First Ordinary Session of the Bureau of Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union (COMEDAF V), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Bureau of the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union (COMEDAF) will be meeting in Addis Ababa on 18-19 July 2013, for the first time since the fifth ordinary session of COMEDAF V was hosted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Abuja, from 23-27 April 2012.
The current COMEDAF Bureau composition isas follows:
i. Chair - West Africa: Nigeria
ii. 1st Vice Chair - Central Africa: Cameroon
iii. 2nd Vice Chair - Southern Africa: Angola
iv. 3rd Vice Chair - North Africa: Algeria
v. Rapporteur - East Africa: Kenya

The Bureau meeting involves the five Bureau Members and Regional Economic Communities. Also present as Observers are UNESCO, ADEA, Association of African Universities, UNICEF, AfDB and ACBF. NEPAD Agency as well as CIEFFA will also be present.

The Bureau is mandated by COMEDAF to follow up on the implementation of collective decisions in education and act as an early warning mechanism to address challenges and constraints to implementation, both at regional and continental levels.

The Bureau meeting this week will consider issues of implementation of TVET programmes and establishment of administrative structures of the Pan African University. Ensuring quality teachers for achieving the Africa we want will also be a matter for discussion, based on the report that will be present from the Pan African Conference on teacher Development (PACTED III).