Rohen d’Aiglepierre

African countries have worked hard to improve children’s access to basic education, but there’s still significant work to be done. Today, 32,6 million children of primary-school age and 25,7 million adolescents are not going to school in sub-Saharan Africa. The quality of education also remains a significant issue, but there’s a possibility the technology could be part of the solution. The digital revolution currently under way in the region has led to a boom in trials using information and communication technology (ICT) in education – both in and out of the classroom.

Arab-Islamic education in general and Koranic schools in particular are largely excluded from programs advocating for education for all in Africa. Yet this education concerns a large number of children, many of whom are considered as “out-of-school” by the public authorities. Consequently, recognising its existence, importance and diversity is a prerequisite for building a dialogue framework between all stakeholders. The starting point is to go beyond certain clichés.

The question of private education constitutes a core issue, given the commitments made to education, current education conditions and the many challenges for the future in Sub-Saharan African countries. The state of private education in the region requires providing it with a better framework and giving it more incentives in order to improve access to education and its quality and equity. An in-depth analysis of the situation of States, households, private education operators and the financial sector is essential in order to modernize public policies on private education (d’Aiglepierre, 2013).