ADEA, AfDB and KOAFEC launch the 2017/2018 Education Research in Africa Award
NEW DEADLINE: October 15, 2018 at 11:59 pm GMT
The third round of competition for the Education Research in Africa Award (ERAA) is now open.
Launched in 2012, the Award aims to promote high quality education research, produced by African universities, research centers and research networks. There are four award categories: (1) emerging educational researcher, (2) accomplished educational researcher, (3) outstanding mentor of educational researchers, and (4) enabling institutional environment for education research.
The research works of candidates can focus on a wide range of thematic areas, but the following will receive special attention: technical and vocational skills development (TVSD); early childhood development and education (ECDE); information and communication technology (ICT); science, technology and innovation (STI); gender issues; special education needs; teacher training and the teaching profession. This year the Award will also givespecial attention to education, training or capacity building works related to the African Development Bank’s five operational priorities known as High 5s: energy, food and agriculture, industrialization, continental integration and improving the quality of life for the people.
The terms and conditions of participation in the competition are available online. The organizing committee strongly encourages women to participate in the 2017/2018 Education Research in Africa Award.
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. Yet, education research in Africa remains limited and underused. Among the main factors explaining this, there are the inadequate institutional environment for education research and the persisting weak involvement of higher education in the policy-making process.
The objectives of the Education Research in Africa Award are:
- Strengthening the link between education research and education policy-making and practice in Africa;
- Encouraging and supporting Africa-based researchers and their institutions to produce and disseminate rigorous and relevant research that stimulates innovative policy-making for Africa;
- Facilitating interaction between researchers and policy-makers in order to promote the systematic use of research findings in policy conceptualization, formulation, design, implementation and evaluation;
- Facilitating the identification of strong researchers to provide content for the ADEA Knowledge Hub, one of the main pillars of the ADEA Strategic Plan 2018-2020.
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.
The juries for the Award are made up of African and Africanist researchers and education specialists working in universities, research centers, research organizations and Pan African institutions, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), based in Africa and in other regions of the world.
The Award is organized by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) and the African Development Institute (ECAD) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), with financial support from the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC).
For further information on ERAA, visit the website eraa.adeanet.org or contact Ms. Raky Gassama, Knowledge Management Officer, ADEA, e-mail: r.gassamacoly@afdb.org
