Africa has the youngest population in the world today. Around 40% of the population is 15 or younger. They have a non-negotiable right to an inclusive and continued quality education, just like young people everywhere across the globe.

As we celebrate Africa Youth Day - and the African Union year of education - we call on world leaders to substantially increase investments in education across the African continent. We can no longer leave them behind. It is time to put them at the forefront.

It is inconceivable that only one in ten children aged 10 in sub-Saharan Africa can read and comprehend a sentence. This is a distressing fact and cause for real alarm. The potential of the children and adolescents of Africa is unlimited. I have seen their eagerness to learn, their gratitude for every opportunity and their powerful desire to get an education - from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa and beyond.

Despite decades of educational progress and international commitments, a quarter of a billion children and youth remain out of school worldwide, UN education agency UNESCO’s latest Global Education Monitoring Report revealed on Thursday.

The findings reveal that global efforts to ensure universal education have hit a concerning plateau, with the out-school population reducing by only 1 percent in nearly 10 years. “Education is the key driver of prosperous, inclusive and peaceful societies,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “Yet, quality education risks being the privilege of a few if we do not take serious measures to give every child across the globe the same chance to learn and thrive,” she added

While there has been progress in educational enrollment - with 110 million children entering school since the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goal on Education in 2015 – disparities remain persistent. The completion rates show improvement, with 40 million more young people finishing secondary school compared to 2015.

The Blooming Greens, Lagos, said education should be strengthened by employing qualified teachers and providing ongoing support through welfare packages and training.

In a statement made during the celebrations for World Teacher’s Day and the International Day of the Girl Child, the CEO of Blooming Greens in Lagos, Mrs Susan Yamah, stressed that teaching should not be viewed as a last resort but as a vital vocation focused on sharing knowledge with children.

She said, “To positively enhance our education system, priority should be given to qualified teachers, along with consistent support through welfare packages and training. “This will create an enabling environment for teachers to carry out their duties effectively and succeed. Furthermore, there must be standards in the establishment of private schools, and existing guidelines should be strictly adhered to.”

Pampers Private School in Lagos has said modern school facilities enhance learning and help both students and teachers reach their full potential.

In a statement announcing the relocation of its Lekki Campus to a new, state-of-the-art facility, Executive Director, Mrs Olajumoke Aderonmu, expressed enthusiasm about the move, which is designed to improve the educational experience for students. She said, “We believe this move represents a new chapter for our school.

“Our new facilities will empower our students and staff to achieve their fullest potential, and we look forward to creating an inspiring learning environment. This transition not only enhances our facilities but also reinforces our commitment to academic excellence and community engagement.”

Teachers across the newly established regions of South Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, and South west Ethiopia are grappling with severe financial difficulties as salary cuts and delayed payments have become routine, pushing educators to the edge and putting the quality of education at risk.

In multiple zones, including Gamo, Wolaita, and Konso, teachers have received only partial salaries since August 2023, with some educators going entirely unpaid. Educators report that these financial challenges are eroding their morale and forcing many into low-wage alternative jobs just to make ends meet.

Amanuel Pawlos, President of the Southern Ethiopia Teachers’ Association, outlined critical issues plaguing the education sector, including planned salary reductions, disruptions, and unfulfilled promises by regional governments.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has confirmed the existence of 120 privately-funded universities in the country. It said out of the number, 13 had chartered and that more were expected to charter by the end of this year.

In an address read on his behalf at the opening of the Seventh Policy Dialogue by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor, said his outfit recognised the vital role of a robust private university sector.

The dialogue is on the theme: “Development and Growth of Private Universities: Implications for Access, Equity and Sustainability” The policy dialogue is made possible by a grant awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support higher education projects of the GAAS.

The society today is full of divergent individuals with different upbringing and training. Some individuals acquire natural intelligence to move up in life, others get theirs through association and long period of copying and practicing, while a few are fortunate to go through education, where intelligence and leadership skills are taught and practiced.

