Education For All by the Year 2000 (EFA 2000): Its Feasibility in Some Countries in Africa: Can Teacher Education Ensure Quantity, Quality, and Relevance for Education in the Year 2000?

Abstract

This paper assesses the feasibility of Education For All by the year 2000 in some countries in Africa. It identifies and explores three basic challenges which EFA 2000 poses to teacher education in Africa, that is: quality, quantity, and relevance: The paper briefly explores the problems faced by these countries and suggests possible ways in which teacher education could facilitate the attainment of some measure of success. Information and recommendations from a conference that the author attended and addressed on the subject are used to elucidate the arguments raised. The paper concludes that considering the amount of ground still to be covered, and the little time remaining it will not be possible to realise EFA 2000 in most African countries. It is conceded, however, that fairly high levels of educational provision will be attained so as to warrant active consideration of how teacher education could contribute to the improvement of the quantity, quality, and relevance of that education. Significantly, educationists in general, and teacher educators in particular, are challenged to take the responsibility to ensure that the education, which it is the business of their profession to give, measures up to the demands of quantity, quality, and relevance to the needs of every learner, not just to the needs of those few who will make it to university.