Tertiary education gap is widening

The tertiary education gap is widening between advanced economies and Africa, with the African participation rate only up to 8,5% from about 6.5%.

This is according to Africa Competitiveness Report 2017 that says that despite some progress in reducing education gaps, skills remain an important barrier for development in the continent.

Business leaders in Africa name the workforce’s inadequate level of education as one of six most problematic factors for doing business.

The report explains that the availability of skilled workers is essential to start new companies or attract foreign companies and to compete in an increasingly interconnected world.

A challenge cited by the report is that the curricula needs to be updated frequently to make sure that education systems continue to be relevant for a changing skill and employment environment.

The report goes on to note that over the past 10 years, Africa has seen a 27% increase in participation rate for secondary education and an 8% increase for primary education.

However, the levels remain low in absolute terms: average enrolment in secondary education is only 43 percent, and only 60 percent of adults are literate.

Alarmingly, the report says that should secondary enrolment continue to increase at the same pace, it will take another 15 years to achieve the level of advanced economies.