Varkey Foundation to train 250 000 teachers across Africa

The Varkey Foundation has pioneered an ambitious programme to train 250,000 teachers across Africa that is winning plaudits from Government and NGO leaders across the region, according to a statement issued on Thursday in London by the foundation. The aim is to impact 10 million children. Already, 12,000 teachers have been trained in Uganda over the last two years, the statement reads in pasrt.

“Fifteen years on from the Millennium Development Goals, huge global education challenges remain unmet. Around 250 million children of primary school age cannot read and write and, at current rates of progress, it will take until 2072 to eradicate youth illiteracy,” said Sunny Varkey, founder and chairman of GEMS Education and the Varkey Foundation.

New 2030 targets on education are being drawn up and I hope Governments around the world will sign up to them. But the hard truth is, that without a rapid deployment of major resources, we won’t make a real difference to the lives of the millions of children that cannot access a good quality teacher and a good quality education, he added.

Varkey has committed to give more than half of his wealth to charity to help support teachers across the world to provide a quality education for all children.

He will on Thursday become a signatory of the giving pledge at an annual event where those who take the pledge will come together to share ideas and learn from one another and outside experts about how to give most effectively in order to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

He will join 136 billionaire individuals and couples who have signed the pledge.

Source: StarAfrica