| Education Knowledge |    1007 VIEWS  |
| Education Knowledge | |
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Friday,
September 18, 2020 / 02:44 PM / By FBNQuest Research / Header Image Credit: The Guardian Nigeria
Education
has been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 and the lockdowns imposed in almost
all jurisdictions. We refer to the second installment in June of COVID-19
impact monitoring, a publication of the National Bureau of Statistics in
partnership with the World Bank.
It
noted that 35 per cent of households with children of school attending age
reported some contact between pupil and teacher, compared with just 19 per cent
in April/May. (Schools were closed at the time of both these surveys). Yet the
share of households reporting some educational activities was unchanged at 61
per cent.
Government
revenue has fallen sharply across Africa, indeed across the world, as taxable
activity has been closed or curtailed as a result of COVID-19. This is true of
direct and indirect taxes, levied on domestic business and foreign trade.
Spending cuts have been the predictable consequence of the shortfall. In
Uganda, for example, teachers have not been paid since February. In Tanzania
schools have been reopened, and access restricted to teachers, meaning that
extra-curricular activities and contact with the outside world have been
frozen.
There
is little doubt that most African education systems require major reform.
Curricula are designed by academics without input from the private sector and
government. Further, teachers tend to come from a pre-digital generation. At
the same time, Google and Apple are looking for tech-savvy young people with
soft skills (initiative, creativity and problem solving among others), and do
not insist on a university degree.
That
said, such companies are not going to soak up the pool of unemployed youths in
Africa. When we are told that 30 per cent of the youth in the world will be
African in 2050, our initial reaction is to worry rather than dwell upon the
opportunity. UNESCO data show that 89 per cent of students in sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA) do not have access to household computers and 82 per cent lack
internet access.
We
hear a lot of aspirational 'edu-tech' talk from think tanks and private-sector
providers that is not grounded in reality. There is a limit to the number of
game designers and animators that our new corporate behemoths recruit. 'Blended
and digital learning' is desirable in itself but is surely not a core
requirement in the informal economy. We feel that being tech-savvy does not
complete the skill set for would-be employees. Digital does lower the price
point certainly but does it reduce it sufficiently for the vast majority of the
population?
As
ever, there are steps forward to note. In Morocco we understand that
universities are government funded but that the private sector drives the focus
of higher education. Carnegie Mellon University has set up in Kigali in
partnership with the Rwandan government and is addressing the shortage of
engineering graduates in the region. Closer to home, Lagos State government is
working with social enterprises to provide internships, skills training and
basic preparation for youth for employment.
We
welcome all these steps and hope that they will be multiplied across the
continent. At the same time, all should recognize the huge blow to public
resources from COVID-19. Where funding is available, public health will be
ahead of education in the queue. The private sector has an important role to
play but has to earn a living from its work and is unlikely to get involved in
what we will term grass roots education.
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