Supporting the education system
As the largest focus of the field’s expertise, UNESCO Nairobi has specialists in education management and leadership, health and wellbeing, digital learning, gender, higher education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), Education in Emergencies and human rights. This range of expertise is present in both Nairobi, Kenya and in the national offices of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Tanzania and in the Antennas in Madagascar, Rwanda and Uganda, as well as in the UNESCO specialized institutes.
A complex mix of demands
Working across 13 Member States in Eastern Africa variously classified as: middle-income, least developed countries (LDCs), post-conflict and disaster-prone Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), spread across regional economic communities – (ECA), (SADC) and (IGAD)) pose significant challenges in programming and implementation. The sector also supports the and the (CESA).
In the education sphere, the issues are no less complex and diverse, and most Member States are making progress towards the SDG 4 targets and the CESA strategic objectives but face notable challenges including: proportion of GDP allocation to education is low by World Bank and UNESCO recommended standards, large youthful population, high pupil- teacher ratios, increasing Out Of School Children (OOSC) rates, high youth unemployment, high numbers of Internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees, and more recently the COVID-19 impacts. The COVID-19 recovery is particularly pertinent where governments closed all schools for a long time in the face of the pandemic. The digital divide and quality teacher training, among others, are challenges to take up urgently.
UNESCO Nairobi works closely with key stakeholders and partners such as African Union Commission, East African Community, IGAD, UN Sister Agencies, NGOs and Civil Society Organisations and also with the wide range of UNESCO Institutes including (IICBA), (IIEP), (UIL) and (UIS).