Education in Africa needs radical overhauling - Spio

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  International Seminar on Basic Education and Development Assistance in Sub Saharan Africa
  BASIC EDUCATION IN AFRICA
  
  Photo: Aïcha Bah-Diallo
  
  by Aïcha Bah-Diallo
  Director
  Division of Basic Education
  UNESCO
  
  3 March 1997
  BASIC EDUCATION IN AFRICA
  
  Basic education has always been a central concern of the African peoples who recognize that it constitutes the basis of all socioeconomic development. The difficulties that today confront many regions of the world are, in part, caused by a breakdown in the systems established to provide basic education. This is especially true in the sub-Sahara African countries whose educational history reflects several influences and where the emergence of education systems adapted to the development needs dates back, in most countries, only to the 1960s and 1970s.
  
  One can divide the educational history of sub-Sahara Africa into three eras:
  
  - the pre-colonial period;
  
  - the colonial period;
  
  - the period since independence.
  
  I shall look briefly at the main developments in each of these periods before turning to the present situation. I will, in particular, examine the case of Guinea and formulate a number of recommendations aimed at illuminating the needs and guiding the development of education in Africa.
  I. HISTORY
  A. The Pre-colonial Period
  
  Traditionally, education in Africa was considered a concern of the entire society. It was viewed in a global perspective, not as a set of specializations, and understood as a collective responsibility. The characteristics of traditional education, according to Paul Désalmand (Histoire de l'éducation en Côte d'lvoire -- Des origines à la Conférence de Brazzaville, Abidjan CEDA. 1983. 456 p.) are:
  
  1. Education is given everywhere;
  2. Education is given at any time;
  3. Education is given by all members of the community;
  4. Education is closely linked to the environment;
  5. Education is directly related to the needs of society;
  6. An individual's integration into production occurs early in life;
  7. Training not only develops skills, but also promotes a sense of belonging to and serving the community;
  8. Education concerns everyone;
  9. Education has a comprehensive character;
  10. Society aims at preserving equilibrium;
  11. Magic plays a fundamental role;
  12. The religious and the sacred are present in all aspects of life;
  13. Parents play an important part in the education of their children;
  14. Aging is perceived as a positive development;
  15. Relations between people are personal relations;
  16. Models of education and society are developed by the groups concerned in their own languages;
  17. Knowledge is transmitted orally.
  
  In the traditional context, education gave the child a sense of security, belonging, identity, and accomplishment. It was not only a process of preparation, but also a process of participation in the life and work of his or her group or community.
  B. The Colonial Period
  
  The first schools implanted in Africa were those of the missionaries and represented a veritable subsystem of foreign education. They aimed at training an indigenous elite, spreading the Christian religion and, in general, promoting the process of colonization. Thus, in the colonial period, education lost its sense of functionality, of serving the African community.
  
  Colonial schools were based on western models and taught by expatriate teachers without any knowledge of the local environment. Indeed, education was deliberately emptied of African content. Colonial education closely reflected the situation in the "home country"-- e.g., the struggle in 19th century France between religious and secular or laic schools--, but took little, if any, account of African realities, the world in which their students lived. Moreover, only a very limited part of the population had the opportunity to attend school.
  
  According to statistics published by the World Bank, the gross rate of enrollment in primary education in Africa in 1960, near the end of the colonial era, was 36% as compared to 67% for Asia and 73% for Latin America. This average, however, concealed large disparities between territories, urban and rural areas, sexes and religious and ethnic groups. For the French-speaking territories, the overall gross enrollment ratio was 38% (50% for the Belgium colonies and 31% for French colonies); for the English-run colonies it was 40%. The rate of illiteracy was over 90% for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
  
  Those who completed school obtained jobs in the colonial administration and were accorded a privileged social status. This type of training, elitist by its very nature and design, resulted in a fascination with and subjugation to Western values. Indeed, Africans were being asked to accept a system of education that was systematically destroying the very values that traditional education had sought to promote and preserve.
  
  It is also important to note the influence of Islam on education in Africa during the Colonial era. Islam's influence dates back to the Middle Ages and was particularly marked by the rapid development of Koranic schools, designed to teach theology, in the 17th and 18th centuries. To this date, Islamic education continues to exercise an important influence in many parts of the continent. Islamic schools are rooted in and sustained by the community. Efforts are underway in a number of countries to broaden the curriculum of the Islamic schools in order to include a wider range of basic education programmes.
  C. The Period of Independence
  
  At independence, Africa inherited from its colonial past an education system poorly adapted to its needs and realities. The first order of business for many independent countries was to change this situation. Beginning in May 1961, with the Addis Ababa Conference organized by UNESCO, the countries of sub-Saharan Africa set about in a spirit of high enthusiasm the reform of their education systems as part of a plan to achieve socioeconomic development and cultural liberation.
  
  A far-reaching revision of programmes and methods of instruction was undertaken. The newly independent countries, with the support of the international community, undertook major efforts to promote education and, indeed, achieved impressive quantitative results.
  
  They devoted nearly $3.8 billion dollars of domestic public funds to education in 1970, $6.3 billion in 1975 and over $10 billion in 1980. Thereafter, this level of expenditure, which could not be sustained, declined to around $8.9 billion. International support--bilateral, multilateral, and private--reached a level of about $9.5 billion per year in the 1980s.
  
  Basing themselves on the impressive initial results achieved, the African States considered that the universalization of basic education could be easily accomplished. It was with this goal in view that the African education systems developed rapidly.
  
