[Nozipho Tshabalala] Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. And also, as we say in Africa, bonjour, bom dia, Salam Aleikum. Good afternoon, and thank you so much for making the time to be here. Closer to home in South Africa, we say sawubona, dumelang, [unintelligible], avuxeni, and so much more. It's a very, very warm welcome to this special launch edition of the World Bank's 30th edition of Africa's Pulse, and that, of course, is the Africa's Pulse report. Maybe an even more special welcome to my alma mater, to the University of Pretoria. It is such a pleasure to be back home and to be facilitating this conversation from here. My name is Nozipho Tshabalala, and it is an absolute privilege to be serving you as the moderator of this very important conversation for the continent. And yes, you've heard me right. I've been intentional about using the word “continent” because the conversation we're about to have is truly, truly regional. Allow me to firstly start off with some special shoutouts to all of the seven watch parties across the continent that are tuned in and ready to engage in the conversation. I believe that you can see them on the screen behind me, but I'm also going to ask them to give us really, really big waves as a way of noting that they are here. So, to the faculty and students in Botswana, dumalang to you. Can you give us a big wave if you're in Botswana? Botswana, are you in the house? Can we see you there as Botswana? Let's give them a big round of applause. Welcome, Botswana. [Applause]
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic. Let's make our way to East Africa. We've got faculty and students from the University of Nairobi as well as from Strathmore University. Kenya, give us a wave. There they are. Let's give them a big round of applause. Welcome, Kenia. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] Thank you so much for being here. As you can see, they're all at the different World Bank Africa offices. Let me make my way down to Madagascar. Bonjour, Madagascar. Are you here with us? Can you give us a wave? Let's see. Am I seeing a small wave? There they are in the corner. Let's give a big welcome to Madagascar. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] Of course, in Madagascar, we have students and faculty from a public university as well as a really renowned private human sciences university that's joined the watch party. I want to my way to West Africa, and I'm going to ask for a special shoutout from the faculty and the students from Gabon, if you're in Gabon, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Niger, from the African Development University as well as the University Abdou of Niamey. Give us a special wave if you're in West Africa, please. Let's see how big that group is. There we go. That's a very big watch party. Let's give them a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] It's a warm, warm welcome to everyone. Thank you to all of you who've connected from across the continent with us. We are just so excited to be in a conversation with you. Of course, we've got a global community that's connected on World Bank Live, and they are going to be participating through watching and engaging on the live stream. To everyone who would be sharing some of the insights and the sound bites that we're going to be hearing today, we are going to be using a hashtag across the continent, and the hashtag is #AfricasPulse. And so, please do share. I'm interested not only in pictures, but like I said, some sound bites, some insights, interesting stats that you hear today. Before I get into our run of show and how we're going to run through the program, I do want to say that the team, and this is important for the context of the conversation, the World Bank Africa team was running a really interesting poll in the weeks leading up to this conversation. In that poll, they asked us the question, “which skills should be prioritized today in Africa?” And of course, assuming that math and reading were a given, they didn't include that in the options because we know those are foundational and critical, but they did give us four options. And in those four options, this is what you told us. You said digital skills, uncontested, right at the top. You said agriculture and business development come tied, second. Isn't that interesting? And then lastly, and hear this well, almost no one chose a foreign language. Isn't that interesting? Because I think if we had this conversation a decade ago, 20 years ago, a foreign language potentially would be right at the top as we think about opportunities in the global market. So, these are little threads that we're going to be pulling into the conversation. And this is how this conversation is going to take place. I'm going to kick us off with inviting someone very special to all of us, of course, that being the World Bank Country Director that looks after South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini, to come and extend the official opening remarks, official introductions. We're then going to transition into a fireside chat. I love the language of using “fireside” because when we think about fireside in the African context, we think about close and intimate and warm, right? And so, this conversation is going to be all of that and more. We're going to get into the life story of the World Bank's Chief Economist for sub-Saharan Africa and why his life story actually really matters when we think about what this report is telling us. And then from there, we're going to go into a panel discussion with experts from across the continent, and more importantly, we're going to open up the conversation so that all of you joining us in the room, online, are going to be able to share your questions and your comments in this conversation. Without further ado, please help me welcome Madame Satu Kahkonen, the World Bank Country Director, to please give us her opening remarks. [Applause] [Music]
[Satu Kahkonen] Thank you, Nozi. I'm very, very happy to be here today. I don't see a completely full room, but I know that we have a lot of people online basically following this. Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. All protocols observed. Now, on behalf of the World Bank, it's my great pleasure to welcome you all to the launch of the 30th edition of Africa's Pulse. The theme of this edition is “Transforming Education for Inclusive Growth.” I'm particularly pleased that South Africa was selected to be the host for the first in-person launch of the Pulse. It's quite an honor for us, quite an honor for South Africa. I welcome you all, those people online, to Pretoria, to watch us here in the room at the University of Pretoria. We are very honored to have all of you with us today. Given the theme the form of the report that we launch, it is very appropriate that we have this launch at the university with young people who are preparing to join the workforce of the future. We need you, the young, the young in this room, and the young on the online, in particular to engage on education issues in Africa. But before we start, I would like to extend special thanks to our gracious hosts, the University of Pretoria and the Future Africa Center. Today, they are represented by Professor Loretta Feris, Vice Principal of Academic. Very warm welcome to you. We are happy to have you with us. [Applause] [Satu Kahkonen] Now, as many of you know, 2024 has been designated as the year of education by the African Union. It came with the call for all governments to accelerate progress towards achieving quality education for all. The importance of investing in education to boost productivity and ensure prosperous future in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the main messages of the report that we launched today. African countries are facing pressing challenge of equipping their young and rapidly growing populations with quality education and technical skills. It is estimated that about 12 million young Africans are entering the job market every year. And by 2050, sub-Saharan Africa will have the largest and youngest workforce in the whole world. Therefore, the provision of quality education is of paramount importance. It is necessary to ensure that the very large young workforce of the future will be an asset and not a liability. Now, education is a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments to reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It is the necessary foundation for any economic prosperity. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income, and is the most important factor to ensure equity and inclusion. I come from Finland, and I can attest to that. Given that, investing in education is simply smart economic policy. Our dream in the World Bank is for all children to have education and skills to realize their potential. The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world. We are working on education in 94 countries across the globe, and we are committed to helping reach the fourth Sustainable Development Goal that is focusing on access to quality education. In addition, education is a regional priority for the World Bank in Africa, along with the universal access to energy. We plan to work with governments to make an even bigger push in this area. Now, we are in South Africa, and in South Africa, harnessing education to transform young people's futures is critical. However, there are challenges. Unfortunately, there's a learning crisis in South Africa, and the COVID-related school closures only compounded to it. In 2019, before the pandemic hit, the learning poverty rate, that's defined as a share of children unable to read or understand a simple text by age 10, was already estimated to be 57% in low and middle-income countries across the world. It surged to an estimated 72% in 2022. These are eye-popping numbers; but unfortunately, the situation in South Africa is even worse. In South Africa, learning poverty stood at 79% in 2016 and rose to a whopping 81% in 2021. These numbers are very, very worrisome. The learning crisis is severe, but it can be overcome. I'm saying it can be overcome because other countries in the world have turned around their education systems. So, if other countries have done it, South Africa can also do it, but it requires determination and it requires decisive action. So, if there's a will, there is a way. I'm confident that South Africa will have the will and will have the way. By law, all children must attend school, but just showing up in a classroom is It's not enough. It is our responsibility to ensure that those children who show up, that they also acquire knowledge and skills while they are in that classroom. Now, education cannot do it alone. Much also has to go right in other sectors of the economy for economies to prospect and grow. For example, economic growth requires that the investment climate is good so that the demand for labor and skilled labor is high; but education and higher levels of learning, in particular, are fundamental to driving economic progress. With that in mind, I extend my appreciation to all of you for joining us today. This is a very important discussion that we will have. I look forward to a very stimulating discussion from our Chief Economist, Andrew Dabalen, from the esteemed panelists, and from everyone who is in this room or who is connected online. Thank you very much. [Applause] [Music]
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Madame Kahkonen, thank you for reminding us who this conversation is for. It is for the 12 million young Africans who every year go knocking on the doors of the labor market, and for many of whom the doors remain closed. This is who we need to have this conversation for. And so with that, I'm going to now invite Dr. Andrew Dabalen to please come and join me up in the front. Let's give him a warm, warm round of applause. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] I'm going to invite you to take this seat right here. And of course, if you're joining us online, please follow in this conversation because he will be joining the panel discussion straight afterwards. And so, you might have some questions for him that I'm going to ask you to keep in your back pocket so that we put them to him at the end. Andrew, I think oftentimes in these conversations, we make the mistake of jumping to, what does the report say? What are the insights? What are the big messages? What's the executive summary? And we don't oftentimes just pause to understand what is the alignment between what the report is telling us and the story of the people who put so much time and effort into producing it. So, take us back. I want you to take us to your young days as a young Kenyan man, your education experience, and why that experience matters in the context of this 30th edition.
