EdwardsandScott1

LukeEdwardsandCarolineScott
Ms.Agar
EnglishIIHonors
1December2015
AfricasEducationCrisis
Childrenareoftenviewedasthefutureofsociety.Whathappenswhenthefuturesof
thesechildrenarecorruptedbylackofeducation?Whathappenswhenthefutureisnotprovided
withtherighttoolstosucceed?Todayschildrenwillgrowintotheleadersoftomorrow.This
willbethegenerationtotakecareoftheworld,soitisthecurrentcitizensjobtotakecareof
them.Itisuptoeveryonetoprovidethemwiththeadequatetoolsforthefuture.Childrenall
overAfricaarenotbeingprovidedwiththeproperresourcesandeducationtheyneedfortheir
countrytosucceed.IfthepropereducationisnotprovidedAfricasgovernmentwillcontinueto
fail.
Duetocorruptionandpoverty,Africaseducationissufferingsignificantly.Accordingto
SuzanneG.Lewis,Throughouttheworld,morethan100millionchildrenofprimaryschoolage
arenotinschool(Louis20&23).Unfortunately,around30%ofthosechildrenareinAfrica.
Thisisaworldwideissuehowever,Africahasoneofthehighestpercentagesofchildrennot
attendingschool.InsubSaharanAfrica,approximately45.1percentofboysand33.3percent
ofgirlswereenrolledinsecondaryschoolin1990.Thesenumbersroseto51.4percentand38.9
percentin2000,andgendergapgrewslightlyto12.5percent(Louis20).Thisshowsthat
Africaseducationhasbeenslightlyimproving,yetitisstillnotsatisfactory.However,the
studentsarenttheonlyonesatfault.Teachershavealsocontributedtremendouslytotheissueof

EdwardsandScott2

Africaseducation.Thequalificationsofteacherrangedwidely.Someteacherswerehighly
trainedscholars:otherscouldonlyreciteQuranicversesandwritetheArabicalphabet(Louis
28).Thisshowsthateducationqualityvariesdependingonthequalificationsoftheteacher.If
someteachersdonothaveapropereducationthemselves,thentheycannotbetrustedtoprovide
apropereducationtothechildren.Thisalsoshowsthepressingissueofstandardizingthe
learningmaterial.
Educationoccursallovertheworldandisvaluedbymanypeople.Somepeoplebelieve
itistheroadtosuccessandothersthinkitistheroadtohappiness.Somepeoplebelievethat
educationcanprovidethecureforeverysocialill,beitunemployment,pooreconomic
conditions,orsocialunrest.Thisisamisconception,albeitonethatiswidelyheldinmanyparts
oftheworld,includingAfrica.(Louis14).Thisquoteshowshowsomebelievethateducation
cansolveallproblemsandfixnearlyeverythingweface.ThisishowAfricavaluesitthisshows
howmuchtheytrulycare,however,becauseofcorruptionandothermisconduct,ithasmadeit
hardforthemtocompletelyeducatetheiryouth."Becauseit'sanopendoortoareallife,and
youcan'tgetthroughthislifewithoutitandsucceed.It'sanopendoortodiscoveryandwonder
andfascinationandfiguringoutwhoyouare,whyyou'rehere,andwhatyoucametodo.It'san
invitationtolife,anditfeedsyouforever."Inthisquote,Oprahistellingpeoplehowimportant
educationis.SheperformedaparticularcharitywhereshetooksomegirlsfromAfricaand
helpedthemtoreceiveagoodeducationsothattheycouldmoveontocollege.Thishelpsto
explainhoweducationcanhelppeopleinsomanyways.Itcanevenhelpinthewaysof
allowingsomeonefindoutwhattheyloveandevenwhotheyarealongtheway.Knowledgeis,
withoutadoubt,oneofthemostimportantthingsintheworld.Witheducationpeoplecando

