Most African countries devote less than 20% of their national budget to education. The average percentage of qualified teachers per country was 78% in nursery schools, 89% in the primary and 80% in the secondary. Figures that show that the African education sector needs reconstruction, one of the priority projects of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Promoting science and digitalization for a more resilient education sector is the challenge that the African Union is launching through the Continental Education Strategy for Africa 2015-2025. This vision is reflected in the inclusion of education and good governance applied to the education sector.
We want education at all levels to be strengthened through innovative initiatives, to improve access, relevance, inclusion and quality.
Sarah ANYANG AGBORAU, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation
To achieve her educational goals, experts recommend that Africa invests in her infrastructure. Currently, most African countries devote less than 20% of their national budget to education. About one in three countries devotes less than 15% of the national budget to education.
We believe that education, science and digitalization in Africa must evolve, provided that local investments are used to improve the competitiveness of the continent in the twenty-first century. With a more experienced human resource, we should put science at the service of solving problems in Africa, particularly in terms of access to quality education.
Elioda TUMWESIGYE, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation
Improving African education systems also requires strengthening the skills of teachers. Above all, the challenge is to have qualified teachers on the continent. In 2019, the average percentage of qualified teachers by country was 78% in nursery schools, 89% in the primary and 80% in the secondary.
I have noticed that in various African countries, there are no professional retraining or performance improvement programs for teachers. Yet, in other countries like Germany, teachers are compelled to thirty compulsory hours of retraining per year. This allows them to align with new educational requirements. We still have teachers who don’t know how to handle computers, who don’t know how to use Powerpoint. The current concern is no longer how many children are in school or not. We must also emphasize on the quality of their training at school.
Olalekan ADEEKO ADEMOLA, Teacher
The African Union wants to provide equal access to education for all in Africa. On the continent, considerable efforts have already been made. The proportion of school drop outs among those of primary school age has been halved, from 35% in 2000 to 17% in 2019. The proportion of school drop outs among those of primary school age and secondary school cycle has fallen from 43% to 33% over the last twenty years.
