This Is How Worthy African Education Should Look Like

By Marc Reflects, September 2025

I still remember sitting in a hot classroom, my notebook filled with neat summaries about Napoleon Bonaparte. I could tell you the date of his coronation, the details of his European conquests, even his exile to Elba. But back in my village, the water pump had been broken for weeks, and none of us including my teachers had the knowledge or tools to fix it.

That moment has haunted me for years because it reflects something deeper: our education system often trains us to memorize the world but not to transform our own.

Poverty in the Midst of Plenty

Africa is not poor by nature. According to the African Development Bank, the continent holds 30% of the world’s mineral resources, 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, and a young population over 70% of Africans are under 30. And yet, more than 400 million people still live below the poverty line (World Bank, 2023).

This paradox raises a painful question: Why does a resource-rich continent continue to suffer? While corruption, governance, and global inequalities play a role, education or rather, mis-education is a root cause we often ignore.

The Imported Curriculum

Our schools mirror colonial structures more than local realities. The colonial curriculum was never meant to produce inventors, engineers, or community problem-solvers; it was designed to produce clerks, translators, and obedient civil servants.

Even after independence, many African countries kept the same model. UNESCO (2017) reported that less than 25% of curricula in Sub-Saharan Africa directly relate to local economic needs. This is why a student can spend years learning European geography but graduate without knowing how to improve crop yields in their family’s farm.

A Cycle of Dependency

When education does not equip us to solve problems, nations remain dependent on external expertise. The African Union has repeatedly acknowledged that Africa imports over $35 billion worth of processed food annually even though it has the raw crops. Meanwhile, countries rely on Western engineers to build roads and foreign researchers to address local diseases. This dependence is not accidental. It is the outcome of an education system that encourages us to look outward for solutions instead of inward.

My Own Reflection

When I left school, I realized I could write an essay about the causes of the Cold War but couldn’t explain how to preserve tomatoes for market without them rotting. I could calculate GDP on paper but not understand how small businesses in my neighborhood struggled with basic bookkeeping.

That realization hit me hard. It made me question: What is the value of education if it cannot empower us to face the challenges at our doorsteps?

What a Worthy Education Should Look Like?

1. Problem-Solving at the Core

Science classes should not only teach formulas but show students how to purify water, create bio-gas, or design solar stoves. Rwanda’s push for coding in schools is a step forward, but I think it must connect to real industries and community challenges.

2. Balance Between Global and Local Knowledge

Napoleon is history worth knowing, but so are Shaka Zulu, Wangari Maathai, and Thomas Sankara. Our heroes and struggles must take equal space in the classroom.

3. Entrepreneurship and Innovation

According to the African Union (2022), over 12 million young Africans enter the workforce each year, yet only 3 million formal jobs are created. If schools taught students how to start and sustain small enterprises, the mindset of “job-seeker” could shift to “job-creator.”

4. Mother-Tongue as a Medium

Research by UNESCO shows that children learn and retain concepts better in their first language. Yet, in many African countries, a 7-year-old is forced to learn science in English or French before they even master reading.

5. Community-Based Learning

Education must leave the classroom. Students should spend time on farms, in small industries, or in community projects. Kenya’s competency-based curriculum has begun experimenting with this, though not without challenges.

Barriers That Must Be Challenged

Reforming education is not easy. Governments sometimes resist because a critically thinking population is harder to control. Donors push for universal curricula that look good on international scorecards. And parents often believe that success means office jobs, not practical skills. But if we don’t break this cycle, Africa risks training another generation that is brilliant on paper but powerless in practice.

A Different Picture of the Future

I imagine classrooms where a student in Uganda designs a low-cost irrigation system for his community farm, or where a girl in Nigeria learns chemistry by making soap her mother can sell. I imagine Rwandan children coding not only apps but also local health solutions that reduce dependence on foreign technology. This is not a faraway dream. It is possible, if education is redefined as a tool for liberation rather than a ticket to a certificate.

Final Reflection

African countries are still poor not because we lack intelligence or resources, but because our education system rarely prepares us to solve our own problems. We have been trained to celebrate knowing the capital of France while ignoring why our own boreholes remain dry. A truly worthy African education system will be one where a child can still learn about Napoleon but also how to repair a broken water pump. Where they can analyze global politics but also understand how to preserve cassava. Where they are not only exam passers, but life changers.