Students of St Joseph primary school learning computer skills in class. Photo Credits : Edutab
Seth Onyango, Bird Story Agency….
When Zambia rolled out free education in 2021, local officials expected a gradual rise in enrolment, since previous initiatives had yielded modest turnout. Instead, classrooms quickly overflowed.
Schools that once struggled with attendance saw a surge of eager students, backpacks slung over their shoulders, ready to seize a long-denied opportunity.
While the initiative was widely celebrated for removing financial barriers, the sudden wave of enrolments placed unexpected pressure on scarce resources.
Teachers faced larger class sizes, schools worked to adjust their infrastructure, and administrators scrambled to ensure learning materials kept pace with demand.
Despite these challenges, the policy marked a shift in Zambia’s educational system, part of a broader trend in Africa where countries are ramping up investment in their education sector.
Apart from Zambia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Togo have all announced free secondary education policies in the last five years. Rwanda, Kenya, and South Africa were early trendsetters in this regard.
This reflects in literacy levels in Africa, which now average more than 70%, with 78% of youth and 67% of adults able to read and write, although this still trails the rest of the world.
It is a huge leap, given that just over 10 years ago, 72% of the world’s illiterate population was to be found in Africa, according to a European Union report.
“In 2008, nearly 796 million adults (17% of the adult population worldwide) could neither read nor write. Approximately two-thirds were women. A large majority of illiterates live in Africa. 10 countries account for 72% of adult illiteracy in the world. According to the "2011 Monitoring for All Global Education" report from UNESCO, read the report in part, at the time.
But with the World Bank average of 70%, African states are on course to achieving universal literacy.
Key among them is the sharp uptick in public investment. On average, African countries now allocate more than 22% of their public expenditure to education.
In the past decade, this has translated into improved gender parity in primary education, rising literacy rates, especially among young women, and increased access to secondary schooling.
This comes as collaborations between states spring up. For instance, Ethiopia plans to export its school construction blueprint to Djibouti and Somalia.
At the same time, the African Union has ratified a continental teacher licensing framework to standardise training.
Countries like Seychelles, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa are showing what’s possible with sustained investment and policy focus, each reporting 95.9%, 95.3%, and 95% literacy levels, respectively.
In Seychelles, near-universal literacy is fuelled by free, compulsory schooling and a strong emphasis on curriculum development.
In South Africa, literacy gains have come alongside support initiatives such as the National School Nutrition Programme and targeted investments in historically underfunded schools.
Other nations with notable literacy levels are São Tomé and PrÃncipe (94.8%), where decentralising education management has expanded access to schooling, and Namibia (92.3%), which has strengthened adult literacy programs and enhanced teacher training in underserved areas.
Even in countries facing significant challenges, literacy rates remain strong. Libya, despite ongoing instability, sustains a 91% literacy rate, aided by distance learning initiatives tailored for disrupted regions.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, at 89.7%, upholds its deep-rooted commitment to universal education, though persistent resource constraints continue to test the resilience of its system.
Countries with low literacy rates in Africa include Niger and South Sudan, which the World Bank put at 43 per cent and 48 per cent by 2018, respectively.
A report put Guinea’s level at 46 per cent while that of Chad and the Central African Republic stood at 31 per cent and 38 per cent in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
Studies show that Africa’s literacy challenges stem from inadequate legislation, funding, and a shortage of qualified professionals.
While free education policies have boosted enrollment, obstacles persist. Nigeria, for example, still has the highest number of out-of-school children in Africa—18.3 million—many in northern regions where the almajiri system remains widespread, according to the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Insecurity further disrupts education, with conflict and displacement affecting learning in crisis-hit states like Somalia and Sudan.
Additionally, limited reading culture and inadequate library services contribute to lower literacy rates in some areas.
Still, governments are working to combat illiteracy through interventions like lowering education costs, implementing school feeding programs, and adopting new learning models.
