Challenges of Teaching in Africa: A Comprehensive Overview

Nov 07, 2025 0

Education is a fundamental human right and an essential component of sustainable development. However, for many young people, access to education in Africa remains a challenge. Millions of crisis-affected girls and boys across the African continent are being denied their human right to a quality education. In the absence of financial means to provide a quality education, or still suffering the brunt of protracted conflicts, Africa’s children do not enjoy the same rights as the rest of us. As an immediate consequence, girls are forced into child marriage, boys are recruited into armed groups, millions of children are hungry, and millions more are illiterate.

The quality of education in any country is one of the major keys to national development. Education is the key to Africa’s future. As we commemorate the Day of the African Child under this year’s theme of “Education for all children in Africa: The time is now”, we need to follow the lead of the African Union and the African people in receiving their long-awaited right to a quality education across the continent. However, the continent faces a range of challenges in providing accessible, quality education to its young people.

Historical Context and Current Deficits

Exploring Africa's educational journey: from historical triumphs to modern challenges. When Professor Wole Soyinka, the famed Nigerian Nobel Laureate and scholar, spoke on “Rearming the University Idea” at our Academic Conference on Africa 2023, he made it clear that the African educational system has been delivering high-calibre results for decades, citing the successes of African universities “from Makerere through Ibadan, Achimota all the way to Dakar.” Alongside Africa’s rich cultural heritage and traditional teachings that forged well-rounded individuals for many years, this has established the continent as an educational powerhouse for a period.

Unfortunately, political instability, conflicts, mismanagement, external shocks and other crises disrupted the system, leading to forced school closures, reducing access to safe learning environments and creating a shortage of quality teachers. These challenges impeded academic progress while depriving students of vital social and emotional support received from educational institutions. Over time, this change triggered a cycle of poverty and marginalization, hampering socioeconomic development and stability across African communities.

Despite recent progress, the data on the resulting deficit is sobering. Over 100 million children remain outside the formal education system in Africa, with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Institute for Statistics highlighting that one-fifth of children between the ages of six and 11, one-third between the ages of 12 and 14 and nearly 60 per cent of young people between 15 and 17 are not in school in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A panoply of interconnected challenges undermines local and national initiatives to deliver on the collective goal of ‘education for all’ in Africa. These collective challenges have resulted in the single largest education crisis in the world today. According to UNESCO, 98 million children are out of school in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Even before the conflict, there were 6.9 million out-of-school children in Sudan. Since conflict began in April 2023, a staggering 18 million children have been pushed from their schools. In Nigeria, 20 million girls and boys are out of school. In Ethiopia, conflict, drought, poverty and other factors have resulted in 13 million children out of the classroom. This adds up to 51 million children out-of-school in just these three countries alone.

Key Challenges Facing Education in Africa

1. Lack of Access to Education

One of the most significant education issues in Africa is access. While the number of children attending school has increased in recent years, significant disparities remain. In some areas, particularly in rural or remote regions, schools are often far away, and children may need to walk long distances to attend. In addition, many families are unable to afford the costs associated with education, such as uniforms, textbooks and school supplies. This is especially true in impoverished communities where parents may need to choose between paying for their children's education and meeting their basic needs.

Conflict and instability also present a significant education issue in Africa by restricting access to schools even further. In some areas, schools are forced to close due to violence, and students and teachers may be displaced.

2. Poor Quality of Education

Improving access to education in Africa is an essential first step, but ensuring that the education provided is of high quality is just as crucial. Unfortunately, many children across Africa who do have access to education attend schools where the quality of education is poor, and they may not receive the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

One of the key factors affecting the quality of education is the shortage of qualified teachers. In many areas, there is a severe shortage of teachers, and those who are available may not have the necessary training and support to teach effectively. In primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, just 61.23% of teachers have relevant teacher training. In lower secondary schools, it’s just 56.3%.

Another contributing factor is the lack of suitable teaching materials and textbooks. Without access to up-to-date and relevant materials, students may not be receiving the most current information, and their education may be limited in scope. The classrooms, classroom equipment, laboratories, examination halls, libraries and office furniture are in a terrible state across many schools in Africa, some schools do not have most of these facilities and this has contributed to poor academic performance. Most windows are out of use, thereby causing hazards to life, while fluorescent tubes for providing electricity are out of place. This leads to POOR LEARNING OUTCOME.

