African Countries With The Best Education system– Africa may be an undeveloped continent, but it is pretty advanced in education. The literacy rate in Africa is fast reaching 80%, as gathered from a current estimation. Moreso, an impressive number of scholars, have been produced in the continent over time.
As a result, you have made the right decision if you choose or are still considering studying in Africa. You have to be sure of the top African countries with the best education system before applying to be educated in any institution in the continent to increase your chances of getting a qualitative education.
This is not a thing to consider when aspiring to study in Africa alone. With the look of things and the increasing percentage of literacy worldwide, education is now highly competitive, regardless of your course.
As a result, securing a job as a graduate can be quite herculean. this has therefore called for the need to be exceptionally good in one’s field of study, increasing the need to be educated in an academically advanced country and an institution.
In view of this and other factors, we have come to put together some of the top African countries with the best education system.
History of Education in Africa
Let’s examine a brief history of education in Africa. How did it all begin?
Formal education (which is our area of concentration in this piece) came relatively late in Africa. The first recognized appearance of legal education in Africa was, according to history, in the 15th century through the Portuguese Christian missionaries.
Subsequently – between the 15th and 19th centuries, formal education gained ground in Africa through the Dutch, French, German, and English missionaries.
Before this time, the transmission of knowledge in Africa was done orally, from generation to generation. People learn basic skills like singing, farming, dancing, and many others from their community or household members.
Since this is a form of education, we agree that Africans could still educate themselves without formal education.
The introduction of western education has resulted in many good and quite discouraging aftermaths in Africa.
Some critics say that one demerit of accepting western education is that it makes Africans feel like the culture of their ancestors is barbaric, thereby making some necessary customs and cultures go extinct.
Furthermore, another disadvantage of the introduction of western education was that it was not only dropped in the colonized countries in pain, but it was also a way of increasing the continent’s dependency, especially on its colonialists. And contrary to the myth commonly associated with the said form of education, it has had no direct impact on reducing poverty.
On the other hand, formal education has been so helpful in Africa. It has helped drastically improve the continent’s standard of operation in many aspects, including but not limited to economy, technology, and politics.
Top African countries with the Best Education System
1. Seychelles
Republique des Seychelles is the first on our list of African countries with the best education system. English is the country’s official language, even though Creole is more commonly spoken. A source has revealed that the literacy rate in Seychelles is 91.8%. This is an excellent rate – it will make you understand how much priority the country places on education.
Primary Education – In Seychelles, learners start their primary education at six. This level of education is to last for six years. Education is completely free at this level.
Upon the completion of this stage of education, learners are to take a national attainment test for the evaluation of the educational achievement they have been able to make over the years. Passing this examination qualifies you for the next phase.
Secondary Education – Students are to spend five years for the completion of their secondary school education in Seychelles. Four of these years are compulsory for everyone. Several years before 1998, students are to complete their sec education within four years and attend NYS, National Youth Service.
Pursuing students’ GCE O’Level certificate as a pass to get admitted into the tertiary institution becomes the next thing on the mind of students after the first four years in secondary school.
Tertiary Education – Post-secondary education in Seychelles is offered at the country’s university, polytechnic, and National Institute of Education. The tertiary education here is for two years.
For the first few years of schooling in Seychelles (primary school), learners will be taught in Creole. English will later be introduced to them as an instruction language at about age 10. This will be accompanied by French, which will be, on the other hand, taught as a foreign language.
Seychelles is thus an outstanding African school you can attend.
2. Egypt
The Egyptian government has made it a point to develop the country’s care and education system in the 21st century with the assistance of the World Bank.
Over time, this has been evident in the country’s literacy rate, which by the time has gotten 75.2% of its adults (from age 15 and above) educated, as gathered from a recent report.
There are three significant levels of education in Egypt, a total of which takes 11 years to complete. Education in Egypt starts with the kindergarten class, which takes two years. Primary education follows and has to be completed for six years. After this, the preparatory course will be accepted for three years.
Promotional examinations are set for students in every level of education except grades 6, 9, and 12, where national or standard regional studies will be taken.
At these points of education in Egypt, you will be promoted to entirely new classes, making these national examinations necessary to evaluate your educational achievement.
Higher education in Egypt is under the control of the Ministry of Higher Education. At the time of compiling information for this piece, Egypt has 20 public universities with about two million students and 23 private universities with about 60,000 students.
Egypt is great, especially in terms of education. If you would like to study in one of the African countries with the best education system, then rest assured that Egypt has some of them. The country is known for its ancient civilization and standard education among other African regions.
Egypt’s Cairo university, as a voice for the country’s education, ranks as one of the 363 universities in the global ranking.
3. Tunisia
In Africa, Tunisia is known for its education. This has been so since the time of its independence in 1956. But you may want to ask what Tunisia is. Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa.
One of the best you would like to visit is its attitude to education. The country is also well-known for its deep trading economy. Tunisia’s academic year runs from October to June annually.
Primary Schooling – For the first stages of education in Tunisia, children will spend nine years. The first six years are for every child’s primary education, after which they will be educated for three years in preparation for secondary school education. This is one intelligent and unique way with which the Tunisia education system has used to have its stand in Africa.
Secondary – Post-primary education in Tunisia is only for four years. This can also be divided into two; the first two years are for students’ education in general academics, while the other two are for specialized scholars.
After this, you can go to the university of your choice to further your education. There are 13 universities, six teachers’ training institutes, and 24 institutes of technological studies in the country.
Where you attend for your education does not count, the course you choose to study will determine how many years you will spend in school at this stage of your education.
Many languages, apart from the country’s official language, are spoken in Tunisia, so it is a country you can attend without having to bother about communication. Majorly Tunisians speak French, Berber, and Tunisian Arabic. This is because the county was, once upon a time, colonized by the early French colonial rulers.
In addition, Italian and English are commonly spoken in the country, with a good number of its population also speaking Turkish.
4. Mauritius
Mauritius is another African country that should be allowed on this list. About 91% of the country’s population is educated, as obtained from a 2018 report on Wikipedia. Education has been one major preoccupation of the country’s government, to prepare itself for a better future since her independence in 1968.
The country is primarily known for its sound education in the continent because it educates based on the British education system since it was initially a British colony. It runs a 2+6+5+2 system of education.
There are therefore four classifications of education in the country. Namely:
- Pre-primary – Children from age three are admitted into pre-primary schools for their first two years of formal education.
- Primary – The second level of education, a primary school in Mauritius, offers six years of education to children. Thus, children who started their pre-primary school education on time can enroll for primary education and be done with this phase at age 11.
- Secondary – After coming out successfully in the PSAC’s national examination in primary school, pupils’ performances will be assessed, and those who pass will be promoted to secondary school.
- It usually takes seven years to complete secondary school education in Mauritius. Still, after the first five years of teaching at this level, students sit for the Cambridge School Certificate examination, qualifying them to run the other two years.
- Upon completing this, you can also decide whether to either go for upper secondary education (meant for students between 17 and 20) or not.
- Tertiary education – Students above age 18 can proceed to the higher institution of their choice at this stage, to pick whichever course suits them.
Studying in Mauritius is not all that expensive. A source has stated that, on average, students wishing to study in Mauritius should prepare to pay between MUR 90,000 to MUR 160,000 annually.
Due to the qualitative education you will receive in the country, the tuition fee may seem expensive, but that is nothing if you have given yourself reasons to attend the school. Schooling with scholarship grants and student loans with the number of platforms open to academic students in the country has always been helpful.
Sit up and stay focused on standing a chance of enjoying some of these financial services available to ease the progression of education.
5. South Africa
South Africa is one of the most significant African countries, with a large number of blacks, Asians, Whites, and people of color as residents. There are many officially spoken languages in Africa, including English, Setswana, Afrikaans, Sepedi, etc. SA, formally known as the Republic of South Africa, is a diversified country with many languages and religions.
In South Africa, primary school education is compulsory for anyone who wants to be educated. Education at this level is for nine (9) years – often referred to as grades 1 to 9.
It is usually for children between the ages of 6 and 14. Sometimes children may complete their education at this level when they are 15, 16, or so, given that they started at around 7, 8, amongst others.
After completing primary school in SA, learners proceed to secondary school for a three years program. At this point, it is referred to as grade 10-12 – should you hear a South African use the term grade 11 or so?
After this program, students are to sit for the National Senior Certificate examination to be granted access to higher education.
Vocational secondary education comes immediately after this. It is a two years program.
Whoever wants to continue to a tertiary institution can proceed after the completion of their secondary school program. The course you take will determine how many years you are to spend at this stage. Usually, it goes anywhere between 2-4 years. A few other courses may require more or less.
