The Poor Quality of Education in Africa

The document highlights a significant gap in educational quality in Africa, noting that sub-Saharan Africa consistently underperforms globally in primary and secondary standardized tests. It emphasizes that educational quality has a stronger correlation with economic growth than quantity. The text identifies a 'learning crisis' driven by student unpreparedness due to malnutrition and poverty, ineffective or absent teachers, lack of materials, and poor governance. It also stresses the critical role of early childhood development (ECD) and nutrition in establishing the cognitive foundations necessary for quality learning outcomes.

• Sub-Saharan Africa consistently performs worse than the rest of the world in primary and secondary education standardized tests, with 2019 average scores of 30.4 and 38.4 out of 100, respectively. In this region, primary scores ranged from 22.6% in Burkina Faso to 39.1% in Madagascar, while secondary scores ranged from 31.9% in Niger to 47.8% in Seychelles.
• There is a stark disparity in learning outcomes between Africa and developed regions; the highest-performing country in sub-Saharan Africa still scores lower than the lowest-performing country in Western Europe. Additionally, approximately 90% of people in Africa cannot read or write simple text by age 10, compared to 70% globally.
• The World Bank identifies four immediate causes for the 'learning crisis' in global education affecting sub-Saharan Africa: children arriving unprepared due to illness, malnutrition, or poverty; teachers lacking skills, motivation, or being absent; a lack of timely teaching and learning materials; and poor management and governance.
• Early childhood development (ECD), including proper nutrition and appropriate curricula, is essential for cognitive functioning and social skills, yet many African students enter public schools characterized by overcrowding and low teacher-to-student ratios that hinder their ability to excel.

APA

Aikins, E. R., & Cilliers, J. (2026). The Poor Quality of Education in Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=04-poor-quality-education

Chicago

Aikins, Enoch Randy, and Jakkie Cilliers. The Poor Quality of Education in Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=04-poor-quality-education.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aikins |first1=Enoch Randy |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=The Poor Quality of Education in Africa |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=21 April 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=04-poor-quality-education |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aikins2026poor, author = {Aikins, Enoch Randy and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{The Poor Quality of Education in Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=06-education&topic=04-poor-quality-education}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }