QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA

QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN AFRICA

Poor schooling has proved to be the greatest barrier to political, social and economic transformation in many African  countries. According to current estimates, by the end of four to six years of primary education, 30 to  50 percent of primary school leavers cannot read or write confidently and lack basic numeracy skills. In Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries in particular, 18 percent of children, on the average, repeat a year of schooling as a result of poor quality of teaching. Poor quality of schooling is evident in many ways in the public school system, especially in the rural areas (Mulkeen, 2005); and is exhibited in the rate of absenteeism and the inability of children (primary school outputs) to read and write effectively (Adedeji and Bamidele, 2003).

Even if countries achieve full enrolment, the most important issue is for them to  be able to complete a school cycle and acquire the skills necessary for  development. This requires high quality teachers in all schools. A high quality teacher  is one who understands and demonstrates ability to address the content, character, challenges and complications of being a teacher. Every child deserves a caring, competent and qualified  teacher. Research evidence has shown that the quality of teaching in our classrooms is the most important school-related factor in ensuring students’ achievement (Greenwalls, 1996). This is why policy makers at all levels are focusing on teacher quality with emphasis on the issues of teacher recruitment, preparation, licensing and certification standards, as well as professional development. However, in the last two decades, across the continent of Africa, there has been growing anxiety about the quality of teachers and teaching, particularly in the  rural areas where approximately 70 percent of the African population reside. The shortage of qualified teachers and poor condition of teaching are the major factors affecting the quality of education offered in many public schools. Most Africans live in the rural areas; hence, achieving the internationally accepted goals of EFA and providing qualitative education to children who live in rural areas, must be paramount in the policy agenda of African governments. Looking closely on the condition of teachers and teaching in African countries, it is apparent that teachers’ fundamental role is not always valued or prized. The worth of teachers is very low, due to poor recognition given to the teaching profession as explained by various de-motivating factors.  Teachers in many African countries are working in challenging conditions that are aggravated by poor remuneration; delay in payment of salaries, allowances and promotions; scarce  teaching and learning resources; and  disrespect  from  government,  parents and the  community at large.  Teachers assert that poor teaching condition and decreasing level of motivation affect their performance in the classroom and reduce the ability of students to achieve satisfactory learning outcomes, thus reducing their capability to deliver quality education. Teachers feel ignored  in the decision-making process and powerless in their efforts to improve  the learning experience of their students, despite their desire and  enthusiasm. Policy makers are also  increasingly  making  more demands  and expectations on teachers to carry out new initiatives in which they had neither been  consulted nor are conversant with. This not only creates a feeling of ignorance from policy implementers but also presents many obstacles in the implementation of new plans.  This apparently undermines the role of teachers in education reform process and underscores the need for an improved working condition of teachers across the continent of Africa.

Furthermore, at least one-third of the teachers in some African countries are either  unqualified or without formal teaching qualification to cope with the demands of the growing school age population (Brown, 2003). This also raises questions about the capabilities of these teachers towards the realization of the  basic education goals or the extent to which they can assist in reaching the EFA targets in Africa by 2015. Moreover, teachers in some rural schools, particularly in developing countries, spend a large proportion of their working hours  in other income-generating activities such as farming, hunting, petty-trading and so on. Apart from the discipline problems created by these unwholesome practices in schools, where children remain unsupervised and disorderly, it also undermines the value of the learning process.

Source: “Improving the conditions of teachers and teaching in rural schools across African countries”, UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, Adedeji, Segun O.,  Olaniyan, Olanrewaju, 2011.