Education in Africa

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The history of education in Africa can be divided into pre- and post- colonial periods.^[1] Since the introduction of formal education by European colonists to Africa, African education, particularly in West and Central Africa, has been characterised by both traditional African teachings and European-style schooling systems.^[2]

The state of education reflects not only the effects of colonialism, but also the instability resulting from and exacerbated by armed conflicts in many regions of Africa, as well as the fallout from humanitarian crises such as famine, lack of drinking water, and outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and Ebola, just to name a few.^[3]

Although the quality of education and the quantity of well-equipped schools and well qualified teachers has steadily increased since the onset of the colonial period, there are still inequalities evident in the existing educational systems based on region, economic status, and gender.^[4][5]