Sub-Saharan Africa independent schools urged to join GISA mission to achieve SDG 4

By Cynthia Ezekwe

Sunny Varkey, founder of the Global Teacher Prize, and Global Independent Schools Association(GISA) has urged  sub-Saharan African independent schools, which collectively educate around 40 million children,to join forces with schools from across the world in the first worldwide representative body to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4(SDG 4) and improve global education.

GISA, which was launched recently, with an urgent call for greater knowledge sharing between the independent sector and governments to help improve education across the world,hopes to make its voice heard as a valued partner in achieving SDG4: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all by 2030.

Following the launch, the  members of the organisation  will be able to share knowledge, co-create resources, and receive access to cutting-edge research and reports, innovative workshops, and prestigious events. GISA also aims to hold an annual conference where governments, businesses, NGOs, and leading thinkers will gather once a year for a high-level discussion on how to speed up the goal of achieving quality education for all.

GISA  disclosed that its major objective is  to improve education provision throughout the world, in all sectors, by sharing knowledge that will provide a strong and united voice for the independent K-12 sector – filling a “representation void” of a sector that educates 350 million children worldwide – including 52 per cent of secondary school children in South Asia.

The  global association also seeks to co-ordinate, represent, and give a voice to the global K-12 independent education sector – which educates 350 million children around the world. It aims to become the “go to” voice for the independent education sector, showcasing its impact, and acting as a resource for the world’s governments and global institutions. In addition, It will provide a forum for the sector to share its vast body of accumulated knowledge and expertise within the independent sector, while working with policymakers and governments throughout the world to help raise standards in schools of every background, whether public, independent or third sector.

Varkey,GISA’s founder,  further encouraged independent schools across sub-Saharan Africa to bring their knowledge, expertise, and frontline experiences of educating children from vastly different backgrounds to this group.

 “I urge sub-Saharan African independent schools to join this new global representative body.  Sub-Saharan Africa’s huge variety of independent schools are shouldering a huge responsibility for educating the nation’s children.

They have a huge body of knowledge that can be used within their sector – and beyond – to help improve education around the world.  For the future of children in and out of school globally, it’s vital that they make their voice heard,’’ he said.

He also noted that the ‘frontline’ expertise of educating children from vastly different backgrounds will make efforts to improve education provision throughout the world more effective”.

As a means of shaping the strategic direction of GISA, some of the leading names in global K-12 independent education have united to form GISA’s executive board and they  include- Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO of Nord Anglia Education; Sunny Varkey, founder of GEMS Education; Nadim Nsouli, founder, chairman and CEO of Inspired Education; Frank Maassen, Group CEO of Cognita; Brian Rogove, Group CEO of XCL Education; and Dino Varkey, CEO of GEMS Education.

Influential education luminaries have also agreed to join the Advisory Board of GISA to help shape its strategy and direction. Members include, Victoria Colbert, Columbia’s former vice-minister of education and executive director of Fundación Escuela Nueva; Sir Anthony Seldon, former Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University; Professor Li Wei, Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education; Vijay Kumar, Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab at MIT; Dr Siva Kumari, former Director General of the International Baccalaureate; and Trevor Rowell, Chair of the Council of British International Schools.

Speaking in support of GISA’s launch, Andreas Schleicher, director of education and Skills for the OECD, said getting the independent sector to raise its voice in service of the public good is hugely important.

“Tomorrow’s economy will be unforgiving for those without a strong education and skills for the future. Unless the independent sector joins others – governments, business, NGOs – to work out how we educate and skill up a new generation, valuable expertise will remain siloed, and solutions will be lost,” Schleicher said.