one of the fundamental human rights and a prerequisite for social and economic development as expressed in UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals and African Union 2030 Agenda.