9 Facts about Education in Africa – Africa.com

About Education in Africa

Picture by Emmanueal Ikwuegbu from Pexels

You may think that African schools don’t have interactive whiteboards, electricity is not available everywhere, and students are unlikely to be scolded for using smartphones because most of the students don’t have them. But education in Africa is much more than that.

About the Situation as a Whole

There are 54 countries in Africa, and only one of them is in the big twenty – South Africa. But despite this, even in South Africa, there is the strongest stratification of society, high unemployment, and crime rates. Of course, all this affects how children learn. However, there are schools in Africa where students can get a decent education. They, like students from other countries, get enough knowledge to continue their studies; they complete many tasks and defend projects. And those students who do not have enough time for homework turn to the essay writing service called Essay Shark. Writers who work there help students with papers in any discipline.

Facts about Education in Africa

1. Basic education is considered only in primary school, and only this education is free, but not in all schools. Children are taught the basics of written and mathematical literacy, creating a positive attitude towards work and communication; teachers teach students cooperation and encourage the pursuit of knowledge.
2. Then the children are engaged in extracurricular activities. As a rule, these are sports sections or vocals. They are given a lot of attention here: in Africa, first-class rugby teams and choristers even travel the world and perform at festivals.
3. More serious preparation begins already in middle school, and children are prepared for future vocational education. But as we said, not every student manages to go to high school.
4. The higher the students score on the final exam, the higher their chance of getting into a better school. We can say that excellent students go to national schools, good students go to regional schools, and students with lower achievements go to district schools.
5. At Harambee schools, they provide technical and/or vocational education, and some of the schools even teach university programs. School education is very poor, so university professors say that in the first two years, they have to complete the school curriculum with students.
6. Teachers in Africa are highly respected. They are well educated, and most of them speak English, and this does not only apply to volunteers from Europe or other developed countries. In African countries, the teacher is the standard for the entire population.
7. But the workload of school teachers in South Africa is too high. If there are 32 students for every teacher in South Africa, then in Chad or Malawi, there will already be about 70 students for one teacher. Such proportions mean not only an extremely high workload for teachers but also a decrease in the already low quality of education.
8. South Africa has one of the strongest economies in the region. It is famous for its steadily developed industry and the maximum funding of the education system. About 20% of all country’s expenditures annually go to this area from the budget.
9. The sensation of the annual World University Rankings in 2023 was a sharp increase in the number of African universities and an increase in their place in the world ranking table. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Mozambique, and Namibia debuted this year, adding 25 African universities to the list. And the educational leader of the continent, the University of Cape Town (South Africa), has risen immediately by 23 positions. In order to understand the final point, we present some clarifications.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

Times Higher Education World University Rankings is the eponymous British weekly higher education magazine, abbreviated as THE. Today it is the largest-ranking publication in the world: 1799 universities from 104 countries are evaluated in it. 15.5 million research publications and 121 million citations were analyzed, as well as more than 40,000 responses to the annual academic reputation survey.

The rating is based on five indicators:

• Teaching (student-to-teacher ratio, number of Ph.D. degrees awarded per teacher, etc.)
• Research (the ratio of the number of published scientific articles and the number of teachers, etc.)
• Citation factor
• Internationalization (including the ratio of domestic and foreign teachers, domestic and foreign students, the share of publications co-authored with foreign authors)
• Attracting funds from the industry

In addition, reputation is taken into account in teaching and scientific work, which is evaluated by reputable scientists.

This year, the compilers of the ranking also took into account additional indicators, such as the university’s learning environment, its main mission, and the transfer of knowledge. The top ten included Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Princeton, UC Berkeley, and Yale.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings is one of five global rankings as prestigious as QS World University Rankings, which is also British, and Academic Ranking of World Universities. The latter is called Shanghai in the academic environment: it is made up of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The top five also include the American U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings and Dutch CWTS Leiden Ranking. THE and QS (analytical company Quacquarelli Symonds) also make up regional (Asian, Latin American, Arabic, African) and subject ratings.

One of the prerequisites for a university to get into the ranking is the presence of a bachelor’s degree. For research universities, where education starts with a master’s degree, there are other rankings, including the Nature Index, which is compiled by the British magazine of the same name.

Initially, ratings were supposed to help applicants figure out which university is best to enter, and in the global struggle for talent, rating research has been actively developing. Over time, their function has changed, and today they set guidelines, a vector of movement, to show universities what to invest in in order to take a leading position.

If earlier they looked only at the quality of education and scientific indicators, now

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The article discusses the education system in Africa, highlighting the challenges and opportunities. It addresses the goal of providing quality education (SDG 4) by discussing the different levels of education and the efforts made to teach basic literacy and vocational skills. The article also touches upon the issue of unemployment and economic growth (SDG 8) by mentioning the high unemployment rates in some African countries and the importance of education in improving job prospects. Additionally, the article mentions the stratification of society and the impact on education, which relates to the goal of reducing inequalities (SDG 10). Lastly, the article briefly mentions the importance of teachers and their role in society, which connects to the goal of promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
• Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university.
• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to ensuring access to quality education (Target 4.1), promoting equal access to vocational and tertiary education (Target 4.3), achieving full and productive employment (Target 8.5), reducing inequalities (Target 10.2), and promoting inclusive decision-making (Target 16.7).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.1.1: Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex.
• Indicator 4.3.1: Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex.
• Indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age group, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator 16.7.1: Proportions of positions (by sex, age, persons with disabilities, and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.

The article does not explicitly mention indicators, but based on the identified targets, the following indicators can be used to measure progress: Indicator 4.1.1 can measure the proficiency level in reading and mathematics among children and young people. Indicator 4.3.1 can measure the participation rate in formal and non-formal education and training. Indicator 8.5.1 can measure the average hourly earnings by occupation and gender. Indicator 10.2.1 can measure the proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income. Indicator 16.7.1 can measure the representation of different groups in public institutions.

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators