A Brief Perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals

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WRITTEN BY: Asanya Boluwatife Ndidi The unanimous agreement of the 193 member states of the United Nations General Assembly to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in 2015 produced one of the most ambitious and inclusive global aspirations in history. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Targeted at committing members states to ensure greater inclusivity, end poverty and push the world to a more sustainable path. The SDGs are broad and interdependent thus begetting the question as to how well these broad global aspirations are likely to result in implementable developments especially in developing countries. The inclusion of so many goals without a hierarchy of priority and without reference to inherent contradictions that are likely to result in conflict between the goals may have unintended negative consequences which may inhibit the timely/e
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THE AFRICAN SOCIAL PROBLEM ON IMPROVING LITERACY IN AFRICA

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Africa Social Problem on Improving Literacy in Africa
Africa is the largest continent across the globe that has most of its individuals succumbed to illiteracy. It is vital to point out at the outset that reading is a perquisite to literacy but most Africans, especially children find it difficult to flip and dribble within the pages. A study cited by Global Citizens stated that over half the world’s 10- years-olds could be unable to read by the end of 2021, with Africa’s children in particular set to struggle a lot. The study went to dissect that if measures are not put in place to enhance global literacy, by 2030, a whooping amount of 750 million will fall victim to illiteracy with sub-Saharan Africa securing a percentage of 40, which in fact, would contradict the moral and rationale of the well-crafted Agenda 2063 of African Union and Sustainable Development Goals number 4. 

That said, at this juncture, it is healthy I introduce in the discourse some of the social problems that still hold the throat of Africa and not allowing it to comfortably breath in the oxygen of literacy.  

Social Unrest: social unrest has been a key catalyst to keep the affected population unlettered, the case of the Northern part of Nigeria, the southern part of Senegal, South Sudan and so on are crystal clear evidence that a place that do not fully host peace experience an increase amount of numbers in illiterates as parents fear to send their children to school due to abduction, rape or even disappearance. This in the long run will surely add a chuck amount to the already illiteracy rate as it is happening in a lot of African countries. 

Cultural values: some African people still have the notion that western education erodes African values and thus see it a no go area for their children as it would deculture them. In addition, some Africans societies still lock horns and view the education of female/girl child to school as baseless, thus this factors have exacerbated the number of illiteracy across the continent. 

Poverty: against the background that Africa is one of the continent that has most of its citizens living under the poverty line, people therefore find it difficult to make ends meet, and thus this has led to a spillover on the educational sector as scores cannot afford, this is on a yearly rise as education is getting expensive over time, this on the other hand gives rise to illiteracy. 

To shift lanes, it’s crucial that that we table in some points for policy makers, stakeholders, private sectors and civil service organization to stem illiteracy rate across the continent. 

·There state should create platforms to engage arm groups to oust out unrest at different places within the continent, thus this would give hope to parents to send their children to school thus stemming illiteracy. 

·States should be flexible enough to compromise and put in place the needs or demands of unrest groups if it does not threaten the national sovereignty of their states, this would create a stable environment for the populace and speed up the willingness of parents to send their children to school.        

·Civil society organization and youth organization should be at the fore front to redefine the current educational system to the populace and the needs for parents to send their children to school to reduce the illiteracy threshold. 

·Since most African countries are not financially buoyant enough, the governments are urged to invest bulky cash to subsidize education to the underprivileged, this will surely increase the score of literacy.  

·Policy makers should draft polices that would give the platform for dropouts to reconnect back to schools/ technical vocational education training centers and urge both government and private sectors to invest heavily in it, this will reciprocate significantly to literacy increment.  

 

By: Sheikh Tijan Badjie 

Reference
·Khanyi M. 9 in 10 Children in Africa Can’t Read- These Organizations Are Working to Change That. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/these-organisations-help-child-literacy-in-africa/


Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 29, 2022 at 12:20 AM

    Well said. The literacy of the African child should be a priority to secure growth and development.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 29, 2022 at 12:46 PM

    Masha Allah, well said.

    ReplyDelete

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