A Flood of Misdeeds
Mismanagement and corruption continue to hinder the progress of education in Africa, suggests a recent Transparency International report on primary education in several African countries. The report cites several examples where local officials wasted the funds of school systems, which raised the costs that parents were forced to pay.
One of more outrageous examples of such corruption came from Madagascar, where school officials use the annual cyclone season as an opportunity to embezzle funds. A Space for Transparency blog explained how they do it:
Every year the coastal areas, mainly in the north eastern part of the island, face an onslaught from seasonal cyclones. First warnings usually start airing on TV and radio a few days before the cyclone hits, which gives people time to put their corruption scams into action. It works like this: when the cyclone is confirmed, the person in charge of school procurements pays a local merchant to fabricate an invoice for school supplies. The wind and rains come and lo and behold the school storage room is inundated with water and all the supplies are damaged. The school then submits a reimbursement claim to the central emergency fund for school materials. It explains how the storage room roof leaked and the supplies were ruined. The fake invoice is included in the claim.
As the World Bank points out, It is particularly important to address such practices in primary schools because education is the key to achieving other development goals. If poor kids are to have a chance at getting the education that could help them lift themselves out of poverty, a strong start in primary school is imperative.
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Education as a key investment
In the big picture, it's true; education is key to poverty alleviation. In particular, providing education to women in lesser developed nations is important, as 70% of the world’s poorest people are women. At a Clinton Global Initiative session, Bill Clinton shared the statistic that women do 66% of the world's work yet make only 10% of the world's income and own just 1% of the world's property.
Educating women has been proven to thwart overpopulation and lead to the achievement of other development goals. The video by The Girl Effect is a great illustration of how society can change when you "invest in a girl and let her do the rest."
Thanks for your post, Sarah. As I was told firsthand in Mauritius, near Madagascar, cyclones can be "an exciting change of pace." This positive description surprised me, considering cyclones' association with destruction. You helped me realize still others think about cyclones in another light, as a gateway for embezzlement. This is economically and morally wrong. Wasting educational resources is like stealing from the future.
Some Funding Should Be Diverted To Programs For Parents
These articles underline a big problem that is obstructing Africa’s current path toward increasing the education level and literacy rate. The major problem is the large amounts of corruption in their school districts. It is highlighted here by the specific examples during typhoon seasons in Madagascar, but it happens all over Africa. Corruption takes money away from already underfunded programs and tricks parents into paying more for their children’s education than they need to. It also teaches children questionable ethics, by showing them that corruption is okay. This will result in more problems for Africa when these children become adults. The way to fight this corruption is outlined by Transparency International: Programs need to be implemented that increase the education of African parents. The responsibility of stopping corruption falls on the shoulders of the parents. Parents must do this by being involved in their children's education. The problem is that currently they are not involved. By being involved they can easily see the corruption, report it, and have it dealt with by the government. Not only this, but a parent interested and involved in their children's education will motivate their children to do better and go farther with their education. These programs have already been implemented with success in Uganda, but they must spread throughout the continent if Africa wants to reach its goals of increasing the literacy rate. I propose that some of the money that is currently going to children education programs be diverted to programs that will increase parents involvement in their children's education. It is just as important at the moment. Without these programs one cannot expect Africa to reach their full potential. Education of parents and children must go hand in hand.
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