[Andrew Dabalen] Well, first of all, Nozi, thank you so much for this conversation. If you just indulge me one minute, I want to, first of all, welcome all the watch parties. It's a pleasure to be with you and for you to join. I also just want to thank the University of Pretoria and the Africa Future Campus for their host. I couldn't lose sight of the fact that we are sitting today at the University of Pretoria, which is one of the best universities in South Africa, one of the best universities in Africa, at their Future Africa campus, talking about the future of Africa, which will be led by people like you and those who have joined online who will actually be driving the productivity and future of Africa's growth. I just thought I should take note of that, and acknowledge the fact that there is some form of symbolism and aspiration that have fused together here. Now, your question about how I started in Kenya. I was born to a pastoralist family in northern Kenya, less than a decade after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule. Now, if you don't understand what pastoralism is, these are people who move around with their livestock, cows, cattle, camel, goats, and sheep, and so on in search of pasture and water. In one fateful year, during that mobility, they ended up near a trading post which is one of the main roads that connects Northern Kenya to the rest of Kenya, and where there was a school, a missionary school that happened to be there. One Kenyan policymaker arrived, education officer came to the village and asked the elders if they will send some of the children from the village to the school. Now, it turns out the school was starved of children because a lot of the villages that are around the school and the trading posts were also moving around. They will be there for a few months and then they'll be off to another place. Miraculously, the elders decided that they're going to send one child per family from the village to the school. Then the question of who goes to that school came up.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Because you had other siblings, right?
[Andrew Dabalen] Yeah, we had other siblings. My elder brother couldn't go because of traditional reasons. They're the custodians of the family tradition, and for ceremonial reasons, he couldn't go. I had an older sister. The whole school system was very foreign at the time, so they didn't really trust that they would send their daughters to the school. My younger siblings were very, very young. They couldn't go. So I ended up going to school for that reason. So one morning, off we all go, a whole bunch of us, boys, to this school. A few weeks later, the village left, and so we were in a boarding school, and I've been in a boarding school since then. But the thing that matters, I think, to remember is that once I was in the school, I actually really liked it. I was curious. I really was excited by the idea of reading. The math itself wasn't that complicated because I could count livestock, I could add, divide. Those I could do. It was the reading that really made the difference. As I stayed on, the incredible opportunities and possibilities just opened up. I could imagine myself being a teacher. I could imagine myself, one year, I would be a teacher, the other year, I would be a doctor, I could be a government official. The idea of not being tied, my occupation not being tied to either livestock ownership or land was incredibly transformative and was an eye opener. And in the end, I ended up being an economist, and here we are talking about African economy.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] And an economist that can count because I think that's important. But I think you've raised quite a couple of really important insights here, Andrew. You talk about the opening up of possibility. You talk about an unleashing of imagination. You talk about a decoupling of your starting point to where you might be. I sit next to you now as Chief Economist for the World Bank for the region. You talk about a transformation. I suppose my question to you is that if you look at, and I'm going to just grab it here.
[Andrew Dabalen] Yes, indeed. [Nozipho Tshabalala] If you look at the title of the report, it says “Transforming Education for Inclusive Growth.” [Andrew Dabalen] Indeed. [Nozipho Tshabalala] We have to bring and pull the inclusive growth conversation into here. My question to you is, as a Chief Economist, you have a line of sight of the health of African economies. What does the report tell us about that health? If you could give us a broad overview of what the outlook looks like. [Andrew Dabalen] Indeed. Thank you for that question. If you have some time, please pick up the report and read it, but I will summarize it in four points. The first one is that I think we should celebrate the progress that the region has made… [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. [Andrew Dabalen] …in the last few years. A couple of years ago, we were all worried about inflation going completely out of control in the region and completely disrupting economic life, people's livelihood, and so on. That battle has been won for the most part, not completely, for the most part. Inflation is down from 7% to about 5% median. 70% of the countries are within targets that they consider low enough to be comfortable. The second point is that that progress is basically underguarding a modest recovery that we begin to see. GDP is going up to about 3% this year in the region from about 2.4%, right? This is mostly because of recovery from private consumption. Households’ budgets are getting better because of investments. When you look at sectors, it's mostly because of recovery in tourism, retail, telecommunications and so on. The third point, which is a summary of the report, is that even though there is progress, we make the case that we observe that, in fact, this progress is in slow gear. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. [Andrew Dabalen] It's not fast enough because of staggering debt service costs, because our big economic giants are not performing to potential. Here, I have to say, South Africa is one of those big giants. Nigeria is another one. Then there is, of course, the fact that there are always these conflicts, these extreme weather events, such as the drought in Southern Africa that is dragging down growth. That's that. Now, this low gear, this low speed is not at all leading to a reduction in poverty and inequality. It's not inclusive enough. That's the argument we're making. In order to be able to actually make growth more inclusive, we are proposing in the report a paradigm shift in what actually underguards growth in Africa going forward, and that is a healthy, well-educated, and skilled population. That is the summary of the report.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] So, that paradigm shift, which is the promise of education, really. If we now contextualize it in Africa and we say, we know that globally, it's a given, you've shared it with us, we've also it from the research that education does have the possibility of becoming a huge accelerator of not only growth, but of inclusive growth, and in particular, productivity-based growth. Where do Africa's education systems feature in that picture? One. But more importantly, what is the opportunity for these education systems to become real leavers and enablers of inclusive growth?
