Education in Africa

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Introduction

Distance education is not a new phenomenon in Africa. Some countries have worked to distance education programs for more than 20 years. In this article I will try to evaluate the investment made by educational institutions to national development in Africa, as well as what steps were being taken to achieve the desired results in the future. Distance Education in Africa (an investigation which is limited to 39 countries) can not be viewed separately from other types of education. Since 60-ies, when the country achieved independence, education became primarily an instrument of national development. It made great efforts to develop national education system, which has received insufficient attention in the days of colonial rule. African countries have achieved significant results, level of education has risen almost everywhere many times, in the region the level of literacy has risen from 9% in 1960 to 42% in the early 80’s (World Bank, 1988:14). In many countries, public correspondence schools contributed to these changes.

Despite all the achievements, in Africa education is in a crisis situation. Relatively small admission of students in educational institutions is the key indicator of stagnation in this field. First, the cause of the crisis was different levels of education development in the African continent. To 1983, only 11 out of 39 countries can ensure 100% attendance of the relevant age group of primary schools; this year 28 countries have not reached such level, and 9 countries have not yet crossed the 50% threshold. Similar discrepancies occur in the sectors of secondary and higher education, this is despite the fact that by this age group is relatively small - 20% and 1.4% respectively. Thus, despite the achievements, African countries need to be done alot, that education was accessible to the public.

Secondly, the level of admission to educational institutions has dropped significantly compared with the 70-year, that is becoming very alarming symptom. The school-age population is growing much faster than the school. The relative or absolute decline in the number of students is the result of an unhealthy economic situation. Both reducing investment in education, and economic constraints of families are the reason that children either even cease to go to school or not go to the next stage. This is especially true for girls, who constitute only one-third of all students. (World Bank 1988:31).

In many countries, the quality of education leaves much to be desired. This is partly due to the lack of money to cover the major items of expenditure: salaries for teachers, utility fees, materials fee. Also, poor quality of education is a consequence of rapid development at an early stage: a large number of teachers are either not prepared or not sufficiently trained. Is it possible that children have adapted to school needs to hire a number of teachers? As a result, children, who are completing school, are unlikely to have a better understanding of the subject than the teachers themselves. Centers for the training of teachers should focus on quality.

The crisis in education is very serious:

The gap between African countries and the rest of the world, due to stagnant economy and rising birth rates, will only increase if the time does not take appropriate measures to solve the problems in the economy.
(World Bank. 1988:28)

Education developed and adjusted in the austerity savings. The education sector is competing for resources with other sectors, which due to natural disasters and political instability, there are new requirements. In each country, priority must be to improve the efficiency of the education system. All countries should take into account people who have left school - or, as Kenneth Kauda defined in 1973 - forced to leave: it is the millions of illiterate or half-educated adolescents and adults, who are currently forming a working capacity of the electorate of the country as well as a parents of the younger generation.

In this context, the role of distance education is very important. Distance education is not just a complement to conventional forms of education, it can become a cheap alternative to traditional forms of education. Ministers of Education consider distance education important, even necessary tool for national development. However, in more affluent countries, distance education is only a supplement to traditional forms of education. In wealthier countries, everyone has the opportunity to study in elementary and secondary schools. Distance education provides additional opportunities for adults to continue their education or get a new profession. In poor countries, distance education becomes a value. The main function of distance learning is to expand the scope of traditional forms of learning.