VOA标准英语2012--African Educators Discuss Ways to Develop Work Force

African Educators Discuss Ways to Develop Work Force

ADEA Executive Secretary Ahlin Byll-Cataria said there’s a missing link between education and employment in Africa. He said students finish primary school without job skills and college graduates have diplomas, but no opportunities for work.
The answer, he said, is to make Africa’s education and training systems more flexible, and capable of encouraging life-long learning. He adds they also need to emphasize improving vocational and technical training for those who do not continue to secondary school.
These and other ideas have been researched and analyzed¹ by ADEA sponsored groups. Delegates at this week’s Triennial, or three-year meeting, will discuss their findings. The goal is to come up with ideas for creating improved educational and training systems that will promote for economic growth.
Byll-Cataria said that means creating curricula that fit the needs of local business and potential investors².
He said this is already happening in some member countries of ADEA:
"[In Tunisia], he said, "there is now more cooperation between the job market, different companies and the training schools. For example, where they have to train engineers, there is a lot of discussion between schools and the companies in order to [learn] the demands of the company, to take them into account in the curricula and even in the management of the schools. That’s what exactly we want to promote during this Triennial [meeting]."
Likewise, he said, in Mali, an association of artisans is working to improve the skills of mechanics, carpenters and tradesmen needed by local companies. The association has also helped workers and companies to win government contracts.
Also in West Africa, several nations are working together to develop a network of trade and vocational schools based in part on a successful model developed by Nigeria.
Improved Standards
Byll-Cataria said educators are working to integrate government-run, or formal, school systems with other groups that are helping³ to educate students. Among them are NGO’s, community literacy centers, and faith-based groups, including Islamic schools that are expanding their curricula.
Byll-Cataria said the goal is to ensure quality and standards so students educated by the groups are ready to enter the formal school system if they wish.
"You have a lot of madrassa teachers willing to modernize⁴ it, to add access to basic education, learn to read and write, and learn science," he said. "If we consider that you have a lot of children in the Sahellian countries whose first experience with education is through madrasas, then it’s very important we help them improve the quality of their teaching and extend their teaching from the Koran to other disciplines."
Education for Peace
Delegates meeting in Burkina Faso will also look at the success of peace education. It’s part of a curriculum developed by Kenya. It focuses on peace-building as does an ADEA group including nearly a dozen post-conflict nations, including Rwanda, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
"How did Kenya become the leader?," asks Byll-Cataria. "Recently after trouble Kenya had after elections [late 2007], the Ministry⁵ of Education wanted to keep schools out of violence, so they created a program and approach to make sure children who are going to school remain there and are not involved in violence. In 2009, they had a conference with 11 post conflict countries to share their experience."
He said he expects other countries to join the group.
"By attending the Triennial," he said, "South Sudan could benefit from our analytical⁶ work on early childhood development, literacy, non-formal education, books and learning materials, and higher education. We have nine working groups who tackle the issues related to education and training in Africa. I’m sure the delegation⁷ of South Sudan could benefit from that."
Overseas support
Delegates to the ADEA conference will also look abroad for help in modernizing⁸ African education systems.
Byll-Cataria said the meeting has invited officials from the Republic of Korea to address the delegates:
"We know in 1945, Korea was a very poor country, colonized⁹ and occupied with nearly 70 percent illiterate¹⁰ and people were hungry," he said. "But Korea invested in education, training and research and is today among the 10 largest economies in world."
He says Korean academics and officials will share lessons on how they mastered core skills for primary and early childhood education, as well as technical and vocational skills for older workers.
ADEA is also drawing upon the skills of Africa’s diaspora through modern technology.
"Someone from Burkina Faso but living in the US who wants to contribute to the development of the country can do it and stay in Washington but using new technology," said Byll-Cataria. "A professor could be teaching in Ouagadougou by videoconference or a medical doctor could partner with a medical doctor in Burkina Faso in telemedicine."
ADEA describes itself as a policy forum¹¹ made up of 43 African ministers of education and nearly two dozen development organizations. It works to improve the quality and effectiveness of education through the sharing of ideas and experiences.
Development specialists say success in the global economy depends on a flexible knowledge and skills base. They say this, when added to the Africa’s natural resources and high numbers of young people, could make African economies among the world’s most dynamic and productive.

1 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 analytical   

adj.分析的；用分析法的

参考例句：

• I have an analytical approach to every survey.对每项调查我都采用分析方法。
• As a result,analytical data obtained by analysts were often in disagreement.结果各个分析家所得的分析数据常常不一致。

7 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

8 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

9 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。

10 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

11 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。