3. Gender Inequality

Another prevalent education issue in Africa is gender inequality, which has a profound impact on access to and the quality of education. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 9 million girls between the ages of 6 and 11 will never attend school. This number is even higher than the already shocking 6 million boys of this age.

One of the main reasons for this is cultural and societal norms that prioritize boys' education over girls' education. Girls' education is also impacted by safety concerns. In many areas, girls may face harassment or violence on their way to and from school, which can discourage them from attending.

4. Insufficient Government Funding

These days, the education system in Africa is deteriorating due to poor funding, the attention given to education is low, and investment in education is low, our educational policies are outdated, outdated curricula. The bulk of the responsibility lies with the government. The government has a role to play in supplying infrastructure which in turn reduces poor learning outcomes. They have a role in screening before employing teachers as well as paying teachers salaries and giving incentives on time which will lead to better teacher performance.

Funding is vital to the quality of education. Its consideration is critical to achieving inclusive and equitable quality education, as stated in the fourth Sustainable Development Goal. Primary and secondary education in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) receives less public financing than other developing regions. Additionally, SSA has the highest number of children and youth out of school and is the only region where this number has increased.

However, several countries in SSA do not consider the global recommendation for countries to allocate 4% to 6% of their GDP to education, urging prioritization amidst competing demands. Certain countries such as Rwanda, Zambia, and Sudan, allocate substantial portions of their budgets to debt repayment, diverting resources from education and raising concerns about resource allocation. At the same time, Ghana spent twice as much on debt servicing as it did on education in 2019, underscoring these disparities.

5. Poverty and Low-Income Backgrounds

Four out of 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. Extreme poverty and economic losses add to the collected risks that are pushing children and the young generation out of school and derailing efforts to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Poverty is the Catch-22 of education. Ahmed Kura grew up in the small village of Korr, in the drylands of Kenya, experiencing deprivation first-hand. He was orphaned at a young age and was able to complete high school only with the financial support of an American benefactor.

6. Digital Divide

For example, as Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a remarkable 115 per cent increase in Internet users between 2016 and 2021, over 160 million Africans acquired broadband Internet between 2019 and 2022, facilitating access to various digital services, including online learning. While digitalization could enhance learning outcomes, foster innovation, and expand access to academic resources, it amplifies existing disparities. The continent’s recent technological boom, however, suggests Africa has the potential to harness this accelerating digital revolution and bring about change, including the transformation of its educational system.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Internet penetration in Africa was around 28 per cent compared to the global average of 51 per cent in 2019.

7. Challenges facing early childhood education

Despite its essential role, early childhood education (ECE) is undermined by chronic underfunding. Recognition of the importance of early childhood education, as well as the salaries, job satisfaction, working conditions, and status of ECE workers remain low. Meanwhile, private actors are working to take over the sector, filling the funding.

At the first meeting of the Education International (EI) Early Childhood Education (ECE) Network, participants delved into the significant challenges facing early childhood education in Africa, with a particular focus on Ghana. The discussions highlighted issues of access and equality, the lack of robust ECE systems, curriculum and pedagogy challenges, infrastructure and resource limitations, teacher welfare, parental involvement, funding allocation, and poor nutrition among children.

Dr. Dennis Sinyolo, Director of Education International Africa (EIA), emphasized:"We know that the ECE sector is highly privatized and that, according to UNESCO, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the lowest percentage of qualified pre-primary schoolteachers, with only 57% of them trained to national standards compared to 83% in Latin America and the Caribbean, for example. And the quality of a country’s education system cannot exceed that of its teachers. Similarly, a country’s level of development cannot exceed that of its education system. We need to improve teacher professionalization and professionalism, particularly at the ECE level".

Addressing the Challenges

Addressing these dual challenges requires a nuanced policy mix that tackles existing deficits while addressing the demands of rapid technological advances. We must implement strategies that prioritize educational reform, infrastructure development, teacher training, and digital literacy - all at the same time.

1. Improving Access to Education

To address the issue of access to education in Africa, governments and charitable organizations must work together to provide more schools and improve infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. This includes building new schools, classrooms and libraries, and providing safe and reliable transportation for students. Mobile learning and distance education can also play an important role in improving access, particularly in remote or conflict-prone areas.

