African experts and policymakers in the education sector are exploring ways to motivate educators so that they remain more focused and dedicated to the profession.

The participants, drawn from over 10 African countries are in Kigali, are collectively analyzing the different reports done on the best strategies that can be adopted to motivate educators who will then champion the quality education the continent is yearning for.

The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Education in partnership with Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).

In his opening remarks on Monday, Dr Eugene Mutimura, the Minister of Education emphasized the importance of the meeting;

“The gathering contributes much to the development of the education since it tackles teachers’ welfare and quality education. The results are expected to be impactful to the progress of the sector as well as harmonising the strategies of teaching and learning environments of our countries,” he said.

Mutimura said Rwanda was looking forward to sharing with participants about progress registered in using technology in schools as well as gains made in the Technical Vocation Education and Training as part of the strategies to achieve a knowledge-based economy.

According to Shem Okore Bodo, the Acting Executive Secretary of ADEA, African countries have to come up with sustainable measures to improve teachers’ welfare so that they stay focused on their profession.

“Many years ago teaching profession was at high level regardless of how much salary educators would get. Though motivation is necessary, teachers have to look inwards going beyond just looking at the money and see how they can bring back the value of the teaching profession.

Some countries managed to come up with methods to support teachers for instance in Rwanda where the government had taken an initiative of one cow per a teacher for motivation,” Bodo said.

He added that to ensure sustainable quality of education, African countries need to change the assessment system from national examination to competence-based system that focuses on identifying talent at an early age, pushing the students from every stage without waiting for examinations.

Angel Mutale Kaliminwa, Principal Examinations Specialist at the Examinations Council of Zambia, said that teachers still crave for a teaching environment that is conducive saying that in most cases, teachers come as an afterthought, which greatly impacts the quality of education.

“Governments often times come up with all sorts of policies to boost education but at times forget the implementers who are the teachers. If they are not motivated, expectations from the policies will not be achieved,” Kaliminwa added.