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Broken Education System Linked to Labor Market Pitfalls

Broken Education System Linked to Labor Market Pitfalls

A recent report on education and economy by the World Bank reveals that although 70 percent of African students complete primary school, the education being offered is nowhere near sufficient. According to Voice of America (VOA), struggles in mathematics and reading contributes to an overwhelming mismatch “between the education system and the labor market.”

Seringe Mbaye Thiam, education minister of Senegal believes that the system should be divided into departments which research and correct missteps.

“For a group of Southern and East African countries, the regionally benchmarked exercise identified that 60 percent of sixth-graders after six years of schooling could not reach the level of what they define as beginning numeracy,” Deon Filmer, lead economist at the World Bank told VOA. “That means that these kids can recognize numbers, but they really don’t know what to do with them.”

STEM fields, the report noted, are needed to better meet the requirements to develop related professional fields and jobs.