Educational infrastructure is currently in a deplorable state of infrastructure, especially at the basic level, and the situation is set to worsen on the back of the 2024 budget allocation for the sector. Africa has been committed to transforming its education system into one adapted to the needs of today’s world.The government, in its 2024 Fiscal Policy and Budget Statement, has only allocated 14.5 percent to the education sector, which is shy of the 15 percent sub-Saharan African average and about six percent short of the international benchmark minimum of 20 percent.
As education is a fundamental human right and a key tool for Africa’s socio-economic development, most African countries, like Ethiopia,Kenya, Rwanda amongst others are committed to transforming the education system into one that is adapted to the needs of today’s world. Some African countries will have no upper secondary completion rate for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Hence the AU’s 2024 theme: « Educating an Africa Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Quality and Relevant Lifelong Learning in Africa », reports the AU commission.
If I were a minister of Education today, I would every year and negotiate with my president and with Prime Minister to get a budget allocation and usually what I get in the budget allocation is never enough to fulfill the needs of the sector and this not only because the president or the government doesn’t want to give us money, it is because the countries has a limited budget.
Mohammed Belhocine, AU Commissioner for Education
Meanwhile, the government, in its 2024 Fiscal Policy and Budget Statement, has only allocated 14.5 percent to the education sector, which is shy of the 15 percent sub-Saharan African average and about six percent short of the international benchmark minimum of 20 percent. Africa currently has an estimated school-age population of 500 million. However, almost 100 million of them, aged between 5 and 19, do not go to school and turn to immigration.
Unesco recommends that 15% of the National budget should go to education but it is not always easy to have those because the State has other problems to solve or there is a lack of means.
Mohammed Belhocine, AU Commissioner for Education
Unesco highlights the recent experience of Burundi, which brought the number of out-of-school children down from 723,000 in 1999 to just 10,000 in 2023. Over the same period, Burundi increased its investment in education from 3.2% of GDP to 8.3%. A significant change which according to the institution must boost other african nations.
