Calpakis1 Isabella Calpakis Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 27 November 2013

Education for African Children in Need

Thirteen-year-old Pascal Mwanchoka and his ten-year-old brother scour the streets of Nairobi for scrap metal. If none is found, then they sleep hungry. The mother is an alcoholic, and they live alone on the streets. Education is not their priority when starvation is their death threat, but what if an education could turn their lives around? According to dosomething.org, the African continent has areas with less than 50 percent literacy rates among children ages 18 and under (dosomething.org). The chance of these children learning how to read and write decreases as they become older and take on the responsibility of supporting a family. Education should be a right, not a privilege, but unfortunately this is not reality. Education in parts of Africa south of the Sahara is not nearly as common as it is in developed countries. According to the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), Africa has the lowest enrollment rate for higher education in the world. For example, it is negative two percent for Ethiopia, and negative three percent for Kenya and Uganda (Bekele). The barriers between first world and third world countries are more complex than simple laws; Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa states that of all the worlds regions, African economies rank last in wealth as well as in rate of growth (xxi).

Calpakis2 As for the history behind the issue, the current structure of the educational system within the continent is a stripped-down version of what it once was. Before European intervention, various ethnic groups educated children based on traditional norms and values. According to African Higher Education Policy: A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa, education, for example, in Botswana, centered on training and discipline did not resemble modern schooling because it was focused mostly on training and discipline (26). The modern schooling mentioned mostly likely includes a lecture style, classroom based learning environment. However, slave trades and political conflict forced a new educational system. It is a shame that such a system could not sustain through societal issues and warfare; education should have been kept a priority over other changes. Rather than making changes within the system to accommodate new governments, the education system that was used should have been adopted into the new political system. The world began to show growing interest in Western education as industrialization sent our markets booming. This put Africa in the dust, as a continent left behind in the midst of conflict. This neglect has carried forward into modern-day society. If primary education were to be offered in regions of Africa such as Congo and Tanzania, a growing concern that would need attention is population growth and control over the years. Schooling for all children would be ideal, but would that be realistic? A familys monetary status should not be a determinant of whether or not a child can receive an education. Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa states that there is more than one obstacle to mass education. Issues include access to reading materials, most jobs do not require

Calpakis3 literacy, and schooling of such low quality that those who pass through years of schooling are barely literate (xix). It is a shame to think that years of schooling are not nearly as beneficial as they should be. Scholars question whether or not the end results are worth the expense, since the quality is so low. Since each nation has a limited amount of available funds, a balance must be achieved between the quantity and quality of education (Sunal xxi). According to USA Today, governments in Africa declare that education is free, but there are of course hindering factors (Kennedy). Public secondary schools across sub-Saharan Africa this year failed to report that there would still be charges for transportation, field trips, teacher conferences and building swimming pools for schools. The families have to pay these fees, as the governments are not willing to contribute to the quality of the public schools. There is a small chance that this was human error; perhaps the failure to report is derived from government corruption, and the attempt to deceive the public eye. African Higher Education Policy: A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa states that in countries such as Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, Zaire, Togo, and Cameroon, corruption receives an official nod from the top (Domatob 31). For example, in Kenya, Kamlesh Pattni, a young man in his late 20s, allegedly robbed millions of pounds from the Kenyan government as an export scam sanctioned at the highest level of the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank (Domatob 31). Also, Cameroons president, Paul Biya, who has been in power for three decades misappropriated the nations resources stashed them in foreign banks (Domatob 31). Corruption in these areas is the norm, as it is a culture of political corruption (Domatob 32).

Calpakis4

There is only so much that outside relief efforts can help; rather, change must start from within, and then spread. In Wine to Water, Doc Hendley attempts to bring clean water to the regions of Darfur, but some of his efforts prove futile when political motives interfere. Encounters throughout his journey with the Janjaweed, the military group sided with the government, thwart his labor. His work is demolished, making it only a temporary fix, and he almost lost his own life in the process of attempting to help. Developing countries need to break the cycle of poverty themselves in order for their living conditions to match those of citizens in developed countries. Throughout his trips to Haiti and Darfur, Hendley spread to locals the complete process of making their own water filtration systems, and fixing any broken pumps (Hendley). This form of education allows for change to occur even when outside efforts are not available. Over the years, the cost of providing education in Africa has risen. Teachers salaries have been raised, and the issue is that these salaries are usually paid for by the government. However, according to USA Today, it would be next to impossible to have Africa fund their own teachers, when their GDP is around 3.3 percent. U.S. partners and Kenyan community leaders have met to attempt to decide on a development strategy for the entire community. Change must come from within, but at the same time, the Kenyan community leaders need to be educated on the processes of progress and development, and the current obstacles to each. In these discussions, Cynthia Sunal, editor of Undertaking Challenges in the 21st Century, mentions that factors such as lack of access to water and poverty were prominent (Sunal). Grassroots empowerment initiatives, such as Hendleys initiative in Darfur of teaching the locals, were found to be more effective

