Perspective

By Rev. Dr. Paul Bala Samura

The Day of the African Child, an annual commemoration on June 16, is not just a date on the calendar. It is a powerful catalyst for change and a beacon of hope in education advocacy. It sheds light on African children’s challenges and serves as a platform to celebrate the significant strides made in improving their lives.  The African Child, a symbolic masterpiece, encapsulates the potential and dreams of Africa. This artwork, with its depiction of the fragility and resilience of these dreams, underscores our collective responsibility to protect and nurture our heritage. Today, the Day of the African Child is not just a testament to the rights of the African Child, according to the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, but also a call to action, raising awareness of children’s challenges in Africa.  Leaders at various levels—government, community, education, and civil society—have a pivotal role in making this day impactful and meaningful.

Education is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone for sustainable development. Despite some progress, the stark reality is that situations still deny millions of children in Africa their right to quality education. It is not just an issue of individual growth but a matter that will shape the future of our continent.  The 2024 theme of the Day of the African Child, “Education for All Children in Africa: The Time is Now,” urgently underscores the pressing nature of this crisis. Here are my thoughts on the theme:

African leaders have a crucial role in addressing the challenges, such as access to education and enrollment, quality of education, and socio-economic barriers. Africa has millions of out-of-school children, particularly girls, children with disabilities, and those from rural or conflict-affected areas. Early childhood education with limited access to early childhood education hinders cognitive and social development, affecting later educational attainment. The power to change this is in your hands.

A massive teacher shortage affects effective teaching and learning in schools.  Presidents and government leaders should endeavor to equip schools with trained and qualified teachers. There’s inadequate or poor infrastructure, including insufficient classrooms, sanitation facilities, and learning materials, hampers effective learning. I have been to many schools in Sierra Leone and saw poor sanitation facilities, while some had none.

Governments should enact productive curricula. Many curricula fail to meet the labor market’s needs and do not adequately address the cultural and continental diversity of the student population. Governments must update and adapt curricula to reflect the skills needed in the 21st-century job market, including critical thinking, digital literacy, and vocational training, and develop assessments focusing on comprehensive learning outcomes rather than rote memorization, as in the early days of education.

Governments must address socioeconomic barriers affecting the education of African Children, such as poverty, which seems to be the order of the day that affects the continent, especially African children. Economic constraints force many children to drop out of school to work and support their families.

African leaders pay little attention to gender inequality.  Cultural norms and practices often prioritize boys’ education over girls’, leading to significant gender disparities in the African continent. Governments should implement programs supporting girls’ education, including scholarships, safe transportation, and gender-sensitive curricula. Another barrier to African children is health, such as malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, and other health challenges that affect school attendance and performance. Each school (Elementary, Middle, and High School) in the United States of America has a clinic and trained nurses to provide medical care to students.  The school clinic nurse calls an ambulance or the parent for critical cases.  How many schools in Africa or Sierra Leone have functional clinics?  How do they attend to ill students during school hours?

African leaders should take strategic actions that immediately impact African children. They must ensure government commitment and policy reform, such as increased funding, allocating a higher percentage of their GDP to education, and ensuring efficient and transparent use of resources. They should also create inclusive policies, which develop and implement policies that ensure inclusive education, accommodating all children regardless of gender, disability, regional, or socioeconomic background. By taking these actions, African leaders can make a significant difference in the lives of African children, demonstrating their power and responsibility in shaping the future of our continent.

Leaders should ensure free and compulsory education and laws that mandate free and mandatory education up to a certain age or level of education. In Sierra Leone, the government promotes Free and Quality Education.  How accessible is this education in Sierra Leone?  Or what is a free education? Here is an example of a free education: in Richmond, Indiana, USA, public schools do not charge fees to any students.  Each student has a laptop where all teachers store notes, tests, quizzes, exams, assignments, and notices.  All schools have free internet, breakfast, lunch, and water.  There are mini-supermarkets where students, teachers, and staff can buy extra food and drinks.  There are free buses for all students.

So, when a city provides the facilities mentioned above and services to students, we call it free education.  Typical Africans would respond to me saying, “This is not America.”   I agree, but we must use the correct terms to describe what is happening in Africa. You cannot call it “Free education” if the government only provides fees.  What about books, uniforms, lunch, transportation, or medical?  A child will never attend any African public school, including Sierra Leone, without paying huge sums.

Leaders must ensure community and stakeholder engagement, including parent involvement and local partnership.  They should encourage and facilitate parental engagement in their children’s education through community awareness programs and forge alliances with local businesses, NGOs, and community leaders to support education initiatives and resource mobilization.

Governments must provide effective monitoring and evaluation and ensure data collection and analysis.  They should establish robust education data systems to track enrollment, attendance, and learning outcomes in all public schools in each country. Does the Sierra Leone Ministry of Basic Education have a data system for all public schools capturing the above-listed variables?

Governments must conduct and regularly assess the impact of educational policies and programs to identify successes and areas for improvement.  How regularly do education ministries conduct progress assessments?  Can Sierra Leone boast of having current data on evaluating all public schools?

African leaders cannot overestimate the urgency of providing quality education for all African children. The dream of universal education can become a reality with concerted efforts from governments, communities, international organizations, and private sector partners. The time to act is now, and the future of millions of African children depends on African leaders’ steps today. Investing in education is investing in the continent’s future—fostering growth, reducing poverty, and promoting equality and peace. African children must receive education equal to children in other continents.

Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, June 14th , 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)