By Benedict Ng’etich
African leaders have been urged to prioritize on the early education of children and to devise ways of tackling the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on education.
The board of advisors of Human Capital Africa (HCA), an accountability and advocacy initiative, have issued out a Call to Action to policy makers in Kenya and across the continent to take note and respond to the alarming learning crisis highlighted by the World Bank.
The World Bank predicted that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, learning of critical skills needed by children throughout their careers have been affected.
The report revealed that in Kenya, 56% of children who finish primary school, cannot read and understand simple texts.
According to World Bank, 9 out of 10 children in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) do not achieve basic reading and numeracy skills by the age of 10 (World Bank, 2019).
This is a shocking statistic, especially when compared to developed economies, where only 1 out of 10 children do not achieve basic literacy and numeracy skills at the same age.
“This is a wakeup call for Heads of States, Ministers, donors and other partners. It is time to prioritize the education of our children. If children cannot read and do basic mathematics at the age of 10, they will be deprived of the opportunity to be productive members of the workforce, society and the global economy.” Said the board chair Dr Joyce Banda, who is also a former president of Malawi.
HCA’s board of advisors include Board Chair Dr Joyce Banda, Trevor Manuel, Kennedy Odede, Kah Walla, Adama Gaye, Sangu Delle, N’Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, Erastus J.O. Mwencha and Rosa Whitaker. They all want the issue of learning crisis to be on top of the policy makers’ agenda.
The Call-to-Action invites policymakers to take five actions which include to:
1. Recognize the challenge by reviewing the current state of foundational learning in their countries
2. Prioritize the issue at all levels of government
3. Collect, report and use data on student learning and the overall education system
4. Learn from evidence and other countries and implement what works
5. Hold themselves and others accountable by taking regular stock of progress
HCA was launched last year in October and was spearheaded by Nigeria’s former Minister of Education Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili.
“It is our responsibility to bring Africa out of this crisis. I invite my fellow country leaders to accept our Call-to-Action and work with Human Capital Africa. Together, we can improve the quality of education in Sub Saharan Africa, Dr Ezekwesili said.
