African governments get pass marks on education – Afrobarometer

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa’s education systems were making slow, but steady progress in getting kids into school and keeping them beyond the primary grades, a new analysis of Afrobarometer data shows.

Many governments received pass marks on their performance in addressing educational needs, it said, especially, when citizens saw their schools as transparent in how they use tax revenues and responsive to reports of teacher misconduct.

The findings from national surveys in 34 African countries between late 2016 and late 2018 were detailed in the Afrobarometer’s new Pan-Africa profile on education.

The analysis indicated beyond citizens’ direct experiences with their schools, democracy matters.

“People are more likely to be satisfied with the delivery of educational services, if transparency and accountability at the school level are embedded in a political system that encourages these qualities,” the survey added.

It said majority of Africans (54 per cent) said their governments were doing a good job of meeting educational needs.

But said in some countries, two-thirds of adults still have no formal schooling, and significant gender gaps continue to disadvantage girls and women.