The continent faces a plethora of challenges, including unemployment, poverty, hunger, violence, health crises, poor infrastructure, and much more. To overcome these challenges, good education is crucial.
However, the education sector in Africa requires a significant amount of investment. With the highest rate of education exclusion in the world, most education achievements are viewed as charity, leaving the government to rely on the private sector.
The covid-19 pandemic, with all its dangers, came to show the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The differences between public schools and private ones. It was a period when students could not go to school, and the school had to come to them.
Online learning was a thing to adopt, and it had never been an issue for our governments until then. Is there an opportunity to invest in education technology in Africa? Well, this article shows the opportunities and gaps in our education system.
What opportunities are there in EdTech in Africa?
Growing young population
The world’s youngest population resides in Africa. At least 60% of the population are kids under the age of 25, according to statistics. With a huge number of young school-going kids, and the numbers still increasing, the demand for education is high. By 2030, the African youth population will constitute 42% of the world’s young population.
Internet access
The telecommunications sector in Africa is one of the fastest growing. Investors are working on cutting the cost of bandwidth. South Africa and Kenya boast of a high penetration in internet access.
Africa has increased its internet access since. More and more people have access to either; a computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection.
Rural-urban migration
The shift from rural to urban centers in Africa is notably high. This migration brings more people to electricity, gadgets, and internet connection. The migration moves them to employment opportunities and good schools that offer Edtech.
Growing middle-class and internet access
Economic and agricultural development in the continent and the employment creation have led to the rise of the middle class. The 2019 world bank report shows that poverty rates decreased from 54% in 1990 to 40% in 2015.
And as the number of middle-class owners is growing, it only means one thing: the people are now more financially stable to afford smart gadgets and internet connections.
Over one-fifth of children between the ages of 6 to 11 and one-third between the ages of 12 to 14 are out of school. Africa has the youngest and growing population of the other continents.
Challenges of education technology
Electricity
Technology goes hand in hand with electricity, but Africa still faces a challenge. Many homesteads don’t have electricity, especially in the West African countries and central parts. Almost half of the people in west African countries don’t have access to electricity, especially those living in rural setups.
Internet access
According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), as of 2021, internet penetration in Africa was estimated to be around 40%. This means that around 600 million people in Africa have access to the internet.
The majority of internet users in Africa access the internet via mobile broadband. According to a study by the GSM Association, mobile broadband penetration in Africa reached 31% in 2020.
Also according to the ITU, fixed broadband penetration in Africa remained low, with less than 1% of the population having access to it.
Poor infrastructure and lack of personnel
Since education is long-term, the government has left its duties to the private sector. Non-governmental organizations have taken the stride, so have the faith-based groups and communities to set up schools.
Public sectors lack the proper infrastructure and facilities. They cannot meet the technology demand and end up producing poor quality education.
Again talk of personnel, and realize how Edtech still has a long way to go. This is something that we had to adopt and so lacks enough professions. The teacher student ratio can never compete with other countries where education technology has grown roots.
Investing in EdTech in Africa, despite the challenges, has the potential to bring transformative change in the continent, and it’s worth considering.
Main photo: By Eugene Malaka - Islahaddow for WikiAfrica Schools, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62198690
