Rethink the School of Tomorrow: Africa as the Starting Hypothesis

With 200 million inhabitants between the ages of 15 and 24, Africa is today the youngest continent on the planet. These young Africans will be the future leaders and the driving force of the continent’s economic, social and cultural development. A well-functioning inclusive educational system is thus essential to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

For several years, governments and large institutions on the planet, have attempted to implement an educational system relevant to the continent’s challenges. Considerable efforts have been made to catch up on an accumulated backlog in this crucial sector, allowing to tremendously enhance access to primary education. Therefore, for example, since the year 2000, fifteen countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have abolished tuition fees in primary schools, which increased the school enrolment rate from 58% to 76%1.

Nonetheless, strong inequalities prevail from one state to another, between girls and boys, between urban and rural areas…African countries are still facing significant challenges when it comes to education: overcrowded classrooms, lack of monitoring and pedagogical training, limited access to higher and secondary education. Consequently on average, less than 9% of children who go to school attend University...