NAIROBI, Aug. 18 — The East African Community (EAC) will convene a regional conference on education transformation next week in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, bringing together senior policymakers, scholars, funders and innovators.
The regional bloc said in a statement released Monday that the second EAC regional conference on education will take place from Aug. 24 to 28 under the theme “Transforming Education in East Africa: From Commitments to Impact, Fostering Resilience and Future-Ready Systems for Sustainable Development.” The conference will explore practical ways to accelerate the transformation of education systems in the region to address skills gaps, mismatches, and unemployment while fostering economic growth, said EAC. Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, EAC deputy secretary general in charge of infrastructure, productive, social and political sectors, said the forum will also prioritize enhancing foundational learning and teacher capacity to promote inclusive education. “Particular attention will be given to future-ready skills, leveraging digitization and innovation, and improving education financing and governance,” Ariik said.
According to EAC, the conference will provide a strategic regional platform for stocktaking, policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and collective action, focusing on how to transition from commitments to measurable and sustainable impact. Participants will review progress made since the inaugural conference in 2024, identify systemic implementation gaps, and agree on priority actions to accelerate educational transformation at national and regional levels. EAC noted that regional education systems continue to face severe structural challenges, including persistent inequalities in access and quality, low transition rates between academic levels, skills mismatches, and weak links between vocational training institutions and industry. To address these challenges, the conference will advance the Common Higher Education Area, focusing on regional harmonization, innovation, and strategic partnerships to improve educational quality and relevance. Mary Goretti Nakabugo, co-chair of the conference organizing committee, noted that the initiative aims to foster resilient, future-ready education systems capable of driving socioeconomic transformation across East Africa.
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