Expanding education and improving its quality is central to Africa's development. If the goal of quality education for all is to be realized, faculties of education in Africa need to take the lead in finding African solutions to educational challenges. One of the ways of doing this is to meet and share knowledge.

Building on previous workshops, DETA 2011 will also feature a pre-Conference Workshop on Open Educational Resources, Getting Real about OER in Teacher Education. Held on 02 August (all day) and 03 August (half day), this is an opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of OER issues and share experiences and projects.

DETA 2005 was held at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, DETA 2007 at Makerere University in Uganda, and DETA 2009 at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Each of the events attracted more than 170 educationists from more than 20 African countries. DETA 2011 will take place in Mozambique and promises to be even bigger.

The enquiry that underpins the conference is "What will make education in Africa not only succeed but reach the highest levels of quality?" This enquiry has to be explored in the context of economic, political, and technological change, not only in Africa but globally. Solutions for African challenges can no longer be driven from outside: Africans involved in the development of teachers, of educational leaders, and of scholarship in education have to take the lead.