Chapter 9: Can digital technologies help Africa to leapfrog its massive education gap?
Abstract
A sound education system is one of the keys to personal mastery and growth and a country’s socio-economic development more broadly. Globally, Africa is the furthest behind in terms of educational achievement levels, with serious shortcomings in teaching quality, infrastructure, access and relevance. Yet attempting to catch up with other countries using traditional, government-led approaches will take too long and will be too costly. Whether or not Africa can ‘leapfrog’ its education gap by using digital technologies is up for debate. Africa has undergone a ‘mobile revolution’ in recent years, yet many countries on the continent lack the basics for efficient online teaching and learning, including a reliable source of electricity and affordable internet access. In this chapter we discuss the plausibility of leapfrogging in an educational context and provide some policy recommendations that should underscore Africa’s attempts to bridge its educational divide in the digital age.
