Partnership will also provide scholarships for African girls

The Africa Education Initiative is U.S.-led partnership designed to increase access to quality basic education and to increase the number of teachers in Africa, especially at the primary school level, according to a December 5 fact sheet issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Following is the text of the fact sheet:

Africa Education Initiative

• Provide 250,000 scholarships for African girls
• Train more than 160,000 new teachers
• Provide in-service training for more than 260,000 existing teachers
• Partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America to provide 4.5 million more textbooks and other learning tools for children in Africa; and
• Increase the role of parents in their children's education by working to make school systems more transparent and open to reforms from parents.

Currently in Africa, 42 million children do not have access to primary school -- 60% of these children are girls. Those children who do have access to school often receive such poor quality instruction that they fail to acquire even the most basic skills of reading and writing. Major factors impeding access to education and the quality of education is the lack of money for school fees and the lack of trained teachers.

Resources: The USG launched this 5-year initiative in FY 2020 with $15 million, and will provide $185 million over the next 4 years (FY 2020-2020).

Partners: To implement the African Education Initiative, USAID will work closely with host country ministries of education and higher education institutions, local and international NGOs and the private sector. In order to meet the Initiative s goals, USAID will encourage new partnerships to include foundations, faith-based groups, and other education stakeholders.

Partnership efforts to date: USAID has awarded contracts to Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia), Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina), Alabama A&M; University (Normal, AL), Dillard University (New Orleans, LA), St. Augustine University (Raleigh, NC), and Albany State University (Albany, GA). This consortium of universities is working in close collaboration with the USAID Missions and African education institutions to develop, publish, and distribute high-quality learning materials in 6 African countries. To date, solid partnerships have been created between: Hampton University and South Africa; Elizabeth City State University and Senegal; Alabama A & M University and Ethiopia; Albany State University and Mali; Dillard University and Guinea; and St Augustine's College and Benin.

Under the teacher-training component of the initiative, the U.S. government has transferred funds to USAID Mission Education programs in Africa for pre-service and in-service teacher training programs.

Source: AllAfrica.com