ADEA, AfDB and KOAFEC launch the 2014/2015 Education Research in Africa Award

The competition for the 3rd and 4th editions of the Education Research in Africa Award (ERAA) is now open.

The Award aims to promote high quality education research, produced by African universities, research centres and research networks. It is awarded to four categories of researchers or institutions: the best emerging researcher, the best accomplished researcher, the outstanding mentor of educational researchers, and the best enabling institutional environment for education research.

The Award is organized by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the African Development Institute (ADI) of the African Development Bank (AfDB), with financial support from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC).

The inaugural edition of ERAA was launched in 2012.

For the 3rd and 4th editions of the Award (2014 and 2015), research in the following thematic fields will receive special attention: technical and vocational skills development (TVSD); early childhood development (ECD); information and communication technology (ICT); science, technology and innovation (STI);gender issues; special education needs; teacher training and the teaching profession.

The organizing committee encourages women to participate in the 2014 and 2015 editions. The terms and conditions of participation in the competition are available on line.

Research on education is crucial for African education systems to function well. It provides decision-makers with the information they need to orient policy, conduct reform and enhance the quality, equity, relevance and efficiency of their education and training systems.

In spite of this, education research in Africa remains insufficient and underused. Among the main factors explaining this are the inadequate institutional environment for education research, and the persisting weak involvement of higher education in the policy-making process.

policy-making process. The objectives of the Education Research in Africa Award are: To strengthen the link between education research and education policy-making and practice in Africa;

To encourage and support researchers based in Africa and their organizations to produce and disseminate rigorous and relevant research that stimulates innovative policymaking for Africa;

To facilitate the interaction between researchers and policy-makers in order to promote the systematic use of research findings in the design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of education policies;

ERAA ultimately seeks the institutionalization of a culture of quality research that contributes both to informed decision-making and to the effective implementation of promising reforms and practices. It is part of a wider framework seeking to strengthen education research capacities in Africa, which will be implemented in the next few years.

The juries for the Award are made up of African and Africanist researchers and education specialists working in universities, research centers and research organizations based in Africa and in other regions of the world.