According to various reports by the UN and other organizations, * Africa is facing big challenges in achieving the world's anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The overall statistics may be sobering, but some countries are showing bright spots of progress, which are highlighted below.
What is the millennium development goal on education all about? The education goal was designed to ensure that every child in the world gets a primary school education. How has it fared since its launch?
Sub-Saharan Africa has made rapid progress in enrolling more children in primary schools. Even though the goal of reducing maternal mortality has seen the least progress, remarkable gains were recorded in North Africa, where the share of women who saw a skilled health worker at least once during pregnancy increased by 70 per cent.
[iii] The purpose of these goals was to function as an outline for evaluating progress in development amongst independent states.
[iii] The purpose of these goals was to function as an outline for evaluating progress in development amongst independent states. [iv] Eight simple goals were formulated in the shape of the Millennium Development Goals, the purpose of these goals were to encourage social progress [v] by halving poverty, providing every child whether the child is a male or female access to primary education, facilitating the access of clean, drinking water and sanitation, the regression of environmental degradation, making health care more accessible, it specifically in the most infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. By providing health care treatment to these diseases, the goal will prevent the further spread of these diseases. The objective of these MDGs was to reach these goals in 2015. [vi] The MDGs are time bound and key aim is to improve human development in 2015. [vii]
The Millennium Development Goals have positioned the African continent in a contradiction, for on the one hand it has failed to achieve its MDG targets, and on the other hand, it has accomplished the greatest socio-economic improvements in the spread of 15 years in the history of the continent. [cxix] The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Report revealed the top achievers of MDGs included the likes of the following sub-Saharan states: Togo, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia, Uganda, Malawi and Mauritania. [cxx] Concerning states which made the least progress, often these states did not provide ODI with sufficient data to produce accurate readings; these states include Zimbabwe and Somalia. [cxxi] States such as Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti and Côte d’Ivoire have experienced poor economic growth patterns. [cxxii] Despite South Africa, Chad and Lesotho experiencing economic growth, their per capita figures dropped. [cxxiii] Stagnant economic growth often indicates a failed MDG. [cxxiv] The sub-Saharan African region failed to come close to reaching its MDGs. [cxxv] The region hosts 388 million impoverished, whilst a further 239 million experiencing hunger and starvation. [cxxvi] The impact of the 2008 world financial crisis further spiked these numbers, and worsened the conditions of the region. [cxxvii]
34 of the 42 states listed as Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) are found in Africa, which means that these states have no choice but to seek debt relief and debt-forgiveness. [xxxvi] According to Admos Chimhowu and David Hulme, in 2012 only nine out of the 48 states in sub-Saharan Africa seemed likely to meet their MDG of cutting the poverty stricken population in half. [xxxvii] Despite these numbers illustrating a dismal failure of the MDGs, these figures fail to illustrate the progress made by many African states. [xxxviii] The figures fail to showcase the percentage of the impoverished have decreased from 58% in 1990 to 51% in 2008. [xxxix] Even though sub-Saharan Africa will miss its target, because its speed of progress is too slow, progress was essentially made. [xl] Ghana and Uganda have been able to half their targets of impoverished people. [xli] Furthermore states such as Angola and Burkina Faso have been able to also make progress in its poverty targets, despite these states having undergone civil wars. [xlii] With Gambia reducing its poverty by 32% from the year 1990 till 2010, whilst Ethiopia reduced its poverty by a third, by means of concentrating on its agricultural and rural vocations. [xliii]
[lxxxvi] Diseases targeted by this Millennium Development Goal are that which worst affect sub-Saharan Africa, which is namely HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. [lxxxvii] International organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Fund for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GEATM) have worked tirelessly to alleviate the spread of these relevant diseases. [lxxxviii] Africa possesses more than 80% of the world’s HIV infected patients, whilst a further 26 million Africans have died as a result of AIDS. [lxxxix] The war against HIV/Aids and malaria have been met with significant successes, for instance in the region of 4 million Africans are currently receiving treatment, a drastic change from the initial 50 000 in the year 2002. [xc] A further 122 million bed nets were donated by the Global Fund, as a preventive measure against malaria. [xci] This effort contributed to the halving of malaria cases in a number of states. [xcii] Despite this momentous progress the health care systems in sub-Saharan Africa remain extremely poor and dawdling progress have been made to reduce the spread of HIV/Aids and tuberculosis. [xciii]
