World tips hat to education sector

Iréne-Mari van der Walt“The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing education challenges and the reliance on digital technology for learning has become a pressing need”. As the world celebrated International Education Day, the Namibian celebrations pivoted around a recent report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) on the futures of education entitled ‘Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education’. Unesco representative to Namibia, Djaffar Moussa-Elkhadum, believes that this report ties in with the need for education to be reformed in order to teach skills applicable to the 21st century. “To shape peaceful, just and sustainable futures, education itself must be transformed,” Moussa-Elkhadum said at the Education Day celebrations. He also relayed the sentiments of Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay at the occasion. “We need to repair past injustices and orient the digital transformation around inclusion and equity. And we need education to fully contribute to sustainable development – for instance, by integrating environmental education in all curricula and by training teachers in this field,” Azoulay said. Moussa Elkhadum referenced the ambiguity of the report title, saying: “Unesco recognises that in relation to education, there are multiple possible future scenarios, ranging from radical transformation to profound crisis. It suggested that the main purpose of thinking about the futures of education is to allow us to frame the present differently, to identify trajectories that might be emerging and attend to possibilities that might be opening or closing to us.”Gregor von Medeazza, representing the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) in Namibia, highlighted more localised aims for Namibian education. “The ministry of education, arts and culture identified three themes under the Strategic Plan for 2017/2018 – 2021/22 namely: Quality, equity and efficiency, and places emphasis on the meaning full participation and commitment of all stakeholders to education under the banner of ‘quality education is a shared responsibility’,” he said. He further commended the Namibian ministry of education for the efforts they have made that have received international recognition. “Covid-19 was a wake-up call for all of us, and the ministry is to be applauded for putting children’s health and education first with only minimal education disruption, especially when compared to other countries in the world.: The deputy executive director for the ministry of education, arts and culture, Edda Bohn, reminded the nation that their co-operation could transform the country’s future. “The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing education challenges and the reliance on digital technology for learning has become a pressing need. This requires urgent rebalancing and collaboration between all stakeholders,” she said.PHOTO CAPTIONS: Gregor Von Medeazza – Gregor von Medeazza of Unicef commended the Namibian ministry of education for their work amidst the pandemic. Photos Iréne-Mari van der WaltDjaffar Mouzza-Elkhadum – The Unesco representative to Namibia, Djaffar Moussa-Elkhadum, hopes that education will lead the world away from disaster. Edu day – Namibia took part in international education day celebrations this week.

World tips hat to education sector

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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World tips hat to education sector

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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