EdwardsandScott3

anythingthattheydesire.No,educationcantsolveallproblemsandillnessesbutknowledgecan
andwitheducationcomesknowledge.
Althoughdrasticchangesinreformshavenotyetbeenseen,therearesomeminor
changesthataredisplayingeffortstoimproveschools.AccordingtoAlexDalby,TheAngolan
governmenthasinvested$20mtoconstructalocalhospitalitytraininginstitute,LuandaHotel
School,toboostthecountry'stourismindustry.Itwillhavecapacityfor500students,50rooms,
12classroomsandaccommodationfor96students.(Dalby).Thisreformisexpandingthe
educationalopportunitiesforstudents,however,manyAfricanscannotaffordtoattendaschool
ofsuchluxury.Anotherreformbeingactedupon,istheseriousissueinvolvingteachers.Stephen
Haggardstated,Wecreatedalargepoolofteachers.Nowourjobistomotivatethemandraise
thequalityofwhattheydo.(Haggard).Teachersarecrucialtothequalityofchildrens
education,thereforereformersareseekingnewmeanstomotivatetheseteacherstotaketheir
jobsseriously.IftheteacherstakeituponthemselvestoprovidetheenrolledAfricanswithan
authenticeducation,itmayinspireotherstoparticipate.Inreturn,Africaseconomywould
strengthensignificantly.
WithAfricaseducationsituation,studentsarenotgettingthelifelongskillsthey
desperatelyneed.Ifthisissuecontinues,Africaspovertyrateswillincreasecausingtheir
governmenttoplummetandeventuallycrash.Thesechildrenarethefutureandwithoutasturdy
foundationtheywillnotgrowintothehonorableleadersthattheircountryneeds.Teachersneed
moremotivationandbettercredentialsinordertoteachtheseyoungmindstheskillstheywill
needtoenablethemtogothroughwithlifesdailyactivities.Schoolbuildingsneedtobe
remodeledandstudentsneednewwaystobecomeinterestedinschoolsothatattendancerates

EdwardsandScott4

willincrease.TherearemanyotherreformsthatareneededtoimproveAfricaseducationcrisis,
iftheproperreformsarenotputintoactionimmediately,Africaseconomywillonlycontinueto
squander.

EdwardsandScott5

WorksCited
Birnbaum,Debra."OprahWinfrey:educationforgirlsisthekeytobreakingthepovertycycle."
Variety
6Oct.2015:62+.
StudentEdition
.Web.17Nov.2015.
Dalby,Alexa."Africagainsfirstsineducation."
AfricanBusiness
Oct.2014:4.
StudentEdition
.
Web.17Nov.2015.
Haggard,Stephen."Africaneducation2.0:withthefocusmovingfromuniversalprimary
educationtotheissueofachievement,couldtechnologyhelpAfricaupgradeits
schoolingsystem?"
AfricanBusiness
July2015:70+.
StudentEdition
.Web.17Nov.
2015.
Lewis,SuzanneG.
EducationinAfrica.
Philadelphia:MasonCrest,2014.PDF.

EdwardsandScott6

Outline
I.Introduction
A.Thesis:IfthepropereducationisnotprovidedAfricasgovernmentwill
continuetofail.
B.Roles/Arguments:Askrhetoricalquestionsthatwillbeansweredthroughout
theessay.
II.Whatexactlyistheeducationissue?
A.Statistics
1)Amountofstudentsenrolledinschool.
2)Quotethatshowshowlittleeducationratesareimproving
B.Teachers
1)Talkaboutthequalificationsofteachers.
2)Howdoesthequalificationaffectthestudents?
III.Whatiseducationandwhatdoesitmean?
A.Values
1)Howpeoplebelieveitcansolve/cureanything.
2)QuotewhereOprahsayshowitcanhelpkids.
B.Opportunities
1)Howcanithelpyoufindthingsoutaboutyourself?
2)Howcanithelpyousucceedinlife?

EdwardsandScott7

IV.Howisthisproblembeingsolved?
A.Whataretheorganizationsoractionsbeingtakentohelpwiththisissue?
1) Includestatistics
B.WhatwillthesereformsdoforAfrica?

V.Conclusion
A.SummarizetheimportanceofAfricaneducation