The State of Learning in Africa

Despite Africa’s progress in expanding school enrollment over the past decade, one in four children—30 million primary-level students—remain out of school. At the current rate, millions more will be out of school in 2015 than there are today. Africa’s education deficit has severe consequences for development and hinders opportunities for growth, innovation, and social and economic prosperity.

On September 17, the Center for Universal Education at Brookings (CUE) hosted the launch of the “Africa Learning Barometer”—a collaboration between CUE and This is Africa. The barometer is the first region-wide assessment and online interactive tool examining the state of learning in Africa. The program began with introductory remarks from Senior Fellow and CUE Director Rebecca Winthrop, followed by a short presentation by Brookings Fellow Justin van Fleet on the data and trends from the barometer. Afterwards, a panel discussed the implications for business and development in Africa. Panelists included Talya Bosch, vice president of Social Ventures at Western Union, and Senior Fellow Mwangi Kimenyi, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings. Lanre Akinola, editor of This is Africa, moderated the discussion.

Participants can follow the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #AfricaLearning.