Africa Keywords: education, poverty, gender, discrimination, conflict, AIDS, UNESCO

In the last decade, education issues have been given special importance at the international level. For the countries of Africa, both Northern and especially Tropical, one of the most urgent and urgent tasks is to improve the educational level of the population. According to the World Bank, more than 70% of out-of-school children live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa1.

According to UNESCO, in the sub-Saharan part of the Black Continent, 35 million children are out of school, with 19 million girls. ² Africa has an average literacy rate of 70% for men and 50% for women, and school enrolment is 90% in some countries, while in others it is only 60%. Access to primary education largely depends on whether children live in cities or villages, as well as on the level of family income and the child's gender. According to the World Bank, there are only 83 girls per 100 boys in primary education.³

The leading organization involved in shaping education policy at the international level is UNESCO, which, in particular, oversees the UN Literacy Decade project (2003-2012). Among the project's goals are to improve the quality and expansion of literacy programs for young people and adults, as well as to attract additional financial resources for their implementation. UNESCO's focus is on Africa, which faces problems such as low levels of education, gender inequality in this area, and others.

2012 is the final year of the Literacy Decade project. In connection with this programme, UNESCO has set itself the task of demonstrating the crucial role of education in ensuring sustainable socio-economic development. Today, UNESCO is working with other partners to ensure that all children have the opportunity to attend a school with qualified teachers who can provide them with a high-quality education. The issues covered by the organization's activities also cover topics such as discrimination in education and illiteracy, the study of national cultures and the training of national personnel.

According to the World Bank, in the early 2000s, countries in Tropical Africa began to see a slight increase in primary school enrollment and a gradual return to the level of the early 1980s (80%). In recent years, many governments have begun to pay enough attention to this area, trying to reduce the cost of parents ' education for their children and increase the budget allocated.

At the same time, many researchers have come to the conclusion that the UN and UNESCO programs are not being implemented effectively enough. Projections indicate a potential reduction in total funding for education in sub-Saharan Africa and a reduction in spending on teachers ' salaries, school equipment and programs aimed at the most disadvantaged segments of the population.

It should be noted, however, that some African countries have successfully developed primary education systems in the past decade. For example, in Ethiopia, the number of children unable to attend school decreased from 6.5 million in 1999 to 2.7 million in 2008. At the same time, in Tanzania in the early 2000s, less than half of school-age children attended educational institutions, and this situation persists to this day. In Morocco, the number of out-of-school children decreased from 1.2 million in 1999 to 360,000 in 2008. Benin, on the other hand, is among the world's fastest-moving countries to achieve universal education coverage: 50% in 1999 and 80% in 2007. The gender gap has also narrowed, compared to only 67 per 100 boys who attended school in 1999.-

The article was written with the support of the Russian Foundation for Scientific Research in the framework of the research project "The role of human capital in shaping the image of a country in a multipolar world: a comparison of Russian and African realities". Project N09-02-00551a/R.

Secondly, in 2007 this figure increased to 83.4.

A significant step forward has been made even in some of the poorest countries in Tropical Africa. For example, the abolition of tuition fees in Burundi has tripled primary school enrollment since 1999, reaching 99% by 2008. Zambia has also passed the 90% threshold.

NEW MILLENNIUM - OLD PROBLEMS

Poverty, gender inequality, a lack of qualified teachers and, as a result, a low level of education, as well as the reluctance of some African Governments to pay due attention to the elimination of illiteracy remain among the main problems that Tropical African countries are currently struggling to solve.

Poverty can be identified as the most common cause of educational disadvantage in Africa. Many parents are unable to pay for the cost of education, and even if it is free, for textbooks and school uniforms, as they compete with the cost of food. Although the number of school-age children in the world is increasing, the total number of out-of-school children has fallen from 106 million in 1999 to 69 million in 2008, but almost half of them (31 million) live in sub-Saharan Africa.⁵

Child labour is another consequence of poverty, as many children from poor families are unable to attend school. First of all, this applies to girls who are engaged in domestic work.

Today, the problem of gender equality in African schools remains relevant. According to the 2010 Education for All World Monitoring Report (EFA), " several West African countries where gender disparities are particularly high have developed policies aimed at increasing parity and are being implemented as part of a broader strategy to achieve universal primary education. The policy also aims to ensure a change in attitudes towards the place of girls and women in society, financial incentives for school attendance, water supply and appropriate sanitation facilities in schools, recruitment of female teachers and increasing their numbers in rural areas, and greater gender mainstreaming in teacher training."

However, the unequal status of women is not the only form of inequality in these countries. Other factors that stand in the way of getting an education include place of residence and language affiliation. Many children from remote villages do not have the opportunity to attend schools located many kilometers away from home. This issue is most serious for nomadic children, as fixed school infrastructure and rigid class schedules are not adapted to the lifestyle of the migrating population. In Uganda, for example, where there is generally significant progress in the development of universal primary education, Karamanjong pastoralists average less than one year of schooling. International organizations are concerned about the creation of a network of so-called satellite schools in such areas.

The language factor also plays an important role in the development of education.

