Staff Reporter
THE second edition of the National Education Conference and Expo (NECE), which provides stakeholders in the education sector with a platform to meet in a collaborative atmosphere, will take place in Masvingo from October 24 to 26.
The three-day conference, organised by Action for Empowerment Zimbabwe, will run under the theme, “Resilience and reinvention.”
Action for Empowerment Zimbabwe president Alson Darikayi is confident that the upcoming event will build on the success generated by the inaugural edition of the conference held last year.
The first edition of the conference was held in November last year in Harare under the theme, “Redefining the future of education through stakeholder dialogue.”
“The main aim of the conference is to foster partnerships among schools and organisations to support student learning and wellbeing as well as contribute to long term systemic improvements in the education sector through stakeholder consensus to advocate for policy change and improvements,” said Darikayi, adding that the event will bring under one roof stakeholders from diverse fields.
“NECE as a conference is important as it is a multi-stakeholder platform that brings together the different education institutions in one place (private, government, independent, church owned) as well as different regulatory and policy making bodies.”
Darikayi also emphasised the conference was in line with Action for Empowerment Zimbabwe’s aim to complement the Government’s efforts and initiatives in the educational sector.
“We are determined to play our part in supporting the government’s initiatives in the education sector that is why we have come up with this unique opportunity for peers, relevant authorities and experts in the field to share notes on effective practices to better the education systems,” he said.
Darikayi said the conference was taking place at a time technology was revolutionising the education sector.
“We need to build resilient education systems that are adaptable, creative and technologically proficient that can cultivate the capacity to sustain equitable and appropriate learning opportunities and outcomes for all students.
“It will require the combined efforts of all players in the education value chain to reinvent and transform our educational system in terms of content, methods, participation and venues creating a more adaptable and resilient system,” he said.
Guests expected to grace the event include ICT minister Tatenda Mavetera, Education Minister Torerai Moyo, Skills Audit and Development minister Paul Mavima, Sport minister Kirsty Coventry and the executive director for Association of Trust Schools Tim Middleton.
