WGMSE helps implement PACTED teacher development plan in the area of science, mathematics and technology

When the African Union’s Pan African Conference on Teacher Development (PACTED) process was looking for a continental agency to lead its thematic area of science, mathematics and technology (SMT), it picked the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA). CEMASTEA in turn designated the Coordinator of WGMSE, Patrick Kogolla, to be the Thematic Leader of the PACTED SMT Agenda. Mr. Kogolla is also CEMASTEA’s Head of the Training and Academic Division.

As the leader of the PACTED SMT agenda, CEMASTEA is to work with the PACTED pilot countries on the following tasks:
•    Devising quality indicators for SMT teachers by setting quality criteria;
•    Preparing an African curriculum-development reference framework by identifying the requisite SMT teaching and learning competencies, structures and resources;
•    Establishing regional SMT teacher training centers and building the centers’ infrastructure and human resources capacities.

The PACTED countries are Cameroun, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mozambique Senegal and Togo.

The African Union picked CEMASTEA, which hosts the ADEA Working Group on Mathematics and Science (WGMSE), because of the capacity building programs in mathematics and science education it has been conducting in African countries since 2004. The capacity building program supported by WGMSE’s Lead Agency, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Kenya has trained over 1,500 educators from 27 countries.

The PACTED process is an effort to holistically address teacher development issues in the Africa Union’s 2nd Decade of Education Plan of Action (2006-2015) through a structured framework and a collaborative process. In this regard, it prepared a Teacher Development Roadmap. The roadmap, which was adopted by COMEDAF V in Abuja in April 2012 and endorsed by the AU Executive Council of December 2012, requested all stakeholders to take necessary measures towards its implementation. It was to be piloted in three countries: Kenya, Senegal and Togo. However, the 2013 PACTED Meeting in Kinshasa incorporated three additional countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroun and Mozambique.

One of the goals of the AU’s Plan of Action for Teacher Development is to ensure the provision of a sufficient number of teachers who are properly qualified, possess the required competencies, attitudes and motivation to teach effectively. The midterm review of the Plan of Action identified lack of science and mathematics knowledge as one of the outstanding challenges and noted that Africa still has the lowest enrolment and graduation in science and math. The situation is compounded by lack of SMT teachers with the average the supply being half of the demand.

Consequently, one of the goals of the PACTED Roadmap for Teacher Development is to improve performance in science, mathematics and technology (SMT) to reflect life skills and meet labor market demands.

For more information, contact Patrick Kogolla, Coordinator, Working Group on Mathematics and Science Education (WGMSE), e-mail: pkogolla@gmail.com