How can people from different parts of the world come together to profoundly change education systems not just on paper, but in real life? That was the big question at the Global Partnerships for Life Skills Education Conference, held in June 2025 at the Utrecht University in the Netherlands. I was lucky to be part of this gathering, where educators, researchers, funders, and policymakers from across Africa and Europe came together. We did not just talk about life skills, we talked about how we work together, who leads, who listens, and how to build partnerships that matter. This was no ordinary conference. It was an open pot of conversations, sometimes hot and uncomfortable, yet full of big ideas about how to shift power, build trust, and make education more meaningful for young people, especially in Africa. Moving Past Old Models of Collaboration One of the most powerful sessions of the conference included a honest conversation about how international partnerships often work and how they need to change. A number of issues, concerns and proposals emerged from these deliberations. One of the concerns that emerged was that, too often, big ideas in education are crafted in Europe or North America, then simply sent over to African countries. Local experts are asked to “adapt” or “implement” these ideas but rarely lead the work themselves. This top-down model is outdated, and frankly, unfair. Secondly, the researchers reminded us that African countries have the knowledge, experience, and creativity needed to lead their own education reforms. Consequently, what they need are equal partners not just donors or advisors. We also spoke about the challenges of working through partnerships. That, different partners often have diverse ways of working. And that sometimes, they may use different terms, have different expectations, or follow different timelines. But these challenges can be solved if there’s clear communication and mutual respect. Funding, Publishing, and the Problem of Recognition. Of course, research hinges on resources. However, getting funding for African-led work remains a challenge. Many global funds still flow through institutions in the Global North, and African organizations often end up as sub-partners instead of leaders. Recent analysis by the Education Sub-Sahara Africa (ESSA) established that, research is grossly under-funded in Africa and accounts for just two percent of the global output, with dismal output level from women and early-career researchers. Only 10 percent of the accessible research is funded, and even this is funded from external sources. The situation constrains research training and progression of young researchers. Publishing is another issue. African researchers struggle to get their work into top international journals. These journals often do not value locally driven or community-based research. To fix this, we discussed setting up our own journals or pushing for special editions in existing ones (those that center African voices and ideas). We also reflected on how research success is often measured using tools like the H-index or impact factor. These were developed in Western academic systems and do not always reflect what is valuable in African contexts. Instead of asking how many papers someone has published, we need to ask the extent to which the work changed lives? The ALiVE Experience and What Lies Ahead. Dr. John Mugo the Principal Investigator of ALiVE presents at the conference For our team at Action for Life Skills and Values in East Africa (ALiVE) initiative, the conference was a great chance to share what we have been doing and to connect with others working on similar goals. We spoke about how we have been collaborating with different stakeholders including government agencies to better understand and nurture life skills and values in our education systems. The sessions gave us innovative ideas on how to move forward. We are now exploring ways to co-author research papers with international partners and even launch peer learning simulations. Most importantly, we came away with a renewed belief that African voices must not just be included, they must lead. A New Way of Working Together In conclusion, one of the things that made this conference different was its spirit. It was not just about networking or presenting research ideas. It was about rethinking how we work together. My key takeaway was that, collaboration is not just about signing agreements or organizing meetings. True collaboration means sharing power, building trust, and creating space for everyone’s voice. It means seeing African partners not as “beneficiaries” but as co-creators. At a time when global funding is shifting and institutions like USAID are pulling back, we need to find new ways to sustainably support each other. That might mean building regional alliances, designing locally funded programs, or simply listening better. The future of education, especially life skills education depends on this. Not just what we teach, but how we come together to make it happen. By David Alelah – Regional MEL Coordinator, ALiVE
