A memorandum of understanding was signed between INRULED and IICBA (LIU JIAN)

A new approach to cooperation needs to be established, and equal partnerships should be forged between China and African countries, said Dr. Tang Qian, Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO, during the Roundtable Event on China-Africa Cooperation in Education held at Beijing Normal University (BNU) on October 31, 2012. 

He also spoke highly of the agreement signed by China and UNESCO in March, which established an $8 million trust to support educational development in Africa over the next four years.

"These are the very first funds that China has given to an international organization to help educational development in Africa. The money will support Education for All, a top priority of UNESCO, and concentrate on teacher development in Africa," said Tang.

"UNESCO has a standardized protocol to carry out projects, starting with feasibility studies, and continuing through implementation and assessment," Tang explained to ChinAfrica, adding that UNESCO's role is to ensure that China's educational aid is used in a way that best meets African countries' needs, so that the assistance will be more effective.

One of the major units implementing this program is the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), based in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa. As the only UNESCO institute in Africa, it has built an extensive network throughout the continent.

"We can see a lot of potential for collaboration between educational institutions in Africa and China," said Arnaldo Valente Nhavoto, Director of IICBA. "We are equal partners and can also learn from each other. The benefits [of collaboration] are mutual," he added.

The Roundtable Event on China-Africa Cooperation in Education was hosted at Beijing Normal University (BNU) on October 31, 2012 (LIU JIAN)

IICBA board members also travelled to Beijing to attend this roundtable meeting, and stayed in the city to hold the 14th Session of the IICBA Governing Board.

Oley Dibba-Wadda, one of IICBA's broad members and Executive Director of the Forum for African Women Educationalists, saw this meeting as a good opportunity to share ideas with her Chinese counterparts.

"We hope to identify Chinese institutions and organizations that are interested in collaborating with us in girls' skills development and education," she noted. "Rural development is still the biggest challenge we have."

During the discussion session, experts from Africa and China, as well as Chinese government officials, exchanged ideas relating to the challenges and issues facing rural education in Africa, such as teacher shortages, the limited availability of education resources, advancing gender equality, and investment and technology in rural education.

At the meeting, the UNESCO International Research and Training Center for Rural Education (INRULED), based in Beijing at BNU, signed a memorandum of understanding with IICBA.

"We agreed to strengthen cooperation in research, capacity building, consulting, cooperative fundraising, joint publication and information sharing," said Dong Qi, President of BNU and Director of INRULED, adding that this MOU will further strengthen new efforts to build Sino-African educational partnerships.

Experts from Africa and China, as well as Chinese government officials, exchanged ideas at the meeting (LIU JIAN)

About INRULED

The International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) was jointly founded by Chinese government and UNESCO in 1994, and moved its headquarters to Beijing Normal University in 2008. INRULED was commissioned to initiate and facilitate research, training, information dissemination and networking to boost rural education in a global context. INRULED has adopted a new strategic plan, focusing its programs on four areas: skills development, teacher education, gender equality and women's leadership, as well as the use of information and communication technology in rural education.

About IICBA

Established in 1999, the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) is one of eight UNESCO institutes and centers under the administrative direction of the UNESCO Secretariat. As the only UNESCO institute in Africa, it is mandated to strengthen the capacities of teacher education institutions in Africa's 54 member states. IICBA has built an extensive network throughout Africa.