  The system of education, however, was that imposed by colonial rule. The division of education into primary, secondary and tertiary levels was maintained. Universities were established and flourished in nearly all countries. In many countries, the national civil services undertook to employ all university graduates. Unfortunately, in the 1970s, economic conditions deteriorated as did public funding for education, which provoked a serious crisis within the education system.
  
  A study by the World Bank reveals that between 1960 and 1983 the number of students in Africa increased at a rate of 9% per year, twice as rapidly as in Asia and three times as rapidly as in Latin America [see Table I in annex]. At the primary level, the gross enrollment ratio increased from 36% to 75% in just over 20 years. It was during this era that the school opened its doors to sectors of the population that had previously been excluded from education. During this period, the African countries also made great strides in the construction of schools and in the training of teachers. Parallel to these efforts, enormous literacy campaigns were launched, increasing the adult literacy rate from 9% to 42%. Adult education and non-formal education also flourished.
  
  Of equal importance, at the primary level the content of education was Africanized in many countries--i.e. reformed in order that its context reflect the African situation and environment and respond to the needs of Africans. In 21 countries, national languages replaced English, French, and Portuguese as the language of instruction. In brief, the school was transformed in a manner such that it was no longer foreign to African students and for this very reason became more attractive to them.
  
  In general, the English-speaking countries were in advance of the French-speaking countries in overall rates of enrollment and, in particular, in the percentage of girls enrolled. In 1980, 58% of the age-group was completing primary school in the English-speaking countries as compared to 47% in 1960. In the French-speaking countries the comparable rates were 30% in 1980 as compared to 16% in 1960. Table I show the gross enrollment ratios--the percentage of girls attending school in comparison with the number of girls in the primary school age-group--in eight selected African countries. The reader will note two facts: first, the generally higher rates of enrollment in English-speaking countries as compared to French-speaking countries and second, the fact that in two countries--Botswana and Zimbabwe--a higher percentage of girls attend school than do boys.
  
  Unfortunately, the reforms of the education system, which occurred in most countries of the region, did not achieve their objectives. The reason for this failure was mainly that the reforms were not based on a coherent strategy. Table 2 (in annex) shows the rise--and in certain cases the subsequent fall--of gross enrollment ratios in selected African countries between 1960 and 1994/95. As will be noted, the French-speaking countries and Ethiopia have far lower rates than the former English colonies. In the case of Zambia, whose economy is based on copper exports, one can clearly see that as the price of copper declined in the 1980s, so did the percentage of students attending school.
  II. THE PRESENT SITUATION
  
  Today, the progress achieved since independence appears seriously threatened. Even as population growth continues, school enrollments are stable and. in certain cases, declining [see Table 2]. Of perhaps even greater importance, the quality of the education provided has deteriorated significantly in many countries.
  
  With the birth of multiparty democracy in countries without previous experience in democratic rule, it became essential to ensure that the schools did not become objects of partisan politics, but that education instead was set above politics and seen as a national responsibility that all politicians and parties must respect and promote. This has been a continuing challenge, but progress is being made.
  
  The fundamental problems of access, quality, equity, retention, and achievement are far from being resolved in many African countries. Indeed, it has to be stressed that the budgets devoted to education continue to diminish, even as those devoted to defense and armaments continue to grow.
  
  At the World Conference on Education for All, held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990, and at the Mid-Decade Review of Education for All, which took place in Amman, Jordan, in 1996, it was observed that the rates of growth of school enrollments in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s were the lowest of any region as well as rates of literacy (67% for men and 47% for women). While repetition (20%) and population growth were higher than in other regions [see Table 3 and Table 4 in annex]. Indeed, the rate of population growth (3%) exceeds the rate of growth of the economy (2%), implying that the level of income per capita is actually declining. Education in the African region also suffers from a serious shortage of equipment and supplies and an inadequate development of means of communication, which in most countries is still in an embryonic stage.
  
  The pressure of population growth has evident negative effects on rates of enrollment. In fact, only about 50% of African children of school age attend school as compared to 73% in South Asia and 76% in the Middle East and North Africa. The enrollment rate for girls is even lower as shown by the fact that girls make up 45.6% of total enrollment, virtually the same percentage as in 1990 when girls made up 45.1% of total enrollment in African primary schools.
  
  While persevering efforts are being made to improve the educational situation in Africa, the context is complex and often difficult. Economic, demographic, socio-cultural and institutional factors combine to complicate the problem. African economies are caught up in the processes of restructurization. The liberalization of African economies is, in most cases, taking place within a process of structural adjustment aimed at limiting government expenditures. The burden of debt, structural adjustment requirements and high levels of unemployment all work against the education of children. In 1992, the estimated per capita income of Africans was $850. This average for all countries, of course, conceals glaring differences: e.g., for Mozambique the annual income per head was only $60 whereas in Gabon it was $4,450.
  
  In sum, African educational systems are in a state of crisis due to several factors including:
  
  (i) the weak demand for education, especially in rural areas and among girls. The high level of unemployment among school leavers is convincing parents that schooling is a poor investment of their money or their children's time.
  (ii) the financial crisis in which education systems find themselves as a result of deteriorating terms of trade, policies of structural adjustment aimed at balancing budgets and stimulating stagnating economies, and the competing demands of other government services, including the military.
  (iii) The disorders and prolonged civil wars that have afflicted Africa.
  
  Characteristics of the Educational Crisis
  
  The crisis of education in Africa is evidenced by the persisting inequality of access, especially between boys and girls. In 1990, for example, approximately 60% of boys between the ages of 6 and 11 years were enrolled in school as compared to 52% of girls. Moreover, as the quality of education has declined, more students are repeating classes or leaving school without having achieved mastery of even the most basic skills: reading and writing, developing problem-solving skills, appropriate social and civil attitudes and an understanding of the environment. The average length of school attendance was estimated, in 1992, to be 6 1/2 years for a boy and 5 1/2 years for a girl.
  
