The purpose of the Pan African Deans of Education Forum is to establish a community of practice for deans of education schools in Africa. The forum will provide a platform for deans from different parts of Africa to share experiences and best practices, discuss challenges facing education systems on the continent, and collaborate on initiatives aimed at addressing these challenges. Additionally, such a forum could serve as a repository for the diverse experiences of African students studying in various countries across the continent, ultimately contributing to global teacher development insights.

Education is vital for societal development in Africa, which faces significant challenges such as inadequate funding, insufficient teacher training, and limited access to resources. To tackle these issues, there is a need for collaboration among deans of education schools across the continent. The South African Education Deans Forum (EDF), which is part of Universities South Africa (USAf), has taken the initiative to establish PADEF as a platform for sharing experiences, best practices, and mutual support.

Building on the foundation laid by the Education Deans Forum (EDF) in South Africa, PADEF will facilitate discussions on educational policies tailored to local contexts, promote research in education, advocate for the discipline of teacher education, and highlight emerging issues to policymakers. This collective effort is essential for transforming teacher education and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 across the continent.

The objectives of the Pan African Education Deans Forum are:

• To promote collaboration and networking among deans of education faculties and schools in Africa.
• To create and provide an enabling platform for deans to share experiences and best practices in education leadership, management, and pedagogy.
• To identify and discuss the challenges facing education systems in Africa and collaborate on initiatives aimed at addressing these challenges.
• To provide a leadership collective voice for education and teacher education.
• To create and foster a space in Africa on matters affecting education policy, practice and issues pertaining to the provision of teacher education programmes and research.

The delegates below were seconded and elected as part of the Executive committee.

• Prof Chika Sehoole (University of Pretoria)
• Prof Mathias Bwanika Mulumba (Makerere University)
• Dr Shavega Theresia (University of Tanzania)
• Prof Mpine Makoe (UNISA)
• Prof Juliet Perumal (Wits School of Education)
• Prof Mbulungeni Madiba (Stellenbosch University)
• Prof Hilda Israel (University of Mpumalanga)