Improving Teachers and Students Professional Development with Twin Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa

ongoing

In the face of Africa's escalating climate crisis, the TeProD project emerges as a transformative initiative, aiming to create a knowledgeable workforce skilled in climate action and circular economy principles, with teachers driving this advancement. TeProD project addresses the challenges of green and digital transformation (twin transition), and sustainable growth and jobs in Africa, particularly in Ghana and Namibia, using state-of-the-art digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI). We achieve this through capacity building of teachers, acknowledging their crucial influence in shaping the minds and future prospects of the next generation. The integration of AI will serve as the fulcrum of the TeProD project, which adopts a participatory design approach and adapts the Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to enhance teacher professional development in Sub-Saharan Africa specifically in the area of circular economy. By customizing and configuring open-source AI tools, we aim to develop smart guides, co-pilots, and interactive content in multiple, easy-to-understand formats to make the capacity-building process in circular economy and pedagogy more effective and engaging. TeProD yields two principal outcomes: the first outcome targets the enhancement of teachers' competencies in twin transitions and pedagogy, and the other outcome targets updating curricula, teaching methods, and course contents with the integration of AI. The project will train all relevant parties (teachers and decision-makers) to increase their learning experience for societal change. In addition, the project will develop a comprehensive handbook for teachers in Ghana, Namibia, and other African countries that will be disseminated by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). In addition, TeProD will facilitate dynamic mobility and exchange among staff and students, fostering a vibrant and cross-cultural learning ecosystem.