  It is often noted that African schools suffer from both excessive centralization of administration and poor management at all levels. Those who administer the schools are, in fact, teachers without any training in administration or management. Most decisions are taken in ministries or central administrations far removed from the day-to-day work of schools. As a result, such decisions often fail to reflect the realities experienced in classrooms and communities. In the absence of precise and up-to-date information, the central administration is unable to effectively administer a system which consists mainly of small and remote schools.
  
  The financial crisis is not only a shortage of resources, although that is certainly central to it, but also the fact that there is no flexibility in using the resources that are available. Increasingly, over 90% of the budget goes to one item of expenditure alone--paying teachers' salaries--, leaving little for books and supplies or even the most essential repairs to buildings and equipment. As a consequence, premises are often dilapidated, overcrowded and poorly equipped. Even while most of the budget goes to pay the salaries of teachers, these are usually extremely low and, in many countries, paid only after long delays. Not surprisingly, the motivation of teachers is often low. The growth of higher education, which costs at least 15 to 20 times as much per student as primary education, has also added to the educational burden that governments must bear. The consequence of these pressures can be seen in the decline and, in many cases, breakdown of education systems.
  Implications of the Educational Crisis
  
  The poor quality of primary education not only reduces learning outcomes, it also complicates the relationship between the school and the community. The culture of the school does not correspond to the culture of the community. Teachers often do not feel responsible before parents, who are viewed as uneducated and unenlightened, and the community, for its part, feels little sense of responsibility towards the school which is seen as an external creation representing concerns and values that are foreign to the community.
  
  The school curriculum has little relevance to the needs of the community. Often, its goals are too ambitious and its content too encyclopedic given the realities of the situation. This explains, in large part, the high rate of student failure. The teachers usually have only a modest level of education themselves and little systematic training. They tend to emphasize rote learning rather than using active methods and have little experience in how to organize a programme that can cater to students of different ages and achievement levels. Very few countries have effective programmes of continuing education and training for teachers to help them overcome these weaknesses.
  
  A shortage of book and school supplies is another serious problem in most countries, especially in rural areas. Often there is only one book for every 20 students and, in many cases, that book does not reflect the programme currently being followed by the school. Often, the teachers also lack instructional guides to advise them on how to present subjects and manage related classroom activities. In brief, the present situation in Africa is one of multidimensional crisis affecting all aspects of the education system.
  THE EXAMPLE OF GUINEA
  
  The Declaration on Education for All (EFA) and the plans of action adopted by countries around the world to achieve the goals set forth at the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990, have defined a set of responsibilities at all levels--world, regional, sub-regional and national--and targets to be achieved by the year 2000.
  
  Since the Jomtien Conference, most African countries have undertaken actions aimed at the development of their education system by increasing access, improving quality and relevance and upgrading their efficiency. The educational policies that have been formulated are, in most cases, clear, efficient and well supported. In general, the countries have also sought--often in very difficult circumstances--to provide the means for carrying out such policies and the reforms that they entail.
  
  At the international, regional and sub-regional levels, there have been numerous meetings in which national and local experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, have been shared and analyzed. Initiatives have been launched, networks established and mechanisms and modalities put in place.
  
  With the aim of reforming and improving its education system, the Government of Guinea has undertaken several pectoral studies. These have focused on analyses of economic and financial factors, possibilities of administrative reorganization and inquiries into how the education system functions and, by implication, what measures would be needed to improve its operation. On the basis of these studies, in 1989 the Government issued a Declaration of Educational Policies. This is, in effect, a long-term plan for the development of education divided into three phases: 1991-1994, 1995-1997, 1998-2000.
  
  The implementation of the first phase took the form of a carefully planned programme of three years' duration. Three international donors agreed to work together to support this first phase of the plan which involved the structural adjustment of the education sector (PASE). The World Bank, U.S. Aid and the French cooperation provided $58 million in credits, either in the form of balance of payments support or in direct payments. These three partners were joined by a number of other donors: Japan, the European Community, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the African Development Bank, and the Islamic Development Bank. Non-governmental organizations such as Action Aid also supported the plan. The Ministry of Education was responsible for coordination of all inputs, national and international.
  
  To obtain the objectives established by the Declaration of Educational Policies and receive the financial support pledged by the international community, four sets of measures were taken:
  
  (i) an administrative reorganization was launched together with measures aimed at improved management and supervision. Among other measures, this involved establishing two educational ministries, one for higher education and a second, which I headed, devoted to pre-university education and professional training with a strong focus on promoting basic education and increasing the participation of girls;
  (ii) a systematic development of human resources and improvements in the pre-service and in-service training of teachers were introduced;
  (iii) improvements in the conditions of instruction in classrooms and the provision of additional support and equipment, including a rationalization of the location of schools, were initiated;
  (iv) content and methods of instruction were revised, and improved practices disseminated.
  
  These reforms were necessary prerequisites for implementing the new educational policies.
  
  A high-level inter-ministerial committee (Comité de Suivi du PASE) was established to follow up and ensure that the required reforms of the education system were effectively implemented. The committee met every three months. Within the Education Ministry, a more specialized committee (Comité de Pilotage du PASE), which met monthly, was established to follow the reform process and, where needed, test proposed reforms before introducing them on a national scale. Both committees were supported by a common Technical Secretariat--composed of a national coordinator and two expatriate advisers--which worked closely with the different services involved in the reform. Donors' representatives met regularly with the Technical Secretariat.
  