2. Enhancing the Quality of Education

To improve the quality of education in Africa, governments and international organizations need to prioritize teacher training and professional development to ensure that teachers are equipped with the necessary skills to provide high-quality education. Once again, improving infrastructure, such as providing adequate classroom space and resources, can also help to tackle education issues in Africa.

3. Promoting Gender Equality

Tackling the issue of gender inequality demands efforts to promote girls' education and address the underlying cultural norms that limit girls' access to it. Crucially, addressing educational inequality requires a focus on promoting gender equality and empowering girls to take control of their lives and education. The disadvantages young girls face is a significant education issue in Africa, and it’s one that can only be resolved with a combined effort to raise awareness of the issue and implement policies to resolve it.

4. Increasing Funding

In the face of such blatant inequity, we, as a global community, need to shoulder our responsibility by urgently and substantially increasing funding for education in Africa. Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is calling for US$600 million in additional resources to reach our US$1.5 billion resource mobilization target.

5. Leveraging Technology

To maximize the opportunities ushered in by this Digital Age, education systems in Africa need to leapfrog into modernity and equip the next generation of Africans for the future of work. This entails fundamentally reimagining educational approaches to cultivate the skills and competencies needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape and succeed in the digital economy. It also needs to include initiatives to bridge the digital divide, which remains stark.

Integrated Policy Approach

Such an integrated policy approach includes the following key components:

Increasing access to education: This can be achieved by building more schools in rural and underserved areas, providing scholarships and financial assistance to students, and implementing alternative education models such as community schools and distance learning programmes.
Enhancing teacher training: To reach this objective, our continent must invest in comprehensive training programmes that increase the number of teachers while boosting the quality of their skills, including in digital literacy and the ability to teach in increasingly digital classrooms.
Bridging the digital divide: To meet this target, initiatives must be in place to rapidly expand reliable Internet access and the availability of digital tools in schools, leveraging partnerships with technology companies and investments in Information Communication Technology infrastructure.
Curriculum reform: Our approach must include adapting curricula to incorporate more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and programmes boosting digital skills to better equip students for future challenges in the Digital Age.
Tackling root causes of crises: This component is essential in creating an environment of stability and durable peace where education thrives. This includes addressing political instability and conflicts to safeguard the right to education and foster sustainable progress in Africa.

Hands-on Learning

Hands-on learning is an educational approach that emphasizes learning by doing, rather than by listening or reading. It can foster creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and critical thinking skills among learners. As a way of education, it is shown to be the natural way preschoolers learn, as it stimulates the growth of the brain. Many schools across Africa still rely on traditional learning methods such as copying notes, reading from textbooks, and lecturing. These learning methods do not allow for much practical interaction, engagement, or content sharing among students and teachers.

The implementation of interactive learning techniques (hands-on learning) across schools in Africa serves as the way forward in the development and growth of the educational sector, with its unlimited pros. However, the technologies are often expensive, unavailable, or unfamiliar to many African learners and teachers. Therefore, hands-on learning remains a challenge in Africa. Many schools in Africa lack the basic infrastructure, equipment, materials, and textbooks that are needed for hands-on learning activities. Many teachers in Africa are not adequately trained or supported to implement hands-on learning methods.

Schools need to be equipped with sufficient infrastructure, equipment, materials, and textbooks that enable hands-on learning activities. Teachers need to be trained and supported to implement hands-on learning methods effectively. The curriculum and assessment systems need to be revised and aligned with the goals and principles of hands-on learning. Stakeholders need to be informed and educated about the benefits and potential of hands-on learning for improving learning outcomes and skill development. Hands-on learning is a promising educational approach that can enhance the quality and relevance of education in Africa.

Table: Key Challenges and Solutions for Education in Africa

Challenge	Solution
Lack of Access	Building more schools, providing scholarships, implementing distance learning programs
Poor Quality	Prioritizing teacher training, improving infrastructure, providing up-to-date materials
Gender Inequality	Promoting girls' education, addressing cultural norms, empowering girls
Insufficient Funding	Increasing financial resources, allocating budgets effectively
Digital Divide	Expanding internet access, providing digital tools, leveraging technology

Conclusion

Education is critical to the development of Africa and its citizens. However, the continent faces a range of challenges in providing accessible, quality education to its young people. By addressing these challenges through integrated policy approaches, increased funding, and a focus on gender equality and technology, Africa can transform its educational system and unlock inclusive growth, prosperity, and durable peace.