Decades after independence swept through Africa, we have neglected schools and poor infrastructure on the continent
It has been decades since Africa gained independence. However, our education sectors from one country to the other show clear signs of neglected schools and poor infrastructure on the continent.
“Achieving inclusive and quality education will require more than simply hiring more teaching staff.”
That is the statement from global education experts convened during the World Bank annual meetings to discuss how leadership development could improve global education.
That’s true but who is to develop or improve education in Africa? There is something terribly wrong in Africa that needs immediate attention but it seems the leaders don’t care because they don’t suffer like the ordinary man on the street.
Among the seven continents, Africa could probably be the richest. Africa is blessed with varieties of rich mineral resources. The continent exports a different range of products, such as gold, bauxite, tin, copper, diamond, agricultural products, etc, but it’s very hard to understand where the state funds go.
The African government is heavily dented with administration frauds, over invoices, and massive corruption. Can they deny that? Such images of a roofless classroom are a shred of evidence that there is massive corruption in Africa which has affected all its infrastructure, including the education and health system.
Decades after independence swept through Africa, we have neglected schools and poor infrastructure on the continent
Africa has blamed the colonial masters for under-developing the continent. That’s true but years after independence swept the continent, what have African leaders achieved in the midst of all the resources the continent has, especially in the West and Southern Africa?
It’s shocking to see images like that in this modern time in Africa. Many villages in Africa lack good medical care and clean water. Some children need to go long hours looking for water, common water that everyone needs to survive.
Yet, the leaders struggle for power, continuously deceiving the people to solicit votes. As soon as they come to power all the promises become an empty boast. Thus, it’s really difficult to understand African politics, especially in the West, Southern, and Central part of Africa.
Lack of clean water in rural villages in Africa has caused certain diseases such as kwashiorkor, diarrhea, and skin diseases and the lack of education has generated scores of child labor, street children, and child delinquency.
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The situation in Africa is taken as an opportunity by certain foreign organizations that come to Africa pretending to help, instead, they use the children to test their drugs and inflict more diseases on them, many resulting in the deaths of these children.
Decades after independence swept through Africa, we have neglected schools and poor infrastructure on the continent
Just imagine, during rainfall, where are those children going to sit and study in a school without a roof? Above all, how can the world take African education seriously when they see such images? It’s really sad.
Chinese President Deng Xiaoping tried to develop a win-win basis in Africa
Africans have the land and the only thing Africa needs are true friends who come to share their ideas and experience with Africa. But those new ideas should be guided and developed by Africans themselves. When foreign countries really want to change Africa, then they should act like the late Chinese President Deng Xiaoping who wisely once said to President Mugabe:
Statement Of Chinese President Deng Xiaoping
“We should give Africa technological know-how so that African governments can transform their resources on the spot and create jobs and markets for their people locally, regionally, at the continental level, and internationally.”
“Africa must cease to be forever the provider of raw materials to other people. Africans must never sell their land. They should say no to land grabbing by big agribusiness multinational companies that displace African natives.”
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“The least Africans can do is to lease land on a win-win basis, learn from the land they leased, and retake control to redevelop, transform, create jobs and markets for the benefit of African people as announced by President Deng Xiaoping.”
“That means that anybody who really wants to support Africa getting out of the woodwork must exchange ideas with Africans on how to produce food sustainably to produce, transform, package, and sell on a win-win basis. Foreign countries have to realize that Africans are able to understand that foreign companies also need to make profits but not in a one-way direction.”
African leaders have a big responsibility on their shoulders in regard to Africa’s development. If they want to move forward they must emulate China, disassociate themselves from Europe and America, and focus on Africa’s development, else the continent will remain the same after a billion years.
Source: Joel Savage