ADEA’s Commitment to Skills Development, Secondary, and STEM Education

In recognizing the unique challenges posed by Africa's youthful population, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) emphasizes the pivotal role of skills development. ADEA's commitment targets empowering these youth, particularly females, by enhancing accessible vocational training programs, aligned with the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 and its Strategy for technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

Considering the complexities of the African economic landscape, notably the prevalent informal economy, ADEA advocates for aligning educational supply with labor market demands. This includes integrating private sector insights into TVET strategic planning, to ensure that training is both relevant and comprehensive.

Similarly, ADEA acknowledges that secondary education serves as a vital bridge from primary education to higher learning or vocational training, preparing youths for diverse future roles. This level of education is essential for unlocking the continent’s potential and fostering sustainable development, in accordance with the AU Agenda 2063.

ADEA champions Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. It recognizes its role in fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation-skills critical in a technologically driven world. This commitment extends to improving the quality and reach of STEM education across Africa, reflecting its importance in national development strategies.

Additionally, its focus on digital and green transitions aims to equip youth with essential digital skills and integrate environmental awareness into all levels of education. ADEA also focuses on enhancing the management capabilities of educational stakeholders and professionalizing training for educators, which are crucial for aligning educational outputs with the dynamic needs of the labor market.

ADEA’s Approach to Skills Development, Secondary, and STEM Education

ADEA has progressed, since its 2012 Triennale, from traditional Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to a more versatile Technical and Vocational Skills Development (TVSD). This shift of paradigm incorporates Africa's informal sector, focusing on enhancing employability while ensuring equal acknowledgment of all qualifications and broadening opportunities for learners and workers.

The Association champions the recognition of diverse interconnected learning paths, including formal and non-formal. It aims to develop demand driven education and training systems by incorporating common core skills and redefining the nexus between general education and TVET. Its holistic approach emphasizes providing essential skills for sustainable development, fostering an environmentally conscious approach, and promoting equity and inclusion.

ADEA actively shapes secondary education in Africa, leveraging insights from the continent's youth, who are pivotal yet often overlooked in policy formulation. In 2018, ADEA enlisted six Youth Ambassadors from over 1,500 candidates to infuse young perspectives into educational strategies, by tailoring secondary education to better suit the demands of the future workplace. Hence ADEA calls for the ‘vocationalization’ of secondary education and for key strategies such as:

• Expanding access to secondary education, especially for marginalized groups.
• Aligning the secondary education curriculum with rapidly evolving job market needs, including for digital and green skills.
• Implementing relevant competency-based curricula to prepare young people for work.
• Promoting entrepreneurship and work-readiness in secondary schools and TVET centers.
• Emphasizing quality teaching and learning, while fostering lifelong learning.

At the same time, ADEA advocates for learners' engagement with STEM subjects from a young age all through higher levels, supported by parents and caregivers, as well as trained teachers. The latter play a vital role in linking children's natural curiosity to scientific concepts, which explains that central to ADEA's strategy is the professional development of STEM teachers. This involves integrating active learning and critical thinking into STEM teaching, coupled with the emphasis on practical applications and problem-solving in curricula.

Furthermore, the Association prioritizes culturally relevant and contextualized STEM education, aligning learning materials and methods with the diversity of contexts. This includes using indigenous knowledge systems and local resources. ADEA also focuses on making STEM education accessible and inclusive, particularly for girls and underrepresented groups, thereby fostering a capable generation to drive sustainable development and innovation in Africa.

ADEA’s Achievement Highlights in TVSD, Secondary, and STEM Education

Achievement Highlights in TVSD:

• Strategic Insights: Featuring key studies, including on training continuity and work arrangements in Africa, with a focus on adapting TVSD to the broader context.
• Inter-Country Quality Node on TVSD (ICQN-TVSD): A platform led by Côte d'Ivoire since 2010, enhancing policy reform and sharing best practices among member countries.
• High-Level Policy Dialogue Forums (HLPDF) and Ministerial Conferences: Pivotal platforms in adopting policies and strategies that prioritize vocational and technical education in secondary schools. Examples include: The 2019 HLPDF in South Africa on Preparing youth for jobs and the 2014 Ministerial Conference on Youth Employment.
• Forum for Promoters of the Education-Training-Integration Continuum in the UEMOA region: Video in French.

Achievement Highlights in Secondary Education:

• Strategic Insights: shaping secondary education policies, including curriculum vocationalization in Ghana and Zimbabwe based on their respective national contexts.
• Inter-Country Quality Node on Secondary Education (ICQN-SE): a platform for collaborative dialogue and action, promoting inclusive and vocational secondary education policies.
• Network for African Learning Assessment (NALA): This initiative is a strategic move by ADEA to support national assessment system reforms with a focus on secondary education.

Achievement Highlights in STEM Education:

• Strategic Insights: Include engagement and resource development, through pioneering situational analyses to tailor STEM education. and developing tools like STEM toolkits and strategic frameworks.
• Inter-Country Quality Node on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN-MSE): This expert group focuses on African-led STEM education policies and practices, aligning with both continental and global goals.
• High-Level Policy Dialogue and Events: ADEA’s forums provide platforms for launching and discussing in-depth reports and recommendations on STEM Education.

Explore TVSD, Secondary Education, and STEM Education across Africa in our eLibrary.