Dakar Declaration

african union education experts meeting

Dakar Declaration on 

“Assessing Learning Losses to embrace Learning Recovery for African girls”

Preamble

  1. We, the participants of the Education Experts’ Meeting held in Dakar from 21st-23rd June 2022, reaffirming our commitment to promote and advance girls' and women’s education by fast-tracking the implementation of learning recovery strategies for all girls and young women in line with Agenda 2063, CESA 16-25, SDG 4 & 5 and AU CIEFFA’s Strategic plan (2021-25), as a transformative strategy towards a people-driven development;
  1. Welcoming the joint meeting of Education Experts on “Assessing Learning Losses to embrace Learning Recovery for African girls” organized by the African Union/International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) in collaboration with the Government of Senegal and the participation of Ministers of Education representatives from AU Member States, development partners and civil society;
  1. Recalling the 6th High-Level Dialogue on 5th February 2022 on “Developing Africa’s Human, Social and Economic capital by increasing resilience of African girls through Quality nutrition and Education” organized by the African Union Commission Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone;
  1. Commending the recommendations shared by youth networks and AU/CIEFFA’s Youth alumni at the Virtual Youth Dialogue in the prelude to the Dakar Meeting organised and hosted by AU/CIEFFA.
  1. Noting with concern that progress made in girls’ and women’s education is placed under an unprecedented threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its negative impacts on learner achievements and women empowerment;
  1. Acknowledging the challenges and documented learning losses on girls and young women’s education in Africa during the COVID 19 pandemic;
  1. Applauding the commitments made by the AU Member States towards girls’ and women’s education, and efforts to ensure inclusivity of marginalised and vulnerable children and youth.
  1. Congratulating the AU Member States for sharing their countries’ best practices on learning recoveries, catch-up strategies and tools to ensure continuity of learning during COVID-19 and beyond.

Call Upon all of our AU Member States, and all state and non-state actors with the technical support of the AU/CIEFFA to:

  1. Prioritise legislative and policy reforms to guarantee re-integration and continued learning for all children, particularly for all girls and adolescents in and out of school, in formal and informal education systems, using multiple alternative learning pathways.
  1. Invest in strengthening evidence-based research on multiple vulnerabilities that impact girls’ and women’s education through data-driven advocacy to evaluate learning losses and learning recovery strategies, including gender disaggregated evidence for out-of-school learners to assist in advocacy, legislation and policy reforms.
  1. Invest in Gender-responsive School Feeding, school health and nutrition strategies to increase retention rates of girls and young women and build their nutrition resilience, supported by value-added agri-food chains.
  1. Advocate for investment and inclusion of mental health and psychosocial support to assist learners and teachers in the learning recovery process.
  1. Promote digital literacy for learners and teachers through its integration in learning recovery strategies and acceleration of digital transformation in education.
  1. Support and integrate youth voices and youth-led initiatives to facilitate learning recovery for African girls through technical support and access to small-scale grants for youth-led initiatives to assist in learning recovery strategies.
  1. Recommend for AU Member States to adopt the AfricaEducatesHer Campaign to enhance awareness around issues that have hindered girls and women from accessing education during and post COVID 19 pandemic
  2. Request the participants of this Dakar meeting to serve as champions of girls' and women’s education and establish a national learning fund to support vulnerable girls and teenage mothers.

Endorsed in Dakar, Senegal on 23rd June 2022

List of Participants (Annex 1)

 

Annex 1

AFRICAN UNION MEMBERS STATE:

  1. Botswana
  2. Burundi
  3. Cameroon
  4. Cabo Verde
  5. Central African Republic
  6. Chad
  7. Comoros
  8. Cote d'Ivoire
  9. Democratic Republic of Congo
  10. Egypt
  11. Eswatini
  12. Ethiopia
  13. Equatorial Guinea
  14. Gabon
  15. Gambia
  16. Ghana
  17. Kenya
  18. Lesotho
  19. Madagascar
  20. Mauritania
  21. Mauritius
  22. Morocco
  23. Namibia
  24. Niger
  25. Nigeria
  26. Republic of Congo
  27. Senegal
  28. Sierra Leone
  29. Tanzania
  30. Togo
  31. Uganda
  32. Zambia
  33. Zimbabwe

PARTNERS

  1. Norway
  2. UNICEF WCARO
  3. UNESCO IIEP
  4. UNGEI
  5. GPE
  6. WFP Senegal
  7. Equal Measures 2030
  8. FAWE Senegal
  9. Echidna Giving Foundation
  10. PREPARE