IICBA’s Blog: Empowering Teachers for All Learners to Thrive
Remembering Yao Ydo, a passionate advocate for the right to education
April 25, 2024
As a tribute to our colleague Yao Ydo, Director of the UNESCO International Bureau of Education, who sadly passed away on 17 April 2024, UNESCO republished an interview he gave five years ago as part of the #RightToEducation campaign. A passionate advocate for education, Yao Ydo shared his personal story with photos highlighting the power of learning and its ability to transform lives. This article was originally published in April 2019 along with a Twitter thread.
Tell us about your background?
I was born in a small village in Côte d'Ivoire. My parents were originally from Burkina Faso. My father was a farmworker and left his native country when he was thirteen to move to Côte d’Ivoire...
A Blueprint for Supporting Mental Health and Psycho-Social Wellbeing of Teachers in Africa
Lucas Halimani
April 18, 2024
“Mental health is more than the absence of mental health conditions. Rather, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realize their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their communities” (WHO, 2022).
Mental Health for Teachers
Teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future through education. However, their mental health and well-being are often overlooked, leading to negative consequences for both teachers and students. The African Union together with UNESCO IICBA and the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities are organizing a consultation on a draft African Union strategy on "Mental Health and Psycho-Social Support for Teachers." The strategy aims to address the unique challenges faced by teachers in Africa and provide a holistic approach to promoting mental well-being. With the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating existing mental health issues, it is imperative that all key stakeholders come together to support teachers in prioritizing their mental health. By improving the mental health of teachers, we can create a positive ripple effect on student welfare, learning experiences, and educational achievements...
Promoting the Use of Evidence in Policy at the Country Level: An Update on the KIX Africa 19 Hub
Gabriel Mekbib, Victoria Kisaakye, Maryann Joy Dreas, Yvonne Mboya, and Bezawit Demere
April 12, 2024
As the second phase (2024-2027) of the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation eXchange (KIX) Africa 19 Hub project progresses, we are sharing updates on ongoing and upcoming initiatives. The Hub, established in March 2020 by the Global Partnership for Education and the International Development Research Center aims to enhance education policy through the effective use of data, knowledge, and innovation. The Hub, comprising UNICEF ESARO, the African Union, and UNESCO IICBA, serves 18 English-speaking African countries plus Mozambique in sub-Saharan Africa. From participant-led Communities of Practice to the launch of an educational animated video series, this blog provides a brief overview of the Hub's recent activities...
Investing in Girls’ and Women’s Education: New Resources from UNESCO
Quentin Wodon
April 4, 2024
Promoting gender equality and girls’ and women’s education is a priority for UNESCO IICBA. Among others recent activities, IICBA launched at the end of January a conference edition of the first Africa Teachers Report on the role of teachers and school leaders in educating girls and ending child marriage. Together with FAWE and UNICEF ESARO, IICBA has finalized a self-paced eLearning course on gender-responsive pedagogy. And we just launched a new two-year project on girls’ education in West Africa with support from the Government of Japan...
Proficiency in Reading and Mathematics: Where Do We Stand in Africa?
By Quentin Wodon
March 27, 2024
Last week, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) released its Spring Data Refresh, increasing coverage for SDG indicators related to education and research and development. For education, as noted in a blog post by Silvia Montoya and Luis Crouch, some 112,000 new data points were added, of which three fourths relate to SDG indicators and one forth to policy indicators.
Most of the new data points are for education attainment (SDG indicator 4.4.3), followed by out-of-school rates and the tertiary education gross enrolment ratio...
Victoria Kisaakye, Hungi Njora, Quentin Wodon
March 22, 2024
Last week IICBA staff made four presentations at the annual conference of the Comparative International Education Society or CIES. According to the society’s conference website, it has over 4,000 members from members over 120 countries, representing over 1,000 universities, research institutes, government departments, non-governmental organizations, and multilateral agencies. At the conference, IICBA also had a booth jointly organized with UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education, another Category 1 institute that focuses on matters related to curriculum and is based in Geneva...
