POSSIBLE IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS ON EDUCATION IN AFRICABy

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A THREE-PART DISCUSSION

• ESSENTIAL PRELIMINARIES

PART ONE

• POSSIBLE DAMAGES TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR

PART TWO

• OUR FORCEFUL RESPONSE

PART THREE

PART ONE

ESSENTIAL PRELIMINARIES

AFRICA’S DEPENDENCY SYNDROME

THE STRONG SNEEZING AND THE WEAK CATCHING A COLD

PROGRESS TOWARDS EFA (GMR 2011)

REGION GOAL ONE(ECCE)

GOAL TWO(Universal Primary Education)

GOAL THREE(Youth Literacy)

GOAL FOUR(Adult Literacy)

GOAL FIVE(Gender Parity-primary education)

GOAL SIX(Teacher-Pupil Ratio –Primary education)

World 

 44

 88

 89

 83

 0.96

 25

Developed Countries

 79

 95

 100

 99

 1.00

 14

Arab States 

 19

 84

 87

 72

 0.92

 22

Sub-Saharan Africa

 12

 76

 71

 62

 0.75

 45

AFRICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN NOT EVEN LEARNING

World Developed countries

Developing countries

Arab States aEast Asia Latin America Caribbean States

N/America/W. Europe

Sub-Saharan Africa

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

10.7

16.3

10 9.4

11.8

14

11.4

16.5

7.6

THE EDUCATIONEERING PROCESS

POLITICS

POLICIES

PROGRAMMES

PROCESSES

PRODUCTS

GOOD POLITICS IS GOOD FOR GOOD EDUCATIONPIVOT GOOD BAD

POLITICS PEOPLE-ORIENTEDNEXT GENERATION

WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME?NEXT ELECTIONS

POLICIES SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENTPARTICIPATORY PROCESSES

WISHES /PRONOUNCEMENTS OF THE RULERINCONSISTENCY/SUMMERSAULTS

PROGRAMMES

FULFILMENT OF PEOPLE-ORIENTED GOALSBASED ON STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT GOALSRESOURCED

DICTATED BY PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERSLACK OF CLEAR DIRECTIONSPOORLY RESOURCED

PROCESSES PROFESSIONALLY/QUALITY MANAGEDFOCUS ON RESULTS

NON-RESPECT FOR PROFESSIONALISM AND SOUND MANAGEMENTFOCUS ON PAPER RESULTS

PRODUCTS QUALITY OUTCOMESSYSTEM CONTINUOUSLY ENRICHEDSOCIETY AS WINNER

POOR OUTCOMESDYSFUNCTIONAL (EDUCATION) SYSTEMSSOCIETY AS LOSER

ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES

• THE QUALITY OF POLITICS DETERMINES • THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION POLICIES,

PROGRAMMES, AND PROCESSES• AND EVENTUALLY THE PRODUCTS (OR RESULTS, OR

OUTCOMES). • IN SENDING EARLY WARNING SIGNALS• ON THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE CURRENT

GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA.

• WE MUST ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF CHALLENGES• NOT MERELY ADDRESSING THE MERE SYMPTOMS

PART TWO

POSSIBLE

DAMAGES

TO EDUCATION IN AFRICA

EFFECTS ON POLITICS

Politics in General

• GLOBALISATION FORCES FAVOURING POLITICS OF REFORM IN AFRICA

• INTENSIFIED EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE IN THE POLITICS OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

• SPIN-OFF IN THE PERSISTENCE OF BAD POLITICS

• WIPING OFF OF MODEST DEMOCRACY GAINS RECORDED SINCE THE 1990s

Politics of Education

• MORE OF LIP SERVICE TO EFA

• EMPHASIS NOT ON THE COMMON GOOD BUT ON THE SELECTIVE GOOD

• RESOURCE SHIFT TO DEBT SERVICING and THE ECONOMIC SECTOR

• RESOURCE DENIAL TO THE SOCIAL SECTOR, WHERE EDUCATION BELONGS

 

LIKELY IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

• DECLINE IN POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT

• SUBORDINATION OF NATIONAL INTERESTS TO THE INTERESTS OF THE EXTERNAL DONOR.

