Access or Quality? New Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter mainly utilises cross-sectional data to descriptively review the history of educational development in Africa, where many countries achieved independence in the 1960s, and summarises the remaining and newly emerging challenges in the Sustainable Development Goal era. It also discusses the rise of low-fee private schools, a topic receiving increasing attention, the background of this trend and the impact of COVID-19 on education. The results revealed that children’s access to education has improved significantly over the past 50 years. However, several challenges remain, including a learning crisis due to declining quality in public schools, medium of instruction, overage students and inequality. Moreover, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, children’s access to education was severely disrupted in some countries, forcing them to respond to challenging situations. The progress in the years since then, the post-COVID era, has highlighted Africa’s potential for growth and job creation, with youth identified as key players in this trajectory. Owing to the increasingly pivotal role of education in the future, enhancing its quality is imperative.