Impact of a Poor Education System on Global Development, a Case Study on Uganda

Education is at the center of building human capital. The latest World Bank research shows that the productivity of 56% of the world’s children will be less than half of what it could be if they enjoyed complete education and full health.

In the same tone, it is a public secret that a poor education system can cramble global development, and this is very true when it comes to Uganda.

The current COVID-19 Pandemic and its adverse effects on the way of life of people and the status of the economy better explains how poor our education system is. We slept off when change passed around in the 2 decades that we spent fighting and getting back up, because of that, thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic, over 15 million pupils and students have been stranded at home - not studying for over 4 Months now.

The high unemployment rates in Uganda are attributed to the poor education system we adopted as a country that is regarded as elitist, academic-oriented and less practical.

The education system is not skills-driven. One of the key strategies of implementing Vision 2040 should be reform of the education sector to align it with the human resource needs in the other productive sectors, and fit for the global scene.

Uganda needs to consider reforming the education system if we are to even to begin thinking of focusing on skills-development as a country.

Delivered well, education – along with the human capital it generates – benefits individuals and societies, thus improving global development, however a poor education system can have disastrous effects.

For individuals, education raises self-esteem and furthers opportunities for employment and earnings. And for a country, it helps strengthen institutions within societies, drives long-term economic growth, reduces poverty, and spurs innovation.

A poor Education system can be graded in many different ways from a system that creates a blueprint, and a high number of unemployed people, to one that doesn't focus on changing when change comes knocking.

The factors that contribute to poor quality education for children are many and varied. It is generally not one particular aspect of the service that results in poor quality, but a combination of factors that have a negative effect on children’s learning and development.

Factors such as leadership, vision and professional learning and development that contribute to high quality in some services are lacking or ineffective in poor quality services also, rigidly implemented routines, poorly resourced or unsafe learning environments and inappropriate teaching practice are also factors in poor quality education and care and this directly correlates to affecting Global Development.

If these factors are closely studied, it is believed that this would greatly improve on global development.

The World Bank always asserts that the world is facing a learning crisis. I wouldn't want this to be any truer than you. However, many scholars and thought leaders have come out to advise on what can be done to better Uganda’s Education System, although all this falls on deaf ears.