• POLICY DICTATION REPLACING POLICY DEVELOPMENT

• ‘ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL POLICIES

EDUCATION POLICIES

• PERPETUATION OF ‘EDUCATION FOR THEM AND NOT FOR US’.

• RESULTING FROM A PHILOSOPHY OF CONSULTATION

• WITH PERIPHERAL WITH PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS

• NEGLECT OF THE CORE STAKEHOLDERS IN EDUCATION (next slide)

FIVE GROUPS OF EDUCATION SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS (what distinguishes 4 and 5 from 1,2 and 3?)

GROUP ONE GROUP TWO GROUP THREE GROUP FOUR GROUP FIVE

Rural Dwellers Women Groups Practising Teachers Education Sector Technocrats

Government Agencies

The Urban Poor Youth Organisations

Teacher Associations

Academics Legislature

Traditional Institutions

Organised Labour Parent-Teacher Associations

Organised Private Sector

Education Ministries

Grassroot-Based Organisations

Small Scale Economic Operators

Political Parties/ Religious Bodies

Professional Bodies Education Sector Parastatals

Students Local Government Agencies

Other Government Ministries

IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES

Overall national development programmes

• NON-RESPONSIVE PROGRAMMES• GREATER FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM

AND IMMEDIATE GAINS (LIKE THAT OF A BAD POLITICIAN THAT EYES ONLY THE NEXT ELECTION)

• THREAT TO STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANING

• DE-EMPHASIS ON HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT.

• LIKELIHOOD OF A RETURN TO THE PORTMANTEAU APPROACH TO EXTERNAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

• PARIS DECLARATION ON AID EFFECTIVENESS ????

Education programmes in particular

• GOVERNMENT UNDERFUNDING OF EDUCATION IS LIKELY TO WORSEN

• FURTHER COMMODITISATION OF EDUCATION

• DECLINE OF EXTERNAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

• AFRICA’S MARCH TOWARDS ATTAINING THE EFA GOALS (ALREADY UNDER THREAT) A PIPE DREAM.

• JOMTIEN AND DAKAR ASSISTANCE PROMISES NOT FULLY KEPT

• FAST-TRACK INITIATIVE ANYTHING BUT FAST TRACK.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROCESSES OF DELIVERING QUALITY EDUCATION• SECTION A

QUALITY IN EDUCATION

• SECTION B

WORSENING THE QUALITY CHALLENGE IN AFRICAN EDUCATION

QUALITY: WHAT YOU SOW IS WHAT YOU REAPSOWING QUALITY NURTURING QUALITY REAPING QUALITY

• Politics/Policy/Management

• Management

• Personnel

• Curriculum

• Physical Infrastructure

• Teaching-Learning facilities

• Financial Resources

• Institutional management

•  Teacher professional support processes

•  Learner psycho-social support processes

•  Teaching-learning processes

 

• Cognitive learning

•  Life-coping skills

•  Life-long learning skills

• Enhanced potential for contribution to society

• ULTIMATELY, a self-sustaining educational system and society

A DIFFICULT TERRAIN FOR NURTURING QUALITY IN EDUCATION• INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT (FUNCTION NOT

PROFESSIONALISED IN MANY COUNTRIES• MINIMUM OR ZERO LEVEL OF COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT • LIMITED OR ZERO AUTONOMY FOR THE SCHOOL

LEVEL MANAGER• TEACHERS (QUANTITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY

DEFICIENT• LACKING PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT• ILL-MOTIVATED, OVERWORKED• LACKING SOCIAL RECOGNITION• OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAREER-LONG PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT?????

