THE FACTS
Poverty of Literacy and Education in Africa
- Globally, an estimated 781 million adults are illiterate. Of that number, approximately 64 percent are women.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, over 77 million adults and over 19 million children are illiterate.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, children spend an average of only 7.9 years in primary and secondary schools combined, compared to North American children who spend 11.5 years.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Literacy and Education Are Key
Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from economic growth, social stability, and extremely low standards of living. Literacy and education are key to improve Sub-Saharan Africa's plagued state. To achieve standard education levels and higher literacy levels among, not only children, but also adults, academic resources are needed. Schools lack educational materials and textbooks; hence, children who yearn to learn can not. Consider the points below:
- "Literacy is seen as a gateway enabling individuals to learn new skills in both the classroom and the workplace, while assuming their rights and responsibilities in society. "
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics
- A comprehensive study by the Association For the Development of Education in Africa showed that "pedagogical resources such as textbooks, teacher guides, wall charts, etc. are relatively low cost inputs with relatively high returns in terms of student achievement”
- Association For the Development of Education in Africa
- "According to the publication entitled “The right to primary education free of charge for all: ensuring compliance with international obligations”, primary schooling is not free in many developing countries."
-UNESCO
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