The fifth continental conference at which debate on the implementation of the African Union's Action for the Second Decade of Education (2006-2015) topped the agenda, ends today. The Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Keletso Rakhudu, is attending the event. He will not make any presentation at the event, the MoESD's public relations office (PRO) Oarabile Phefo has told Mmegi. The second decade on education emphasises on raising the equality, access and relevance of education in Africa. It was declared after recognising that quality education is a core necessity for the attainment of equitable and sustainable human and economic development. In 1996, the AU declared the first decade of education, which was evaluated in 2006, and it was discovered that many of the targets were not met. This then informed the launch of the second decade of Education Plan of Action (2006-2015) in 2006 as the blueprint for the education agenda on the continent. With only three years left to 2015, critics say though COMEDAF has been in existence for a long time, there is very little knowledge of its outcomes and worse still the existence on an Africa-wide agenda for education".
According to a press release from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Information, Nigeria's education minister Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i is set to assume the chairmanship of COMEDAF for the next two years.