DIFFICULT TERRAIN (CONTINUED)

• TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESSES (PREVALENCE OF ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION FRONTAL TEACHING

• LARGE CLASSES• PEDAGOGICAL MATERIAL SCARCITY• TEACHING-LEARNING IN A LANGUAGE POORLY

MASTERED BY TEACHERS AND LEARNERS • PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT TO STUDENTS- LARGE

CLASSES AND EXCESS WORK LOAD, POOR TEACHER PREPARATION

• EARNER-CENTRED PEDAGOGY NIGH IMPOSSIBLE• POOR QUALITY OF INPUTS THAT SHOULD

CULTIVATE QUALITY

POSSIBLE RE-ECHO OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT ERA FALLACIES• TEACHER’S QUALIFICATIONS DO NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE• ALL WE NEED IS A SHORT INDUCTION PROGRAMME FOR

TEACHERS FOLLOWED BY CLOSE SUPERVISION• TEACHER-PUPIL RATIO IS ALREADY TOO HIGH IN AFRICAN

COUNTRIES• MULTI-GRADE TEACHING AND DOUBLE-SHIFT SCHOOLING

HOLD THE MAGIC FOR AFRICA’S EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS• AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS SHOULD CUT DOWN ON

EXPENDITURE ON TEACHERS’ SALARIES• TEACHERS IN AFRICAN SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY WELL PAID,

SINCE, IN MOST CASES, A TEACHER’S ANNUAL SALARY IS HIGHER THAN GDP.

• AFRICA’S PRIORITY SHOULD REMAIN BASIC EDUCATION

WHAT REPERCUSSION FOR PRODUCTS (EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES) ?• IDEALLY, EFA SHOULD PRODUCE A CRITICAL MASS OF CITIZENS WITH APPROPRIATE TYPES AND LEVELS OF

• COGNITIVE LEARNING (FULL DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLECTUAL POTENTIALS – HARD SKILLS-BROAD-BASED KNOWLEDGE AND VERSATILITY)

• LIFE-COPING SKILLS (FULL DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – SOFT SKILLS – NEEDED FOR ADAPTATION TO CONTINUING CHANGES THAT CHARACTERISE MODERN LIFE)

• LIFE-LONG LEARNING SKILLS (AN ABIDING THIRST FOR CONTINUOUS SELF-IMPROVEMENT)

EFA REALITIES IN AFRICA 1

REGION OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN (millions)

NET PRIMARY ENROLMENT (%)

SURVIVAL TILL LAST GRADE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION

EXPECTED YEARS OF SCHOOLING

WORLD        67.483     112       93 10.7ARAB STATES          6.188       86       97 9.4SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

       28.867       77       70 7.6

EFA REALITIES IN AFRICA - 2: EFA SCORECARD

REGION GOAL ONE(ECCE)

GOAL TWO(Universal Primary Education)

GOAL THREE(Youth Literacy)

GOAL FOUR(Adult Literacy)

GOAL FIVE(Gender Parity-primary education)

GOAL SIX(Teacher-Pupil Ratio –Primary education)

World 

 44

 88

 89

 83

 0.96

 25

Arab States 

 19

 84

 87

 72

 0.92

 22

Sub-Saharan Africa

 12

 76

 71

 62

 0.75

 45

AFRICA RAISING ITS EFA SCORE CARD?

• LEGITIMATE AMBITION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ACCELERATE THE PROGRESS OF EFA

• PROBABLY A FEATURE OF NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICIES AND BUDGETS.

• BEARING IN MIND,THE MASTER-SNEEZE-SERVANT-CATCH-A-COLD EFFECT ON AFRICA

• LIKELIHOOD OF DRAMATICALLY LOWERING OF INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION.

