Supplying Basic Education and Learning to Sub-Saharan Africa in the Twenty-First Century

Overview & Synopsis

This article posits that schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa has so far failed to yield the results expected of it on two grounds. First, the population of persons accessing both basic education and other levels of education is negligible in comparison with those who ought to access them (1 out of every 4 primary school age children; less than half of the qualified secondary school students; about 7% gross enrollment within higher education). Second, schooling has failed to deliver the kind of socio-economic development expected in the case of Sub-Saharan Africa as a high prevalence of poverty still exists and incongruity continues to exist between the education provided and the livelihoods of Sub-Saharan Africans. Using this poor educational and development performance as justification, a more utilitarian, relevant and sustainable approach to basic education and learning is recommended for Africa going forward. This recommended approach combines both the current school system with a special non-formal education system for the purpose of delivering basic education and learning in Sub-Saharan Africa in the twenty-first century.