Schooling Trends in Africa: New Assessment Methods Needed

sub-Saharan Africa will not complete primary school, according to a recent analysis conducted by Population Council researchers. That number is nearly twice the total population of children aged 10–14 in the United States, virtually all of whom complete primary school. Moreover, nearly 21 million children in this age range in sub-Saharan Africa have never attended school. In April 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, sub-Saharan African governments, along with others from around the world, recommitted themselves to achieving “Education for All” by 2015. Reaching this milestone by 2000 had previously been stated by the United Nations as one of its Millennium Development Goals. The Population Council assessment, conducted by demographers Cynthia B. Lloyd and Paul C. Hewett, suggests that meeting this target will be difficult. Much needed are an international commitment to a greater level of resources, better tools for monitoring educational progress at the country level, and a focus on reaching the poorest families.