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POSSIBLE IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA. By OBANYA. A THREE-PART DISCUSSION. PART ONE. AFRICA’S DEPENDENCY SYNDROME. THE STRONG SNEEZING AND THE WEAK CATCHING A COLD. PROGRESS TOWARDS EFA (GMR 2011). AFRICAN SCHOOL CHILDREN NOT EVEN LEARNING.
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POSSIBLE IMPACT OF GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA By OBANYA
ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSES • THE QUALITY OF POLITICS DETERMINES • THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION POLICIES, PROGRAMMES, AND PROCESSES • AND EVENTUALLY THE PRODUCTS (OR RESULTS, OR OUTCOMES). • IN SENDING EARLY WARNING SIGNALS • ON THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THE CURRENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRISIS ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA. • WE MUST ADDRESS ROOT CAUSES OF CHALLENGES • NOT MERELY ADDRESSING THE MERE SYMPTOMS
EFFECTS ON POLITICS Politics in General Politics of Education MORE OF LIP SERVICE TO EFA EMPHASIS NOT ON THE COMMON GOOD BUT ON THE SELECTIVE GOOD RESOURCE SHIFT TO DEBT SERVICING and THE ECONOMIC SECTOR RESOURCE DENIAL TO THE SOCIAL SECTOR, WHERE EDUCATION BELONGS • GLOBALISATION FORCES FAVOURING POLITICS OF REFORM IN AFRICA • INTENSIFIED EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE IN THE POLITICS OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES. • SPIN-OFF IN THE PERSISTENCE OF BAD POLITICS • WIPING OFF OF MODEST DEMOCRACY GAINS RECORDED SINCE THE 1990s
LIKELY IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT POLICIES NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES EDUCATION POLICIES PERPETUATION OF ‘EDUCATION FOR THEM AND NOT FOR US’. RESULTING FROM A PHILOSOPHY OF CONSULTATION WITH PERIPHERAL WITH PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS NEGLECT OF THE CORE STAKEHOLDERS IN EDUCATION (next slide) • DECLINE IN POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT • SUBORDINATION OF NATIONAL INTERESTS TO THE INTERESTS OF THE EXTERNAL DONOR. • POLICY DICTATION REPLACING POLICY DEVELOPMENT • ‘ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL POLICIES
FIVE GROUPS OF EDUCATION SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS (what distinguishes 4 and 5 from 1,2 and 3?)
IMPLICATIONS FOR GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES Overall national development programmes Education programmes in particular GOVERNMENT UNDERFUNDING OF EDUCATION IS LIKELY TO WORSEN FURTHER COMMODITISATION OF EDUCATION DECLINE OF EXTERNAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. AFRICA’S MARCH TOWARDS ATTAINING THE EFA GOALS (ALREADY UNDER THREAT) A PIPE DREAM. JOMTIEN AND DAKAR ASSISTANCE PROMISES NOT FULLY KEPT FAST-TRACK INITIATIVE ANYTHING BUT FAST TRACK. • NON-RESPONSIVE PROGRAMMES • GREATER FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM AND IMMEDIATE GAINS (LIKE THAT OF A BAD POLITICIAN THAT EYES ONLY THE NEXT ELECTION) • THREAT TO STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLANING • DE-EMPHASIS ON HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. • LIKELIHOOD OF A RETURN TO THE PORTMANTEAU APPROACH TO EXTERNAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE • PARIS DECLARATION ON AID EFFECTIVENESS ????
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROCESSES OF DELIVERING QUALITY EDUCATION • SECTION A QUALITY IN EDUCATION • SECTION B WORSENING THE QUALITY CHALLENGE IN AFRICAN EDUCATION
A DIFFICULT TERRAIN FOR NURTURING QUALITY IN EDUCATION • INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT (FUNCTION NOT PROFESSIONALISED IN MANY COUNTRIES • MINIMUM OR ZERO LEVEL OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT • LIMITED OR ZERO AUTONOMY FOR THE SCHOOL LEVEL MANAGER • TEACHERS (QUANTITATIVELY AND QUANTITATIVELY DEFICIENT • LACKING PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT • ILL-MOTIVATED, OVERWORKED • LACKING SOCIAL RECOGNITION • OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAREER-LONG PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?????
