UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay outlined priorities to meet the challenges of access to quality education in Africa during a round table discussion convened by the French Development Agency with the ministers of education of Senegal and France, as well as the CEO of the Global Partnership for Education, Alice Albright. In a region where 32 million children are still out of school, improving teaching and learning along with the implementation of complementary policies are critical. Just as important, the continent must elevate gender equality, particularly in educating girls.
The event was held in anticipation of GPE's Replenishment Conference, to be co-hosted by France and Senegal, in Dakar from February 1-2. UNESCO believes this conference is a unique opportunity to increase international mobilization and aid to education, which has been steadily decreasing since 2009.