  At the start of each school year, workshops were held to assess the progress of the previous year and set objectives for the coming school year. In the first year of the reform, a national workshop was organized in the capital, Conakry. In subsequent years, the national workshop was replaced by meetings in each of the four main regions of the country in order to take better account of the specific needs and circumstances of each region. These workshops received extensive coverage in the media and thus served as a means for keeping the population informed concerning the goals of the reform, the problems encountered and the progress achieved.
  
  Those responsible for the programme were provided with training to enable them to better perform their duties. They were also made aware that they would be held directly and fully responsible for ensuring the success of the reform in their activity or area.
  
  On balance, the reform achieved its objective: that of making effective use of internal and external resources in implementing an improved national programme of education in conformity with the policy of the government and acceptable to all partners, domestic and foreign, working in the field of education.
  
  The results achieved are the best proof of the success of the reform: the rate of enrollment in primary education increased from 28% of the age-group in 1990 to 44% in 1994, the management of the system visibly improved, teacher training was expanded, school supplies and equipment were upgraded and--what is especially important--the rate of enrollment of girls was significantly increased. Between 1990 and 1994, 3,000 classrooms were constructed and equipped, half of them by mobilization of internal resources and the voluntary contributions of the community. In addition, many schools and premises used for administrative and other purposes were refurbished. This progress is summarized in Table 5 in annex.
  
  To serve smaller communities, multi-grade schools in which one teacher instructs students of different ages and grade levels were considerably expanded. This served both to increase enrollment and to make more rational use of teachers.
  
  The training provided by human resource development plan allowed a reallocation of personnel within the system. For example, 1,806 secondary teachers were retrained for service in primary schools where, as a result of expanding enrollments, the need was greatest. The plan also provided for the retraining of 8,000 teachers in new methods of teaching French and mathematics.
  
  The studies undertaken to guide the reform highlighted the role of discriminatory attitudes in hindering the education of girls. Immediate measures were taken to counteract such stereotypes and prejudices through the revision of the curriculum, the training of teachers, the use of new pedagogical approaches, the revision of textbooks and instructional materials and various other steps.
  
  As part of the reform of education, the Government of Guinea, which had adopted the Declaration on Education for All, launched a number of experiments and pilot projects aimed at increasing the school participation of girls. These undertakings were initiated, conducted and coordinated by the Ministry of Education as part of the overall programme aimed at the development of education. The following examples illustrate the far-reaching nature of the actions undertaken.
  
  (1) Second Chance Education: This programme aimed at girls between the ages of 9 and 15 who had either never attended school or had dropped out at an early age and to provide them with literacy training both in a national language and in French. They were also provided with training in a trade or craft to enable them to be able to earn their own living. Second-chance education (NAFA) centres were not imposed upon communities, but were opened only in communities that agreed to provide physical facilities and offer other forms of support. The centres were staffed by women groups and engaged local artisans to teach their trades and crafts to participating youth.
  
  These centres were intended to increase the rate of enrollment in education and achieve the following qualitative goals: reduce the educational disparities between regions and sexes, assist the social integration of young people in general and girls in particular, encourage young people to remain in their communities rather than migrate to cities, protect the environment and prepare young people to live independent lives. The second-chance education centres were also linked with formal education in order that participants could, if desired, either switch to a primary school or, in certain cases, advance to secondary education.
  
  In fact, two models of second-chance education were developed. One model was open to both boys and girls, with the provision that girls had to make up at least 50% of enrollment. The second was for girls only. To establish such a centre a minimum of 60 girls had to be enrolled. By late 1996, 42 centres had been established, covering all regions of the country. Sixty per cent of the youth who enrolled at such centres have since entered or been reintegrated into the formal education system. The second-chance leaning centres project is guided by an inter-ministerial committee which includes representatives responsible for the promotion of women and for youth programmes as well as officials from the ministries of education, finance and cooperation.
  
  (2) National Committee for Equal Educational Opportunities for Girls: This inter-ministerial committee, composed of senior government officials responsible for education, promotion of women and social affairs, is charged with:
  
  - examining disparities in educational opportunities between boys and girls;
  
  - determining the factors that influence the decisions of families in rural areas to enroll or not enroll their children, especially their daughters, in school;
  
  - developing and implementing a national plan of action aimed at eliminating obstacles to the enrollment of disadvantaged children.
  
  The Committee has taken action in a number of areas: legal texts that have had a discriminatory effect upon girls and women have been revised, educational statistics have been carefully examined to determine the pattern of disparity in order that an effective strategy of intervention can be designed, an overall study of all measures taken since independence to promote education--especially for girls and children in rural areas--is being completed, studies examining family decision-making concerning education have been launched, and an exchange of experience with other countries within the sub-region is underway.
  
  The Committee has also developed an effective strategy, including the use of media, to raise the consciousness of the public, and in particular that of selected target groups and regions, concerning inequalities in educational opportunities. The strategy has three dimensions: national, regional, and local. The national campaign uses a multimedia approach and emphasizes the use of spot announcements, songs, plays and public announcements to convey appropriate messages. The regional campaign, based mainly on rural radio, is adapted to the particular situation of each region. Use is also made, especially at the local level, of educational promoters and local leaders to spread awareness to villages and hamlets.
  
  A pilot programme has also been conducted in which students are provided with school materials and essential medicines in order to attract them to school and to improve the state of their health. This experimental programme is being supported by USAID and the World Bank.
  
  A midcourse review of the work of the Committee for Equal Educational Opportunities for Girls concluded that it had had a very positive effect in overcoming the reluctance of parents to send their children, girls as well as boys, to school.
  
