Theme: "Reimagining teacher education towards a shared future"

Virtual, 15-16 June 2022

To achieve the SDGs, the development of Africa and China, and to build a community with a shared future between China and Africa, the role of teachers is crucial.

On 15-16 June, 2022, the China-Africa Education Deans Forum 2022 was held, hosted by Beijing Normal University and organized by the Faculty of Education of Beijing Normal University, the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and the UNESCO International Research and Training Center for Rural Education (INRULED). The forum was in English, Chinese and French with interpretation in English and Chinese.

To achieve the SDGs, the development of Africa and China, and to build a community with a shared future between China and Africa, the role of teachers is crucial.

On 15-16 June, 2022, the China-Africa Education Deans Forum 2022 was held, hosted by Beijing Normal University and organized by the Faculty of Education of Beijing Normal University, the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) and the UNESCO International Research and Training Center for Rural Education (INRULED). The forum was in English, Chinese and French with interpretation in English and Chinese.

The objectives of the forum were to build a platform for knowledge sharing and policy dialogue, to discuss and reflect on teacher-related issues at the local, national and international levels, and to build a China-Africa community with a shared future innovatively and cooperatively.

HE. Professor Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI), and more than 200 participants, researchers, practitioners and policy makers in the field of teacher education in China and in Africa attended the forum.

The Forum consisted of keynote speeches, three parallel sessions and a plenary session.

•    Day 1 – Opening and Keynote Speeches

On the first day of the opening session and keynote speeches, moderated by Prof. ZHU Xudong, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, the People's Republic of China, opening remarks were delivered by four speakers. They all stressed the indispensable role of quality teachers in ensuring quality education in China and Africa.

Speakers:

-          Prof. ZHOU Zuoyu, Vice President, Beijing Normal University, the People's Republic of China

-          Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki, Director, UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (lICBA)

-          Mr. DU Yue, African Department, Priority Africa and External Relations, UNESCO

-          H.E. Prof. Mohamed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science Technology and innovation (ESTI), African Union

-          Mr. QIN Changwei, Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, the People's Republic of China

Subsequently, focusing on the theme, the role of teacher education was discussed in depth. Five keynote speakers delivered their speeches and discussed how to establish and ensure teacher education with high quality in the complex post-epidemic context and exploring new models of cooperation between TEIs in China and Africa. The session was moderated by Prof. ZENG Xiaodong, Executive Director, UNESCO INRULED.

Keynote speakers were:

“Teacher Development in China: Past, Present and Future”

-          Prof. REN Youqun, Director-General, Department of Teacher Education, Ministry of Education, the People's Republic of China

“Teachers and Teacher Education in Africa”

-          Mr. Dennis Sinyolo, Chief Regional coordinator, Education International/Africa and Chairperson of the AUC Teacher Cluster

“Rethinking the Comparative Advantages of Chinese Teacher Education Textbooks on the Basis of Content Analysis Evidence from the United States”

-          Prof, 211U Xudong, Dean of Faculty of Education, Being Normal University, the People's Republic of China

“Building Teacher Education Institutes in Africa:”

-          Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, President of Africa Federation for Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) & Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Nigeria

This well-informed presentation generated passionate comments and in-depth discussions from meeting participants.

•  Day 2 – Three parallel sessions focusing on the following themes:

Parallel Session 1: Technology-enhanced Teacher Education: Achievements and Challenges

Moderated by Mr Saliou Sall, Senior Program Coordinator, UNESCO IICBA, this session reviewed the implications of new technology for the inclusion, equity, and quality of teacher preparation, training and development. Deans of Education from China and Africa shared their experiences of harnessing technology for quality teacher preparation and in-service professional development. Evidence-informed practices were shared, challenges in different social and economic contexts were discussed and future cooperation was explored.