In many African countries, children learn in a language that is not spoken in their families. This applies to 221 million children. One of the reasons for poor academic performance is teaching in a language that students do not understand or have difficulty understanding.⁶ For Africa, a continent with many language groups, the problem of the language of instruction is of particular importance. Language diversity poses challenges in teacher recruitment and curriculum development. At the same time, studying in the official national language provides a better chance of getting a well-paid job in the future. Currently, many countries are trying to somehow resolve this issue by creating bilingual education programs. "Many programs introduced in sub-Saharan Africa show that teaching in the native language of children gives positive results. For example, the establishment of bilingual schools in Burkina Faso has improved learning outcomes, while in Mali it has helped reduce school dropout rates. " ⁷

For many countries in Africa, the shortage of qualified teachers remains an urgent problem. In Tropical Africa, there are an average of 40 students per teacher. In Madagascar, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone, this figure increases to 80. Naturally, there are more qualified teachers in cities than in rural areas. In many African countries, the problem of teachers depends not only on their qualifications, but also on their remuneration. Due to low salaries, teachers are forced to look for extra work or give up their teaching activities.

The political conflicts and wars that many countries of the continent have experienced have often not only undermined, but almost completely destroyed, the national education system, as Governments have had to drastically reduce social spending. In addition, in war zones, parents were afraid to let their children go to school. In Mozambique, during the civil war (1976-1992), almost half of the buildings were closed or destroyed.

primary schools ⁸. In Sierra Leone, where rebel groups were largely formed from young people and teenagers, half of the" fighters " left school because of the destruction or closure of educational institutions in their areas.

Various international humanitarian organizations are helping conflict-stricken countries. As a rule, this assistance is temporary and primarily concerns the life support systems of people trapped in war zones. Addressing long-term issues, such as education, is usually relegated to the background. As a result, after the conflict is resolved, the country's education system is completely or partially destroyed.

One of the main problems of the African continent is the spread of HIV and AIDS, ⁹ including in children under the age of 15. These diseases not only threaten children's lives, but also prevent them from attending school. Some educational institutions prohibit teaching infected children. The United Nations and UNESCO programs aimed at combating these diseases provide for their implementation, including in schools, which makes it possible to provide students with necessary and vital information about measures to combat HIV and AIDS. In addition, such knowledge prevents children and teachers from becoming social outcasts and allows them to lead a full life near their classmates and students.

SUMMING UP THE DECADE

Despite the challenges faced by schools and students in African countries, progress can also be made, for example, in the provision of primary education. According to a UNESCO report published in 2010, gender disparities have decreased in some countries and opportunities for disadvantaged groups have increased.¹⁰

According to UNESCO's Millennium Declaration program, all African children who reach the appropriate age should become school children by 2015. However, in half of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa for which data are available, at least one in four primary school-age children were not enrolled in 2008. Experts believe that "the 2015 goal of ensuring that all children have the opportunity to enter and complete primary school in the United States is the same as in the United States." It is still achievable, but this will require Governments to act decisively in the next two years, especially in the context of today's economic crisis."¹¹ For example, the number of school teachers will need to be doubled.

Secondary, technical and vocational education are also not ignored, but the development of these types of education is hindered by insufficient funding, poor organization of school affairs, weak links with the labor market, and a lack of qualified teachers.

"In sub - Saharan Africa, Governments are facing major challenges in the reform of technical and vocational education... Students start their professional education too early, and after completing it, they face the threat of unemployment. Furthermore, studies conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana and the United Republic of Tanzania have shown that disadvantaged groups are the least likely to benefit from vocational education programmes. However, some new positive strategies are emerging, for example in Cameroon, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa, as in other regions, have to strike a balance between general, technical and vocational education. A comprehensive priority should be to increase enrollment, reduce dropout rates, and ensure that students move beyond basic education to secondary education. Vocational education, however, could play a much more prominent role in providing a second chance to disadvantaged youth. " ¹²

As far as higher education is concerned, there are two issues worth noting: access to this stage of education in sub-Saharan Africa and student immigration. According to UNESCO, the cost per student remains quite high, and this in itself reduces the number of university places. As a result, a significant part of young people emigrate abroad - to neighboring African countries, to Europe, the United States, Canada, and more recently to Asian countries, such as China, to study at universities in these countries.

¹ http://www.un.org/ru/youthink/education.shtml

² http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/education/themes/Ieading-the-international-agenda/efar eport/

³ http://www.un.org/ru/youthink/education.shtml

⁴ Ibid., p. 13.

⁵ По данным http://www.un.org/russi-an/millenniumgoals/mdgreport2010.pdf#page=19

⁶ http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001865/186525R.pdf. С. 28.

⁷ Ibid., p. 32.

⁸ http://www.un.org/russian/esa/hdr/2005/hdr05_ru_chapter_5.pdf

⁹ UNESCO estimates that in 2007 there were 33 million people living with HIV and AIDS, including 2 million children under the age of 15.

¹⁰ http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001865/186525R.pdf

¹¹ Ibidem.

¹² Ibid., p. 17.

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