Africa Needs Free and Qualitative Education

Africa Needs Free & Qualitative Education

By Sina Adelaja-Olowoake

We know politicians the world over make promises some of which they never plan to fulfil once the elections are over yet we still believe them and vote for them based on these empty promises. In Africa, politicians have identified the magic words that gets the young, the old, the strong, the feeble trooping to campaign grounds and polling stations – free education. From Ghana to Uganda, Nigeria to Zimbabwe, African voters are still being wooed with promises of free education by politicians.

With the 2016 elections fast approaching in Ghana, the ruling party last Friday rolled out its “progressive” free education programme which also includes the construction of new classroom blocks across the country.  

Free education in Africa is not a new phenomenon. Many African countries in the period immediately following independence from the colonial masters, embarked on free and in some cases compulsory education programmes to help create a new set of trained administrators to fill the void left by the departing colonialists. During this time, the quality of education from the major providers namely the government, religious bodies and private organizations was at par with what was obtainable in the developed world. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for what passes for free education today.

Today across the continent especially in primary and secondary schools the quality of teaching and teachers leaves much to be desired. Gone are the days when teachers chose the profession for the love of it. A lot of the teaching staff in schools currently are not trained or qualified to teach. Many only became emergency teachers after many years of unemployment.

Closely related to the issue of poor quality of teaching is the state of infrastructure. I am always shocked to see children studying under roofless classes or under trees in Africa in this day and age. In some cases, even the teachers and the school head sit under trees all day long. We have had many cases of schools lacking basic amenities such as water, toilets, etc.  What kind of education are the children receiving?

The role of parents too must come under scrutiny. In the early days, parents worked through the Parents Teachers Association to improve the overall quality of the schools which sometimes using their influence to get good staff posted to their children’s school, erecting buildings, purchasing transportation etc.  A lot of parents are no longer involved in the day to day lives of their children which invariably means they no longer participate in the affairs of the school.

It is very sad to see in the current clime, politician after politician promising free education, with nobody is tasking them on the quality of education they are promising to provide. Not only is the government failing and has failed in providing good quality education, she is also failing to properly regulate private providers. Many private organizations engaged in this sector continue to cut corners by using unqualified staff, unsuitable buildings and environment and charging astronomical fees without any form of regulation from the government.

 

If Africa is to move forward towards realising its full potential then African governments engaged in providing free education must go the extra mile by investing heavily in the quality of education she provides.

·         Schools must be staffed by trained and qualified staff and must commit to further training and re-training programmes.

·         Housed in buildings with basic amenities such as water, electricity, and ICT equipments in a safe environment.

·         Task school heads and teaching  staff with constantly improving performance

·         Equip and empower school authorities to enforce and maintain discipline in schools

·         Increase the education budget and ensure the money voted for the sector is properly managed and disbursed.

·         Promote healthy rivalry and competition amongst schools

·        Seek the cooperation of foreign agencies to improve overall quality.

Sina Adelaja-Olowoake is the creator of the youth mentor app. He is also a youth coach and public speaker. He regularly contributes on matters concerning education in Africa on the blog Chalk, Pen & Boards.

sina@sinaolowoake.com