  The progress of the reform is also shown by other statistics. For example, the number of classrooms increased from 7,312 in 1990 to 10,443 in 1993. A total of 1,400,000 school manuals were distributed in 1993. The salaries of teachers were substantially increased to compensate for inflation and rises in the cost of living. As already noted, 8,000 teachers were retrained in French and mathematics. In addition, 111 advisors were trained in order to assist in the in-service training of teachers.
  
  Measures were also taken to make more effective use of trained manpower and available resources by increasing the number of multigrade schools. making the school year more flexible and redeploying teachers from secondary to primary schools. In order to monitor reforms more effectively, the collection of statistics was also improved. Audits of the functioning of the ministry were also undertaken and various administrative reforms introduced to improve efficiency.
  
  In brief, the first phase of the reform (PASE) represented a fundamental change in both the conception of education and in the measures taken for its promotion. Basic education received increased attention and resources and was reorganized in order to make more effective use of available means. For the first time regional differences were fully recognized and measures taken to involve the community more actively in the promotion of education. The education of girls became both a goal of educational policy and a measure of its success.
  
  Personally, I devoted seven years to preparing and implementing the reforms discussed above. The team which I built and with which I worked is still in place. Prior to leaving my post, I negotiated the financial arrangements for a second phase of the educational reform (PASE II) which will both consolidate the gains of the first phase and widen the scope of reforms to include secondary and university education as well as adult education. Indeed, the second phase of the reform will represent a major step toward the goal of education for all.
  
  Among the steps foreseen in the national plan of action to achieve education for all are the following:
  
  - expansion of the second-chance education centres (NAFA);
  
  - expansion of the centres providing youth with training in technologies and crafts and preparing them to enter the world of work (CETA);
  
  - reorganization of the National Literacy Service and the activation of its regional and local branches in order to support local literacy initiatives;
  
  - provision of increased support to the Centre for Environmental Education and Development (CEED) in Pita, which aims at opening the school to its environment and promoting the participation of the local population in the educational life of the community;
  
  - support to private initiatives aimed at contributing to education for all.
  
  During my seven years as minister, I traveled to all parts of the country in order to sensitize local officials, union leaders and business people, school administrators, parents, teachers and children--indeed, everyone I encountered--to the importance of education for all: to its importance to the individual, girl or boy, woman or man, to its importance to the well-being of groups and communities and to its importance for our nation. My technique, however, was not to lecture but to share information. I sought to tell them that it was not the government's programme, but their programme and that its success or failure depended upon them. This direct and personal approach was essential to gain the support of the population. I profited from these contacts to communicate the message that education is a national responsibility and that promoting it is the responsibility of every citizen and all governments. The growing acceptance of this message has placed education above politics as was demonstrated in the elections--communal, presidential and legislative--that took place between 1990 and 1993. While many problems remain, there is now a strong consensus in Guinea that education for all is an essential national goal.
  RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE
  1. Recommendations
  
  The leaders of education in Africa are fully aware of the crisis that their education systems are confronting. The exchange of experience at periodic regional and sub-regional meetings reveals that the strategies the different countries are adopting are essentially convergent. The recommendations that have derived from such meetings concern different levels of action.
  Issues of overall educational policy
  
  - The implementation of an education that is free, obligatory and universal and ensures that no child, particularly those with handicaps or disadvantaged, is left out.
  
  - The redefinition of the school in terms of quality, equity, and efficiency.
  
  - The expression of political will through declarations of intentions, budget allocations and institutional and legal measures.
  
  - The development of basic education: including increasing the availability of primary education, improvements in educational quality, and introduction of innovations such as the use of solar lighting systems in order that classrooms can also be used for non-formal classes in the evening.
  
  - The involvement of local communities in defining the objectives for the school and in undertaking projects aimed at meeting the needs of the school.
  
  - The provision of funding for literacy and adult education within the government budget.
  
  - Educational policies must be aimed at achieving education for all and, with that objective in view, must draw upon the results of research-action studies on the school and apply the diverse methods used in literacy work in order that children, youth and adults are actively engaged in learning and training activities. Only such a strategy can result in a true democratization of education and human resource development and ensure their application to the development of the society.
  Issues at the Community Level
  
  - Creating synergies between educational programmes and other development projects and programmes such as village water projects and activities directed towards population education, health, hygiene, etc.
  
  - Use of distance education.
  
  - Developing complementarity between formal and non-formal types of training and building bridges between these two systems.
  
  - Strengthening population policies.
  
  - Prohibiting customs with a negative impact such as female excision and early marriage of girls. Such measures, of course, have to be preceded by major awareness-raising campaigns. It is essential to progressively overcome taboos and promote positive values in order to avoid brutal conflicts between tradition and modernity.
  
  - Literacy programmes for parents have to be conceived not only as valuable in themselves, but also as means for promoting the schooling of children, especially girls.
  
  -Cultural identity has to be promoted through the use of national languages.
  
  -Students have to be mobilized and facilitated in campaigns to make their parents and other family members literate.
  
  - Educational programmes and activities have to be carefully adapted to the village and family context and must take account of daily and seasonal work schedules and of the needs and wishes of learners.
  
  - Methods and approaches have to be developed that are efficient and adaptable to various situations; in many cases, rural radio can provide a low-cost and effective support to educational activities.
  
  - Multimedia approaches and programmes have shown their ability to attract young learners, especially girls, into educational programmes and, because of their flexibility, are often more acceptable to parents and families.
  
  - The strengthening of parents-teacher associations can be an important measure for reconciling the school and the community by establishing a permanent channel of dialogue between the teacher and parents. It is necessary that women be actively involved in leadership roles in parents-teacher associations in order to promote the enrollment of girls.
  
  - Evidently, it is also important that educational programmes--for children, youth and adults alike--seek to establish and improve dialogue between parents and their children.
  
  - As education depends upon community support and participation, there is a continuing need to emphasize the importance of education--especially education for girls--through information and awareness-raising campaigns conducted by rural radio and rural press as well as through messages on television during those hours and programmes that attract the largest audiences. Such efforts can be launched and supported by traditional and religious organizations, unions, employers, and others.
  
  - Successful and innovative educational experiences have to be made better known in order that they serve as lessons and inspire action by others.
  
  - The rational development and management of education systems depends upon the availability of up-to-date, systematic and reliable statistical information. It is important, from the very start of any reform, to provide for the collection of statistics, by sex and other relevant factors, in order to plan the development of the school system and monitor the participation of girls.
  
  - Scholarships and other incentives should be provided to gifted children from disadvantaged parts of the population.
  
  - To achieve education for all, it is necessary to forbid the employment of school-age children.
  
  Issues related to the improvement of educational programmes
  
  - Given the high rate of population growth in many countries and the impact of early marriage and pregnancies on the education of girls. it is important to teach - in a manner which respects community values--population and sex education in the school. It is also necessary to ensure that those responsible for sexual harassment are given exemplary punishment in order that others not be tempted to follow their example.
  
  - Teen-age mothers should be permitted to return to school after the birth of a child. I would note here the progress that we achieved in this area in Guinea. During the school years 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95, a total of 539 girls became pregnant during the course of their studies. In the past, this would have almost certainly required them to terminate their studies. However, through counseling and a special effort to assist such girls, two-thirds of them (352) resumed their studies. Another 25 were placed on academic leave and have a good chance of being reintegrated into school in the future.
  
  - School schedules should be made more flexible, especially in rural areas, and programmes more relevant to the needs of both girls and boys, women and men at all levels of education.
  
  - The establishment of efficient systems of monitoring and evaluation of student performance are important in promoting positive outcomes.
  
  - Sexual stereotypes and content that directly or by implication discriminates against girls and women must be systematically removed from the books and learning materials used in all levels of education, including literacy and post-literacy programmes.
  
  - In the training of trainers and that of teachers, in-service as well as pre-service, emphasis must be given to treating boys and girls equally and developing attitudes favorable to girls as well as boys. The teacher needs to be an active and attentive promoter of equality between the sexes.
  
  - The teacher and all those involved in the school must develop an attitude of neutrality regarding sex or gender in the conduct of classes, the selection and use of instructional and training materials, the choice of vocabulary, courses of study, role models and vocational choices proposed and, indeed, in all activities. The school must be respectful of community views, but it must also be a source of new ideas and values and of cultural renewal.
  
  - It has to be recognized that the financial cost of the measures discussed above which, I would add, is a selective and not an exhaustive listing of needed reforms--exceeds the possibilities of governments alone. It is accordingly necessary to support the action of the State with an engagement of the entire national community, including the private sector, in order to spread basic education. It is also essential that the international community, especially donor countries and organizations, act in a concerted manner to support national efforts in keeping with the pledges made in Jomtien to work together to achieve education for all. One especially promising approach is the use of "debt swaps" tied to increased funding for education for all strategies.
  2. Prospects for the Future
  
  Africa is mobilizing to address the problems of education with which the continent is confronted. The leaders of Africa proclaimed 1996 as the Year of African Education as well as the start of the Decade of Education in Africa. This reflects the keen awareness of the governments of Africa that education represents an essential dimension of development. For the historical reasons discussed above, Africa is far behind other major regions of the world in the areas of education and training. This is a major challenge for a continent which is also afflicted with numerous other problems including malnutrition, inadequate health care and a growing degradation of nature environments.
  
  The development of basic education cannot be achieved through speeches and declarations of intent; it requires the establishment of well-defined and obtainable objectives and the implementation of national and regional programmes based on efficient information systems and effective management. Such programmes will require sacrifices, efforts and imagination:
  
  - the mobilization by African 'governments of their financial, human and material resources together with the provision of adequate international support to complement national efforts;
  
  - a concrete response to the proposal in the 1994 Human Development Report calling for major reductions in military budgets;
  
  - the encouragement of the private sector and non-governmental organizations to play a greater role in the field of basic education;
  
  - the establishment of a true partnership between national authorities, communities, NGOs and others capable of supporting basic education, including an effective decentralization of resources and authority and the promotion of active participation at all levels.
  
  The involvement of the regional and sub-regional educational networks established in Africa to share experience among countries in the formulation and implementation of basic education policies is a positive factor promoting the success of national efforts. International discussions aimed at promoting education in Africa are taking place within the UNESCO General Conference, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, and the Forum for African Women Educationalists--as well as in experts meetings which provide forums for the exchange of experience, both successful and unsuccessful. International support, however, needs to be solidly linked to dynamic national programmes of action involving all forces and sectors working for development.
  
  I will end this presentation with this thought: if the destiny of education in Africa is truly in the hands of Africans, is it not desirable that donors conceive and accept a new mode of cooperation, namely that they support systems of education in Africa by working together with African educators and ensuring that their contributions support the achievement of established national objectives? The success of international assistance can be judged by only one criterion: the success of the national programmes that it supports.
  
