[This is the version of this document from 17 October 2019.]
THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT;CONSIDERING Article 17 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union on the establishment of the Pan-African Parliament to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the development and economic integration of the continent;CONSIDERING also Article 3 of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Pan-African Parliament, and Rule 4 (a) of the Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament, which empower the PAP to facilitate the implementation of policies, objectives and programmes of the African Union and to oversee their effective implementation;RECALLING the Decision of the AU Assembly of Head of States and Governments, in July 2004, which established, the International Centre for Girls and Women Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA), as an institution for the promotion of education of girls and women in Africa;RECALLING ALSO the recommendations of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union at its second session held in Algiers in April 2005 on establishing the Pan-African Institute of Education Sciences for Development (IPED) as the specialised institution of the AU charged with the responsibility to function as Africa’s Education Observatory with the aim to promote quality, responsive and inclusive education development in Africa by ensuring a robust and functional Education Management Information System (EMIS) and a sound knowledge-based planning;RECALLING FURTHER the Decision, adopted by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU, in July 2010, to establish the Pan-African University, which is aimed at revitalising higher education and research in Africa with a focus on improving the quality of science education;NOTING that the AU Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024) places science, technology and innovation at the epicentre of Africa’s socio-economic development and growth and emphasises the impact sciences can have across critical sectors such as agriculture, energy, environment, health, infrastructure development, mining, security and water among others;NOTING ALSO the pivotal role education plays in the achievement of the Aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the ensuing need for Africa to make significant investments in developing human and social capital through an education and skills revolution emphasizing innovation, science and technology;RECALLING the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (2016/2025) adopted by the 26th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, which has called for joint political will to initiate an educational reform to re-orient Africa’s education and training systems to meet the knowledge, competencies, skills, innovation and creativity required to nurture African core values and promote sustainable development at the national, sub-regional and continental level;IN ACCORDANCE WITH Rule 5 (d) of the Rules of Procedure of the Pan-African Parliament, which empowers the PAP to, inter alia, organize debate, discuss, express an opinion, make recommendations and take resolutions on the objectives and on any matters relating to the African Union and its organs, Regional Economic Communities, Member States and their organs and institutions;NOW HEREBY RESOLVES TO:1.Establish the Pan-African Parliamentarians Forum for Education (PAP-FED) as follows:1.1.PAP-FED shall have the following as objectives:a.Strive to mobilize parliamentarians to boost progress in education;b.Consolidate the role of parliamentarians in drafting frameworks and legal instruments to develop education at national, regional and continental levels;c.Participate in the monitoring process of the implementation of the strategies, policies and projects on which a consensus was reached, to develop education in Africa;d.Have constructive dialogue and innovative interaction between parliamentarians and all stakeholders in education on curricula and training programmes for human development, collaborate effectively with educational experts in all countries on the continent to improve the place of education in society at regional and continental levels;e.Support cooperation between members of all African parliaments to formulate a legal framework of reference for the African continent in order to attain equal educational opportunities for all and to ensure quality education;f.Formulate continental legal frameworks on education to promote the provision of educational opportunities and reduce drop-out at all levels of education in Africa;g.Monitor the implementation of educational plans, projects and policies to guarantee full inclusion of school children in different cycles and also to provide education and training for adults, in order to put an end to the phenomenon of school wastage and to stop widespread illiteracy and eilliteracy using the latest learning methods.1.2.The Executive Committee of the PAP-FED under the supervision of the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources, shall consist of members of the Committee on Education, Culture, Tourism and Human Resources as well as members of other relevant Committees of PAP.1.3.PAP-FED shall hold annual meetings in the various African capitals to ensure:a.regular monitoring of the implementation of the decisions on education on the African continent;b.benefit from the educational solutions and experiences of the different countries to achieve the desired objectives.2.Invite all national, regional and international parliaments, and other relevant stakeholders, to nominate their representatives to the PAP-FED;Adopted in Midrand, South Africa17 October 2019
