Written By Samikha Srinivasan
Edited by Danny Nguyen
Children in the United States have suffered a detrimental impact to their education after COVID caused a major interference in their lives. Several students found it difficult to learn through online platforms and communicate with their teachers. However, let’s focus on a different part of the world, where attaining quality education is a continuous battle. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to numerous students who did not have access to adequate education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, during the pandemic, their education system took a huge hit. Girls who were pregnant at the age of sixteen dropped out of school to take care of their children. Students drop out of school at higher rates than in any other country in the world, and some students never enter the classroom to begin with. Students who were impoverished did not have access to secondary education and the benefits of resources provided by the government. Access to education is a struggle in a place where economic boundaries and climate change is a serious issue.
Africa has been facing several economic issues as most families undergo poverty where they lose their necessities through climate change. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, students are deprived of the opportunity to get educated because they do not have access to sanitary products, school supplies, and basic necessities when they are in school. Several students spend time outdoors on a farm or playing in the streets with their friends. Moreover, in comparison to boys, the majority of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are the ones who are not educated because there is still a common stereotype that girls are supposed to complete household chores and take care of young children. Girls tend to drop out of schools around their teen years when they are pregnant. In addition, the schools in sub-Saharan Africa lack programs that offer reproductive education to young women. One victim of this would be Akhona Wanda, a teen mother in South Africa. “ ‘I should have continued with my studies instead of falling pregnant,’ ” she told DW News. Nontathu Wanda, Akhona's mother, explained that she wants a better future for her daughter, and accessing education is crucial to achieving that goal. “It is very important for her to finish school in order to fulfill her dreams,” Nontathu stated. (“Why the Right to Education Remains a Challenge in Africa,” Kaledzi). Parents want their children to receive education so that they could become successful in their endeavors. However, there is insufficient action taken by the government to ensure that education is a priority in sub-Saharan Africa.
Several students in sub-Saharan Africa lack basic math and reading concepts. Secondary education in Africa is primarily focused on serving wealthy individuals, and neglects people with lower incomes who can not afford to get educated. This situation is extremely one-sided since the poor cannot break out of their poverty without this vital education, and the wealthy will only keep getting richer as their education lands them higher-paying jobs. Gender equality is not the only issue that is prominent in Africa; economic and social gaps create unfair stereotypes that place a burden on several families with regard to education.
As students in the region continuously struggle to receive education to further their knowledge and become leaders in society, it is imperative to think about how individuals in other countries can lend a helping hand. The first step is to address this issue and educate the public about the crisis in sub-Saharan Africa by creating blogs, websites, and similar content such as this article to spread information. Creating fundraisers and advocating for education in Africa would be a major step towards displaying the extremity of the issue and initiate awareness. It is important to advocate for the end of gender and economic bias regarding education. It is also crucial to have online platforms where peer mentors and teachers can teach students in sub-Saharan Africa and share their expertise with others. All the knowledge in the world is never contained within one person. Sharing knowledge with those in impoverished areas, who do not have access to education, is a generous and inexpensive act. It is of paramount importance to educate the next generation so that they can become the next engineers, entrepreneurs, and doctors. The time to start educating the future of our society is now.
Sources
“Missing from School: The Education Challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Uis.unesco.org, 18 Nov. 2016,
https://uis.unesco.org/en/blog/missing-school-education-challenge-sub-saharan-africa. Accessed 30 July 2022.
Kaledzi, Isaac. “Why the Right to Education Remains a Challenge in Africa | DW | 24.01.2022.” DW.COM, 24 Jan. 2022, www.dw.com/en/africa-right-to-education-remains-a-challenge/a-60518000.
“Education Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Www.farmsahel.org,
https://www.farmsahel.org/post/education-inequality-in-sub-saharan-africa. Accessed 30 July 2022.
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