  Lastly, let me express my firm conviction that with the valuable Special Initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, launched in March 1996, which makes basic education the corner stone of all development, the African States, thanks to their own efforts and perseverance as well as to the effective aid of their national and international partners, will surmount all the enormous difficulties that confront them and achieve the goal of bringing education to all in the near future. My conviction, I would add, is further strengthened by the fact that the African Ministers of Education have adopted this initiative and integrated it into their own plans of action. Yes, the challenge is great and the difficulties daunting, but Africa's leaders and its people are firmly convinced that there can be no meaningful and lasting development without education.
  ANNEX
  List of Tables
  
  1. Gross Enrollment by Gender for Selected Countries: Primary Level from 1960 to 1983
  2. Gross Enrollment for Selected Countries: Primary Level
  3. Sub-Saharan Africa: Literacy and Progress in Schooling
  4. Literacy: Countries with High Rates and Countries with Low Rates
  5. Structural Adjustment Programme of the Education Sector (PASE)
  
  Table 1. Gross Enrollment by Gender for Selected Countries Primary Level from 1960 to 1983
  English-speaking countries French-speaking countries
  Botswana Ethiopia Zambia Zimbabwe Burkina Guinea Mali
  M F M F M F M F M F M F M F
  1960 36 41 11 4 61 40 83 66 1960 13 5 30 11 13 5
  1983 89 102 46 29 100 95 113 127 1983 34 20 49 23 30 18
  Table 2. Gross Enrollment for Selected Countries: Primary Level
  English-speaking countries French-speaking countries
  Botswana Ethiopia Zambia Zimbabwe Burkina Guinea Mali
  1960 39 7 51 74 9 20 9
  1983 96 38 100 131 27 36 ---
  1989/1990 114 36 94 121 30 28 22
  1990/1991 114 33 92 112 31 32 23
  1991/1992 118 27 89 118 32 32 25
  1992/1993 116 23 87 115 33 36 29
  1993/1994 115 27 84 116 34 40 33
  1994/1995 115 --- 82 117 36 45 35
  
  Sources: World Education Report, UNESCO, 1995; Audinos, B., "Strengthening National Education Statistical Information Systems (NESIS) in Sub-Saharan Africa- Summary of National Reports," Working paper September 1996.
  Table 3. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
  Economic growth 2%
  Population growth 3%
  Literacy Male Female
  67% 47%
  Progress in schooling 1990 1995
  Out-of-school 37.3 M 39.3 M
  Enrollment 61.8 M 72.3 M
  Female enrollment 45.1% 45.6%
  Repetition rate 21% 20%
  Table 4.
  Literacy
  Countries with high rates
  Literacy rate > 60%
  South Africa Madagascar
  Botswana Mauritius
  Cameroon Namibia
  Cap Verde Uganda
  Congo Rwanda
  Gabon Swaziland
  Ghana Tanzania
  Equatorial Guinea Zaire
  Kenya Zambia
  Lesotho Zimbabwe
  Literacy rate between 50-60%
  Comoros Nigeria
  Guinea Bissau Togo
  Malawi
  Countries with low rates
  Literacy rate between 30-50%
  Angola Liberia
  Benin Mali
  Burundi Mauritania
  Cote d'lvoire Mozambique
  Djibouti Senegal
  Ethiopia Sierra Leone
  Gambia Sudan
  Guinea Chad
  Literacy rate

  reply
• HUMANISM 9 years ago

  JJ IS THE TOP EXPERT IN EDUCATION IN AFRICA. HE SUCCESSFULLY DESTROYED THE SYSTEM IN GHANA, SINGLE-HANDEDLY TRAINED CADRES (CROOKS & BIG THIEVES)
  TO RUN THE COUNTRY.
  
  GHANA HAS BEEN ROBBED & DESTROYED.

  JJ IS THE TOP EXPERT IN EDUCATION IN AFRICA. HE SUCCESSFULLY DESTROYED THE SYSTEM IN GHANA, SINGLE-HANDEDLY TRAINED CADRES (CROOKS & BIG THIEVES)
  TO RUN THE COUNTRY.
  
  GHANA HAS BEEN ROBBED & DESTROYED.

  reply
• ugly akufo addo 9 years ago

  he stole state cars

  he stole state cars

  reply
• Ayivor 9 years ago

  I know you are paid to fool around. Things will not work out for you

  I know you are paid to fool around. Things will not work out for you

  reply
• Togbe Fiti 9 years ago

  Ii thought Spio is Ghana Trade Minister. What business did he have in Dakar? Create, loot and share chop chop.

  Ii thought Spio is Ghana Trade Minister. What business did he have in Dakar? Create, loot and share chop chop.

  reply
• Y B 9 years ago

  Wonderful health product for everyone
  
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  Wonderful health product for everyone
  
  CLEANSHIELD, Amazing health product for everyone, All Natural Alkaline supplement from US specially and scientifically designed to clean inner Ocean clear stomach toxins, as well as unwonted substances in the body like viruses, bacterials, bad fat, acidosis, fungal and parasite, and help balance body PH.
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• Kofi 9 years ago

  The overhauling needs to start with the way we use public funds in education. When service delivery is publicly funded, there is no incentive for innovation and change to meet changing needs over time. However, if we restrict ...
  read full comment

  The overhauling needs to start with the way we use public funds in education. When service delivery is publicly funded, there is no incentive for innovation and change to meet changing needs over time. However, if we restrict public funding to support only the users (i.e. students) to pay their fees, training providers will be forced to come up with offerings appropriate to prevailing demand (otherwise, they don't earn enough to pay salaries, etc.).

  reply
• GBEWAA 9 years ago

  THIS "DOCTOR" IS TALKING AS IF HE STUDIED FOR HIS HONORARY DOCTORATE.
  
  EDUCATION STANDARDS IN AFRICA HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AND COMPETITIVE, THAT'S WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WITH A WHOLE LOT OF USELESS DEGREE HOLDERS CALLING T ...
  read full comment

  THIS "DOCTOR" IS TALKING AS IF HE STUDIED FOR HIS HONORARY DOCTORATE.
  
