Quality Education: A Tool for African Development

Development Analysis Vol.7

Development Analysts provide commentaries based on their expertise and knowledge on development issues in Africa. To reply to these commentaries, reply to this blog, register on the ARYI website and click on "blog", or e-mail Development_Analysis@africaninitiative.org. This is an initiative by ARYI and the Forum for Global Action. The commentaries are viewpoints solely of the authors meant to initiate dialogue and critical thinking on development issues on the continent and globally.

Development Analysis Vol.7
By: Fatoki Taiye Timmy (Nigeria)
Topic: Quality Education: A Tool for African Development

According to the former Governor Bank of England-Lord George, “Education is the absolute foundation of social and economic progress, not just for the children involved but for our whole national and global community, therefore it makes good economic sense for governments to invest in basic education.” If the word of Lord Geroge makes sense to the global community, why then are African children lagging behind in the accessibility of quality education, and as a result made to suffer unduely and unwarrantedly from problems created by the older generation?

Although Nigeria has a national policy on education since 1981, which recognizes equal educational opportunities for all citizens, but like many African countries with same recognitions of the educational policy, its implementation has neither been effective nor result oriented in terms of service delivery, as a result of rapid population growth, insufficient political will, undemocratic governance, poor management of scarce resources and changes in education administration and style. For example it is saddening to see that the 2007 state of the world’s annual report on the conditions of children worldwide by UNICEF titled women and children the double dividend of gender equality, shows starkly in figures what harm gender inequality (as related to education) is doing to children and how it is also hindering the realization of the MDGs.

For example the girl child and the underserved (disabled children) in most cases all over the continent of Africa are more likely to be out of school. (For every 100 boys out of school, more girls are likely to be out of school). These girls and the disabled children/underserved are more prone to encounter more problems as they grow. Avoidable problems face them on a daily basis as result of their lack of access to at least quality basic education: Such problems which could have been avoided with provision of education are no strangers to the children of Mother Africa. They face daily genital mutilation, child marriage (this child mother and other problems related to early child birth), sexual abuse, exploitation (exposing them to reproductive and sexual infections including HIV/AIDS) and child trafficking etc thereby retarding developmental progress in Africa. This has resulted in many African nations diverting budgetary allowances which could have been used for other developmental into solving problems that could have been solved tangibly by education.

Giving quality education to African children would teach them how to safeguard their present and future by empowering them on self sufficiency, self reliance and rights protection and claims. It will help them to demand from the government what rightly belongs to them and rebuff all attempts of our leaders and their accomplices abroad to enrich themselves and embezzle resources meant for the present and future generations.Education would enable the African people to be committedly and effectively part of governance and policy designing, formulating, implementation and monitoring, as a result of the enlightenment it would have brought.

The conspiracy of the world financial organizations, multinationals and some western government on financial policies and public enterprises expenditure in Africa does not help matters either. The IMF and World Bank for example encourage low spending on public expenditures including education, and its privatization. The question that comes to mind is: What will be the role of the government if every necessary ingredient to citizens and national development is privatized? Just monitoring? So where does the huge amounts revenue they are making go to? Switzerland (personal foreign account), maybe. The measures especially on education given by these world financial institutions for Africa (under) are not fair in a globalised world like ours.

The very stringent reasons and measures of the world financial institutions (IMF, WB etc) to lend money to the poor nations of Africa could best be described as immoral, illegal and inhumane. Even in the western nations where private education is encouraged and practiced, their government does not dream of cutting their expenditure on such public vital institutions. But the same unfair measure is being introduced to the continent of Africa by same western nations controlled financial institutions, despite Africa background educational status. Yet the impression being given is that spending on education by the government of African nations is futile and unnecessary. All these negates the world declaration on education for all (EFA) adopted by over 160 countries including Nigeria and many other African nations. If it was all agreed at such conventions and many other education declarations that education no doubt liberates and assists individuals to develop their potentials and become better individuals, then there is the need for more spending on education in Africa, with improved curriculum suitable to our cultural and ancestral background and the future needs of the continental members must decides the future of its children through the improvement of the continent’s educational sector,withouth undue and unfair interference of the likes of IMF and world bank.Development agencies interested in African development could invest in education.

Instructional materials peculiar and suitable to the people and the future needs of the continent should be designed and developed for the use of children. Government must also give priority to special education of special children whose budgetary needs on the whole continent of Africa is not equal to the defense budget allocation of some five African countries combined. African leaders must endevour to make education of African children a developmental policy, especially because of the critical role education plays in any national and individual development. Leaders must wake to their responsibility by ensuring strict fiscal discipline, accountability and transparencyin budgetary allocation to the education sector, and respect the UNESCO adoption of 26% minimum allocation to education by developing nations, as well as the Universal declaration on Human rights and the International covenant on economic, social and cultural rights(ICESCR),all of which made it incumbent on nations of the world(including Africa),to make education available and accessible to everyone on the basis of equality.

With so much natural and human resources on the continent, the continent of Africa could be a better place only if there is an increase in investment on education. The success story of some Asian Nations that used to be “developing nation”, but now are developed nations should be a eye opener for African leaders. Leaders of the continent should endevour to introduce and implement educational system that’s relevant and best suit African peculiarities, and set more funds aside for capital expenditure especially on basic quality education. Having all African children in school could save more than half a million lives per day. African leaders must realize that unless education is given a central place in resource allocation, the continent may be left behind in achieving the objectives of Education For All Goals and the MDGs. Until and unless the Goal 2 of the MDGs is achieved as the minimum option on quality education provision for African children, the Africa continent may remained bedridden years to the detriments of its future generation.