[afro-nets] Education for All! (8)

[Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima <dabesaki@yahoo.com>]

Education for All! (8)
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EFA 2015: Free versus affordable?


Dear all,

In view of the fact that 2015 has been set as the "year of
grace" for global development and to achieve reduction of ex-
treme poverty by at least half, many governments are making
enormous efforts to improve poverty reduction strategies and de-
velopment plans to make this happen. However, I think education
is the key tool through which this can be achieved. But with the
ongoing global advocacy for "free education for all", I am wor-
ried if Africa can reach the 2015 goal.

As I mentioned in a previous e-mail, Africa lacks the resources
to give free education for all. If we try this venture, our edu-
cational system will be depreciating and loosing value over
time, and we will loose the entire essence of education. Many
people will have paper but non education. Many people will have
degrees but not knowledge.

I am currently in the process of consulting globally, to find
out what options are best and why. "Free education for all" or
"affordable low cost education for all?" I hope the process will
help to generate data which will be synthesised and provided as
input to the EFA team at UNESCO to enable them advise partners
according to their realities and also to governments to enable
them plan their educational development efforts.

Kindly share your opinion on the above either at this forum, or
mailto:dpi@developmentpartnership.org

DPI http://www.developmentpartnership.org will collate all the
comments and inputs made and send out the final document by the
end of February 2006.


Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima
Director, Development Partnership International
Rivers State HIV/AIDS Resource Center
9-11 Emenike Street Mile II Diobu
Port Harcourt 500001, Nigeria
Tel.: +234-805-518-2526
mailto:dabesaki.freeservers.com
http://www.developmentpartnership.org