Developments and Trends in Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The development of secondary education in African nations and other low-income countries is receiving renewed interest. Developments and Trends in Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa is based on a review of various reports on the performance of secondary education in the region and summarizes developments over the past few decades.

The paper begins by outlining the main purpose of secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past, and whether and how this purpose may be changing. It then briefly describes the outlines of a quality secondary education according to UNESCO. This provides the basic framework for a subsequent analysis of the current status of secondary education in the region and how it has developed, focusing on the key issues of access and equity, quality, relevance, and policy. The publication of this paper was supported by OSI's Education Support Program, in cooperation with Transitions Online, Czech Republic.