An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa Katharine Eger Claremont Mckenna College
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Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2016 An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa Katharine Eger Claremont McKenna College Recommended Citation Eger, Katharine, "An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa" (2016). CMC Senior Theses. Paper 1419. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1419 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE AN ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION REFORM IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR WILLIAM ASCHER AND DEAN PETER UVIN WRITTEN BY KATHARINE MIRANDA EGER FOR SENIOR THESIS SPRING APRIL 25, 2016 Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa continues to fall behind other developing regions regarding educational attainment, despite recent progress in enrollment. This thesis examines a variety of external conditional factors that could contribute to a country’s relative success, in terms of years spent in school using a prediction model that compares years enrolled in secondary education as a foundation to determine over- and under-performing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. By exploring various educational policies, historical patterns, and projects executed in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Botswana, this thesis sheds light on four main challenges that can impact educational attainment: ethnic and racial tensions, an acute shortage of learning materials and trained teachers, inappropriate curricula, and high costs of education. Some of these challenges have been met with an array of policies, with mixed results in terms of the soundness and fairness of policies as well as the effectiveness of implementation. This thesis argues that to facilitate the creation of an effective school system, education policies must focus on more appropriate reallocations of funding, improved teacher-training quality throughout rural regions, applicable and localized curricula, conditional cash transfer programs, and long-term improvements in the job market. Acknowledgments It is with utmost gratitude that I recognize all those who inspired and supported this senior thesis. First and foremost, my heartfelt appreciation goes to my tremendous reader, Professor Bill Ascher, whose wisdom and sense of humor cannot be understated. Thanks to his thoughtful guidance, this thesis has developed into the defining work of my academic career. Your unmatched patience, plus the endless hours you have spent reading by my side, have been instrumental in shaping me as a student and as a person in my final year at CMC. Thank you to Professor Manfred Keil, whose belief in me, while veiled behind relentless teasing, encouraged me to major in “torturing numbers” and pursue a career in International Development. Thank you to Professor Audrey Bilger, whose guidance as my academic advisor and confidence in me as a writer have helped shape me into a stronger person and feminist. Your classes have been an absolute privilege for me. Thanks go to the CMC Athenaeum, the cozy Motley Coffee House, and the CWPD. Thanks also to Isabelle Hillberg for always answering the phone (regardless of time zone) and to Rachel Krauss, whose absurdity is a welcome reminder not to take the little things too seriously. A special thank you to my Rwandan family and to my Tanzanian co- workers: you will forever be in my heart and mind. While the process of drafting this thesis began in August, the ideas behind it were instilled in me as a member of the Eger clan from day one. For this, I am especially grateful for my extraordinary family. Thank you to Tom and Richard for acting as my unwavering cheerleaders, fostering my love of show tunes, and inspiring me to travel the world. Thanks to my brother, William, whose work inspires me to strive for a better world each day. Thanks to Julia, whose love and unceasing support can never be emphasized enough, and thanks for running the Boston Marathon and inspiring me to finish this project well before the due date; I am so thankful to be your sister. I am especially grateful to my parents. Thank you to my intrepid mother, who (for better or for worse) has encouraged me to pursue my aspirations and has stuffed my life with Beethoven and the Beatles. Thank you for always having a teapot at the ready and for all the birthday cakes. And thank you to my father, for always answering my endless series of questions and for filling every meal—from diners’ booths to dinner tables—with world history lessons and political debates. I am so lucky. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction: The Importance of Education .................................................. 1 Challenges for Schools and Students ................................................................................ 3 Benefits of Education ........................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Developing a Foundation for Comparison ..................................................... 9 The Basis for Analysis ........................................................................................................ 13 Identifying Key Conditioning Factors ............................................................................ 16 Analysis of the Regression Model .................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3: Case Study Analysis ........................................................................................... 27 Case Study 1: Education in Rwanda .............................................................................. 29 State of Education Pre-1994 ........................................................................................................ 30 Reconstructing Education in a Post-Genocide Rwanda ..................................................... 34 The Costs of Education ................................................................................................................. 38 Case Study 2: Education for South Africa .................................................................... 43 Apartheid and Bantu Education .................................................................................................. 43 Failed Transitioning from Race-based to Race-blind ......................................................... 46 Failed Curriculum Reform: Outcomes-based Education and C2005 ............................. 52 Additional Factors Hindering Educational Achievement .................................................. 58 Case Study 3: Education for Ghana ............................................................................... 61 A History of Education .................................................................................................................. 62 Costs, Corruption, and Quality ................................................................................................... 66 Case Study 4: Education for Botswana .......................................................................... 73 A Series of Fortunate Events ....................................................................................................... 73 Educational Policy .......................................................................................................................... 75 Challenges for Botswana Moving Forward ............................................................................ 79 Chapter 4: Opportunities for Reform ................................................................................ 86 Financing Education .......................................................................................................... 87 Teacher-Training Programs ............................................................................................. 90 Reconstructing Curriculum .............................................................................................. 97 Lowering the Cost of Education ................................................................................... 100 Improving Employment Opportunities for Graduates ........................................... 103 Concluding Remarks ....................................................................................................... 110 References .............................................................................................................................. 113 Appendix ................................................................................................................................ 128 1 Chapter 1: Introduction: The Importance of Education “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” Nelson Mandela As both a fundamental human right and an engine for growth, education is a key tool for enhancing sustainable development throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Despite unprecedented economic advancement, the region lags in educational success. Various educational initiatives have struck the continent without resounding results: there has been a ten percent increase in out-of-school children over the past 15 years and one in four people in developing countries is completely illiterate (UNESCO 2015; Provost 2014). Thus, policymakers are challenged with the task of identifying and implementing alternative approaches to improve not only access to, but the quality of education for all citizens. To identify effective