Report of the regional training for Anglophone Africa, Cracking the code: quality, gender-responsive STEM education

The African Union recognized the importance of science, technology, research and innovation in stimulating socio-economic development in Africa in its Agenda 2063, and even earlier in the 2007 Addis Ababa Declaration on Science, Technology and Scientific Research for Development. There is a growing demand for professionals with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills in Africa, and the so-called fourth industrial revolution is expected to create a wide range of new jobs in these fields. However, unless efforts are made to address the mismatch between current skills and what will be needed for the future, this revolution will leave a large part of the continent behind.

One of the concerns of many African countries is the low participation and academic performance of girls in STEM studies. UNESCO, with the financial support of the Government of Japan and in collaboration with the Rwanda Ministry of Education, the Rwanda Education Board, and the Rwanda National Commission for UNESCO, as well as numerous partners, organized a regional training to strengthen the capacities of education systems to provide gender-responsive STEM education where all children can learn, grow and develop to their full potential. This brief report presents the results and next steps.