The introduction of COVID-19 has exacerbated issues with Africa’s education and training systems and reaffirmed the necessity for creative solutions that are appropriate for their intended use and can be scaled up sustainably to suit the field’s constantly changing context. Although there is a sizable education gap in Africa, a lot of progress has been done in that time. A fifth of kids between the ages of 6 and 11 aren’t in school, compared to 33% of kids between the ages of 12 and 14 and an estimated 60% of kids between the ages of 15 and 17, with girls being more adversely impacted. Access thus continues to be difficult at several levels – Innovating Education In Africa $ 100000 in funding (call for submissions)
In this regard, the African Union (AU) founded Innovating Education in Africa (IEA) in 2018 with the goal of locating, encouraging, and assisting the systematic adoption and replication of educational innovations in all facets of education and training in Africa. The IEA program’s goals include developing and validating solutions to Africa’s ongoing problems with education and training as well as assisting in the scaling up of successful ones. Since the program’s beginning, more than 1,500 players in the education sector have been involved in Africa, and 180 ideas have received promotion and funding worth up to $1 million USD.
“IEA – AU Innovating Education Call“
The AU Innovating Education in Africa Call asks innovators to submit fresh, useful educational ideas that have the potential to be replicated widely, sustained, and scalable. In order to address the difficulties of education and skill development in Africa, particularly as nations exit COVID-19, we want to mobilize continental education innovators to rethink solutions.
Our mission is to effect change by:
encouraging innovation partnerships involving educational and training institutions, governments, and other crucial stakeholders; encouraging innovators to identify the main challenges facing education and skill development in Africa; sourcing innovative ideas and solutions to those challenges for adoption, replication, and scale-up.
Eligibility requirements
- Citizens of AU Member States who are in charge of organizations that fit the following requirements are eligible to apply.
- Successfully implementing an educational innovation with measurable results in one or more AU Member States.
- A product or service that is provided by a company that addresses issues in the educational system in a way that is relatively unique in the African environment is referred to as an education innovation.
- Legally enrolled and authorized to conduct business in an AU Member State.
- Directly accountable for the innovation’s implementation and administration, i.e., not serving as an intermediary.
Application Process
The following information should be included with submissions made online in either English or French at www.edu-au.org/submit-innovation.
- Detailed description of the problem being solved (100 words).
- Description of the innovation, focusing on its operation, the strategy for deployment, and the revenue model (500 words).
- Report on the innovation’s performance and results (500 words).
- Documentation proving business registration and operating license.
- Please take note that each organization may only submit one idea; failure to comply will result in disqualification. Previous grant recipients of the IEA program are ineligible to apply.
Submissions must be received by 23:00 (GMT+3) on September 15, 2022. Contact information is available at owusum@africa-union.org.
Evaluation & selection process
Submissions will undergo the following process.
| Â | Activity | Outcome | Timeline |
| i. | Eligibility Check | The longlist of eligible innovations | 19-21 September 2022 |
| ii | Technical review and shortlisting | 50 promising innovations and 10 finalists for Early Pitch are selected. | 22 September –7 October 2022 |
| iii | Early Pitch (Virtual) | 5 finalists for Final Pitch are selected | 13 October 2022 |
| iv | Final Pitch (Tunisia) | 3 Innovations are selected and awarded grants | November 2022 |
Benefits for selected candidates
Those who apply successfully will gain from one or more of the following:
- Get grants of up to $100,000 to improve the integration of innovations with public education systems while gathering proof of their efficacy.
- Publication in the Africa Education Innovations Handbook 2022 as part of the promotion of innovation to AU Member States and Development Partners.
- Certificate of appreciation from the African Union’s Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation.
For more Information or to apply CLICK HERE for Innovating Education In Africa $ 100000 in funding (call for submissions)
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