Renewing Our Commitment to Transforming Education for the African Union’s Year of Education
Mohammed Belhocine
March 15, 2024
It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I present to you the inaugural issue of the Teacher Magazine. I am honoured, as the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of the African Union, to introduce this Magazine dedicated to celebrating the invaluable role of teachers and their impact on education in Africa.
Education has long been recognized as a fundamental pillar for the development and progress of any nation. It is through quality education that individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, and values necessary ...
Educating and Skilling Africa: Launch of the African Union-IICBA Magazine
Sophia Ndemutila Ashipala and Quentin Wodon
March 8, 2024
The African Union (AU) has designated 2024 as the Year of Education. The Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) Department at the AU and UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) are launching a new magazine entitled “Educating and Skilling Africa”. The subtitle of the publication is “Listening to Educators and Learners in the African Year of Education.” The plan is to initially produce four issues of the magazine in 2024, assess the initiative by the end of the year, and pursue the publication beyond 2024 if the initiative is deemed successful. The magazine is published with support from the European Union’s Regional Teachers Initiative for Africa.
By listening to those who are working hard every day on the ground to make a difference, a principal aim of the magazine will be to share insights on what works to improve lifelong educational opportunities for Africa’s population, and especially children and youth. The theme for the AU Year of Education is to “Educate an African fit for the 21st Century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.” Since the adoption of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA), progress has been...
Quentin Wodon
February 29, 2024
Every two years, the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) hosted by UNESCO organizes a Policy Dialogue Forum (PDF) as a platform for advocacy, knowledge sharing, and peer learning on matters related to teachers and target 4.c of SDG 4. The 14th edition of the PDF was held this week in Johannesburg with over 300 participants under the theme “Addressing global teacher shortages: Dignifying, diversifying and valorizing the profession.” The PDF was co-hosted by the Ministry of Basic Education of the Republic of South Africa. Several new resources were shared at the event...
By Quentin Wodon
February 20, 2024
Sharing information through short, somewhat visual fliers is often better than through longer reports, even if those reports are useful for readers who may want or may need more details. If you would like to know about IICBA in a quick and simple way. You may be interested in three new fliers.
The first flier provides highlights on IICBA for the calendar year 2023 (we will also prepare an annual report soon). Last year IICBA adopted a new strategic plan and a new motto to crystalize its mission in a few words: “Empowering teachers for all learners to thrive.” IICBA now implements...
By Eyerusalem Azmeraw, Kasumi Moritani, and Quentin Wodon
February 16, 2024
On February 16, 2024, UNESCO IICBA and the Government of Japan entered into a new grant agreement (US$3.3 million) for a two-year project to invest in teachers to promote safe and quality education for girls in West Africa. The signing ceremony was held at TICAD KAIZEN Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and graced by H.E. Mr. Yoichi Fukazawa, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Permanent Representative of Japan to the African Union (AU), H.E. Ambassador Tsutomu Nakagawa, and Ms. Simone Yankey-Ouattara , Acting Coordinator for the African Union’s...
Supporting Teachers and Learners in Contexts of Emergencies: Two New Japan-funded IICBA Projects
By Eyerusalem Azmeraw, Kasumi Moritani, and Quentin Wodon
February 14, 2024
On February 14, 2024, UNESCO IICBA and the Government of Japan entered into two new grant agreements (for a total of US$2.0 million) for projects supporting teachers and learners in contexts of emergencies. The signing ceremony was held at IICBA with the Permanent Representative of Japan to the African Union (AU), H.E. Ambassador Tsutomu Nakagawa. Both grants were approved...
Simone Yankey-Ouattara and Quentin Wodon
February 01, 2024
While nine in ten girls complete their primary education and over three in four complete their lower secondary education globally, the proportions remain much lower in sub-Saharan Africa, where just over two-thirds of girls (69 percent versus 73 percent for boys) complete their primary education and four in ten (43 percent versus 46 percent for boys) complete lower secondary education according to the latest available data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. More needs to be done to improve educational opportunities for girls in Africa, which would help end child marriage and boost countries’ economic development. Gender imbalances in education and beyond (including...