TURNING BACK THE HANDS OF THE EDUCATION CLOCK • LIKELIHOOD OF A WORSENING OF THE ALREADY POOR

EFA SCORE CARD. • CORE EDUCATION SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS AS THE

LOSERS. • PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS CONTINUED FLOODING OF

PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS • IN WHICH EDUCATION TO BE GRABBED BY THE HIGHEST

BIDDER. • CAPITAL FLIGHT ALSO LIKELY TO INCREASE, ESPECIALLY

IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SUB-SECTOR,• PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS INTENSIFIED PATRONAGE

OF FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES• MOST OF THEM OFFERING ‘GOOD ENOUGH FOR AFRICA,’

TAILOR-MADE PROGRAMMES

PART THREE: WHAT SHOULD BE OUR CONCERTED RESPONSE?

AS CITIZENS

AS UNIONS

AS TEACHERS AND PROFESSIONAL

EDUCATORS

AS CITIZENS

• TEACHERS AND THEIR UNIONS MUST INTEGRATE CIVIL SOCIETY AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS

• VOICING THE PEOPLE’S OPPOSITION TO GLOBALISING AND MARKET FORCES

• THAT ARE AT THE ROOT OF THE CURRENT CRISIS,• AND IN PUSHING AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS TO PLAY

GOOD POLITICS• AS A NECESSARY FIRST STEP TOWARDS

PROMOTING PEOPLE-ORIENTED POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES

• MOST IMPORTANTLY, ENSURING THAT THE CRISIS DOES NOT BECOME A REASON FOR LURING AFRICAN COUNTRIES INTO ANOTHER EXTERNAL DEBT TRAP

AS UNIONS

• WE MUST STRENGTHEN OUR ORGANISATIONS • PROMOTE INTERNAL DEMOCRACY• ELIMINATE SPLINTERING AMONG TEACHER UNIONS, • RENDER DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES TO OUR

MEMBERS• SERVE AS MODELS OF PRUDENT RESOURCE

MANAGEMENT• OFFER LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE• ALL AS A FIRST STEP IN ENSURING • A STRONG VOICE FOR TEACHERS AND THEIR

UNIONS IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUES

AS TEACHERS AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS• WE MUST PROMOTE THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF

OUR MEMBERS• TO BECOME THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF EDUCATION

IN POLICY DIALOGUES• CREATE A NEW WINDOW OF ACTIVITY ON RESEARCH

AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS• INCLUDING THE MONITORING OF EDUCATIONAL

PROGRESS• THAT SHOULD LEAD TO TEACHERS’ UNIONS HAVING

DATA TO COUNTER ANTI-PEOPLE POLICIES• IMPROVING OUR CAPACITY TO PRESENT EVIDENCE-

BASED ALTERNATIVES• TO ANY MOVES THAT COULD STIFLE QUALITY PUBLIC

EDUCATION

ONE OTHER THING WE MUST DO

• TEACHERS’ ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA WOULD DO WELL TO UNDERTAKE

• SYSTEMATIC STUDIES OF WHERE THE MONEY BUDGETED FOR EDUCATION GOES TO

• SEE NEXT SLIDE FOR TWO MODELS OF EDUCATION FUNDING

SPENDING ON VERSUS INVESTING IN EDUCATION

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Series1

Series2

OUR BATTLE CRY

• ALL OUR EFFORTS MUST BE DIRECTED TOWARDS SPREADING THE MESSAGE THAT

• EDUCATION IS THE ANSWER• EDUCATION, IF GENUINELY PROMOTED (THROUGH

GOOD POLITICS-GOOD POLICIES-GOOD PROGRAMMES-GOOD PROCESSES-GOOD PRODUCTS PARADIGM)

• IS MOST LIKELY TO RESULT IN A CRITICAL MASS OF FULLY DEVELOPED HUMAN TALENTS

• WHOSE CREATIVE THINKING• WOULD GET US OUT OF THE PRESENT CRISIS• AND PERMANENTLY SHUT THE DOOR TO ITS FUTURE

OCCURRENCE.

FINALLY

• I THANK YOU ALL• JE VOUS

REMERCIE• SHUK’RAN• ASANTENI SANA• NAGODE• ESE PUPO• SIYABONGA• JEREGENJEF• ANITCHE• KEA LEBUHA• AKPEI KAKA• DALU NU• MEDAWESE