Director of School for Life, Wedad Sayibu, has called for a re-examination of how Africa’s learning crisis is defined and addressed completely. According to her, the prevailing narrative, often influenced by Western framework, fails to capture the continent’s cultural realities and holistic educational needs.
She made the call during the launch of Professor Kwame Akyeampong’s latest book, co-authored with Dr. Sean Higgins, titled “Reconceptualising the Learning Crisis in Africa: Multi-dimensional Pedagogies of Accelerated Learning Programmes,” at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.
Ms. Sayibu commended the authors for their insightful work, describing it as “a bold and thought-provoking piece of work, which is especially needed in these times of Africa’s learning challenges, educational innovation, and aspirations.”
She acknowledged that there is indeed a crisis in education across Africa but questioned the dominant framing of that crisis. “To the question—yes, there is a crisis. But as the Professor highlighted earlier, what exactly is the focus of this crisis?” she asked, pointing out that the current understanding is “narrowly framed through Western-inspired values and norms—and that is where the real problem lies.”
According to her, the global conversation around Africa’s learning crisis has largely been reduced to test scores and literacy benchmarks, leaving out other crucial dimensions of learning. “Often, this narrative focuses largely on children’s test scores in literacy and numeracy,” she explained. “Framing the educational challenge solely in this manner overlooks other essential factors that are critical to the holistic development of the child.”
Ms. Sayibu emphasized that such a narrow view obscures the development of vital skills such as critical thinking, emotional and social intelligence, vocational training, and life skills — all of which are indispensable for the continent’s socio-economic transformation.
She further criticized the tendency to prioritize foreign languages over local ones in African education systems, echoing a concern also raised by Professor Akyeampong. “The emphasis is usually placed on foreign languages, English and French, the languages of former colonial powers, to the neglect of our own local languages,” she said. “Community knowledge, languages, and cultural strengths shape education in ways that top-down approaches often fail to achieve.”
Highlighting a more community-centered model, Ms. Sayibu cited Ghana’s Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme as an example of a locally relevant and inclusive approach. She described it as “a community-driven, targeted, and contextually relevant model that ensures communities are deeply involved throughout the processes of teaching and learning.”
She explained that the CBE programme’s design reflects the socio-economic rhythms of the communities it serves. “The programme is designed so that the learning process is highly flexible, allowing time arrangements that reflect the social and economic realities of the community,” she said.
Ms. Sayibu noted that community participation in determining learning schedules has been crucial to improving engagement. “When a programme is introduced in a community, we first examine the dominant economic activities taking place there. Based on this, the community itself selects the most suitable time for learning,” she stated, adding that such flexibility prevents families from having to choose between education and livelihood.
She gave an example of farming communities where mornings and early afternoons are busy periods for children’s participation in farm work, suggesting that “afternoon or evening lessons may be more appropriate to ensure that children can participate fully.”
The education advocate further underscored that aligning pedagogy and learning structures with children’s lived experiences produces more engaged and motivated learners. “This flexibility aligns the pedagogy, teaching methodologies, and learning structure with the lived experiences of children. As a result, learners become more engaged, active, and supported throughout their educational journey,” she said.
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