[Andrew Dabalen] Thank you. So, I would say that if we are really candid with each other, the African education currently is not a major driver of economic or inclusive broad-based growth, but the window is not closed. We have a window, and I'll explain a little bit about the window. Now, why? Let's first celebrate the progress. Access has improved enormously. A few decades ago, we would be worried that, in fact, there would be a lot of children who will be left behind. I think right now we have almost universal access to primary education. Primary completion rates are up in the 80s, 80% and so on across the board. Parity between boys and girls being in primary school has also been mostly achieved in most places, with a few exceptions. Even in secondary education, there is a doubling of enrollment rates. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. [Andrew Dabalen] Having said that, the human capital index is only 40%. Let me explain what that means. If an African child born today, an African child born today, in 18 years, will only be 40% as productive as a child who has had a full complement of health, education, and nutrition. That is not a foundation for really jumpstarting and accelerating broad-based growth. The reason why that human capital index is low is precisely the things that I think Satu Kahkonen completely laid out and the report contains, which is that foundational learning outcomes are really low. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. [Andrew Dabalen] For example, proficiency in either mathematics or in reading after children complete primary education is very low. So, 9 out of 10 kids are not proficient in math. 7 out of 10 are not proficient in reading. And more importantly, education. The kinds of students that are here, there are only 10% of students who are in tertiary education. And then in TVET, it's less than 2%. In Africa, we want to catch up with the rest of the world. That's the goal. We need to be able to use the technologies that are out there in the world to be able to infuse our factories, our offices, our homes with these technologies to improve our productivity. To do that, we need skilled young people. Right now, that is not there, but there is a window. There's a window. So, education pays off after a while. As Satu was saying, in 25 years, in about a generation's time, the working-age population in Africa will double. There is real urgency in trying to invest in the current generation and the ones who are in the system, the ones who are coming in and the ones who are in the system, to flip these statistics so that the foundational learning outcomes are nine out of 10 being proficient rather than the other way around.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] I love the analogy that you use that the window is not yet closed or is not fully closed. How do we open it wide open? Where I'm going with this question is, you're calling for, and the report is calling for, a paradigm shift. You have emphasized the need for action and for urgent action. We also understand that there are trade offs that might have to be made in terms of fiscal priorities. What are perhaps the three things that we need to be thinking about courageously on the continent? Essentially, the question I'm asking you is who needs to do what?
[Andrew Dabalen] Yeah, exactly. Okay, so everyone has a role to play here, but let's start with the policymakers, because that is where we need to begin. The education policymakers or even at the national level, the presidencies, the prime ministers, and so on. There you need to set a vision, you need to set policies that are right, and you need to provide the resources that are needed, financial, physical infrastructure, political support. That is all necessary. You have to set in place a monitoring and assessment system to be able to track whether, in fact, the learning outcomes are making progress. That's the first group of people who have... Then within the system within the education sector, of course, there are the stakeholders. There are the administrators, there are the teachers, the families and parents who need to actually hold each other accountable to make sure that the teachers are not absent, that they're delivering, but they're also supported, that the teachers are also supported with coaching, the right materials, with upgrading of their skills and professionalization, and then pay them decently. That is important. We shouldn't forget that. That's important. The next big thing, of course, is there's a lot... This is a third point, which is there's a lot that can be gained right now in efficiently allocating resources in education, because what we see is these massive differences in outcomes, even though countries are spending exactly the same amount. This huge differences in learning outcomes for the same amount of spending across countries or the other way around, which is vastly different levels of spending, which leads to the same learning outcomes. So, there's a lot of efficiency, again, that can be made by just reallocating resources within the education system.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Just before we wrap, I just want to make sure that I'm understanding you correctly, Andrew, is that for the longest time, when we've been talking about education on the continent, our conversation has really been around access and enrollment numbers and pushing the throw. What I'm almost hearing you say is it's access plus quality, it's access plus a skilled teaching workforce, it's access plus an enabling policy. It's access plus data that enables us to continue our monitoring and evaluation, and I could continue. But the point I'm making is that it's not just an access challenge that we have. There's just a whole lot more we've got to do, to Madame Satu's point, really look at smart policy that delivers. [Andrew Dabalen] Absolutely. That's a fantastic summary. I think the paradigm paradigm shift should be from access to universal access to universal access and universal learning. That will be the paradigm that will completely disrupt the education system that we have at the moment in the region, in the generations to come.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] You've highlighted a couple of things to be done. I'm going to invite the panelists to help us figure out some of the how, and their experience and their insights, to get their insights around policy, around monitoring and evaluation, around teachers and the workforce and learning infrastructure, and how do we get quality, and how do we spend efficiently as well, and we allocate those resources efficiently. Might I invite us just to give Andrew a big round of applause just for really framing the conversation for us today? [Applause] [Andrew Dabalen] Thank you. [Nozipho Tshabalala] I think, Andrew, in case it might be lost on you, so many of us are inspired by your story, how from Northern Kenya, a pastoral community produces a World Bank Chief Economist. And might I go further as saying that whether you're connected online or you're in the room here, that means the next World Bank Chief Economist for sub-Saharan Africa is potentially in this room as well. Let's give him a big round of applause. [Applause] [Andrew Dabalen] Exactly. Or in other rooms somewhere in the continent. Exactly right. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic. I'm going to ask you to please hang ten, to keep your seat because I'm going to invite our panelists to come and join us. But while they come, and I'll introduce them. They know who they are. I'll introduce them once they've taken their seats. And while they come up, I just want to take this moment to bring the voices of young people into the conversation. We're going to hear and see now a short video of two young Africans. The first one is a spoken word artist from Guinea. His name is Syla Aboubacar, really sharing with us his thoughts around how we should be thinking about enabling building and supporting young people. Then we'll hear from Cynthia Nyongesa. She's a youth activist from Kenya. We'll hear from Cynthia some of the big scale macro issues that we should also be focusing on. One of the things that she references is IDA, or I-D-A, which is the International Development Association. And this, for those just to put it into context for some of our students, is a part of the World Bank that provides grants and very low interest loans to poor countries. So quite an important part of the value chain and the ecosystem that we're talking about. Let's turn our voices and our attention to these young people, and let me invite my panelists to please come and join me upfront. Thank you so much.
[Syla Aboubacar] May we set the record straight? Knowledge is a woman. I will not say it in a whisper, I’ll shout, I will vociferate. I’m not in a good mood today. I saw a young man cry. He was sad, without a job, in search of happiness. Yes, he is alive, but with many dreams unrealized. My spirit is a weapon that I nurture and hone. I need the scientific and technological progress of this twenty-first century for all of the jobless youth, education is my hope to give them the tools they need to start up a business and develop their skills and acquire expertise. We deserve so much more, for ignorance is a curse. We hace had enough of universities that are factories producing graduates who can’t find work. I do not need study programs full of content that is out of date. Those who will teach us you must first educate, because we want to learn and become entrepreneurs. No! I will not be silent. We need training in business to develop and set up our own enterprises. Education! That is where we put our trust to be able to stand on our own feet, as we must.
[Cynthia Nyongesa] Hello Africa! My name is Cynthia Nyongesa. I am an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a youth leader. One of the most pressing human capital challenges in Africa today, is lack of access to education that enables young people to transition into the workforce. Most of us young people go into school expecting that we will have the opportunity either to be employed or to start our own businesses. But when the education system does not equip us with the skills to do so, then it becomes very difficult for us to access this kind of opportunity and to improve the economic status of our families. To improve the situation, IDA can support us by enabling us to access the proper infrastructure to learn the technical skills that we need for the workforce. For example, IDA can support the government in building internet infrastructure and also ensuring that our teachers are well trained to give us the skills that we need to enter into the workforce. [Applause]
[Nozipho Tshabalala] What excites me about what I hear is that young people are very clear about what they need. And I suppose the conversation for us is to really understand how do we remove the bottlenecks that stand in the way of providing those things. Syla talks about education being the thing that we put our trust in. Now, that's a big statement. How do we make sure that that's a statement that holds true? I'd like to I'm going to introduce my panelists. I want to start off with our host, Professor Loretta Feris. Thank you very much for being here, Madame. Professor Feris is the Vice Principal here at the University of Pretoria, and we really appreciate you hosting us. Next to Professor Feris is Mr. Eric [Asomani] Asante. Mr. Eric Asante is an award-winning ICT School Teacher from Ghana. He was also a finalist for the Global Teacher Award of 2023, as you can see on the beautiful sash that he is wearing. We look forward to your insights from inside the classroom, because oftentimes we can make the mistake of speaking at a theoretical and policy level, and not at the level of standing at the black board or the white board these days and really teaching. And last, but certainly not least, is Madame Reine Mbang Essobmadje. She's a co-founder of Digital Coalition. She's the CEO of Evolving Consulting, and she's also the former Vice President of the Camerunian Business Council. Thank you very much for Madame for being here. Let's give her a round of applause as well. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] And I think I'm excited that you're here because your insights already will help us bridge the gap between the labor force, the skills coming in and what business is looking for. Andrew, I'm going to be tapping your perspectives on the macro issues more than anything else. But Professor Feris, maybe let me start off in conversation with you. I know I'm going to be accused of being super biased, but allow me to say this, Professor. As a Vice Principal of one of the top universities on the continent, and certainly in South Africa, my question to you is the role of universities in ensuring that the 12 million young people that are knocking on the doors of the labor force are actually accessing opportunities and pathways to prosperity. What is your view on that? But more importantly, what is the University of Pretoria doing about it, especially from a curriculum design perspective?
