Obiageli Ezekwesili, founder of Human Capital Africa, has asked African education ministers to prioritise at least two critical investments required to improve learning outcomes in the continent.
Ezekwesili made the call while moderating a panel of African ministers of education implementing African-owned solutions to enhance learning outcomes as the African Union and Global Development Partners gathered in New York at the UN General Assembly, where the leaders showcased the transformational impact that prioritising foundational learning can have on the continent.
“It’s clear from your contributions that African ministers want innovative, evidence-based, and targeted financing alongside the better and more effective and efficient use of existing resources.
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“They are clear that this will enable the teacher training, support, and deployment required to help children learn, using proven and efficient pedagogical approaches that work at scale while ensuring we generate and utilise data to inform the pathway to better learning outcomes and enabling accountability at all levels,” she said.
Moussa Faki, the AU Commission chairperson, in his address, acknowledged the need for a long-term focus on education, calling for an annual education convening at the AU mission during the UN General Assembly meetings.
“We must acknowledge that the formulation of annual themes is not enough, the journey is long and we need longer-term, innovative, and bold responses. We have unacceptable levels of education poverty at a time when more than 80 percent of our workforce in 20 years will be youth,” he said.
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Mohammed Belhocine, commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation (ESTI) at the African Union, called for bold investments and an international effort to support Africa’s children and deliver global returns.
“Foundational learning is an enabler for Africa’s long-term development and the key to unlocking the potential of millions of African children who will be the change-makers of tomorrow. Nine out of 10 children in Africa cannot read or do basic math by age 10.
This learning poverty undermines our collective efforts to achieve our Agenda 2063. The AU is committed to making foundational learning a key part of our agenda beyond 2024 and to tracking progress, providing support where needed, and continuing to advocate for comprehensive,” Belhocine said.
Similarly, Hakainde Hichelima, the president of Zambia, expressed concerns that African children were faced with a learning crisis.
“In 2050, at least one-third of all young people aged 15 to 24 years old will be born in Africa. At present, four in five children are unable to read and understand simple text by the age of 10.
“This is unacceptable and we must urgently prioritise investments in education. These skills are the building blocks for every child’s academic and other successes. Collectively, we must set clear milestones beyond the 2024 year of education and ensure that no African child is left behind,” he said.
Meanwhile, the World Bank estimates that the learning crisis will result in $21 trillion of lost productivity globally if urgent action is not taken.
However, it emphasised that if addressed, and children are learning, it can add $6.5 trillion of additional global value by 2030.
“The crisis is most acute, and the opportunity is greatest, in Africa, where nine out of 10 children are not currently able to read with understanding or do basic math by the age of 10.”
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