For the later category, they are not tired in going further to get the best in order to impart their knowledge to the overall benefit of the larger society. However, the few people that fall in that category are not easy to come by, that is why, good leadership remains the bane of some third world countries including Nigeria from developing.

Sometimes though, such personalities who can be referred to as scholars and geniuses usually are not given the opportunity to manage the resources on behalf of their people. It is not rocket science that America, Europe, Canada and other developed economies are doing well because they put their best in the position of leadership.

Stakeholders in Africa’s education sector have advanced various possible innovative measures to transform education in the continent. Speaking variously in Abuja, at the opening ceremony of the 2024 African EduTech Conference 2024, they presented various innovative solutions to advance the continent’s education sector in line with the realities of the modern world.

The conference which seeks to explore cutting-edge EdTech solutions through engagement in meaningful discussions, and benefit from the diverse experiences of participants, was organised by Edufirst with support from Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC; Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce,NBCC; Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA;Skool Media; Federal Ministry of Education; TY Danjuma Foundation;UNICEF;TETFund, NAJI Apartments;FIRS and Wowbii, respectively.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC,Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, speaking at the event, insisted that the only sure way to transform basic education in Nigeria and align it with the needs of the century is to pervasively use the newly emerging education technologies.

Africa faces a shortage of nearly 15 million teachers to meet universal primary and secondary education goals by 2030, according to a report published by UNESCO.

To tackle this shortage, there is a need to shift from the exclusive use of traditional teaching methods to the implementation and use of education technology (EdTech). According to UNICEF, about 108 million young people across the continent are out of school. These staggering numbers point to the work that must be done to chart the path to meaningful education for Africa’s young population.

One of governments’ main roles is to create enabling environments for various sectors and industries to thrive. One indicator of an enabling environment is the formation of policies that inform decision-making. To make suitable investments in education, policies relevant to 21st-century learning need to be formulated. EdTech-specific policies would guide investment in technology-enabled education.

The double-track system was introduced in 2017 as part of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to manage the increasing enrollment in secondary schools. This approach was designed to maximise the use of limited school facilities and resources, allowing more students to access secondary education without requiring the immediate construction of new schools.

But the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), who has criticised the policy says it will end double-track system if elected in the 2024 polls. Speaking to clergy in the Ashanti Region on Tuesday, October 29, the Education Minister stressed that a careful, phased transition is essential to prevent disruption for thousands of students across the country.

He said abolishing the initiative could have significant repercussions if rushed. Dr. Adutwum highlighted ongoing government efforts to expand school infrastructure as a means of accommodating the rising number of students while gradually phasing out the double-track approach.

Google Africa is on a drive to develop more skills on the continent, and its latest focus is artificial intelligence. This as the company has announced that $5.8 million will be invested into AI upskilling and education in selected regions of the continent.

To that end, it confirmed that it will use the aforementioned $5.8 million to fund organisations in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Google has awarded $20 million already to nonprofits helping Africans develop their digital skills.

“The funding will support organizations providing foundational AI skills to workers, equipping them for the digital economy; educate teenagers about AI and its safe and ethical use, empowering future generations; equip non-profit leaders with AI knowledge to enhance their impact and drive social change; and support the public sector to develop and utilize AI solutions,

Education Minister Dr. Jarso Jallah has pledged unwavering support for teachers and inclusive education, underscoring the government's commitment to transforming Liberia's education system. Speaking at the Mastercard Foundation's Leaders in Teaching (LIT) Initiative workshop in Monrovia on October 28, Dr. Jallah emphasized that teachers are "our most valuable asset" and called for sustained backing from development partners.

Dr. Jallah laid out a vision focused on improving teaching standards, working conditions, and professional support. "Upgrading teacher qualifications through training, certification, and professional development is a top priority," she noted, emphasizing that well-supported educators are key to inspiring students, even in challenging circumstances.

Addressing issues such as large class sizes, limited resources, and teacher welfare, Dr. Jallah stressed the ministry's commitment to creating equitable learning environments, particularly for girls and students with special needs.