Low learning curve a big blot on basic education, literacy levels

Even under such circumstances enrollment in most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, had been steady.

The problem with basic education in Sub-Saharan Africa is that nearly 90 per cent of children enrolled are leaving school without having acquired basic learning skills, according to new data from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation. 

But the tragedy is that while it is almost a cliché that investing in human capital is critical for development, African countries are not taking action. “Governments know what ailing education there is but plan not to act,” says Dr Jaime Saavedra, an educationist at the World Bank.