EAC States Push for Harmonised Education Systems to Boost Regional Integration

By Faith wanza mueni 

Photo:Cabinet Secretary for East African Community (EAC), ASALs and Regional Development Beatrice Askul Moe 

NAIROBI, Aug. 26, 2026 — East African Community (EAC) partner states have renewed calls for stronger cooperation and harmonisation of education systems to improve learning outcomes, promote skills development and enhance the free movement of students and workers across the region.

The call was made during the Second EAC Regional Education Conference held in Nairobi from Aug. 25 to 28, bringing together about 600 education stakeholders from the eight EAC partner states to review progress made in implementing regional education commitments.

The conference, held under the theme “Transforming Education in East Africa: From Commitments to Impact, Fostering Resilience and Future-Ready Systems for Sustainable Development,” seeks to translate previous commitments into practical and measurable interventions.

EAC Deputy Secretary-General Andrea Ariik said education was central to achieving social integration within the region, noting that harmonised education systems would allow East Africans to work, study and share expertise across borders.

“The EAC believes that East Africans can only integrate fully if we approach social integration, and that is through education, health and many other aspects of social integration,” Andrea said.

He said the EAC Common Education Area was designed to promote harmonisation of curricula and education standards while encouraging mobility of teachers, students and researchers.

Ariik cited the example of a student from the University of Nairobi being able to study for a semester at the University of Dar es Salaam, with the credits earned transferred back to the student's home institution.

“The intention is to promote social integration in the community,” he said.

He added that the region was also working towards harmonising Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) standards to equip young people with skills that are relevant across the regional labour market.

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for East Africa Community Affairs, ASALs and Regional Development Beatrice Askul, who represented President William Ruto at the conference, said education was a critical pillar in transforming the region and strengthening integration.

Askul said the conference had attracted more than 600 representatives from different sectors, providing an opportunity for member states to share experiences, identify challenges and develop solutions that could strengthen education systems across East Africa.

“We are looking at a team that has come to experience their own challenges, speak about the good things they've done, learn from each other, and then integrate their national education sectors and their systems into the regional one,” she said.

She said the discussions were also expected to encourage innovation, sustainability and stronger links between education and employment.

Askul noted that East Africa needed to move towards an education system that produces young people capable of creating employment rather than relying solely on formal jobs.

“From a classroom to that innovative student who would not only work to be employed, but would work to create jobs for themselves and sustain themselves,” Askul said.

The South Sudan Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology, Changkuoth Bichiok Reth, said his country was committed to expanding access to technical and vocational education as part of efforts to prepare young people for the labour market.

He said South Sudan was developing two streams of secondary education, comprising general education and technical or vocational education.

He noted that students completing lower secondary education would have an opportunity to obtain technical qualifications that could help them enter the job market while continuing with further education.

Bichiock said South Sudan was also strengthening links between industry and education to ensure that training responds directly to market needs.

He gave the example of aluminium manufacturers whose industry knowledge could be integrated into vocational training so that graduates acquire skills demanded by employers.

On inclusive education, he said the region needed to ensure disadvantaged groups were not left behind, adding that South Sudan supported efforts to make education accessible to all.

In Kenya, Principal Secretary for Higher Education, Munganda Jyangala, representing Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, said member states had made commitments during the inaugural conference in Arusha, Tanzania, particularly on financing, equity and access.

He said the commitments included increasing education financing to 20 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while improving access for marginalised groups, refugees and girls.

Jyangala said the second conference provides an opportunity for member states to assess progress and develop strategies to address challenges that continue to affect education systems.

The conference also seeks to strengthen early and foundational learning, teacher capacity, inclusive education, innovation, emerging technologies and pathways linking education and training to employment.

EAC officials said regional cooperation would be critical in ensuring that education systems respond to emerging challenges such as climate change, conflict, public health threats and rapid technological advancement.

The conference is expected to culminate in practical policy recommendations and implementation actions aimed at strengthening regional consensus on education priorities and improving access, equity, quality and learning outcomes across the EAC.