Africa Education Fact Sheet

African children are the future of the continent. Their education is key to future economic growth and lasting democracy, leading to greater stability and improved standards of living. The current state of education in Africa, however, is plagued by a lack of textbooks and other inputs. Consider:

• There is huge demand for textbooks of all types in Africa where, according to the World Bank, next to a good teacher, “a good textbook is the most effective medium of instruction.”
• Textbooks have been shown to be extremely cost effective with one comprehensive study of approximately 22 Sub-Saharan African countries concluding that “pedagogical resources such as textbooks, teacher guides, wall charts, etc. are relatively low cost inputs with relatively high returns in terms of student achievement” (Association For the Development of Education in Africa).
• Most African textbooks are produced by large publishing houses located off the continent where they can be produced more cheaply due to capitalization of printing processes. African schools therefore must pay the world price for textbooks, where according to the World Bank, the cost of paper alone can account for 50–80% of the cost of a book.
• There is huge demand for English language textbooks in Africa. English is an official language in 18 African countries. With 800 – 2,400 of the world’s languages being spoken on the African continent, and many of these languages local, tribal languages with limited utility beyond their local region, English is often utilized as a unifying language in African countries (The World Factbook).
• Primary school enrollments and literacy rates in Africa are among the lowest in the world.
• 42 million school children in sub-Saharan Africa are not enrolled in school.
• Many children cannot afford to go or stay in primary school.

Source: www.whitehouse.gov

• In Sub Saharan Africa, 24 million girls were out of school in 2002, accounting for 55 percent of the approximately 40 million primary school-aged children who are not enrolled in school

Source: www.usaid.gov and www.unicef.org

• Although literacy rates have greatly improved in Africa over the last few decades, approximately 40% of Africans over the age of 15, and 50% of women above the age of 25 remain illiterate.
• Due to a lack of education and skills, only 32% of African women, as opposed to 63% of the men, participate in the formal labor force in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: www.idrc.ca International Development Research Center

• Early childhood development is, in most countries, left to private sector actors primarily working in urban areas in aid of more advantaged social groups.
• Almost 50 percent of African countries may not attain the goal of universal primary education by 2015.
• Illiteracy among Africans over the age of 15 stands at 41 per cent; gender disparity in education prevails in 75 per cent of African countries.
• The gross secondary school enrolment rate is approximately 20 percent across Sub-Saharan Africa, and is below 8 per cent in 10 countries.
• Higher education and other levels and forms of education are beset with problems with respect to access, quality and relevance.

Source: www.portal.unesco.org