[Professor Loretta Feris] Yeah, thank you for that. And thank you also to the World Bank for the opportunity to participate in this conversation. I think what is important to note, of course, is that when we're talking about transforming education, we're talking really about that whole pathway of education, right? We're talking about, I think we need to bring into the conversation, early childhood education, because our research actually shows that the foundations for success is at that stage already, at the early childhood. We know that many kids in Africa do not have access. While they may have access to primary, [they] don't have access to early childhood education. So, it's that going into primary, junior, senior school education, and then finally going into universities. And here it's important to note, I don't have the stats for the whole continent, but I recently saw that in South Africa, of course, we have matric [matriculation certificate] as our senior year of schooling. And I saw a report that indicated that of the class of 2024, only 40% of that class remains. And that means that we have 60% of learners that have dropped off somewhere along the line that will leave the school without a matric certificate, which means that they're not even eligible to then go into the next phase, which is higher education, which is, of course, our area of focus. And then, of course, in higher education, I think your undergraduate education is important, and most students will leave the university and go into employment or go into businesses starting their own business. But then I also want to emphasize the importance of postgraduate education. I think universities in Africa, in particular, must now focus on postgraduate education because this is where we continue to facilitate the growth of our own universities. We ensure that there are more academics that are capable, that have the research skills to actually drive higher education; but also, importantly, are able to enter into research and can focus on the important research questions that we need to focus on as a continent. I'm thinking food security, for example. I'm thinking climate change. I think that's where we need to play a role. And recently, very recently, ARUA, the Alliance of Research Universities in Africa, has entered into a collaboration with The Guild, which is a group of European universities, as well as the MasterCard Foundation. The aim is to train a thousand PhDs per year in Africa, which feels like an ambitious project, but we've already started. And so, at THE University of Pretoria, we were very fortunate. We have two areas that we will be focusing on, and that is food security, which is very important, and then sustainable development. I think there are a number of all of these universities that belong to the Alliance. I think that is where we will potentially make quite an important change. And then, just briefly, so what are we doing at the University of Pretoria? We're doing quite a few things, but maybe I can focus on just a few. I think what we're beginning to see, of course, is we see these big trends and shifts in education. We're seeing that there are areas that we didn't think was important maybe five years ago. Now they're very important. Take AI and generative AI and how it's developed over just the last year or two years, quite frankly. I think universities, and what we do is, yes, we focus on ensuring that we are aware of where the areas we need to train students in; but more than that, we need to make sure, and we try to make sure that we build in the graduate skills that will allow students to enter into lifelong learning. So, it's about adaptability, it's about flexibility, it's about ensuring that students are self-directed in their learning so that they are able to see once they have graduated, if they have that lifelong learning embedded into them, then they will take on learning, and new skills, and reskill, and upskill as they go along, because I think that is what's going to be important. Then just finally, as that young man said, don't just train us to be employed. Yes, we have the professional degrees, but we're putting quite a big emphasis now on entrepreneurship. We are embedding it in quite a number of our courses, but it's also part of our student affairs portfolio. Students, even if you don't study it, you can choose to do an entrepreneurship program that is not part of the formal curriculum. And then, we're also building entrepreneurship with unemployed youth. On our Mamelodi Campus here in Pretoria, we have a large entrepreneurship hub where our students who are studying entrepreneurship work with unemployed youth to help them; but by the same token as students, they are already implementing what they are learning.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Professor, thank you very much. I think there's so much that you've shared there. I just want to highlight to everyone again that if you're looking out for the insight, the sound bites, the hashtag is #AfricasPulse. You can already, if you're online, start shooting through your questions and your comments. I've got my phone close by that's going to give me direct access to some of those chats because I think what you've shared is so important. You've challenged us about focusing singularly on different aspects of the education pathway. You're saying it's the full pathway, you're saying early childhood development is as important as postgraduate study as well. You've shared an ambitious target of 1,000 PhDs per year. When one listens to some of the focus areas like food security and sustainable development, one begins to get the sense that this is where the answers to what drives inclusive growth are actually going to come from, so that we can stop lamenting that there are non-African solutions to African problems. This is about getting that right. But what I love the most, Prof, and I'm going to come to Madame Reine now, is the emphasis on a curricula that empowers young people with lifelong learning means that however the labor market evolves, you have the ability to change with it and have the opportunity to stay engaged and participate. So, Madame Reine, I want to build on what Professor Feris has said, because one of the things that the report calls on is a focus on skills development. And this is really about preparing young people for the labor markets. As business, and as the voice of business in this conversation, what reforms would you like to see? What policies would you like to see that you think would really make this huge gap that we keep talking about, about the skills that young people come out with and what you actually need as the labor market for that gap to be finally closed? I know that there is a slide that the team will put up that you might want to reference as well. But over to you.
[Reine Mbang Essobmadje] Okay. Thank you, Nozi, and thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. It's a real pleasure. I think it's “sanibona,” and I also want to say “mbolo” to the Gabonais team. Basically, I think that what we need to do is to acknowledge the fact that the world has changed. When we are talking about workforces or people that have skills, even though they are Africans, they are not directed only to the African market. The workforce is moving all around. The students, the learners are in a new era, what we call the homo communicatius era. The way people were learning or teaching previously is not fitting to the current situation. You will notice that even your kids at home, don't focus that much because they need to get a ton of information. You will also notice that the teachers have been actually trained and formed, I mean, their educational background is using a very old system that needs to match the future of employment. There is a huge gap. To fill that gap, and I mean to address some of the critical point, I think that we need to look at the profiles of the learners and understand that profile and design educational program that fits to the student profile. We also need to understand the business demand. Previously, in Africa, we were looking for a diploma. You have this high diploma, it means you're qualified. Let me tell you something, most of the people that have high diploma are not really qualified. We really need to look at the skills and qualification instead of only having a diploma. For business point of view, what is most important is the critical thinking, being able to analyze, understand the situation, and taking the proper decision. I think in Africa, it’s where we have a very major gap. Last but not least, I think that we also need to take into account the technologies and the fact that most of the basic tasks an employee could be used to do at work is now done very quickly by AI tool or any tech tool. What they need to do is actually to fit the new market demand, to have more soft skills, to have this critical thinking, to have a strong foundational learning. There, I want to reflect on what Professor says. For us, when we want to do job recruitment, we look at some universities because there is a gap between the university. If you know that that person is coming from this university, then you can attest that the person has the basic foundational skills. Even in the educational system, they need to address this mismatch. It's like developing country and developed country. But in the educational system, this gap is more emphasized. Definitely, there is a need to have more homogeneous environment to train the teacher and give them new skills for the new student profile, but also to have a more stronger collaboration between the businesses, the policy makers, and also the educational system so that you understand what is the need. If the focus is on agro-industrialisation, etc., then very rapidly the curricula can be revamped to fit to the market needs.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Thank you very much. I think you've raised so much here, Madame Reine. One of the things that just strikes me, almost hits me between the eyes, because I haven't actually heard this before, the idea of putting the learner at the center so much that we look at learner profiles as we think about how we design learning journeys. That's quite interesting as a concept and something that's not spoken about a lot. Skills over the diploma. Let me put it, skills before the paperwork. I think that's really powerful because what we valued as Africans is the collection of the paperwork, but what is the underlying skill that actually informs that? I know that the teacher is itching to get in because you've spoken about the training of teachers; but I want to maybe put this question just to everyone just to think about, you're also saying business and policymakers need to come closer together. If you are a representative of business in this conversation today, when's the last time you had a conversation with a policymaker? If you were in the business of shaping and formulating policy, when was the last time you had a conversation with the business owner about what it is that they need and how do you make policy sharper for them? Let me come to you, Mr. Asante. Madame Reine raises things like AI, and automation, and using technology. I want to ask you the question, how do we put technology in the hands of learners, especially in under-resourced schools? We know that the continent is not the same. Even here in South Africa, there are students who can sit here with iPads, and in the very same country, forget country, in the same province, there would be students who don't even have access to anything digital. How do we get that right? How do we fix that? And then to the team, we can revert back to the holding slide. Please go ahead.
[Eric Asomani Asante] All right. Thank you for having me in this discussion. I'm so grateful. All right. Looking at the situation we we find ourselves today in this digital age, we are looking at having infrastructural developments in our schools. It is not surprising that today you visit certain schools and there are no electricities. Yes, even if there is electricity on the walls of the school, there is no circuits. You go to the dormitries, the classroom, there are no circuits. And when we talk of technologies, we are looking at devices and software. So, when we are using these devices, we need access to electricity to charge them and use. So, I will say that we need electricity in the resource schools so that as they get access to certain devices, they can also plug in and charge so that they can use. Internet has become an important thing every student needs today. And most of the schools do not have the Internet connectivity. It is one thing that will be also important if you want to put technology in the hands of students. So, here we are looking forward, the government agencies and other philanthropists may also come in and help install all these things in schools so that student can engage in meaningful learning. When you come to Ghana, last three years, the Minister of Education launched what we call “One Teacher, One Laptop.” With the hope that when a teacher has access to laptop, he can go on with research work for teaching. He can also develop interactive activity to engage learners. So he launched that, and now every teacher in Ghana has been given a laptop, which is an important tool in teaching and learning. And currently, he launched what we call “One Student, One Tablet.” So for our students who are now going to senior high school, which we may say college, first year, they are all going to be given a tablet with their textbook in softcopy format. So, here the child will be able to learn at all time. And with this device, they can even collaborate with their peers in other schools to engage in productive learning. My thesis... Let me say, when I was gathering data for my thesis, I realized teachers are not integrating technology in their classroom because they don't have the skills. They have no mastery in using them. If we want to put technology in the hands of our learners, then teachers must also get training to be equipped with how to use technologies, whether application or the devices themselves. So, even if we have sophisticated devices and we as teachers cannot use them, how do we teach our children how to use them so that they can put it into good use? I think these are some of the few things we need to consider if we want to actually put technologies in the hands of student. And to end, I may say that now every home has a smartphone, which is an important tool for learning. So, as we train teachers, we must also give certain education to parents so that when the learner leaves the school and goes home, the parent can see the tablet or the smartphone in their hand as a learning tool to aid learning in the home.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. Thank you very much, Mr. Asante. What's striking for me from what you've shared is that we are quite clear about what the goal is. Every child has as a tablet or a laptop. The textbooks are digital. They can log on, they can connect with other schools, but none of that is possible if there's no electricity socket. None of that is going to be possible if there is no digital connection, so last mile connectivity just becomes everything. And I think I appreciate how you've painted the possibility; but also in that provoked us about actually getting the basics right, and investing in the basics to get there. The point that you make that if we want to get technology in the hands of learners, it actually means getting technology in the hands of teachers first. There have been too many stories that I'm aware of where corporates have donated whole computer labs that gather dust because nobody actually knows how to use that asset. Andrew, let me come back to you. I want to put on the spot and to say, when you hear of all of these things that we should be doing, we could be doing, are there examples that you've seen on the continent that have been a combination of good reforms, a combination of stakeholders all pulling their weight and bringing their respective strength, that has really given us an example of transformative education that can be a driver of inclusive growth and that we could replicate in other parts of the continent?
[Andrew Dabalen] I think a lot of countries are doing reforms, but I do not believe that any one of them is doing comprehensive reforms that includes everything that everyone has been talking about here. What you would see is a country is doing reforms on an important investment, smart investment, such as teacher management, teacher qualifications, upgrading of teacher skills. In Nigeria, they will be doing that. There's a specific state called Edo state that has been doing that very well. Some other countries will be doing better early childhood education, which is considered to be absolutely essential if you really want to lay the foundations for adult learning, all the way through primary school, all the way to university. The foundations are very important because that's the time when cognitive development is important, when socioemotional skills are formed, when even physical skills are developing. Starting early, I think Professor Feris is completely right. Giving an early start to the children is very important. Only three out of 10 children right now are benefiting from early childhood education. Now, South Africa is a bit of an exception because I think we are about seven out of 10, but it is the other way around in most African countries. And so that has to... So there are countries that are doing a bit better. So, a country like Rwanda, for example, is making progress in that. Now, then there are countries where they are really doing a lot in making sure that certain inputs like textbooks, are cheaper and are able to get to the students. So Cameroon and Madagascar are examples of... I mean, Mozambique, sorry, are examples of that. Then there are others who are teaching or helping their teachers in really making sure that they get this new way of teaching students to be able to pick up skills called “structured pedagogy,” which is having a very structured coaching method, making sure that the kids actually pick up concepts, involving them in the conversations, and then assessing to see whether, in fact, they're doing that. There are a number of countries that are doing that in Ghana, in Kenya, and in Rwanda. There are all these pieces that are happening in different countries, but none of these countries are bringing all these things together in order to be able to really have a scalable transformation. And that's what is needed, I think, in order to be able to push that.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] I think Professor Feris will have some views on that because I think it's exactly what you were saying, Prof, in your earlier response to say it's the whole pathway. And what I'm hearing you say, Andrew, is that we do have pockets of excellence on the continent. We do have examples of things that are working, but in isolation, they then just don't have the impact that they would have if they were working within a broader system that works. I'm hearing you offering us in your response other focus areas that need to be part of how we think about the education system more broadly. I'm going to come to you again, Prof Feris, but I also want to say, this is the opportunity for you to start sending me questions if you’re online. If you're in the room, can I just get a show of hands? If somebody has a burning question, fantastic. All right, we've already got a number of burning questions and comments here in Pretoria, but I don't want to leave you out if you're in other parts of the continent at any one of the watch parties. So, please drop me your comments and your questions. Prof, let me just come to you for a second. I saw that you were taking notes furiously as everyone else was speaking. So, I want to know what professors write as notes when they're on a panel discussion. I'm keen to hear that. But also, Prof, everywhere I turn, when we talk about opportunity on the continent, especially in the context of AI, especially in the context of just energy transitions and turning to green economies, we're constantly talking about the opportunity of new industries. Question to you is, how do we ensure that as we unlock those industries, there's a real pipeline of skills and opportunity that also drives inclusive growth? It's not the same people who would otherwise have had opportunities, but it's really a much broader base of people who can participate. Over to you.
[Professor Loretta Feris] Thanks. To your first question, what do professors do? They connect the dots. [Laughing]
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic.
