To encourage learning for every child, stakeholders recently gathered at a conference to deliberate on some of the challenges and limitations of providing quality education for children, especially those at the grassroots.

Tagged The Edufuture  Conference 2024, and themed “Bridging the Gap: Providing Quality Last Mile Learning for Every Child, the venue was at American Corner, Ikeja.

Organised by Dolly Children Foundation (DCF), a non-profit organisation with a vision of creating equal opportunities for all under-served African children through education, with support of the American Corner Ikeja, Dealtar Initiative, The Mikun Foundation, Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA), and Elgrace Branding,  the event also provided a platform for dialogue and collaboration within the development sector.

Organisers also engaged grassroots stakeholders to understand community needs.

Speaking at the event, Victoria Ibiwoye, Founder of One African Child Initiative opined that everyone can be an education champion.

While citing the example of one project her organisation embarked on, tagged ‘’Futures Literacy, ” she revealed that the concept emphasised the ability to envision the future and work towards actualising those visions, through teaching soft and life skills to foster societal peace; emphasising the importance of

environmental stewardship, promoting a society where equality is the norm and barriers are eliminated, enhancing technological proficiency, and cultivating leadership and business skills.

The panelists’ session, which was moderated by Joan Anuoluwa Ologundudu, founder of the Lifesaver Intervention Initiative; and comprised of Eniola Adefioye, Founder/COO, Tributary Initiative for Learning, Moyotician, the CEO of The Lifematics Center, and Micheal Showumi, Founder, of Rising Star Africa,

identified insufficient funds, and lack of expertise as some of the limitations to quality education at the grassroots.

Proffering solutions to these problems, they highlighted engagement with grassroots stakeholders to understand community needs;  embarking on physical visits to regions to assess needs,  instead of relying on online data, Identifying and collaborating with community influencers, integrating their suggestions with planned initiatives and making them supervisors.

Other innovative approaches for marginalised communities, according to the panel, include utilising low-cost technology like SMS and radio broadcasts, forming partnerships with the community, and developing digital learning platforms through private-sector collaboration.

The panel identified 21st-century skills for children, to include critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, embracing diversity,  creativity, and effective listening.

To enable attendees to learn about different approaches and successes in addressing educational inequalities in Africa, and encourage collaboration and networking, inspiring stories from founders, non-profit leaders, and policy experts who have successfully tackled educational inequalities in Africa were

shared.

Sharing their impact stories of the projects they executed through their various initiatives,  Comfort Alli, Director of Street Child Care and Welfare Initiative, and Stella Olubunmi Francis, Lagos State Coordinator of Civil Society Action Coalition on Education For All (CSACEFA), both submitted that everyone has a role

in educating and impacting others.

Highlight of the event was the launch of a book titled “Hearts and Hands: One Woman’s Journey to Creating a Better Future for Children by the organiser and Founder, of the Dolly Children Foundation, Adedolapo Osuntuyi.

She revealed that the vision for the Edufuture Conference is rooted in the belief that Africa’s immense potential can be fully realized through education.