Calpakis5 than a top-down approach. The African communities must make a united decision to attempt to teach their children. It must be recognized that education can do more than stimulate the mind; it can help teach self-reliance. A growing population is a challenge that will be faces in delivering primary education across sub-Saharan Africa. According to Schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, valid goals must be made clear in order for the effort and expense of providing education (6). Education can help citizens become literate and numerate, and it can also provide a base for education to be furthered later on. When a person is given knowledge, that knowledge can never be taken away. Children will directly affect a countrys progress, as they could become the leaders in government, deciding whether or not corruption will occur. Education is easier and more efficient to provide now compared to previous generations through the greater availability of technology. Technology can serve as an outlet for these children and they can begin to understand the issues surrounding them. They are not as globally connected as the average American citizen is, and they do not know what exists beyond their own world. Computers will be able to serve multiple functions according to African Higher Education Policy: A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa (Domatob 97). For all of these nations, computers can enhance administrative processes, and keep records. Although there are arguments as to the loans that will be necessary, above all, computers can foster intellectual pursuits (Domatob 97). Society is currently dominated by technology; extreme development would not be possible otherwise. African universities do not only lack staff, but facilities as well (Domatob 76). Training staff would be required for efficiency. However, staff would not reach their potential without proper facilities.

Calpakis6 Funding should be re-directed to enhance the quality of efficiency derived from proper equipment, such as Smart Boards and computers in the classroom. In order for funding to be re-directed, priorities need to be recognized. According to NOKUT, there is limited resource allocation. Ethiopias spending for education was 17.5 percent, and was among the highest for the sub-Saharan regions. Sudan directs only about three percent of its GDP toward education (Bekele). In addition to a classroom setting, these children need to learn in a hands-on environment. They need to understand the diseases plaguing those around them, as well as the causes, and learn what it is like to work medical miracles on patients in a hospital. The importance of illness is often concerned with hygiene, a topic that should be detailed out for the locals. They need to understand diplomacy, and learn why countries, governments, or tribes are at odds with one another. They need to be in the field to understand how they can make a difference with this information. Specialists need to work with these children in order for them to understand these different areas. These areas could be considered curricular aims to be approached in a classroom, learninginduced, environment. They will have the most powerful voice in the future if they can start to comprehend how inequities can be solved or helped. God helps those who help themselves. These communities may be attempting for change now, but they need resources and opportunities. If children in need of education start to help themselves, their families, and their communities rise from poverty, then they will be helped and they will begin to see actions fall into place. For example, according to Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa, the application of motivation theory in northern Nigerian universities allows the teaching styles to be enhanced and more

Calpakis7 effective. This will trickle down to the students having the motivation and ambition to want to learn new knowledge. Some 46 million African children nearly half the school-age population have never set foot in a classroom, stated by the United Nations in USA Today. However, it is not too late. With the right access to resources initiated by the more fortunate, students can begin to learn the empowering feeling of learning something that could just very well save their lives. Pascal and his ten-year-old brother Lenjo are among millions of children who struggle against vast obstacles for the luxury of going to school while living in the poorest continent of the world. Lenjo used to be so hungry that he couldn't do anything but sit. Unless I collected the scrap metal, we would go to sleep without eating," according to his brother (Kennedy). Now, they are finally off the streets, and no longer under the care of their alcoholic mother. Less than a year later, they are back in class, and currently attend a free program in Nairobi for children too poor even to afford a meal of maize and beans. Shoes are optional, and there are no tuition fees. The school is located in the Nairobi slum, the walls are crumbling stone, there is only one light bulb, and three children share a textbook. However, it is much better than living on the street, and lunch is served at noon. To these children, this is paradise. With this education, perhaps these two brothers who started from the bottom with nothing can become world leaders, making some of the most important decisions for the future of their country. It is hope like this that keeps this continent aspiring for change.

Calpakis8 Works Cited "11 Facts About Education Around the World." Do Something. Do Something, Inc., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Bekele, Teklu A. "Education Systems in Sub- Saharan Africa: Trends and Developments." Nokut.no/Documents. NOKUT (Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education), 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Domatob, Jerry K. African Higher Education Policy A Survey of Sub-Saharan Africa. San Francisco: International Scholars Publications, 1998. Print. Hendley, Doc. Wine to Water: How One Man Saved Himself While Trying to save the World. New York: Avery, 2012. Print. Kennedy, Elizabeth A. "Africa's Children Struggle for Education" USAToday.com. USA Today, 21 July 2007. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. Sunal, Cynthia S., ed. Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: Contemporary Issues and Future Concerns. New York & London: Garland, 1998. Print.