[Professor Loretta Feris] Because as the focus is on business, is, give us the skills and don't just focus on the qualifications. I'm then listening to the teacher who's talking about, “Yeah, well, we don't even have the basics, right? So how can we even begin to develop the learner to get into university.” But I want to just focus on an area such as the green economy and just transition, which is really a buzzword in South Africa at the moment, but I suspect it's a buzzword across the continent. I think it's important to note that for inclusive growth to also think about higher education as not just universities. As universities, and especially universities such as UP, which is a research-intensive university, we have a very particular focus. We focus on our professional degrees, and then we focus on research, postgraduate education, and we have a role to play. We can produce the necessary research, and we do around just transition. For example, in our School of Engineering, we have a research group around renewable energy and just transition. But also, in our Faculty of Economics, we're looking at the policy environment. In law, we're looking at the regulatory environment. And so, that is the contribution that we can make. However, we're not in the vocational space. We're not a technical university, and we need those universities to also come to the party. I think if we really want a holistic approach, you would want, and that we are very bad at as higher education institutions, we're not very good at collaborating. You would want to say, and maybe government should help us in saying, “This is the theme, we want to support education in a new skill such as the green economy. Universities, you play a role. Your technical university, you play a role. Your TVET, as we call it, which is more on the vocational side, you have a role. Can you collaborate jointly to work on this and to prepare the next generation in this area?” But then just one final observation as I was listening to Mr. Asante, is that in terms of energy, that seems like the solution, right? It's renewable energy sources, especially in the rural schools, to provide your electricity connection. But the reality is that in areas where we have these large-scale renewable energy projects, the communities themselves are not benefiting. So there's something there that needs to be rethought. When we need to think about how do we have these large-scale renewable energy projects, but the communities where they are located remain energy poor.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. I think that's such a massive provocation in the room. How do we have large-scale renewable energy projects, but the communities within which they're located remain energy poor? I also thought it was quite candid, Prof, to just openly say that maybe we're not really good at collaborating, and you need someone in order to collaborate, to take charge and to say, “This is the theme. Here's the thing that we need to coalesce around and to get us moving.” I'm going to start off with a couple of the hands in the room. I'll take the questions, and then I'll facilitate them for us. Then, of course, if you're online, I've got my phone here. I'm going to try and pull your voice in as well. I want to double-check whether we have a roving microphone. Thank you very much, sir. The first hand is right here, so I'm going to go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. All right, fantastic. When you get the microphone, won't you very briefly, in 10 seconds, just introduce yourself so we know who we're talking to, and then go into your question. I think they'll put it on at the back. Into your question or comment. Let me also offer this, very cheekily, let me offer this. A good question is 10 words long. All right. So fantastic. Madame, go ahead.
[Cinga] I think this is a— [Nozipho Tshabalala] Let's just make sure that microphone is on, please. We're not picking it up. Can you try again, please? [Cinga] Is it on? [Nozipho Tshabalala] Yes, it is now. [Cinga] Thank you. This is more a comment, prof, and I'm putting you on the spot. I am a previous UP student and love this institution very much. I am missing the link between a student who has completed tertiary and the student coming into corporate. I do think that we need to take a deliberate effort. I'm not necessarily looking at employee readiness programs per se, but I'm wondering, what are your thoughts, Prof, in readying that child to transition or to integrate into corporate? Thank you, Prof. I am in a recruitment agency. I run my own recruitment desk. This is why I am in this meeting. My name is Cinga. Thank you.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Tlena, thank you very much. Right next to Tlena, we have a young person, I believe. Please go for it. [Nonkolo Ngoyake] Okay. I prepped my question yesterday, and now it's like 10 questions. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Ten words or less? No, go for it. Go for it. [Nonkolo Ngoyake] Okay. I actually have two questions. I hope you don't mind. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Let's see what we can do.
[Nonkolo Ngoyake] My name is Nonkolo Ngoyake. I'm a Political Sciences and International Relations final year student. I'm also part of the FW de Klerk Foundation Student Command on political dialog and constitutional reparations. I'm also the Vice Chairperson of International Society of Politics, and a young female leader under the Amazon Leadership Initiative. My first question, I'm a human sciences, we call it a human sciences, humanities and social sciences, right? As Africa continues to transform or lead towards digital and green economies, my concern is the integration of us, human sciences’ students. How are we integrated? Because for you guys to implement this function or transforming towards digital, our role is to guide the state in how to govern and transition you guys to that point in Africa. So, my question is, how are you guys going to be able to integrate... Sorry for calling it human sciences, but we call it that. Social sciences and humanity students, how are they integrated to this transformation towards… Especially in diplomacy, policy-making and governance? How can we be integrated to ensure that we have a space on the table? As academians. And my second question is, integration for impoverished individuals. Some of us come from the villages, and due to restrictions to NSFAS, some grade 11 students or learners are currently preparing for their final exams so that they ensure that they can get provisional acceptance to these universities. But they do not know whether the degrees they plan to pursue will be funded by NSFAS because it continues to have budget cuts. And private funding is now by merit. Whether you can afford quality education or not, you're placed by merit, limiting opportunities for impoverished learners to go to tertiary. So my question is, how do we integrate you as a young female leader who comes from a small community who wants... Because my initiative that we are collaborating with the US Embassy, they have a program called Education USA, where they inform students who are currently in matric who want to further their studies abroad. They provide scholarships, but it has been limited to urban areas, and we're trying to bring it back to the villages. All the students who are top performers in their districts are able to have access to actually study abroad. So my question is, how do we--
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Sorry, that's question number four, five. [Nonkolo Ngoyake] Sorry. [Nozipho Tshabalala] So let me give you five more seconds. [Nonkolo Ngoyake] Okay. I just want to ask, how do us as community leaders who want to bring forth change and be inclusive to the growth, integrate with organizations such as World Bank? [Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic. Ngoyake, thank you very much. As a person who lived in the HSB myself and is also a social scientist in the very same degrees as you have, I think those are very relevant questions. I think my question number three was where? Was it there? Thank you very much.
[Omolemo Job] Thank you for this opportunity, and thank you for the great discussion to our panelists. I am Omolemo Job, and I'm a student at the University of Pretoria doing my postgrad in International Relations. I hold a degree in BA law, so I'm in two different disciplines. Currently, my research is focusing on sustainable economic development in the African region, with a particular focus on the African Union. My question to not just prof, but maybe the whole panelists, our whole panel, is with the high rate of youth unemployment, particularly to be specific in South Africa, 40%, I read an article that specifically says that the reason for the continued unemployment in South Africa, not just South Africa, but also Africa, is the fact that the education system is so disaligned with the actual needs of the society, be it economic, political, as well as social. My question is then, what is the role of higher education institutions as well as even state-orientated institutions, such as even the World Bank? What is their role in educating the students from an undergrad perspective on the specific needs, not just of the country, but even of the continent, so that we can be more aligned, so that we can limit as well this human resource scarcity in some industries, as well as an overload of degrees in other industries? How do we merge them and balance them? Thank you. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Thank you very much, Omolemo. I hope I've got that right. Omolemo. [Omolemo Job] Yes. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Omolemo. Thank you very much. And I think at the essence of that is I'm hearing, do we have a continent-wide picture of what do we need where, and how do we begin to think about that? Number four was where? Number four? Yes. Suddenly, I've got two number fours, but it's fine. We will make it work. And then you're going to be the final one. Thank you so much.