DIFFICULT TERRAIN (CONTINUED) • TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESSES (PREVALENCE OF ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION FRONTAL TEACHING • LARGE CLASSES • PEDAGOGICAL MATERIAL SCARCITY • TEACHING-LEARNING IN A LANGUAGE POORLY MASTERED BY TEACHERS AND LEARNERS • PSYCHO-SOCIAL SUPPORT TO STUDENTS- LARGE CLASSES AND EXCESS WORK LOAD, POOR TEACHER PREPARATION • EARNER-CENTRED PEDAGOGY NIGH IMPOSSIBLE • POOR QUALITY OF INPUTS THAT SHOULD CULTIVATE QUALITY
POSSIBLE RE-ECHO OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT ERA FALLACIES • TEACHER’S QUALIFICATIONS DO NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE • ALL WE NEED IS A SHORT INDUCTION PROGRAMME FOR TEACHERS FOLLOWED BY CLOSE SUPERVISION • TEACHER-PUPIL RATIO IS ALREADY TOO HIGH IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES • MULTI-GRADE TEACHING AND DOUBLE-SHIFT SCHOOLING HOLD THE MAGIC FOR AFRICA’S EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS • AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS SHOULD CUT DOWN ON EXPENDITURE ON TEACHERS’ SALARIES • TEACHERS IN AFRICAN SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY WELL PAID, SINCE, IN MOST CASES, A TEACHER’S ANNUAL SALARY IS HIGHER THAN GDP. • AFRICA’S PRIORITY SHOULD REMAIN BASIC EDUCATION
WHAT REPERCUSSION FOR PRODUCTS (EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES) ? • IDEALLY, EFA SHOULD PRODUCE A CRITICAL MASS OF CITIZENS WITH APPROPRIATE TYPES AND LEVELS OF • COGNITIVE LEARNING (FULL DEVELOPMENT OF INTELLECTUAL POTENTIALS – HARD SKILLS-BROAD-BASED KNOWLEDGE AND VERSATILITY) • LIFE-COPING SKILLS (FULL DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS DIMENSIONS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – SOFT SKILLS – NEEDED FOR ADAPTATION TO CONTINUING CHANGES THAT CHARACTERISE MODERN LIFE) • LIFE-LONG LEARNING SKILLS (AN ABIDING THIRST FOR CONTINUOUS SELF-IMPROVEMENT)
AFRICA RAISING ITS EFA SCORE CARD? • LEGITIMATE AMBITION WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ACCELERATE THE PROGRESS OF EFA • PROBABLY A FEATURE OF NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICIES AND BUDGETS. • BEARING IN MIND,THE MASTER-SNEEZE-SERVANT-CATCH-A-COLD EFFECT ON AFRICA • LIKELIHOOD OF DRAMATICALLY LOWERING OF INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION.
TURNING BACK THE HANDS OF THE EDUCATION CLOCK • LIKELIHOOD OF A WORSENING OF THE ALREADY POOR EFA SCORE CARD. • CORE EDUCATION SECTOR STAKEHOLDERS AS THE LOSERS. • PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS CONTINUED FLOODING OF PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS • IN WHICH EDUCATION TO BE GRABBED BY THE HIGHEST BIDDER. • CAPITAL FLIGHT ALSO LIKELY TO INCREASE, ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SUB-SECTOR, • PERIPHERAL STAKEHOLDERS INTENSIFIED PATRONAGE OF FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES • MOST OF THEM OFFERING ‘GOOD ENOUGH FOR AFRICA,’ TAILOR-MADE PROGRAMMES
AS CITIZENS • TEACHERS AND THEIR UNIONS MUST INTEGRATE CIVIL SOCIETY AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS • VOICING THE PEOPLE’S OPPOSITION TO GLOBALISING AND MARKET FORCES • THAT ARE AT THE ROOT OF THE CURRENT CRISIS, • AND IN PUSHING AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS TO PLAY GOOD POLITICS • AS A NECESSARY FIRST STEP TOWARDS PROMOTING PEOPLE-ORIENTED POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES • MOST IMPORTANTLY, ENSURING THAT THE CRISIS DOES NOT BECOME A REASON FOR LURING AFRICAN COUNTRIES INTO ANOTHER EXTERNAL DEBT TRAP
AS UNIONS • WE MUST STRENGTHEN OUR ORGANISATIONS • PROMOTE INTERNAL DEMOCRACY • ELIMINATE SPLINTERING AMONG TEACHER UNIONS, • RENDER DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES TO OUR MEMBERS • SERVE AS MODELS OF PRUDENT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • OFFER LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE • ALL AS A FIRST STEP IN ENSURING • A STRONG VOICE FOR TEACHERS AND THEIR UNIONS IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUES
AS TEACHERS AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS • WE MUST PROMOTE THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF OUR MEMBERS • TO BECOME THE PROFESSIONAL VOICE OF EDUCATION IN POLICY DIALOGUES • CREATE A NEW WINDOW OF ACTIVITY ON RESEARCH AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS • INCLUDING THE MONITORING OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS • THAT SHOULD LEAD TO TEACHERS’ UNIONS HAVING DATA TO COUNTER ANTI-PEOPLE POLICIES • IMPROVING OUR CAPACITY TO PRESENT EVIDENCE-BASED ALTERNATIVES • TO ANY MOVES THAT COULD STIFLE QUALITY PUBLIC EDUCATION
ONE OTHER THING WE MUST DO • TEACHERS’ ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA WOULD DO WELL TO UNDERTAKE • SYSTEMATIC STUDIES OF WHERE THE MONEY BUDGETED FOR EDUCATION GOES TO • SEE NEXT SLIDE FOR TWO MODELS OF EDUCATION FUNDING
OUR BATTLE CRY • ALL OUR EFFORTS MUST BE DIRECTED TOWARDS SPREADING THE MESSAGE THAT • EDUCATION IS THE ANSWER • EDUCATION, IF GENUINELY PROMOTED (THROUGH GOOD POLITICS-GOOD POLICIES-GOOD PROGRAMMES-GOOD PROCESSES-GOOD PRODUCTS PARADIGM) • IS MOST LIKELY TO RESULT IN A CRITICAL MASS OF FULLY DEVELOPED HUMAN TALENTS • WHOSE CREATIVE THINKING • WOULD GET US OUT OF THE PRESENT CRISIS • AND PERMANENTLY SHUT THE DOOR TO ITS FUTURE OCCURRENCE.
FINALLY I THANK YOU ALL JE VOUS REMERCIE SHUK’RAN ASANTENI SANA NAGODE ESE PUPO SIYABONGA JEREGENJEF ANITCHE KEA LEBUHA AKPEI KAKA DALU NU MEDAWESE
