Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Hon Professor Paul Mavima
By Dickson Bandera
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been urged to move from dialogue to decisive action in transforming foundational education, as the regional bloc races to meet global and continental development targets.
This call was made by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Honourable Professor Paul Mavima, during his closing remarks at the SADC High-Level Ministerial Round Table Dialogue on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, held Thursday at the Harare International Conference Centre.
“The time for action is now,” Prof Mavima declared, as he closed the regional summit attended by Ministers, senior officials, and partners from across the 16-member bloc.
“The true measure of this dialogue’s success will be the classrooms transformed, the teachers empowered, and the children whose futures we uplift,” he said.
The high-level dialogue saw member states share best practices and reaffirm commitments to universal foundational literacy and numeracy—seen as non-negotiables in the fight against poverty, inequality, and underdevelopment.
“We heard inspiring testimonies—from Botswana’s innovative pedagogy to Zambia’s teacher mentorship programmes. What is clear is that while our contexts differ, our objective is the same: to ensure every child has the skills to navigate an increasingly complex world,” Prof Mavima noted.
SADC has been intensifying its education agenda under the SADC Protocol on Education and Training and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030, which prioritise human capital development and inclusive education. The region is also aligning its goals with Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4) on quality education.
Among the resolutions made, Prof Mavima stressed the need for:
Policy harmonisation to align national strategies with regional frameworks;
Greater investment in teachers, especially in rural deployment and professional development;
Data-driven solutions to monitor learning outcomes;
And public-private partnerships to mobilise resources and close infrastructure gaps.
“The SADC Secretariat deserves commendation for its leadership. But we must now hold each other accountable through the mechanisms we have built. Let this not end in applause, but in measurable results,” Mavima said.
With several countries already piloting digital learning tools, community-led literacy drives, and teacher reforms, the Harare summit has raised hopes for a coordinated acceleration across the bloc. Ministers committed to reconvening within the SADC education cluster to report on progress by 2026.
This high-level meeting is focused on aligning regional strategies for human capital development and regional integration, with a focus on education and innovation. Key topics include the SADC University of Transformation, regional frameworks for higher education and TVET, and progress on the SADC Protocol on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
