Over the last twenty years there has been a significant and sustained increase in school enrolment at both primary and secondary levels across sub-Saharan Africa, including in Sudan and South Sudan. While the strides in increasing school enrollment are worth celebrating, these achievements mark just the beginning of a larger journey towards holistic education. It is becoming increasingly clear that the attendance at school does not necessarily equate to effective learning.
While there is near unanimity about the existence of the problem, it is clear that improving the quality of teaching and learning is a complex problem that defies easy or quick solutions. The UNESCO report referenced earlier was published ten years ago, but there appear to have been few improvements – and even fewer have led to sustained change. Ongoing conflicts, utterly inadequate financing of education at all levels, and poorly trained or unqualified teachers are key features of the context in which we operate.