This section examines the literature on educational equality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Member countries in this region face ongoing and significant educational inequality due to various factors. These include poverty and socio-economic status, gender disparities—where girls tend to have higher dropout rates than boys—challenges in achieving equal learning outcomes, insufficient political commitment to educational equality, poor governance, and bureaucratic inefficiencies, among others. While some countries, like Uganda, have demonstrated a strong commitment to universal primary education, others, such as Ghana, still face challenges, with one in five children out of school despite increased focus on education. SSA countries share both similarities and differences.
In SSA, as in other parts of Africa and the world, mere enrollment does not guarantee learning. The impressive enrollment figures can be misleading when assessing actual learning outcomes for children. In some countries, while enrollment rates are high, significant disparities exist in progression from primary to secondary education, particularly along gender and wealth lines. Girls, especially in rural areas, are less likely to access secondary education, and this likelihood diminishes further for those from poorer backgrounds.
Quality of education is another critical aspect to consider alongside access. Not all students who enter schools achieve equitable learning outcomes. In the SSA context, silent exclusion and lack of functional skills hinder effective learning. For instance, in Zambia, 33% of primary school graduates cannot read, indicating high illiteracy rates. Gender remains an important factor; although enrollment numbers appear favorable—with Malawi achieving gender parity from 41% in the 1980s to equal enrollment by 2006—the statistics do not tell the whole story. The gains primarily benefit wealthier families, and dropout rates remain high, with survival rates in Nigerian schools dropping from 83% to 71%.
Family wealth plays a significant role in education across Africa, with the wealth gap often exceeding the gender gap. Findings from eleven African countries support this observation, showing varying impacts of wealth disparities across different nations.
