RewirEd Summit: What is the point of tertiary education? 

Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA) was proud to join world education leaders at RewirEd Summit in Dubai on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of December 2021 to discuss ‘Youth, Skills, and the Future of Work; Innovation in Education and Education Financing’.

Led by Dubai Cares, in partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai, the summit was an opportunity to connect and discuss developments in education in the last two years. Over 2,000 participants attended the event in person and more than 450 speakers from 60 countries shared their ideas and experiences. 

What is the Point of Tertiary Education?

Dr Lucy Heady, ESSA Chief Executive Officer, moderated a panel session on: What is the Point of Tertiary Education? . This session discussed the value of tertiary education at a time of high unemployment. Research by ESSA and Quilt.AI shows that many young people across the continent are losing faith in the value of education due to high unemployment rates.  

Highlights from our panelists:

• Angel Mbuthia, Secretary for Gender and International Relations at the All Africa Students Union urged students to push universities and colleges to offer industry-relevant courses as work is changing. 

• The CEO of Quilt.AI, Anurag Banerjee, advocated for a tax on employers to finance closer collaboration with tertiary institutions. 

• Dr. Jane Munga, an advisor to the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology and Youth Affairs in Kenya, asked young people to be proactive - not wait for solutions to come to them, that they should sometimes create them. 

• Prof. Angela Owusu-Ansah, Provost of Ashesi University, challenged students to see learning as a lifestyle and purpose, not just to get a degree by 25. 

Please watch the video to get more insights from our eminent panelists. Dr Heady also facilitated another high-level panel on Re-imagining Tertiary Education: Going Beyond Tweaking. Watch the video here. 

We applaud Dubai Cares for pulling off this bold initiative that allowed ESSA to connect with employers, education leaders, governments, and students to discuss tertiary education.

Please visit the ESSA website and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to find out how you can join the conversation, collaborate, access evidence and support our work.