The Meeting of Senior Experts of the First Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Education, Science and Technology (EST) was held at the AU Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 26-30 October. UNESCO IICBA attended the meeting as a development partner of the AUC.

The African Union Commission (AUC) underscores the need to provide a new trajectory for Education and STI as the First STC meeting on Education, Science and Technology commences. The STC is expected to monitor programme development and implementation by the RECs to ensure a holistic and collective approach towards Africa’s social-economic growth and advancement. On the meeting’s opening ceremony clear call was sent that “education, Science and Technology sectors go hand in hand and should effectively drive Africa’s social and economic development and accelerate the transition of African countries to innovation-led, knowledge-based economies.”

UNESCO IICBA, represented by director Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki, was invited to the meeting as a key partner of the AUC on teacher development. In her presentation, Dr. Yokozeki addressed IICBA’s recent focus on ICT use in teacher education, teacher training in emergencies, teacher qualification standards, and south-south cooperation in teacher development. She also highly valued the achievements of AUC and IICBA’s joint efforts in the field of teacher education in Africa, and expressed her expectation of having closer cooperation with the new STC on EST in the future.

Science, technology, and innovation, as highlighted components of the African Agenda 2063, are considered “the major drivers and enablers of the African Union’s developmental goals.” There is a strong need to “promote science, technology, research and innovation, with the ultimate aim of building knowledge, human resource capabilities and skills for Africa’s future.”

Further information about the meeting: http://hrst.au.int/en/STC/STE