By Kipkemboi Toroitich
The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Education and in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, will host a high-level conference under the banner; ‘Rethinking Education for Innovation, Growth and Sustainability post-Covid-19’ from April 27-28, 2022.
The conference is held every three years and is the second largest commonwealth event afterthe Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
Fifty-four education ministers are among the top policymakers expected to gather in Nairobi for the 21st Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM).
Its main objective is to discuss key education priorities that are geared towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the.
The conference will bring together ministers from the 54-member Commonwealth, senior government officials, educators, development partners, civil society, and policymakers to share knowledge and good practices in education as the world recovers from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants will also identify areas of action and explore innovative approaches that can be adapted by member countries to develop sustainable and resilient education systems.
“Over the last two years, we have seen COVID-19 rob people around the world of their loved ones, livelihoods and so many of the usual certainties and comforts of everyday life. Its impact on young people has been especially distressing with millions of students seeing their education disrupted – schools and universities were closed, and students were forced to learn from home as a result of lockdown measures, which have also further exacerbated existing inequalities, especially among girls and marginalised communities. I commend the people and government of Kenya for their commitment to delivering a successful CCEM in Nairobi,” the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC, said.
Incoming Chair of the Education Ministerial Action Group (EMAG) and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Professor George Magoha, on his part said the COVID-19 pandemic brought education systems across the world to a near standstill.
“With the future of our children and young people on the line, we need to work together to build back better and refocus on investing in inclusive and equitable quality education,” he said, adding that countries must build resilient education systems that can address emerging issues and withstand future crises as part of measures to minimise and protect learning from disruption.
With only eight years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, a key objective of the conference will be to review and assess the progress towards achieving this goal at regional and national levels.
The conference will also assess the existing commitments and outcomes from the 2018 CCEM in Fiji, and the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London with an emphasis on equitable and inclusive education and support for marginalised groups. Some of these groups include young girls and children from disadvantaged communities.
For the first time, proceedings of this year’s conference will adopt a hybrid format with Ministers of Education invited to take part in the physical meeting in Nairobi, while those unable to travel to Kenya will participate virtually via an online platform. Outcomes on policy proposals from this meeting will inform discussions at the upcoming CHOGM expected to take place in June 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda.