Browsing: Education system in Africa

The role played by education in addressing some of the challenges faced on the African continent cannot be underplayed. Not only does a good education have the capacity to improve individual livelihoods but also economic progression at a macro level.  

The majority of the continent grapples with similar challenges including, poverty, exclusion, wars, HIV/AIDS, poor infrastructure among others. It stands to reason that there is a critical need for investing in Africa’s education to begin to make strides in addressing some of these issues.  

While education can be considered a social service and therefore a government-related key result area, there is scope for non-government entities in the education sector. 

Also Read: Future of Work: Africa should rethink its education, skills

The Business of Education in Africa. 

According to UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of education exclusion in the world. More than 20% of children …

African universities are behind the curve. Of the 500 leading global universities, only two – both in South Africa – make the list.

What is the issue? The Ugandan intellectual, Mamdhani, argues that African universities, established at independence have become symbolic and emblematic must-haves much like a flag. Others argue that a social reproduction function limits access to higher education so elites beget elites who with good tertiary and professional education, many accessing universities in developed countries, maintain power dynamics and status quo in societies.

The debate of what a university is and what is its function is very old. Indeed, universities are one of the oldest institutions of human civilisations tracing their history back to ancient kingdoms including in Africa. The famous al-Azhar University in Egypt and as-Sadiqiyya in Tunisia are over 1,000 years old. They like the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England, Sorbonne in France, and …