Expertise

1. Teachers: Improving the quality of teachers is critical. The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. UNESCO ROSA works on equipping teachers to handle the emerging challenges of diversity, first generation learners and multilingual contexts in the classroom, juxtaposed with new curricular demands. The Office supports development of a comprehensive teacher policies, teacher standards and competence frameworks and establishment of professional teacher councils both national and regional levels. 
2. Literacy - UNESCO ROSA supports programmes and activities to develop quality literacy materials for literacy educators and learners through integrating mother language in literacy teaching and learning. 
3. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) - Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 acknowledges the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) under targets: 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5. TVET also contributes to other SDGs such as SDG3 (health workforce), SDG8 (inclusive growth and decent work), SDG9 (infrastructure) and SDG13 (climate). UNESCO ROSA supports countries in the region to enhance the relevance of their TVET systems, equip young people with the skills required for employment, decent work, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning as well as policy reviews/development.
4. Higher education - UNESCO ROSA works to promote higher education reforms that would increase access and equity to higher education. The Office pursues capacity building in quality assurance, particularly in light of cross border provision and also supports the identification of initiatives that promote effective use of ICT in post-secondary teaching, learning and research. It encourages Southern African countries to ratify and implement Conventions on higher education such as the Revised Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees and Other Academic Qualifications in Higher Education in African States. 
5. Education for Sustainable Development - Target 4.7 of SDG 4 on education addresses ESD and related approaches such as Global Citizenship Education. UNESCO coordinates the implementation of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on ESD and closely works with key partners to generate and scale-up ESD action. UNESCO aims to improve access to quality education on sustainable development at all levels and in all social contexts, to transform society by reorienting education and help people develop knowledge, skills, values and behaviours needed for sustainable development. The Office is currently implementing a capacity building programme for teacher educators on Education for Sustainable Development in Southern Africa dubbed Sustainability Starts with Teachers.
6. Health and well-being education - UNESCO ROSA works to strengthen the links between education and health, reflecting growing international recognition that a more comprehensive approach to school health and coordinated action across sectors is needed. The Office supports the delivery of good quality comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) that empowers adolescents and young people, and builds agency while developing the skills, knowledge, attitudes and competencies required for preventing HIV, reducing early and unintended pregnancies and eliminating gender based violence. Upstream, UNESCO ROSA supports governments to put in place national policy and frameworks that provide an enabling environment for the implementation of CSE.

UNESCO ROSA Culture programme’s strategy aims at working with our partner-countries in:

• Identifying, protecting and conserving cultural and natural heritage through the effective implementation of the 1972 Convention;
• Enhancing the protection of cultural property and fighting against its illicit traffic through the effective implementation of the 1954, 1970 and 2001 Conventions;
• Safeguard the intangible cultural heritage through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention;
• Sustaining and promoting the diversity of cultural expressions through the effective implementation of the 2005 Convention;
• Promoting intercultural dialogue, social cohesion and a culture of peace and non- violence.

The other objective is to contribute to “building knowledge societies” through universal access to information and knowledge. Interventions that address building knowledge societies in Southern Africa mostly fall under the Information for All Programme (IFAP), and these include:

• The establishment and strengthening of national IFAP committees;
• The strengthening of universal access to information;
• The promotion of information ethics, particularly the teaching of information ethics in education institutions;
• The implementation of the “Youth Mobile” initiative.