Within a decade, one in three entrants to the global workforce will be from Africa. Over the next 30 years, the majority of the world’s new workers may well be on the continent. What they learn in the classroom and how they learn it is a vital question of our time.
But Africa’s future success in education is not yet guaranteed. Basic literacy skills have declined in four out of ten African countries over the last three decades. Even as participation grows, children still face low primary education completion rates – about 63%, compared to a worldwide average of 87%. Those rates are worse for girls. Around 50 million children remain out of school across Africa. These challenges are especially acute in sub-Saharan Africa.
There are also not enough teachers or classrooms for a continent where 60% of the population is under 25 years old. Africa needs at least 9 million new classrooms and 9.5 million additional teachers by 2050, according to UNESCO. And that’s only to meet the needs of school-age children and adolescents, it doesn’t address surging demand for higher education.
Progress in two areas could make a significant difference: teacher training and education technology. It would be short-sighted to pursue one without the other, and Africa has immense potential in both domains. Investment in teacher training, alongside measured technology deployment, must be supported by international collaboration, however. How this is achieved really matters.
*The views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.