How Do Education for Peace and Transformative Pedagogy Actually Work?
Suchith Abeyewickreme, Eyerusalem Azmeraw, Kasumi Moritani, and Eleonora Mura
January 24, 2024
Today is the International Day of Education with a focus this year on learning from peace. From 2017 to 2022, UNESCO IICBA led a series of projects for peacebuilding and the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) through education with support from the Government of Japan. The projects applied a transformative pedagogy approach, embodying...
IICBA Country Pages Provide Basic Information on Education Systems
Gabriel Mekbib, Kevine Uwingabiye, and Quentin Wodon
January 17, 2024
As a service to our partners and readers, IICBA’s website now includes country pages. The webpages provide a brief introduction to selected issues and research relevant to each country’s education system and links to resources that may be useful to official of Ministries of Education and other education stakeholders. A special focus is placed on thematic areas from the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the Secretariat of the KIX Africa 19 Hub. The goal is to update the webpages at least once a year.
The country webpages start with a review of basic data on educational outcomes including learning poverty, educational attainment, and the human capital index. The focus then shifts to information related to the thematic areas of focus of the KIX Africa 19 Hub, namely: (i) learning assessment (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching & learning (iv) data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. The webpages also include links to country documents as well as a range of other resources and websites...
Empowering Education: The Transformative Role of Technology in Africa
Lawalley Cole
January 10, 2024
Access to education in Africa has undergone substantial growth in recent decades. Yet despite gains, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 57% of primary school-age children globally who lack access to education reside in this region. Today, around 97.5 million African children, from primary school age to secondary school age, do not attend school. The quality of education in Africa has also become a cause for concern, with the learning poverty rate (the inability to read and understand a simple text by age 10) for sub-Saharan Africa estimated at 86%...
African Union & AFTRA: A Partnership for Teachers in Africa
Steve Nwokeocha
January 04, 2024
The African Union is the mother organisation to all indigenous associations in Africa established to realise Africa’s dream of being a prosperous, united, and globally competitive region of the world. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA), and the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, all provided for the formation of a coalition of stakeholders to work towards the attainment of the SDGs, CESA and Agenda 2063 targets. The Africa Union has latched onto this provision to identify and work with critical international associations in Africa. One of these is the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA). This is the intergovernmental umbrella body of the Ministries of Education and national...
Teachers and Head-teachers Continuous Professional Development: Key Data Analysis for Quality Education Achievement in Sub-Saharan Africa
Astérie Nyirahabimana and Phumzile Magagula
December 18, 2023
Across sub-Saharan Africa, countries are working to ensure quality in their education systems, measured by the level of achievement in students’ learning outcomes. Quality of education hinges on numerous factors, with teachers and school leaders emerging as the most important change agents. While teachers play a pivotal role in shaping educational outcomes, many lack the necessary training to ensure effective learning among children; hence, there is an urgent need to prioritize teacher professional development and proficient school...
Insights for Researchers and Policy Makers from the 2nd KIX Research Symposium
Yvonne Mboya, Hundessa Sileshi Tafessee, and Quentin Wodon
December 11, 2023
KIX stands for Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a program that benefits from funding from the Global Partnership for Education and the International Development and Research Centre. The Second KIX Continental Research Symposium featured in this two-part blogpost was organized in Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire on October 4-6, 2023, by the KIX Africa 19 and 21 Hubs, both established in 2020. The Africa 19 Hub covers 18 English-speaking countries plus Mozambique. The Africa 21 Hub covers mostly francophone countries. Both Hubs collect, generate, exchange, and facilitate the effective use of data, knowledge, and innovation for education policy formulation and implementation in their respective GPE-eligible countries...
Inclusive Education: Reaching Children with Disabilities in Africa
Natalia Amelina, Florence Migeon, Justine Sass, Tao Zhan, and Quentin Wodon
December 4, 2023
December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Children with disabilities continue to have different educational opportunities as other children, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where many countries struggle to ensure quality education for all. UNESCO is committed to inclusive education and is organizing two webinars today on this topic. The first on disability inclusion and gender equality in education is organized by UNESCO HQ together with Plan International...
