THE THIRD PAN AFRICAN CONFERENCE ON TEACHER DEVELOPMENT (PACTED III) STARTS TODAY

Addis Ababa, 16 July 2013- In 2006, the African Union adopted its Action Plan for the 2nd Decade of Education in Africa. The plan recognized teachers as one of the seven pillars of education. In implementing the Plan, the African Union, in consultation with education partners active in the education field on the continent initiated the Pan African Conference on Teacher Development (PACTED) in order to holistically address teacher development issues through a structured framework and a collaborative process.

Organized by the Department of Human Resources Science and Technology, the AUC is holding  PACTED III, from 16^th to 17^th July 2013 at its headquarters, in Addis Ababa. The conference engages policy dialogue and collective stock taking on the challenges of the African teacher; and follow up on the implementation of the joint PACTED Road Map. Togo, Senegal and Kenya are the original lead Member States in the PACTED Committee.

In her opening remarks on behalf of AUC, Dr. Beatrice Njenga, (i think she is Head of Education division )the Acting Director of the department of Human Resources, African Union Commission said “As we celebrate the AU Jubilee, PACTED III will focus on the role of the African teacher in achieving the African we want. Issues of regional teacher qualification frameworks, teacher mobility and teacher qualification will be discussed”.

Participants  reiterated their commitment to harmonize their efforts to effectively support the AUC, the regional economic communities (RECs) and Member States to implement and report interventions on teachers along the framework of the 2^nd Decade Plan of Action and the AUC Roadmap.

The experts will present the draft report and recommendations for the consideration of the ministerial session that is expected to be held tomorrow. 

/GAAK/