Talatona - The Angolan minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, defended this Friday, in Luanda, strategies capable of highlighting economic opportunities, with the aim of reorienting education in the country.
For this purpose, according to the minister, the training systems must go after the skilled and competent, to achieve a sustainable harmonious development on a national scale.
Téte António, who was speaking at the presentation ceremony of the National Consultation Report, in the framework of the Education Transformation Summit, considered that more should be done for the youth, as they are the “most important sovereign wealth of the country”.
"We need to create programmes that aim to promote a culture of innovation, as well as values of patriotism for our youth", he said.
The official stressed, however, that it is necessary to improve the
statistics relative to the number of students enrolled in science and
technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to Téte António, it is necessary to act quickly and effectively, to include and provide greater opportunities for women, especially female scientists, and fast-track the enrolment of young girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to the official, it is necessary to consolidate an approach tradition with positive aspects, to equip children and young people with the skills that they need, to face the challenges of a world in constant change.
Holding this event in Angola, according to the minister, is pure
demonstration that the government is concerned and committed to education, as it constitutes an essential element for the development of the country at all levels.
"We seek to have well-educated citizens, with the revolution of their skills supported by science, technology and innovation, thus following the spirit of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Agenda 2030", he added.
For Téte António, education is at the centre of the development debate in Angola and the Great Lakes region, as more than 75% of the population in the region is under 25 years of age.
On its turn, the UN resident coordinator in Angola, Zahira Virani, said that it is necessary to reinforce quality learning, a vital objective of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
The broad challenge, he argued, is centred on the ambition to create better educational systems so that children, young people and adults stand out in today's world.
For Zahira Virani, Covid-19 has worsened inequalities in the education sector, affecting millions of students around the world, leaving, in particular, many girls behind, creating the urgency to transform education.
She stressed that today the celebration of the World Youth Day couldn't be more timely to focus on putting education at the centre of the agenda.
Access to quality education, in an inclusive and egalitarian way, is a strong ally in efforts to reduce social inequalities, she reminded.
In this perspective, she highlighted that Angola has focused efforts on transformative strategies in recreating the education system in order to achieve the SDG 4 - Quality Education of the 2030 Agenda, for sustainable, equitable and inclusive lifelong learning for all Angolans, without leaving anyone behind.
The workshop to present the National Consultation Report took place in scope of the Summit on the Transformation of Education (TES), to be organized by the United Nations on 19 September in New York.
The United Nations Summit on Education Transformation is an initiative aimed at renewing international political commitment to education as a fundamental public good.
Ensuring full recovery of education disrupted by Covid-19, identifying the main strategic transformations and levers for the recreation of education, as well as increasing the ambition of the national education goals are also part of the Summit.
The event counted on the participation of the minister of Education, Luísa Grilo, the secretary of State for Higher Education, Eugénio Silva, UNESCO representatives, among others.
