There is a moment when you think that the landscape of this region of Africa is going to change, and that's why you eagerly search for the corner of the next street or the next curve in the road. And you encounter another image in which you don't identify anything you see with your own world. Countless other images, in which no matter how hard you try to remain impartial, the scene moves you, leaves you frozen, pensive, reflective. 'I have never seen or imagined this before,' you say to yourself.
The only sight of the African country that you photograph relentlessly is one that is most urgent today: a classroom with about 40 children sitting at their desks, paying attention with little energy but smiling and not complaining, to a young native teacher.
Outside the major cities of Africa, it is difficult to find good schools. But access to quality education is crucial for future life, especially for children from poor families.
The functioning and outcomes of the education system in Zambia reflect the social and economic situation in which the country, or rather part of the African continent, is submerged.
Among other problems, we must highlight the lack of infrastructure, as well as the poverty and precariousness of it, not only in the school environment but also in others such as communications; it is not uncommon for many boys and girls attending school to have to travel long distances on foot to attend their classes. Additionally, the teaching materials are insufficient, and rural schools have even worse conditions, sometimes lacking electricity and water connections.
But the problem is the result of a combination of circumstances, such as the lack of teacher training, overcrowded classrooms, lack of materials, or the teaching language being different from what the students understand. Moreover, as enrollment figures increase in the early grades without achieving progress in learning, classes become larger, starting a vicious cycle where the students and education suffer.
The solution, in my opinion, lies in the creation of a school model that promotes the continued development of inclusive paths in our daily lives.
We cannot separate educational policies from the social, political, and economic context in which they develop. That's why it is good to look back, debate what remains today of those old colonial systems, and simultaneously analyze the evolution of educational policies in the post-independence period, questioning what have been and continue to be the reasons why, in the 21st century, despite progress, the continent still shows, in general terms, the lowest educational performance in the world, in a social context of widespread impoverishment and vulnerability.
No educational policy will make sense in the perspective of the rights of individuals and peoples if it does not contribute to improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable population sectors. The foundation of education must not be forgotten, as Africa, a continent not only of the present but also of the future, cannot neglect this aspect, precisely with a predominantly young population.
Africa is young, Africa is the future, let's support Africa.
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