Abel Acquaye, the Executive Director of Africa Schools Online, has suggested that more public-private partnerships are needed to ensure more sustainable tech-based solutions in education.
Speaking on EdTech Monday on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Acquaye said, “when there is a partnership, we can have a long term and sustainable approach to these things.”
He also noted that as part of these government-private partnerships, there is also the need for better sustainability plans.
He observed that some of these projects do not live beyond the lifespan of the partnership between the government and the private sector.
After the four to five years, “there is no sustainability plan,” Mr. Acquaye noted.
“What are the sustainability models and plans that you have for your projects? After you have got support for a period of time, what are you going to do to ensure sustainability?”
He made the comments during the April edition of EdTech Monday, an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation’s Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT.
This edition of EdTech Monday was on improving access to quality education and what technology can do to bridge the gaps.
The show also hosted Evelyn Agyepong, an Education Consultant and Chief Enquiry Officer at STEAMBoxGH and Genevieve Simiyu, the Country Manager at Chalkboard Education.
One of the areas Mr. Acquaye said needed addressing was internet access in rural areas.
He stressed that “trying to get internet access to the rural areas is really critical.”
“People in the rural areas are not able to get access to content behind delivered to companies like Chalkboard Education.”
About the Mastercard Foundation
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.
In Ghana, after more than a decade working with the private sector and government to promote financial inclusion and education through it’s Scholars Program, the Mastercard Foundation launched Young Africa Works, a 10-year strategy to enable 3 million young Ghanaians, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
Young Africa Works in Ghana aims to:
- Enable the growth of women-owned enterprises through business development services, access to finance, and access to markets.
- Enable young people to acquire skills that are needed by businesses in growing sectors of the economy and strengthen the quality of education to prepare students for the world of work.
- Scale digital training and strengthen technology-focused employment opportunities.
EdTech Monday is one of the initiatives of the Foundation’s Regional Centre for Teaching and Learning in ICT aimed at leveraging Technology to advance teaching and Learning.
