Strengthening Social and Policy Dialogue in the Education Sector in Africa 2019

Education International’s Social and Policy Dialogue Forum, held in Accra, Ghana, on 8-9 May, served to support stronger social and policy dialogue in Africa, where mechanisms for social and policy dialogue are often either weak or non-existent. Significantly, the participants signed the Accra Declaration, which highlights the need for and benefits of social and policy dialogue.  Effective social and policy dialogue are fundamental to improving education policies. When teachers, education support personnel and educational authorities cooperate meaningfully and share their expertise to identify solutions to the problems our education systems are experiencing, we are more likely to succeed in achieving quality education for all.

Declaration

The workshop concluded with the adoption and signing of the Accra Declaration. The declaration recognizes the benefits of improved social dialogue in the education sector for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4, recalls the ILO/UNESCO 1966 and 1997 Recommendations on the Status of Teachers and higher education personnel, and underlines the importance of structured social dialogue based on autonomy and good faith. It commits participants to push for enhanced social and policy

dialogue with their governments and to take all steps within their power to ensure that the roadmap of actions for strengthened social and policy dialogue defined within the forum are carried out.