[Habeid Mouhadou] Hey, great things. My name is Habeid Mouhadou. I'm a UP BA law student. So mine is to Prof, our Vice Principal there. I've been hearing our panelists there speaking about inclusivity, especially when it comes to access to technology. There's a module for first year called AIM, A-I-M. It's called AIM, Academic Literary, something like that. We have students from places like deep in the rural of [unintelligible], who have not been exposed to tablets and laptops for their entire lives. They come here to the University of Pretoria, and for the first time, they're exposed to laptops or a computer, and they are expected to pass that module. But they are doing this or they are seeing this for the first time. So, prof, I want to ask or to plead with you, I think the University must look into the exclusion. First years must not be excluded because of their disadvantage, and they come from places where they have never seen computers or anything of the sort. Then my last point is that it's more of a comment. We can't talk about transformation of education and exclude decolonized quality, well-resourced education. Thank you.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Habeid, thank you very much. Thank you very much. I've got the gentleman two rows, two places. Are you fine now? It was just one of you and not both of you. Oh, you're putting up your hand for her. Okay, that's very nice. And then I'll have to do that final question. Unfortunately, I've got a timer here, so we're running out of time, and I want to make sure I give my panelists a chance to respond. Please, go ahead.
[Saxola Bulani] Okay. Hello, everyone. My name is Saxola Bulani. My question for the panelists today is, as they stated today, that we see that and hear that we need comprehensive education, universal learning, we need to focus on skills and so forth. And the focus that's been mentioned in this conversation today is on businesses, on the government, on teachers, and so forth. There was a question raised by one of our fellow students on how to integrate humanities or how to literally service the community and so forth. My question for you today is, how can we promote things like NPOs or NGOs so that they can go to... Because they are the ones who are closer to communities, who are the ones who need these services and who are the ones who need these transformations. How can we promote NPOs and NPC in aiding in the community level? Because the reason that I'm asking this is because I'm the co founder of a nonprofit organization, or a nonprofit company, called Everything Growth that focuses on SDG 4, which is quality education. We're trying to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds in terms of mentorship, in terms of tutoring, in terms of applications, so that we help them get into tertiary institutions so that they can be equipped to actually benefit from the South Africa's education system. How can we integrate NPOs and NPCs in it? [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. What's your name? [Saxola Bulani] Saxola.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Saxola. All right, final, final contribution. I've seen the contributions from Niger and Madagascar online. Madame, please go for it. I apologize in advance. I've got 12 minutes and I want to make sure I get everyone in. Please go for it.
[Hope Muronga] Thank you. My name is Hope Muronga, and I joined the World Bank this year in January as part of the African Fellowship Program. [Applause] [Hope Muronga] I also graduated from the University of Victoria. I did my undergrad and my master's here in economics. We have heard today that education is something that we put our trust in. We've also heard about unleashing of imagination in terms of what education can do for us. This is true for most of us who are in this room, but there's also people in remote areas who are not exposed. So, how are we now reaching out to those people in remote areas who may not have a point of reference or the opportunity to even start unleashing their imagination in order to motivate them to stay in school? We’ve heard about jobs and grades. These people maybe are not motivated. They don't know how much education can help them. In a nutshell, how do we ensure that when the quality of education is there, those who are in remote rural areas are in a position to take advantage of these resources?
[Nozipho Tshabalala] And your name, please? [Hope Muronga] Hope Muronga. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Hope. Okay, fantastic. So, I'm going to throw two more questions in the mix, and then I will allocate them. The one question comes from Kenya, and the question is, “Andrew said that Africa has only 40% productivity over other continents…” I think this was the HCI, the Human... [Andrew Dabalen] Yeah, HCI. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Yes, HCI. “How can Africa address this productivity gap, and how do we ensure that graduates have the right skills?” That's one of those questions. We'll put that one to you, Andrew. Then from Niger, and I think this probably we're going to link it up with the questions around what does readiness look like and how do we get that right? There's a question from Niger that says, “What are the approaches available for students who are at the end of their studies and feel the need that they need to improve before they enter the workforce?” And I think that there's some themes. So, I'm going to theme them so that we can work through them a little bit. So let me start off, Prof, with a question on the one I've just given you from Niger, but also the question from Cinga. And we're going to try to be brief and concise, but, Prof, is there a missing stage graduation to the workforce? And are work readiness programs doing enough, or do we need to rethink a little bit in that area?
[Professor Loretta Feris] Yeah. So, we do need to make sure that students are able to breach that gap. And so, ready for work programs, I think most universities have those. We have them actually from your first year. When you enter into first year, you start your ready for work program that takes you through a whole curriculum online and that you need to make sure that you finish by the time… So, you don't get a credit for it, you're not examined for it, but that's part of taking responsibility for your own future. And so, that's what we offer to students; but also, of course, I think what is important is that you combine your formal education with internships. That's what our career office is also trying to do, is to provide internship opportunities for students, especially in their final year. But that's where business really needs to also come to the party and NPO's because students need to have a place where they can do an internship. I mean, in education, we're working with schools, and students have work-integrated learning as part of that education, which means that they are ready to enter into a classroom. But that we need, similarly, for other areas as well. Maybe just one more point to make about that is that what we're also now increasingly seeing, and we haven't talked about that, is this development towards microcredentials. It's the short learning programs that are not necessarily formal programs, but that you can add on, especially to bridge. Maybe to bridge from school to education if you don't make the admission requirements or to bridge from universities into your qualification.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Thank you very much for that, Prof. And I think in your response, you've also touched on Saxola's question around, have we missed NPOs and NGOs and the role that they can play. I've noted the question from Madagascar. I'll put it to Mr. Asante because it's about electricity, so I'll come back to that. But, Madame Reine, let me come to you. The thread in these questions, if we're listening quite carefully, is young people are saying, “How do we get it right for everyone?” There's a massive thread around exclusion and not leaving others behind. I want to just bring a few themes to you, Reine. One of the questions that came from Ngoyake is, and what I'm hearing Ngoyake saying is, “Everybody's talking about AI and automation and technology. Nobody's talking about us who come from the social sciences and what we can contribute.” And so, the question there is, how do we make sure that we're not just reversing exclusion and leaving out all range of qualified students as well? Is there a place for social sciences in a digital world? Is the question I'd like to bring to you. I think it speaks to a little bit of... I'll come back to Habeid’s question. I know it was to you, Prof, but if I paraphrase what Habeid was saying. Habeid was saying, “We also have these fancy programs that come into an IT program, do AI, but the people walking in to the university gates have never seen a laptop before. So is there something we could do to get them a little bit ready?” So maybe those two questions for you.
