Lay foundation to benefit from expected increase in youth population

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Invest in education: strengthen primary skills, expand secondary capacity

• The poor quality of primary education severely limits opportunities for youth. 
  • In many countries, fewer than half of women aged 15 to 24 can read a simple sentence after three years’ primary school.
  • The region’s annual public spending per secondary student is almost three times that per primary student.  These expenditure levels will be unsustainable when secondary schooling is expanded to meet greater demand. 

• Higher education increases the employment choices available to youth, and countries with more post-primary enrollment are less likely to be short of skilled workers—but the region’s secondary school capacity is insufficient.
• • In Zambia, many children complete primary school, but there are very few places in secondary schools.

 Priorities 

• Increase secondary school capacity. In particular, expand lower secondary capacity with the help of the private sector. 
  • Secondary school enrollment increased more quickly in Kenya than in Tanzania during the 1960s and 1970s, partly because Kenya encouraged private schools.
  • Increase the supply of teachers in the region, especially for math and sciences.
• Reduce the barriers to continued education.
  • An experiment in Kenya reduced drop-outs among girls by providing free uniforms and books.

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Resources

More graphs from the report

Related Websites

World Bank's Africa Action Plan

World Bank's Africa HIV/AIDS website