African children - the future of the continent - are rightly at the center of the development process. Their education is key to sustaining democracies, improving health, increasing per capita income, and conserving environmental resources.

Young girls Education lowers infant mortality, increases longevity, reinforces democratization and political stability, decreases poverty, reduces inequality, and lowers crime rates. Educated women have fewer and healthier children and are more likely to send their children to school. The individual and social impacts of these gains are essential to countries' strong economic growth. Indeed, primary education may be the highest yielding investment a country can make, as the economic growth generated by investment in education enables societies to make further educational investments, thus creating a virtuous spiral that reinforces and deepens the benefits. When the benefits of education are realized in Africa, the resulting higher wages and productivity will increase the demand for goods and services and lead to increased trade opportunities.

Whereas increased access to education, "education for all," is very important, it is important to improve educational quality at the school and classroom levels, a process that Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) has learned requires involvement of parents, teachers, school administrators, and policymakers. With Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) technical support, our missions have generated a sea change in attitude with regard to community participation in education. And missions will help develop new, inductive curricula that teach African children how to probe, question, think, and solve problems.

Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) basic education team advocated the "education sector support", Health, Peace and Environmental Conservation/ Management support which:

  • Promotes systemic reform rather than isolated projects (assisting missions to develop strategic, progressive, long-term, analytical, and context specific approaches for strengthening the education sector).
  • Assures sustainability, so that countries have the financial and institutional capacity to maintain and build upon their achievements.
  • Develops effective Health, Environmental Conservation/Management and Peace reform efforts by whether and how much children learn.