6. Algeria
Algeria’s literacy rate in 2022 was said to be 81.4% of the country’s total population. It is an excellent rate for an African country. Knowingly well that the continent is not only considered underdeveloped but also the poorest in the world, according to a recent study. Algeria is an African country known for its Islamic heritage and qualitative education.
The Algerian government mandates primary education for all children. This, of course, comes without stress on residents, as education at this stage is conventionally offered for free in the country.
Learners take this nine-year program between grades 1-9. It is for children between 6-15 years. This is the stage before secondary.
Secondary school education in Algeria is also termed grade 10-12. It is a three years program that, according to a report, will be taken by less than half of the learners who complete their primary school education. The said three years program would be duly categorized into general, specialized, and vocational or technical education.
Upon completing primary and secondary school education, students are to proceed with their education, if they would like to, with their baccalauréat de l’enseignement secondaire result. This examination would be conducted after three years of secondary school education.
The country has several institutions offering higher education programs to post-secondary students. The institution you choose to study in and the course you choose can play a significant role in determining how many years of your tertiary education will cost you.
7. Botswana
Botswana must go on any list of the top ten African countries with the best education system. It is one of the best places you should visit and get educated in if you ever plan to study in Africa. Nonetheless, Botswana is only partially an English-speaking country.
For every child’s first four years of education in the country, they will learn through Setswana. Subsequently, classes will be held in English. Thus, English is nonetheless the official language of the country.
If you understand some other languages like Danish, Portuguese, Arabic, French, Swahili, Afrikaans, and German, you will enjoy communication in the country since a significant number of residents speak them.
Botswana’s higher education system will be said to be duly represented by the country’s eight recognized universities, including the University of Botswana, Botho university, etc.
Education is enhanced in Botswana through the various programs and systems adopted by the government. One thing that makes Botswana stand different from many others on the continent is free education.
All learners are offered free education for the first ten years of schooling. This has gone a long way to motivate guardians and parents to sponsor their children further and ultimately contributed to the country’s literacy rate. According to a source, Botswana’s literacy rate stands at 86.8%. This rate is good enough.
Another reason Botswana’s education system is perfect is the pupil-teacher ratio, which is 13 to 1. This will help promote peace in schools and enhance learning processes.
8. Kenya
Kenya came on our list of the top 10 African countries with the best education system, firstly as a result of its literacy rate. The country’s literacy rate is, in a recent report, said to be 81.5%. This is a favorable rate an average African government wants to hit.
Kenya, as a multilingual country, adopts English and Swahili as widely spoken languages; lingua francas. Although the government inherited English from colonial rule in distant years, there are more speakers of Swahili in Kenya.
This should be fine for you, as several other languages (you may understand better) are primarily spoken in the country. They include Kikuyu, Kamba, Somali, etc. These, in addition to the minor spoken languages in Kenya, make it a good place for anyone around the globe.
What does Kenya have for you in terms of education? Founded on December 12, 1963, Kenya is a country in the Eastern part of the continent, with a coastline on the Indian ocean. The government is known for being the world’s best Safari destination and one of the best in education system among other African countries. Education has been one priority of the government in Kenya since the country’s independence years back.
Kenya has 16 years of education, should you plan to attend school there. A breakdown of it is as follows: first eight years in Primary school, before proceeding to secondary for another four years of education, and eventually to the university or other higher institutions for one’s final four years of schooling.
The four years planned out by the government for higher education may only sometimes go that way, as several issues can contribute to the number of years a student will spend at the university. Such factors include the area of interest (course chosen) and choice of institution.
In addition, Wikipedia disclosed in an article that the country has 30 public universities (one of which is the popularly recognized University of Nairobi) and another 30 (chartered) private universities. The University of Nairobi ranks 794 on the world’s university ranking list, which is an excellent performance for an African university.
9. Cape Verde
Cape Verde is another great African country with formal education. The country’s literacy rate has recently been said to be 86.79%. This shows the evolution of education has been rapid, based on the effectiveness of the implementation of the 1975 educational system ideology.
To enforce citizens for the development of their country (as well as life after school), the Cape Verde secondary school curriculum prioritizes imparting cultural, scientific, and technological knowledge to students.
The basic education system in Cape Verde is also known as the six-six system. Learners get preschool education from age six and below, then enter primary school for another six years of teaching before earning a secondary school education.