  EDUCATION STANDARDS IN AFRICA HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AND COMPETITIVE, THAT'S WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WITH A WHOLE LOT OF USELESS DEGREE HOLDERS CALLING THEMSELVES DOCTORS, PROFESSORS AND WHAT NOTS.
  
  AN AFRICAN WITH AN AFRICAN MASTERS DEGREE IS LIKE A WESTERNER WITH "JSS" OR "O" LEVEL CERTIFICATE.
  
  THAT SIMPLY EXPLAINS WHY SOME "EFFOUMS" WOULD GO TO GERMANY SPORTING WOMEN'S WINTER COAT.

  reply
• GBEWAA 9 years ago

  THIS "DOCTOR" IS TALKING AS IF HE STUDIED FOR HIS HONORARY DOCTORATE.
  
  EDUCATION STANDARDS IN AFRICA HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AND COMPETITIVE, THAT'S WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WITH A WHOLE LOT OF USELESS DEGREE HOLDERS CALLING ...
  read full comment

  THIS "DOCTOR" IS TALKING AS IF HE STUDIED FOR HIS HONORARY DOCTORATE.
  
  EDUCATION STANDARDS IN AFRICA HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD AND COMPETITIVE, THAT'S WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE, WITH A WHOLE LOT OF USELESS DEGREE HOLDERS CALLING THEMSELVES DOCTORS, PROFESSORS AND WHAT NOTS.
  
  AN AFRICAN WITH AN AFRICAN MASTERS DEGREE IS LIKE A WESTERNER WITH "JSS" OR "O" LEVEL CERTIFICATE.
  
  THAT SIMPLY EXPLAINS WHY SOME BUSHLIKE "EFFUOMS" WOULD GO TO GERMANY SPORTING WOMEN'S WINTER , AND DELUDING THEMSELVES THAT IT'S FASHIONABLE.

  reply
• Zoobe-Zoobe 9 years ago

  Dr. who?

  Dr. who?

  reply
• Dr Robert K Glah 9 years ago

  Overhaul education content in Africa is decisive of African development.
  
  Thanks Spio. But Spio should have produced overhaul content model to demonstrate his point

  Overhaul education content in Africa is decisive of African development.
  
  Thanks Spio. But Spio should have produced overhaul content model to demonstrate his point

  reply
• Abena 9 years ago

  I think we should be having a tete 'a tete with the Minister of Education.

  I think we should be having a tete 'a tete with the Minister of Education.

  reply
• All die be die 9 years ago

  Go for upbringing

  Go for upbringing

  reply
• Jake 9 years ago

  I support his call because African schools' curriculum is too bookish.

  I support his call because African schools' curriculum is too bookish.

  reply
• Paa Joe 9 years ago

  EKOW, YOU ARE INDEED JUSTIFIED WITH YOUR COMPREHANSIVE ANALYSIS OF FAILED HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA.
  
  AS YOU ARE AWARE,THE AIM OF HIGHER EDUCATION MUST BE INSTRUMENTAL IN NATURE, THAT OF MEETING MANPOWER NEEDS FOR SOCIOECO ...
  read full comment

  EKOW, YOU ARE INDEED JUSTIFIED WITH YOUR COMPREHANSIVE ANALYSIS OF FAILED HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA.
  
  AS YOU ARE AWARE,THE AIM OF HIGHER EDUCATION MUST BE INSTRUMENTAL IN NATURE, THAT OF MEETING MANPOWER NEEDS FOR SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
  
  TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SOURCES OF CHANGE IN THE ECONOMY.
  
  THIS REQUIRES SIFNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS, SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, SCIENTFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESERACH, DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF KNOWLEDGE.
  
  WERE THOSE WHO HAD COME TO TO ATTEND THAT SO CALLED CONFERENCE IN DAKAR, SENEGAL, NOT AWARE THAT A SOUND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL BASE,FROM WHICH WEALTH-CREATING TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS CAN DEVELOP, IS ESSENTIAL TO ECONOMIC GROWTH IN A COMPETITIVE INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT.
  
  DID THEY COME THERE, JUST BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE THERE FOR MERE SPEECHES, ESSAYS AND PREACHINGS.
  
  THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT, THE KEYS TO BUILDING A COMPETITIVE INDUSTRIAL BASE ARE KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY.
  
  IT IS TIME YOU BRING IN DISCUSSION, THE KEY POINTS YOU RAISED AT THE CONFERENCE IN DAKAR, SENEGAL, WITH THE GHANA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION. .
  
  THE MINISTRY HAS NOT BEEN CREATED IN FOR NON-PRODUCTIVE WORK IN THE COUNTRY.
  
  AS YOU ARE ALSO AWARE, YOUR MINISTRY IS NOT ONLY FOR TRADE BUT RESPONSBILE FOR INDUSTRIES IN THE COUNTRS,AND ONE WILL WISH YOUR IMMEDIATE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCIENCE MINISTRY ON WORKING ON A SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL-KNOW-HOW PLAN IN CREATING DYNAMIC INDUSTRIES, MANUFACTURING,PROCESSING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PLANTS TO ACCELERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH, JOB CREATION, INCOME, CONSUMER SPENDING AND BETTER STANDARDS OF LIVING.
  
  
  THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY FACULTTIES OF ENGINEERING HAVE TO BE TAKEN ON BOARD,BECAUSE, UNIVERSITIES ARE SUPPOESD TOI BE TRANSMITTERS OF KNOWLEDGE,INNOVATION,INVENTIONS, CREATIVITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
  
  A WORD TO THE WISE IS ENOUGH.

  reply