African Youth Forum Explores E-Learning to Transform Education Across the Continent

Sen. Prof. Margaret Kamar with Pan-African Parliament Members and Education Stakeholders at the African Youth Forum. Image x/@AfrikParliament
Last week, education stakeholders convened at the African Youth Forum to assess the state of education in Africa, with a focus on leveraging e-learning to promote equitable access, digital literacy, and innovative curricula. The three-day event, organised by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Youth Caucus, brought together diverse participants, including members of the African Governance Architecture (AGA) Secretariat, the African Union ECOSOCC, African youth organisations, ACERWC, Kenya’s National Assembly, academia, civil society, and development partners.
Themed “Good Governance and Democratisation of Education for African Youth: Revolutionising and Innovating the African Education System through E-Learning,” the forum highlighted the potential of e-learning to overcome barriers such as geographical constraints, limited resources, and socio-economic disparities. Discussions centered on how e-learning could improve access to quality education and align with the aspirations of the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2016-2025).
One of the notable speakers at the event was Senator Prof. Margaret Kamar, a former Deputy Speaker of Kenya’s Senate and Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. In her address, Prof. Kamar underscored the need for education systems to evolve and prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. She emphasized the importance of fostering thinkers, innovators, and transformative leaders capable of contributing to societal development.
Mary Oyuke, Communications Officer at VVOB – Education for Development, attended the forum and engaged with participants on VVOB’s initiatives in Kenya. She highlighted the importance of the seamless transition from the 8-4-4 system to the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and the organization’s work in gender-responsive pedagogy. She also reiterated key goals of CESA 2016-2025, including revitalizing the teaching profession, enhancing ICT integration in education, and achieving gender parity and equity.