FOR RELEASE: October 22, 2008

Speaker sometimes deviates from text.

Thank you, Cheryl, for that kind introduction. And to Sarah Moten and USAID, thank you. I have met so many of your colleagues in my travels...they are terrific...and I honor their service.

And to Iqbal Noor-Ali who is here from the Aga Khan Foundation. We were together in Washington, DC just last month to talk about his exciting work in education here in Africa and in Asia.

And Peter McPherson, thank you for representing hundreds of excellent American universities and for your leadership in the States to always improve our higher education institutions—including your great work to provide information to students and parents through enhanced accountability and transparency. Thanks also to all my U.S. colleagues for your work and for being here.

Finally, I would like to recognize The Honorable Goolam Modamedbhai of the Association of African Universities. Thank you for being here and for your work – as well as all the African institutions represented here today.

I have met so many hopeful students during my first visit to Africa. Yesterday, I visited the FAWE Girls School here in Kigali. Many of the students lost parents during the genocide. Others were orphaned by AIDS. But today, because of their persistence, and the hard work of those who believed in them, they are looking ahead to college. Many aspire to become doctors, scientists, and legislators. Last night we enjoyed their beautiful dancing and music.

They share the same enthusiasm I've seen in students around the globe.

In my own country, many parents put their own financial needs aside to pay for education to give their children a better life.

Education is a universally held value. It's the key to opportunity, prosperity and civic engagement. And it's our most powerful tool in addressing our world's greatest challenges – whether poverty, hunger, energy dependency, financial instability or global conflict—especially in countries with such a young population.

Nowhere is that more evident than here in Rwanda. Fourteen years ago, more than 1 million people were killed in the genocide. Today, Rwanda honors their memory in multiple ways, including by investing in education.

Minister Gahakwa, I know you are proud that 44,000 students are now enrolled in Rwandan universities. That's 20 times more than the number who earned degrees in the 3 decades between 1963 and 1994.

I am reminded of what my good friend Secretary Rice says: education is "a way to remake yourself... a way to... become who you should be, who you want to be, who you ought to be."

Supporting that transformation is the heart of what we do in education. And as a university leader herself, Condi understands the value of a high-quality education that is rich in diversity and opportunity. I'm proud that she and I have worked together for nearly 3 years to encourage and expand partnerships and exchanges in higher education.

I'm also pleased that a number of U.S. universities are represented on our agenda, including Penn State, George Washington University, and Texas A&M, as well organizations such as IBM, Google, and the Gates Foundation.

I have been honored to lead delegations of U.S. university presidents to nations around the world. We have touted student and faculty exchange as a way to broaden one's perspective and experience new cultures. In the same way, this summit is an opportunity to broaden our own horizons, to learn from one another, and to become stronger partners.

Many of you attended the Higher Education Summit for Global Development in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. At that time, Administrator Henrietta Fore, who will be here on Friday, announced that the U.S. will provide $1 million dollars to encourage collaboration between universities in the U.S. and Africa.

This funding will enable us to continue to work together, so that we can conduct research to create new medicines and approaches to agriculture...and to build new technologies.

Universities have long been the incubators of great ideas, the birthplaces of great inventions, and the testing grounds of great individuals. Higher education fans the flame of intellectual discourse that keeps democracies and civic societies strong. It empowers individuals to live out their fullest potential, and helps entire nations to live out their ideals.

We are already witnessing the cascading benefits that higher education partnerships can yield toward improving the lives of millions.

Our challenge is to extend and amplify these benefits to reach more students from more backgrounds in more places.

Every teacher we train will affect generations. Every research project we begin can change lives.

During my travels in Africa this past week, I've been asked whether I believe the next President of the United States, no matter who wins on November 4th, will continue to provide historic levels of support to Africa.

I would say this: There has been tremendous bipartisan support for the resources we have sent your way...and strong recognition that the dollars we have invested here have yielded sizable and tangible benefits for all of us. I see no reason to believe that will change. I'm proud to be a part of historic leadership by President Bush to set a new standard of responsibility and effectiveness.

But even so, my government's investment makes up just one ninth of the total US investment here in Africa. The remainder comes from universities, businesses, foundations, and faith-based organizations like those represented here today. Ultimately, it will be up to all of us to turn these resources into results.

One area that I believe has yet to be mined for its full potential to support development is higher education. It's time to change that.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame has said that American universities prove that "an effective education system is always anchored in the needs of society and must become accessible to all." I fully agree.

Worldwide, about 77 million children remain out of school, and 38 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa. Think about that. In Zambia, 20 percent of students are orphans or vulnerable children, often because of AIDS. Despite strong gains, Rwanda produces fewer than half the number of teachers its students need.

The United States remains committed to UNESCO's goal of education for all children in all countries by 2015. And I commend Rwanda's vision of becoming a knowledge-based, middle-income country by 2020.

To meet these goals, we must advance systemic change.

We must knock down barriers to progress by preparing more students for college, earlier, as the University of Nebraska is doing;

We must build human capital by educating more people from diverse backgrounds as the Aga Khan Foundation is helping to do;

We must help more students leverage technology and innovation as Carnegie Mellon is doing through its graduate computer science program here in Rwanda; and

We must continue our traditional emphasis on excellence in research and scholarship, as well as to nurture partnerships such as that of the National University of Rwanda, Michigan State, and my home state's Texas A&M. With their help, Rwandan farmers are now exporting specialty coffees that have quadrupled their earnings over the last 7 years.

But we can and must do more. Simply put, higher education must become more agile, transparent, and student-centered.

In doing so, we in the U.S. can learn from what is happening across Africa. Many African communities are rapidly moving to embrace change. Africa's lack of precedent is one of its greatest assets. Its universities are free to take risks and challenge assumptions.

That freedom to experiment and innovate has produced many new technologies: doctors are diagnosing and treating AIDS with the help of cell phones and children in remote areas are learning through interactive radio.

The Internet has been tapped to exponentially multiply opportunity. But like all technologies, it is only a tool. Human hands and minds must guide it. It is people like you and educators in our own countries who must develop the diverse and abundant strengths of our populations.

Achieving Education for All could help prevent 7 million cases of AIDS.

Providing just 5 years of primary education for women increases their children's chances of survival by 40 percent.

Raising the average level of higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa by just one year would elevate incomes by nearly 12 percent, translating to an additional $64 billion in regional GDP... and a rise in productivity, sustainability, and quality of life.

Together, we can make these visions a reality. And I can imagine no more important or exciting work for a sector that excels in advancing opportunity and developing potential.

Our students look to us to show them the way forward. We must not let them down. So let's get to work! We have nothing to lose, and a world to gain.

Thank you. I would be happy to answer your questions.

###