The introduction of COVID-19 has exacerbated issues with Africa’s education and training systems and reaffirmed the necessity for creative solutions that are appropriate for their intended use and can be expanded sustainably to suit the field’s constantly changing context.
Although there is a sizable education gap in Africa, a lot of progress has been done in that time. A fifth of kids between the ages of 6 and 11 aren’t in school, compared to 33% of kids between the ages of 12 and 14 and an estimated 60% of kids between the ages of 15 and 17, with girls being more adversely impacted.
Following this, the African Union (AU) founded Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) to encourage and assist the systematic adoption and replication of educational innovations in all facets of education and training in Africa.
Since the launch of the program, more than 1,500 players in the education sector have been involved in Africa, and 180 ideas have received promotion and funding worth up to $1 million USD.
The AU Innovating Education in Africa Call asks innovators to submit fresh, useful educational ideas that have the potential to be replicated widely, sustained, and scalable. In order to address the difficulties of education and skill development in Africa, particularly as nations exit COVID-19, we want to mobilize continental education visionaries to rethink solutions.
Eligibility criteria
- Successfully implementing an educational innovation with measurable results in one or more AU Member States
- A product or service that is provided by a company that addresses issues in the educational system in a way that is relatively unique in the African environment is referred to as an education innovation
- Legally enrolled and authorized to conduct business in an AU Member State
- Directly accountable for the innovation’s adoption and administration, i.e., not serving as an intermediary.
Application Procedure
The following information should be included with submissions made online in either English or French
- A detailed description of the problem being solved (100 words)
- Description of the development, focusing on its operation, the strategy for deployment, and the revenue model (500 words)
- Analysis on the innovation’s performance and results (500 words)
- Documentation proving business registration and operating license
- Please take note that each organization may only submit one idea; failure to comply will result in disqualification
- Previous grant recipients of the IEA program are ineligible to apply.
Benefits
- Get grants of up to $100,000 to improve the integration of innovations with public education systems while gathering proof of their efficacy
- Publication in the Africa Education Innovations Handbook 2022 as a means of promoting innovation to AU Member States and Development Partners
- Certificate of appreciation from the African Union’s Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
How to apply
Submissions for the Innovating Education in Africa must be received by 23:00 (GMT+3) on Thursday, September 15, 2022. You can apply here.
Techbuild Africa
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