Ashraf AboArafe
With the pandemic disrupting education for millions of children across Africa, leading educationalists, technologists and government officials are coming together to discuss how education can be reformed to help children to flourish amidst and after the disruption.
Today, the African Future Learning Summit featured speakers from schools across the continent, including Mr Callum Watt, Head of Mathematics at Malvern College Egypt and Jonathan Davies, Assistant Head of Junior School at the British International School Cairo, as well as representatives from leading education technology companies CENTURY Tech and GL Education.
Organised in partnership with the UK Department for International Trade and Children’s International School, Lagos, the Summit also featured an address by Emma Wade-Smith OBE, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for Africa, from the UK Government.
Emma Wade Smith OBE, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa at the UK Department for International Trade said:
“Improving access to quality education is fundamental to enabling African governments to achieve their economic growth and diversification ambitions, including to create the millions of jobs needed to bring the continent’s youth into the workforce. Through international trade and investment, alongside the judicious use of technology, we have the tools to upskill Africa’s people and support the creation of meaningful jobs. The UK is home to an extraordinary array of education providers and technological expertise. We want to partner to support Africa’s educational transformation and ensure greater access to education for all.”
Priya Lakhani OBE, Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, which develops AI-powered learning tools for schools, said:
“By the end of the century, one in three people will be African. Yet even today, millions of African children are unable to fulfil their potential with their education. That’s why it is so vital that we come together to discuss how we can improve access to education for and the quality of education received by children across the continent. The pandemic has shown how vital technology can be to education. We must relentlessly focus on working with schools, governments and NGOs to help all children access an education that will allow them to thrive.”
Amanda Clarke, International Director at GL Education, a provider of assessment to schools across the world, said:
“GL Education aims to support schools across the continent in their commitment to develop students with the skills to thrive in a tech-driven and globalised world.”