At the secondary school level, students study from grade seven through twelve, spending; additional five years in school. This can be likened to the U.S. educational structure.
When you talk of higher education in Cape Verde, you are most likely referring to one or all of the nine universities in the country. It is one of the African countries that has maintained a small number of higher institutions for proper government care, supervision, and management.
The universities are namely: Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde, Institution Superior de Ciências Económicas e Empresariais, Institution Superior de Ciências Jurídicas e Sociais, M EIA – Instituto Universitário de Arte – Tecnologia e Cultura, University of Mindelo, Universidade de Santiago, Universidade Lusófona de Cabo Verde, and Universidade Intercontinental de Cabo Verde, University of Cape Verde.
10. Namibia
Since its independence in 1990, Namibia has been one of the countries recognized primarily for its unique system of education in Africa. The southern African country is officially known as the Republic of Namibia.
Since its independence from the German colonial rulers in 1919, the country has accumulated around 1900 schools. Only 100 of these schools are privately owned and managed. We learned from a source that the country’s literacy rate is around 91.3% – this is great and impressive.
In Namibia, a minimum of ten years of schooling is compulsory. It is meant for residents between the ages of 6 to 16. This is the early stage of a child’s education, also known as primary education. Based on competency, pupils will be promoted from class to class at this stage.
Students are subsequently promoted to take their secondary school education program as they prepare themselves for life at the university.
How is the tertiary education system in Namibia? There are five (5) universities in Namibia. The country does not have many higher institutions, so education is under proper control. These schools offer 48 study programs to students.
It will be worth it to look at the country’s grading system. If you study at any Namibia University, the following grades will be used in measuring your performance, and here is what they mean.
A+ (First class), A (Upper second class), B (Lower second class), C (Credit), D (Satisfactory), and F (Failed). By now, you should know what letter you are to work for in any Namibia university.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some of the commonly asked questions by people seeking to know the top African countries with the best education.
Which African countries have the best education system?
Seychelles offers the best education system in Africa. The Seychelles government worked on the country’s education system and ensured that it came first on the 2022 list of the African countries with the best education, earlier released.
The country with a population of fewer than 100,000 residents has been able to achieve this, after investing in several efforts since 1976.
Seychelles, according to sources, is the first and only Adrian country that has fully met the “education for all” UNESCO’s aim. It has also attained the title of the first African country to attain a position in the top 50 education global ranking.
It came 43rd, ahead of countries like Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine. The government is the best African country in education, with 69.3 points.
The literacy rate in Seychelles is also very encouraging. A 2022 report disclosed the rate as 95.87% – astounding!
What is Nigerian education ranking in Africa?
Many are also eager to know what number Nigeria comes on the list of African countries in terms of the education system because the country is the most populous in the continent, as well as a famous one. It is referred to as the giant of Africa.
Nigeria is the 11th African country with the best education, following its 2018 literacy rating, which goes to 62.02% from 10.94% in 2008.
The country would have appeared on this list if it had been designed for the top 15 or 20 African countries. The University of Ibadan, the best in the country, ranks 349 on the global list.
Meanwhile, the first country on the African list comes 43rd in the global ranking list, and Nigeria appears to be the 143rd country on the worldwide list. The county’s education system has gone terribly over the years.
Which country in Africa has the worst education system?
Niger, with a population of about 21 million, is the worst country with the worst education system in Africa, and it has the lowest adult literacy in the continent, 28.7%.
Niger is an African country bordered by Nigeria to the south and Libya to the northeast. Reporting Niger as the worst in education is not subject to our desire or for defamation purposes. The country is also well known for several things, including preserving its tradition and culture. It sits on some of the largest uranium deposits in the world.
Here comes the other side of the topic we have discussed from the beginning of this page. Many also want to know this, you need to. Learning from both points of view means you know that Niger (the worst) is directly the opposite of Seychelles (the best) in terms of education in Africa.
Attention: Niger is not mistaken for Nigeria, should you be a non-African.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Seychelles, Tunisia, Mauritius, South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Kenya, Cape Verde, Egypt, and Namibia are the African countries with the best education, respectively. They are the first ten in a continent of 54 countries in Africa.
On the other hand, Niger is the least of all African countries with the worst education.
With time, Africa hopes that countries like Seychelles (which is already getting places on the global education ranking by countries) will give the continent a say in the aspect of education.
