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In the 25th session of the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SEACMEQ) Managing Committee meeting held recently at the University of Botswana (UB), Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, urged Southern African Development Community (SADC) Education Ministers to prioritise research in education especially in the context of the rapidly changing global landscape driven by technology and the knowledge economy.

During his address at the official opening of the meeting, Professor Norris lamented Africa’s historical failure to capitalise on previous industrial revolutions and underscored the need for the continent to engage fully with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). He explained that the revolution was centred on human capital and intellectual capacity which distinguished it from earlier revolutions that were largely dependent on natural resources.

"Unlike the past, where economies were built on natural resources, the current and future economies are driven by knowledge, creativity, and innovation," said Professor Norris. He pointed out that today’s wealthiest companies were knowledge-based, thus underscoring the potential for African talent to create innovative products and services capable of thriving in global markets. However, achieving such potential, he argued, required prioritising education and research.

Professor Norris also noted a significant gap between educational research and its application in policymaking. He called on the SEACMEQ consortium to facilitate better communication between researchers and policymakers to ensure that research findings were effectively implemented.

“There is a serious disconnect between the education system, particularly researchers in higher education and those who are supposed to consume the findings from these institutions,” remarked Professor Norris. “Let us work closely together, let us use our universities, let us use our experts and let us move Africa forward.”

Following the official opening, the SEACMEQ Managing Committee held a closed session to discuss administrative matters and strategies for improving the conditions of schooling and quality of education in the region.

The SEACMEQ Managing Committee is a sub-committee of the SEACMEQ Assembly of Ministers, which includes Ministers of Education from Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania (Zanzibar) and Zimbabwe.