The April 2025 policy brief by Africa Education Watch, authored by Kofi Asare, reviews Ghana’s basic education infrastructure. Despite significant enrolment growth since 2001, about 1 million children remain out of school, including 400,000 dropouts. Key deficits include school buildings, furniture (40% of pupils lacked desks in 2021, rising to 80% in some regions), electricity, and digital infrastructure (only 2% of basic schools in deprived districts have functional ICT facilities). To meet SDG 4 targets by 2030, Ghana needs around 2,000 fully furnished basic schools, 3,600 junior high schools, 508 kindergartens, to replace 5,300 makeshift schools, and supply 800,000 desks. Estimated cost: USD 2 billion. Budgetary constraints and declining donor support necessitate innovative financing, climate-resilient building technologies, community-led furniture initiatives, and targeted interventions for underserved communities.

Governance, Inequality, Education, Infrastructures scolaires, Funding

The article entitled "We don't even have access to electricity for classrooms yet...", published on December 31, 2024 on the WATHI website, presents an interview with Madame Kabore Fatilde Laetitia Ouedraogo, professor of general education colleges in Mathematics and Life and Earth Sciences in the commune of Boussé, in Burkina Faso. She addresses the major challenges facing the Burkinabe education system, including the lack of access to electricity in classrooms, which hinders the use of modern educational technologies. It also highlights the urgent need for appropriate teaching resources and continuing training for teachers to improve the quality of teaching. Ms. Ouedraogo calls for better involvement of local and national authorities in strengthening school infrastructure and promoting a learning environment adapted to contemporary realities.

Governance, Education, Infrastructures scolaires

Bouna Ahmedou Sow, a school director in Mauritania, highlights the major challenges facing education systems, including the lack of teacher training and inadequate infrastructure to keep up with population growth. Schools, often located in rented houses, are struggling to cope with the growing demand for students. Teachers have to manage overcrowded classes, especially with struggling students, while working in precarious conditions. Sow stresses the importance of creating a supportive environment for teachers with respected contracts and daily support. He advocates for infrastructure that keeps pace with demographic growth to ensure an effective and inclusive education system.

Education, Development, Infrastructures scolaires, Démographie