Major factors that drives the vicious cycle of poverty in Africa are the numerous civil wars, those which have ceased and on-going ; African states has also found that its poor socio-economic infrastructures and effects of globalisation have contributed to even greater poverty. [xxxii] Africa possesses limited access to international markets for African goods, this along with the denial of Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), creates unfavourably high tariff conditions as well as unfavourable import and export environments. [xxxiii] Despite globalisation leading to good prospects for developed countries, African states have unfortunately not benefitted in the way that they ought to. [xxxiv] For globalisation has allowed for unrestricted, unmonitored access from developed countries into Africa, and allowed for the exploitation of Africa’s valuable resources. [xxxv]
According to the former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Anan, “When women thrive, all if society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life”, this speaks to the significant role that women play as the driving forces of socio-economic development. [lx] However, African women are still victims of harsh sexism and gender stereotypes, they will often not be paid for services rendered, whilst another 8/10 African women in the active workforce’s wages are not registered as formal wages. [lxi] Sub-Saharan Africa possesses shocking statistics surrounding the gender gap in primary school enrolment being the second largest in the world, whilst the region possesses the largest gender gap of secondary school enrolment. [lxii] In its efforts to reach gender equality, Niger’s School of Husbands conditioned men into becoming allies by means of educating men into understanding the female reproductive health system, family planning, and behavioural change guidance. [lxiii] States such as Rwanda, Gambia, Lesotho, [lxiv] Ghana, Mauritius, São Tomé and Príncipe [lxv] have shown significant progress on the front of promoting gender equality and empowering women.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the greatest need for Millennium Development Goal investments in the entire world. [xii] Sub-Saharan Africa is off-track with all the Millennium Development Goals.
In the developing regions, children in the poorest households are four times as likely to be out of school as those in the richest households.
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What is millennium development goal two? The second of the eight development goals launched at the turn of the century called for every child in the world, boys and girls alike, to receive a full course of primary school education by 2015.
It also promoted lifelong learning, adult literacy, the provision of learning opportunities for old and young, gender equality and an all-round improvement in education quality. But the Education for All initiative was overshadowed by the millennium development goals and their emphasis on universal primary education. As the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation said in a recent report: “The focus on universal primary enrolment meant less attention to other crucial areas, such as education quality, early childhood care and education, and adult literacy.”
There is a clear anxiety to touch all the relevant bases, with targets devoted to preparing children adequately for primary school, university and professional life. Schools must be sensitive to the needs of both sexes, with provision made for disabled children and a greater emphasis on safety and quality. Percentage targets for literacy , numeracy, life skills and – crucially – teacher training will be set when the sustainable development agenda is formally adopted in September.
The education goal was designed to ensure that every child in the world gets a primary school education. How has it fared since its launch?
The headline figures might suggest a success story in the making, but the short answer is no. In 2012, the most recent year for which worldwide data is available, 58 million children aged between six and 11 were out of school. The problem was nowhere more acute than in sub-Saharan Africa, where roughly 30 million children were affected. So while more children are registering for primary school than ever before – in 2012 the global figure stood at 90%, up from 83% at the turn of the century – the ideal of universal enrolment remains elusive. Progress since the turn of the century was made mostly before 2007, with only an additional 2 million children making it to the classroom since then. Moreover, about a quarter of children worldwide – half of them living in conflict-affected areas – drop out of primary school before their studies are complete, a statistic that has remained unchanged since the millennium development goals were introduced. And while there has been a slight increase in literacy among 15- to 24-year-olds, which went from 87% in 2000 to 89% in 2012, again there is a sting in the tail, with 126 million young people worldwide still unable to read and write. It does not help that donor funding for education has been in decline since 2010.