Kenya to host global forum on education investments in East Africa

Education experts and practitioners across the world are due to meet in Nairobi from Monday for a three-day conference to discuss investments on education in East Africa.

The forum, which will be led by Informa Plc, the largest publicly owned exhibitions and training provider in the world, will also explore how increased investment from the private sector can improve education delivery across in the region.

Speaking ahead of the forum, Kenya's former Permanent Secretary for Education, George Godia, lauded the forum, and argued that education sector within East Africa Community (EAC) has been neglected.

"Across EAC, teachers, pupil and all education stakeholders are not taken seriously, hence the perennial disagreement between the ruling governments. I am excited that we are hosting a global forum, which will support our ailing education sector," Godia said in a statement received on Sunday.

"I am convinced that the forum deliberations will be implemented to promote the sectors growth," Godia said of the event, which will gather leading Kenyan and African policymakers and educators together with the best of regional and international investors, entrepreneurs and technology providers.

Discussions will explore how greater engagement with the private and non-state sectors can help deliver each of these important goals.

"As a commitment to improving the quality of teaching and providing teachers with innovative teaching strategies, the event will feature free seminars for school, college and university teachers to learn how to better integrate technologies into the classroom to improve learning outcomes," said the statement.

The forum titled, Education Innovation Africa, will feature a conference, exhibition and workshops. It will focus on how the private sector can help deliver national and regional education plans, by providing financing, improving infrastructure, investing in new education models and also by providing innovative low-cost technology solutions.

Lydia Fowler, Event Director at Informa Plc, said the event will showcase the significant work already underway across Kenya and the East African community in improving education delivery through innovative partnerships, strategies and technologies.

"It will highlight how increased collaboration between government, private and social investors can help to meet domestic and regional education goals, and facilitate the creation of new programs that will improve educational attainment across East Africa," Fowler added. Endi