A study in 2012 helps put his into perspective. Conducted by the Brookings Centre for Universal Education and the
publication This Is Africa, the Africa Learning Barometer sought to gauge the extent to which African
schoolchildren were learning as opposed to merely being ‗in school‘. The results were not especially encouraging,
showing that a large proportion of African schoolchildren were incapable of reading or calculating at a level
appropriate to their stage of schooling. The results for the countries surveyed are shown below.
Table 4: Proportion of children in school but not learning
Country
Proportion not learning
Benin
41.7%
Botswana
16.5%
Burkina Faso
28.2%
Burundi
16.1%
Cameroon
9.6%
Chad
40.0%
Congo, Rep
34.9%
Cote d‘Ivoire
41.0%
Ethiopia
55.3%
Gabon
8.6%
Ghana
32.1%
Kenya
9.6%
Lesotho
31.5%
Malawi
48.3%
Mozambique
27.2%
Namibia
30.7%
Nigeria
58.3%
Senegal
21.6%
South Africa
33.7%
Swaziland
5.0%
Tanzania
8.4%
Uganda
29.6%
Zambia
55.7%
Zimbabwe
22.6%
Source:
Centre
for
Universal
Education
and
http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/Microsites/Access/Barometer.
This
163
164
165
Africa,
Africa
Learning
Barometer,
2012,
This leads to consideration of the keystone idea in
respect of human development: suitable, marketable
skills that can assist in the continent‘s developmental
efforts. Overall, the picture created by the CRRs is of
serious skills shortages, particularly among the youth.
Concerns are raised about the phenomenon of jobless
graduates, and the need for more relevant training.166 A
lack of skills is a factor contributing to youth poverty.167
The Mozambique CRR says that the lack of enough
appropriately skilled people is a significant blockage to
development and innovation in that country.168 Even
relatively developed and prosperous Mauritius is
suffering a skills shortage and fears becoming dependent
on foreign skills.169 The same problem has been
observed elsewhere.
The upshot is twofold. Firstly, the prospect of pursuing
advanced training or tertiary education is restricted.
Opportunities are often limited and costly.162 Secondly,
the education systems of the continent are failing to
equip their students with the skills needed for them to
function in the economies they will enter, much less to
identify and seize opportunities. A particular concern is
the lack of vocational training.163 Indeed, the Algeria
CRR observes that there is a certain cultural stigma to
performing manual trades, as opposed to ‗white collar‘
work.164 The Uganda CRR remarks that the country‘s
education system is geared to academic work and
ignores the skills and knowledge that future entrants to
the economy will need. ‗This means that each year, the
government spends substantial resources on education
of people who contribute relatively little to economic and
social development.‘165
162
is
166
Zambia CRR, p. 253, Kenya CRR, p. 219.
Nigeria CRR, p. 113; Burkina Faso CRR,
p. 376; Mozambique CRR, p. 245.
Algeria CRR, p. 221.
Uganda CRR, p. 252.
167
168
169
42
Ghana CRR, p. 102; Burkina Faso CRR,
p. 267; Algeria CRR, pp. 219. 221; Benin
CRR, p. 223; Tanzania CRR, p. 69; Sierra
Leone CRR, p. 162.
Zambia CRR, p. 241.
Mozambique CRR, p. 91.
Mauritius CRR, p. 372.