The presentations covered the following topics:

“Digital Transformation of Teacher Education: Thoughts and Practice”

-          Prot. XIA Lixin, Vice President of Central China Normal University (CCNU)

Dean of Faculty of Artificial Intelligence in Education, CCNU, the People's Republic of China

“Learning Community of Practice Supporting Effective Connected Learning during Teacher Continuous Professional Development”

-          Mr. Maurice Nkusi, Acting Director, Teaching and Learning Unit, Namibia

University of Science and Technology, Namibia

“Boosting Principals’ Information Literacy: Education Leadership Training for School Principals in Rural China”

-          Dr. ZENG Haijun, Vice Dean. Smart Learning Institute of Being Normal University, the People's Republic of China

“Online and Distance Learning (ODL) In Africa: Teacher Development in Focus”

-          Dr. Temechegn Engida, Programme Officer, UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (UNESCO-IICBA)

Parallel Session 2: Quality Teachers for Rural Schools: Policy, Practice and Research Evidence

Moderated by Dr. LIAO Wei, Lecturer, Centre for Teacher Education Research, BNU, the People's Republic of China, Deans of School of Education or Teacher Education from both sides addressed issues of preparing qualified teachers for rural schools. Policies, evidence-based research and innovative practices were shared in terms of teacher qualification, relevance of teacher education programmes and teacher support in rural areas.

The presentations covered the following topics:

“Improving the quality of teachers and teaching in rural schools of Ethiopia”

-          Dr. Tadesse Melesse, Immediate Past Dean, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

“Rebuilding the New – Era “Normal School Students" – Developing a Long Term and Thorough Training System for Primary School Teachers in Context of Rural Education Revitalization”

-          Prof. WU Zhihui, Dean, Graduate School, Northeast Normal University, the People's Republic of China

-          Mr. Malick Diaby, National Project Officer, UNESCO Abidjan Office

“Practice of local Teacher Education Institutions on Promoting Rural Teachers Professional Development: A Case from Guangxi Normal University”

-          Prof. YANG Manqing, Dean, College of Teacher Education and Vice Dean Faculty of Education, Guangxi Normal University, the People's Republic of China

Parallel Session 3: Education toward Peace and a Community with a Shared Future

It was moderated by Dr. Josephine Esaete, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Makerere University, Uganda. In this session, representatives shared practices, challenges, and plans to train teachers as agents of change with knowledge and attitudes that permit every student to work on building a peaceful and a shared future for humankind.

The presentations covered the following topics:

“The Concept and Practice of Peace Education in China”

-          Prof. LIU Cheng, Holder of UNFSCO Chair on Peace Studies, Nanjing University, the People's Republic of China

“Transformative pedagogy: The case of Kenya”

-          Ms. Mary Kangethe, Director, Education Programme, National Commission for UNESCO. Kenya

“Further Practically Promote China-Africa Educational Cooperation and the Cultivation of Outstanding Talents”

-          Prof. LIU Hongwu, Dean, Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University the People's Republic of China

“Infusing Peace Education and prevention of violent extremism in Teacher education and refugee settlement communities in Uganda”

-          Mr. Kansume Edward, Lecturer, School of Education, Makerere University, Uganda

At the end of the parallel sessions, rapporteurs from the three parallel sessions gave feedback on the results of each session during the plenary session.

•  Partnership and Future Cooperation

Further to the keynote speeches and parallel sessions, the plenary session reviewed the policies, practices and issues addressed in the three parallel sessions and focused on approaches to build up and strengthen stronger partnership and create cooperation opportunities to generate innovation for sustainable development. This session was moderated by Dr. ZIA0 Yuchi, Deputy Director, UNESCO INRULED.

On the panel there were:

-          Dr. Yumiko Yokozeki, Director, UNESCO IICBA

-          Prof YU Kai, Vice Dean, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, The People's Republic of China

-          Dr. Tadesse Melesse, Immediate Past Dean, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

Panelists also made a brief conclusion for the forum respectively thanking the People's Republic of China, all the organizers, and participants. The forum has strongly promoted the development of relations between China and Africa.

You can see updates and resources from a variety of IICBA events and programs on its website: http://www.iicba.unesco.org/  and its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/iicba and https://twitter.com/UNESCOIICBA.

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