The Importance of Increased Education Expenditure in SADC
The Education Hub with Benedicto Kondowe
Last Thursday, 16th June 2022, seventeen southern Africa based civil society organizations (CSOs), including Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC), asked Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) governments to scale up investment towards education. Recommendations were put forward in a position paper presented through the office of the Secretary for Education for the Ministry of Education in Malawi.
The position paper was submitted in the midst and as a consequence of a joint SADC Ministers’ Meeting on Education and Training and Science, Technology and Innovation from 13th to 17th June 2022. Chaired by Malawi’s Minister of Education, the meeting was held to follow up on the policy decisions made and the implementation of ongoing programs and initiatives in the ET-STI sector, among other issues.
The paper expressed that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and the transformation of education within the SADC region will depend heavily on the recruitment of more empowered, adequately recruited, well-trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported teachers.
Indeed teachers, trainers and other education personnel are a critical element and generally thought to be the most important component in an education system.
UNESCO found that effective teachers represent the most significant in-school factor in improving student performance. Better teacher recruitment and deployment strategies can contribute directly to SDG 4 of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. According to the United Nations, equal access to education is a direct result of effective and equitable teacher deployment. Thus, CSOs recommended that the ministers must address the issue of teacher education, training and deployment in the region.
In addition to reducing the qualified teacher-student ratio, the CSOs also asked Ministers to look into addressing the dearth of digital learning within SADC countries. This reflects the post-Covid 19 shock that resulted in the increased interest and need for SADC nations’ to leverage technology to strengthen education systems to withstand future shocks and to accelerate the provision of equitable education in the region.
The recommendation resonates with UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition (GEC) that noted that the pandemic has accelerated the need for digital transformation due to an increased reliance on hybrid learning. However, as noted by the GEC, many issues — such as equity, teacher training, connectivity, poor infrastructure and lack of devices — continue to challenge the scaling up of digital learning in the region. As such, CSOs have asked ministers to increase investment toward digital learning.
Another strong recommendation by CSOs to SADC ministers was to promote sexual health rights among the learners. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are integral elements of the right to health and sustainable development for learners as well as being intrinsic for the achievement of gender equality and elimination of discrimination.
On Friday, 17 June, Malawi Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje cited a lack of (financial) resources as a challenge; however, they also stated there is a need for increased investments in education, training, science, technology and innovation in the SADC region.
Cognizant of the challenge of lack of resources, the CSOs are of the view that the aforementioned issues remain key to the attainment of quality, inclusive, equitable and sustainable education for all in the region.
For Malawi, in particular, education is a prerequisite for achieving Malawi Vision 2063. Human capital development is a precondition for sustainable development and therefore, SADC members should step up in innovative financing models for education.
As the Ministers returned in their places of abode, what will count is not what was discussed, and what policy recommendations were adopted but rather what actions each member state undertakes to do. CSOs subscribe to the notion as advanced by John Dewey that “education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” As such, more concerted efforts should be made to protect the right to education.
Building a resilient education system requires member states to be deliberate and intentional in their commitments.
It calls for making sacrifices that do not only yield results within hours, days or months but creating more possibilities for the attainment of a better and sustainable education in the foreseeable future. We must start now preparing for a better future.
By the words of Confucius, “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”
Therefore, sacrificing education means sacrificing peace, shared prosperity and skills for life. SADC as a block must be on the move and always moving to claim the very position that education ought to occupy in its national development.
