10 Nov 2012
"Every
man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to
multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant
and interesting."
- Aldous Huxley
The 21st century
has shown that without education, a man is incomplete as education is
the bedrock of every society. Whether formal or informal education, the
society thrives on learning and dissemination of information. Education
is widely accepted as a leading instrument for fostering economic
growth and development in a globalised world. For Africa, where growth
is essential, and if the continent is to climb out of poverty, education
is particularly important.
In 2004, it was estimated that 38 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa had never been to school. As a result they have been deprived of experiences integral to full physical, social and emotional development (http://www.gaps.org.au/activities/36-education/71-education_2state). According
to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation facts and figures on African Youth (2012),
Africa is the only continent with a significantly growing youth
population. In less than three generations, 41% of the world’s youth
will be African. By 2035, Africa’s labour force will be larger than
China’s. On the continent, too many African young people are neither
employed, nor studying, nor looking for a job. The report states that
literacy is growing but Africa still lags behind the rest of the
world. Current African educational levels are lower than China’s and
India’s and Only 2/3 of students progress from primary to secondary
education in Africa while the Youth unemployment increases with
education levels in Africa
In
Nigeria, Nearly 9 million primary school-age children are out of school
in Nigeria (ibid.). The class strength in a typical public primary and
secondary institution is over 60 with inadequate infrastructure to meet
the needs of the students. In addition, stiffing government policies
affect the growth of education. In Benin, Tanzania, Cameroon, and
Madagascar, governments supervise many aspects of universities’
operations. In Benin and Tanzania, the government appoints senior
university managers. In Cameroon, the Minister of Education retains
supervisory authority over universities. The Ministry of Education in
Madagascar appoints all faculty members, sets salaries, and determines
working conditions, which results in close links between faculty members
and the political system.
Furthermore,
the poor quality of education in most African country is generating
poverty and inequality and undermining the opportunity we have to build
as a continent. There is a wide gap between the rich who can afford
quality education at a high cost to the poor children who have to
struggle to attend and gain from the public educational institutions
that are of questionable standard. Education in most developing African
nations still falls short of standard quality compared to that of
developed nations. Tertiary educations in most African nations are for
those who can afford them. Eventually if the student is able to
graduate, s/he is faced with the problem of getting a job in an already
congested labour market. Recently in Nigeria, over 200,000 youth
completed the mandatory Nation Youth Service and are thrown into the
labour market where there certificate holds no value.
To
improve education in Africa, I believe that policy makers should embark
on educational paradigm shift that will equip the youth with
entrepreneurial skills and critical thinking to be self-reliant. More
so, education policies that will favour the general mass should be
created and implemented, and ensure that every child/youth has
opportunity to get a formal education. Needed and suitable
Infrastructures should be put in place and made available to students.
As
various African leaders, intellectuals and youth gather at the 2012 Mo
Ibrahim Forum in Dakar to discuss on African Youth - fulfilling the
potential, I hope that our policy makers will take decisions that will
be of great benefit to the youth and Africa as a nation.
In Conclusion, “The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live”. ~Flora Whittemore
Post by Bukoye Oluwafunso, 23, from Nigeria
Youth Communicator at the Mo Ibrahim Forum
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