Gender Responsive Pedagogy eLearning Course Launched at FAWE Conference
By Martha Muhwezi, Helene Cron, Ikuko Shimizu, and Quentin Wodon
November 28, 2023
On November 21, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) and West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO), and UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) jointly released an online self-paced eLearning course on Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) at a plenary session of FAWE’s Triennial Conference on Girls’ Education in Nairobi. The course builds on...
By Liu Jing, Yuchi Zhao, and Quentin Wodon
November 20, 2023
On November 15, the China-Africa Deans of Education Forum was held in Beijing in the presence of two dozen Deans of Schools of Education from major universities in China and Africa. Hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU), the Forum launched the China-Africa Deans of Education Network, a platform to promote south-south exchanges on education policy and teacher professional development.
The Forum was organized by the Faculty of Education of Beijing...
Career Paths for Teachers and School Leaders: Can Collective Agreements Help?
Conrad Sackey and Quentin Wodon
November 13, 2023
As we celebrated a few weeks ago World Teachers’ Day and the contributions teachers make to our children, communities, and society, we also need to assess whether the teaching profession is attractive enough to confront the shortages of qualified teachers that many countries face. As discussed in a new study by UNESCO IICBA led by Steve Nwokeocha and Aminata Sessay, funded by the Shanghai municipality (Shanghai-FIT Project)...
Ending Violence in School and Promoting Mental Health: Learning from Africa
Delia Mamon, Dipak Naker and Quentin Wodon
November 06, 2023
November 2, was the International Day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying. The theme this year was “No place for fear: Ending school violence for better mental health and learning.” .
Violence in schools is a major issue in Africa as well as globally, and there is a strong connection between such violence, mental health, and learning outcomes....
Africa Youth Day: Celebrating Youths and Identifying Priorities for Investment
Prudence Ngwenya and Quentin Wodon
October 30, 2023
November 1 is Africa Youth Day, a day set aside every year to recognize youth as key agents for social change, economic growth, and sustainable development. Last year, His Excellency Musa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, launched the “One Million Next Level (1mNL)” initiative which aims to reach 300 million young people with opportunities in health and wellbeing, education, employment, entrepreneurship, and engagement (4Es+H). This remains the theme of the Day this year...
Strengthening The Teaching Profession: Lessons from Sierra Leone
Conrad Sackey and Quentin Wodon
October 23, 2023
World Teachers’ Day was observed last week on October 5. This is a Day to celebrate the essential contributions that teachers make to our children, communities, and society, but also a time to take stock of where we stand on ensuring that we attract the best into the teaching profession. Last week we held in Freetown a validation workshop for a new study by UNESCO IICBA on professional standards and competencies for teachers and school leaders. The study was led by Steve Nwokeocha and Aminata Sessay...
Quality Education for All: The Poor as Our Teachers?
Bruno Dabout and Quentin Wodon
October 16, 2023
“Learning to listen to those in extreme poverty requires great humility. They have so much to tell us, much more than we imagine.” This quote is from an interview by Father Joseph Wresinski with Joseph Sané in Dakar, Senegal, on November 20, 1987...
Educating Girls and Ending Child Marriage and Early Childbearing: A Priority for Nigeria
Claris Ujam and Quentin Wodon
October 12, 2023
Mrs. S. was married as a child, became pregnant, and was abandoned by her husband. She gave birth under very difficult circumstances, suffering from obstetric fistula. Her child suffered from palsy and died a few months after birth. Her story was told by Hon. Dr. Yusuf Sununu, the Minister of State for Education, who ...
Empowering Teachers for All Learners to Thrive: Launch of the IICBA Blog
Quentin Wodon
October 5, 2023
Today is World Teachers’ Day, an auspicious day to launch the IICBA blog. The blog will feature essays by IICBA staff as well as guest essays from policy makers, researchers, teachers, and other education stakeholders...
