Poverty and educational inequality in sub-Saharan Africa |
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| Authors: | Claudia Buchmann |
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| Institution: | (1) Isandla Institute, Cape Town, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | Conclusion In the last two decades of the twentieth century, many Africans have experienced decline or stagnation in the quality of their
lives. The continued high rates of poverty and declining educational enrolments in the region are outcomes of multiple factors,
including escalating debt and declining development assistance on the global level and fiscal mismanagement, weak governance
and continued population growth within African countries. One realization that has come from the experiences of recent decades
is that poverty is both a cause and an outcome of low educational enrolments. Breaking the cycle requires great effort on
two fronts simultaneously: (a) a targeted attack on poverty through policies that promote sustainable and equitable development;
and (b) an unwavering long-term investment in basic education (Psacharopoulos, 1995). The question remains whether international
organizations, African governments and local communities will heed the lessons learned from past missteps and apply them to
future educational initiatives. Both the international community's renewed awareness of the importance of basic education
and the recent educational efforts of African-based NGOs suggest that the answer to this question is a tentative ‘yes’. Perhaps
the first decade of the new millennium will bring a more definitive answer.
Original language: English
Claudia Buchmann (United States of America) Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Duke University. Her research interests include educational inequality
in the international context with a special focus on educational problems and prospects in Africa. Her recent publications
include ‘The debt crisis, structural adjustment and women's education: implications for status and social development’ (1996,International journal of comparative sociology) and ‘The State and schooling in Kenya: historical developments and current challenges’ (1999,Africa today). |
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