Africa Faces Shortage of 15 Million Teachers – AU Official

Africa is facing a shortage of 15 million teachers, which is slowing down the continent’s development, a senior African Union (AU) official said.

Speaking on Friday at a press briefing during the 45th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council in Accra, Ghana, Mohammed Belhocine, the AU commissioner for education, science, technology, and innovation, warned that this shortage is negatively affecting Africa’s ability to achieve its education and development goals.

The commissioner, therefore, called on the continent to take steps to bridge this gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education by 2030 set by the United Nations.

He said:

This teacher deficit is enormous, and we need strong efforts to bridge the gap and use what we are already investing in our educational systems.

According to Belhocine, Africa needs about $90 billion to close the gap, improve education infrastructure, and meet the SDGs on time.

He noted that the situation in Africa is due to the diminishing social status of the teaching profession. “Today, it is more flamboyant to be a businessman than a teacher. This is creating the gap in the supply of teachers,” he said.

Belhocine suggested rebranding the teaching profession to attract more qualified individuals. He also proposed using digital technology to allow one teacher to reach more students, reducing the impact of the shortage. For this to work, teachers need to be trained in information and communications technology, he stated.

He called for global support to improve Africa’s education systems, noting that in the next 20 years, the world may rely on African youth due to low population growth in other regions.

The 45th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, attended by foreign ministers from AU member states, is a prelude to the 6th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of AU heads of state.

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