[Reine Mbang Essobmadje] Okay, thank you. We are in the country of Nelson Mandela, and he used to say that education is the most powerful tool we can use to transform the world. And this is one of the pillars of our NGO at the Digital Coalition. And I'm an engineer by training in ICT, and a lot of the work we are doing is around empowering women, empowering youth, and also making IT inclusive of everybody, not only the tech people because the tech people are designing systems that might, on the long run, if there is no control, increase all the gaps and exclusion. This is where social sciences are coming in. You are a big part of making sure that all those systems are very ethical and meet the social needs of the population. One of the testimonials I was giving back in September in Geneva was the fact that tech is only changing the way we are talking. It's changing the communication and conversation process. The way we communicate is depending on our social background, cultural background, our age, etcetera. And capturing all those information into designing systems require people like you. So, you have a big role to play, and you are not excluded. Definitely not. [Nozipho Tshabalala] And then to the young people who didn't grow up with technology, how do we help them? [Reine Mbang Essobmadje] I think that World Bank has been very supportive of our NGO when we were talking about how we bring digital skills for in the future and all the work we are doing. I don't think that these are the things you can... I mean, universities or schools are not able to provide those. But incubators, NGOs, with the support of policies makers and institutions such as World Bank or AFDB can actually help you. Before you go to an educational program or to a job, my advice to all those guys is start looking what are the requirements. If you don't meet the requirement, start to see where you can go and look for some very small training. I think that nowadays everything is available everywhere. You just look for an NGO, an incubator, or any programs, and you will get that basic foundation before you go into your program or a job.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] I think it's a beautiful point, and I think it links as well to the point made by Mr Asante earlier to say we also have smartphones in most African families. How do we build the exposure from smartphones into a capability on iPads and laptops and others? Mr. Asante, there's a very quick question for you here from Madagascar saying, “Thank you very much for raising the issue of electricity because it's also here in Madagascar preventing us from taking advantage of technology. Can you share how… [Video stops]
[Eric Asomani Asante] … for a community to have electricity, it's a very big project, which I think as individual, we may not be able to do so. So, in such a situation, we can fall on the government or certain philanthropies who may be at a good to help you assess the electricity because it's not a mere device where you can say, I may be able to contact one person and the person helps. So, we will only fall on the government and other institutions, companies and organizations in the community. We can also fall on them to come to our aid when it comes to things of that sort. And to end, I would love to address my sister's question. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. Go for it. [Eric Asomani Asante] Yes. She was asking how those in the rural areas can also be brought to the limelight. I had my primary and secondary education in a typical village. And after acquiring a degree and I'm teaching in the city, what I do is that intermittently, I visit my village. I go there, I talk to the young people, I visit my alma mater, I do donations to the students. Those of you have been following me. You might have seen that every year I go to the school and donate textbooks, computers, and currently I'm putting up a science and ICT lab so that they can also experience teaching and learning as I'm doing in the city. So, since they are at this disadvantaged area, you have become a star working with World Bank. I want to entreat you to intermittently visit your village. When they see you, they will be very happy. And from there, you can inspire them to also aspire at a higher height. Thank you. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] I love that. Intermittently visit your village or your township or whatever you call home. We've run out of time. I've got two minutes on the clock, but I want to give Andrew an opportunity. Andrew, there was a question here that came from... I'm going to butcher this again. Omolemo. [Omolemo Job] Omolemo. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Omolemo. Omolemo was saying, “At the end of the day, with a 40% unemployment rate, what's the role of the World Bank?” I'd love for you to comment on that. But I didn't want to leave Botswana out, and I just want to read the comment from Botswana because you might want to just add this in. One of the participants from Botswana says, “We need a lot more vocational training facilities since there's a direct link between them and self-employment, which in turn provides for low-income families.” And it goes back to the challenge that Prof gave us, which to say higher education is more than traditional universities as we know them. So, maybe a comment on vocational training as well as you talk about the role of the World Bank in helping us really make progress, and then we'll wrap. [Andrew Dabalen] Okay, so I think I also had this question about HCI, no? [Nozipho Tshabalala] Yes, go for it. Yes.
[Andrew Dabalen] Okay, so three things. On issues of the unemployment, yes. In fact, Africa has... African youth are either underemployed or unemployed. Underemployment meaning that they do jobs, but they're not jobs that they either want to work in or the ones that really exploit their true skills and maximize their true capabilities. It's not the fault of the young people. I think we should be very clear about that. It's the role of the economy and policymakers to create the conditions and the environment for jobs to be created by businesses. I don't think you should blame yourself or you should blame the university for training you. I think the big issue for African… [Video stops] [Andrew Dabalen] …people are being trained and are going to come up with skills is to think about intentionally creating an environment, a business environment, where enterprises are going to come into the economy, where young businesses are supported in order to grow and actually hire more people, and where you actually identify entrepreneurs early and support them in order to be able to be successful. That's the role of the state and the society as a whole. So, it's not the role of the young people. That's the first point. How do we get more vocational training? I think there is a scope here for governments to really think about... There are always going to be these trade-offs, right? There're going to be... Money is not infinite. Governments are really constrained. So, there’re going to be these trade-offs. Do I spend a lot more money on general education, which allows students to learn all kinds of analytical skills, foundational learning, numeracy, reading, but also analytical skills that will then allow them to be adaptable in the labor market? Or do I actually go to specialized things, vocational training right now for specific needs right now, but then might become obsolete in the future? Those trade-offs are going to be the role the policy should play. That is, I think, something for Botswana government to really think hard about. I can't prescribe what the Botswana government should do, but I think that is something great. But the point is, in general, Africa underinvest in vocational training. That is true. But for each country, they have to. Finally, the quick point about HCI. The reason why the productivity in Africa is low is precisely what we've been talking about, which is that the foundational learning outcomes are bad. That's what is dragging down the productivity. These students are not learning numeracy, they're not proficient in numeracy, they're not proficient in reading because, if you can't read, you wouldn't be able to learn. I think that is fundamental; but if you can read, you can learn anything. You can learn a new technique, you can learn a new language, you can learn a new product, you can learn all kinds of things. And that is important. The way to really change the productivity environment in Africa is to focus on those foundational learnings and then higher all the skills that the universities and the vocational training colleges can provide. That's the role.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Sure. Thank you very much. As you can see, the clock says zero-zero. What I'm going to do, I'm going to ask for a sentence, a closing sentence. Now, I want you to think about it like a billboard. When I say sentence, I actually mean sentence. It's a billboard. It's not a thesis, dissertation. Mr. Asante, it's not a marking essay that you're looking at. Andrew, it is not a report from the World Bank. And Reine, this is not a strategy document from business, okay? It is a billboard and it's one line. And this is what the line starts with, “Education will drive inclusive growth when...” And you complete the sentence. So, I'm giving you half the billboard already. “Education will drive inclusive growth when...” And you complete the sentence. Mr. Asante, I'm going to start off with you. Education will drive inclusive growth when...
[Eric Asomani Asante] When technology is put in the hands of learners and also the proper skills and attitude are also incorporated in teaching.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Right, let's give him a big round of applause. [Applause] [Nozipho Tshabalala] We're going to edit in the flow. Education will drive inclusive growth when technology is put in the hands of learners. Is that a good billboard? That's an excellent billboard. I'm going to let our Mr. Andrew go last. Let me go to Madame Reine next. Education will drive inclusive growth when…
[Reine Mbang Essobmadje] When we will on-board half of the population, which are women, providing them with quality education, and when we will integrate business professionals to design curriculum.
[Nozipho Tshabalala] I'm writing so furiously. But paraphrased, edit in the flow. Education will drive inclusive growth when we put women at the center. Can we go with that one? Fantastic. Thank you so much, Madame Reine. All right, Prof, this is going to be child's play for you, Prof, right? Because you're going to close your eyes. You're going to give us a really killer billboard. Education will drive inclusive growth when…
[Professor Loretta Feris] All the stakeholders, policymakers, government, non-government entities as well as parents and students come to the party. [Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic. Ladies and gentlemen, a big round of applause for Prof Feris. Education will drive inclusive growth when all stakeholders come to the party. I think that's fantastic. So… [Andrew Dabalen] Do I have to start with that? [Nozipho Tshabalala] From the northern parts of Kenya to future Africa in Pretoria, education will drive inclusive growth when… [Andrew Dabalen] When every child in Africa is healthy, well-educated, and highly skilled. [Applause]
[Nozipho Tshabalala] Fantastic. Let's give him a big round of applause. When every child in Africa is healthy, well-educated, and highly skilled. Ladies and gentlemen, can you give my panelists a big round of applause? Thank you very much. [Applause][Nozipho Tshabalala] I'm going to ask you to stay with me because what we're going to do is we're going to give a big round of applauseand a big shout-out, and a big wave to everybody who joined us online. If we are able to put them back online, please, technical team, that would be fantastic. Whether it's Gabon, or Sierra Leone, or Niger, or Kenya, or Madagascar, or Botswana, I'd hope I haven't missed anyone, or Guinea. It's a big wave from all of us in Pretoria. Sierra Leone, we've mentioned. Big wave to all of you. Thank you so much for making the time to join us. My name is Nozipho Tshabalala. It's been great to be at my alma mater and even more special to hold a conversation of consequence for the continent. Thank you so much for having me. [Music]
