ADDIS ABABA-Education International Africa has urged governments across the continent to prioritize and ensure quality public education, which according to it, is the only way to remain competitive globally.
Education International Africa Director Dennis Sinyolo (PhD) told The Ethiopian Herald that Africa needs quality education to remain competitive on the international stage. Children across the continent attend schools to access quality public education, but this can only be achieved if governments emphasize education and allocate adequate budgets to the sector.
According to Sinyolo, Africa’s education quality remains low due to numerous challenges, including a lack of proficient teachers, insufficient training, inadequate infrastructure, and low investment. Many African governments are not investing sufficient budgets in education. For example, the United Nations system stipulates that countries should allocate 6% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to education, but many African countries falls short of this benchmark.
The director further stated that although Ethiopia allocates at least 20% of its national budget to education, the country still needs to invest more. Several factors hindering education quality in most African countries, including low monthly salaries for teachers, unsuitable working conditions, sporadic conflict, low-standard schools, and insufficient numbers of proficient teachers, he elaborated.
“Proper planning can play a significant role in ensuring quality education by bringing together key stakeholders including civil societies, organizations, academicians, and others to tackle challenges collectively.”
Conducting research and properly utilizing evidence is critical to bridging gaps in the education sector. Without adequate financing, even the best education policies or plans will not be effective. Therefore, Africa needs to address legislative and constitutional issues to realize quality public education, he emphasized.
Although the quality of education and the quantity of well-equipped schools and well qualified teachers has steadily increased since the onset of the colonial period, there are still inequalities evident in Africa’s existing educational systems based on region, economic status, and gender.
BY MESERET BEHAILU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 3 JULY 2024
