Describe the challenges to education in Africa.

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1. An insufficient stock of educated citizens: Although a number of gains have been recorded in education in Africa, the continent remains the most affected by illiteracy with a rate of 40 percent illiteracy
compared to 18 percent worldwide. The overall education development index (EDI) remains low.
2. Unequally distributed education levels: Africa is also plagued by the issue of inequities in the
distribution of education levels. The greatest disparities are in the rural areas in which about 71 percent of the African population lives and where the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) and the primary completion rates were 70.9 percent and 28 percent in 2000 as compared to 103.5 and 61 percent respectively for the urban areas. Apart from the rural-urban and the rich-poor disparities there is also the gender disparity that compound Africa’s problems considering the role-play women in health, nutrition and demographic regulation at the family level.
3. Low-efficiency education systems: A third challenge facing African education system is low
efficiency that results in waste in the use of education resources. Repetition and dropout rates are high to the extent that for the 2002-2003, on average, 40 percent of the children that entered school did not finish their primary education (Ndoye, 2008).
4. Low quality of education: research has revealed that due to several factors about half the pupils
in Sub-Saharan Africa that complete primary education level do not master fundamental required learning.
The factors are: weaknesses in the qualification of teachers and supervisors; lack of didactic materials;
insufficient learning time; and inappropriate management of schools. In addition there is a general absence of early child development programs.
5. Lack of utility of school learning: Ndoye (2008) points out that at every level of the education
system, the links between education and the surrounding economic, cultural, and social milieu are weak.
This is largely attributed to colonial legacy and its effect on education. Further, from macroeconomic
perspective, education planning is rarely integrated into national development planning and rarely fosters approaches that can develop endogenous potential.

Titany answered the question on August 10, 2021 at 09:48

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Describe the challenges to education in Africa.

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