UN to help Africa harmonize education standards

NAIROBI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday pledged to helping African states to harmonize their education standards.

Lack of mutual recognition of academic qualifications in Africa is hindering labor mobility, Abdul Rahman Lamin, program specialist at the Nairobi office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), told a youth forum in the Kenyan capital.

"We are therefore assisting African Union (AU) member states to harmonize their educational standards at the tertiary level in order to promote continental integration," Lamin said during the Youth Dialogue on Education Conference on Inclusive and Gender Responsive Education.

The conference, which aims to provide a platform for young people in Africa to share their experiences on education in different national context, was hosted by Plan International and partner organizations.

In 2014, AU members agreed to sign a convention on recognition of academic qualifications in African states in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa.

UNESCO is assisting African states to ratify the convention.

Lamin said the UN hopes to create a platform where African states can exchange and discuss the progress they have achieved so far in implementing the convention of harmonization of higher education.

A harmonized education standards regime will benefit the continent because it will promote student and labor mobility, he said.

He added that many African states are undergoing social and political conflicts that have resulted in many of their citizens seeking refuge in neighboring countries.

"However, due to lack of harmonized education standards, the refugees are unable to continue their education or find employment in their host countries," said Lamin.

"At the end, the host nation is not able to benefit from skills of the refugees due to restrictive policies," he said. Enditem