Looking through Clear Lenses to Address Education Isolations and Deficits

Lucy Njura Barimbui is a teacher by profession. She loves analysing education policies in Africa with a focus on the marginalised groups. Lucy is currently a regional coordinator for Education International, Africa. 

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted in 1948 recognises education as a human right for all. The importance of fast tracking the rights to education is further highlighted in the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development with emphasis on leaving no one behind. Through SDG4, ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’, education is set as a catalyst for all the other goals. It creates an opportunity for social mobility and reduces inequalities. Through education individuals can navigate and contribute to good health, climate change and the political wellbeing of communities. Unfortunately, education deficits and pockets of education isolation are prevalent in many African countries.  


There has been schooling wastage with so many children exiting the system without the basic skills to facilitate effective participation in life improvement activity. Worst of all we still have 259 million school age children out of school according to a report by UNESCO (2018). Sadly, half of them are either girls, children from the minority or the marginalised rural poor. This means that, the aspirations of SDG4 of leaving no one behind is a mirage especially in developing countries.  


A successful education system records targeted numbers of school going children enrolled into schools at the right age: the ability to transit the same numbers from one level to another and the power to portray expected learning outcomes at the final stage. The progressive education achievements should translate into measurable education outcomes that facilitate absorption into either the job market or competences that enhance survival skills without formal employment. 


With increased competition in the job market and falling economies, the demand for transformative education is critical, and the need to invest in the 21st century skills including enhanced technology has exceeded the knowledge-based education characteristic of many systems in Africa. 


The wholesale solutions to addressing education challenges especially in Africa must now retail! Transforming education means touching and smelling the dust on the ground that bars meaningful equal distribution of education. Education campaigns must transform issues on equity, total inclusions, quality, and relevance. The future actions must be targeted and multifaceted! Advocates must look at pockets of exclusion and organisations must go to those areas that are ‘difficult to reach’ because human beings are living and surviving in ‘unpleasant conditions.’ Funding to facilitate learning resources must be aimed at addressing the permanent gaps that are often ignored in large-scale education planning. 


Quality leadership in education will be the next big thing that organisations must address. There must be accountability of resources dedicated to education programs in the left-behind areas. Slogans such as “show us the value, let our resources transform future generations” and “everyone counts, leave no one behind” must litter our future education actions and campaigns if we truly wish to make the world a fairer place for ALL. 


Let’s look through clear lenses to see what others have refused and failed to see, to meet our education goals. 



This article first appeared in Engage 25.


LUCY NJURA BARIMBUI • February 27, 2023

Octopus Legacy - Create a FREE will

By Steve Sinnott • January 16, 2026
We have partnered with Octopus Legacies to offer all of our supporters a free and easily accessible way of writing your will. When you write your will, you’re shaping the story of your life and you have the power to make that story continue. By taking up our free will offer and leaving a gift to The Steve Sinnott Foundation, you can help ensure that children and teachers around the world continue to have access to the education and training that they need. The offer of a free will helps you to plan for the future with ease and reassurance, ensuring loved ones are cared for while also creating a meaningful legacy. It’s a simple, accessible way to do something that feels personally fulfilling and socially impactful. Leave a legacy — help education flourish for generations to come As part of the free will writing process, we hope you will consider leaving a legacy gift to the Foundation. Leaving a legacy gift ensures that your values live on by supporting the Foundation’s mission to advance quality education for all. Your gift can help transform lives, enabling children, teachers, and communities around the world to access learning opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach and make a lasting impact on global education. Why leave a legacy gift? 1. Make a lasting impact on global education Your legacy can open classroom doors, train teachers, and empower communities through the gift of learning. Every legacy, large or small, helps to build a world where everyone has the chance to learn and thrive. 2. Reflect your values and inspire others Your will is a reflection of what matters most to you. By including The Steve Sinnott Foundation, supporters can express their belief in fairness, opportunity, and the power of education to change lives long after their own lifetime and inspire future generations. 3. Peace of mind with a free, professional will Through our free will offer, you can write or update your will with trusted professionals at no cost to you. It’s an easy, reassuring way to care for your loved ones and make a meaningful difference to others at the same time. Your gift will: Provide access to quality education for all children Support teachers and educators around the world Promote gender equality and inclusive education Strengthen communities through knowledge and opportunity Take the next step Leaving a legacy is simple and it starts with a conversation. Find out more about our free will offer Contact our friendly team at www.octopuslegacy.com/will/ssf to learn how you can create your will and make a lasting difference through education.

Putting partnerships at the centre of efforts to address the global teacher shortage

By Oliver Mawhinney, • January 16, 2026
In its 2024 election manifesto, the Labour Party pledged to, ‘...rebuild Britain’s reputation on international development with a new approach based on genuine respect and partnership with the Global South’. The National Education Union (NEU) warmly welcomed this new approach and the opportunities it presented to tackle the global teacher shortage. Just as thousands of additional teachers are required in the UK, millions more teachers are needed globally. 44 million additional teachers must be recruited by 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals for education, including 15 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone. A promise in peril Just over a year into office, the Labour government’s commitment to rebuilding trust and relationships with the Global South is in jeopardy. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to reduce the UK aid budget to 0.3% of gross national income by 2027 — to fund increased defence spending — has been condemned by humanitarian organisations as, ‘...cruel and shameful.’ Governments across the Global South, including a group of African education ministers, have also urged the UK to rethink its cuts. The consequences of UK aid spending retreating to its lowest level in almost thirty years are already being felt. Schools are closing, teachers are going unpaid, and students are at risk of dropping out of education permanently. In South Sudan, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has cancelled its flagship girls’ education programme, which had quadrupled girls’ enrolment in school, reaching over 1.2 million girls with cash transfers, helping them to enrol in school and complete their secondary education. Rethinking the cuts As the UK redefines its aid spending priorities, the NEU is calling on the UK government to sustain funding for education in emergencies and prioritise investment in teachers in emergency contexts. Evidence shows that teachers are the single most important factor in children’s learning and recovery. In emergencies their role is even more vital. In addition to teaching, they are frontline professionals, supporting children’s psychological needs and fostering an environment of safety, belonging and routine. Despite their indispensable role, teachers in crisis contexts face severe challenges including low or no pay, threats to their safety and wellbeing, and little or no access to professional development and support. Pupil-teacher ratios often exceed 80:1 or even 120:1, and there is an acute shortage of female teachers. Prioritise teachers to unlock education in emergencies To mark World Teachers’ Day 2025, the NEU published a new policy briefing urging the UK Government to prioritise teachers across its policy, programming and financing. This means committing to advance the rights, working conditions, and supply of qualified teachers in emergency and protracted crises, ensuring that they are trained, paid, protected, and supported. Achieving this is impossible without genuine international partnership. Fragile, conflict-affected, and refugee-hosting countries need sustained cooperation and support to implement strategies that address teacher shortages and uphold teachers’ rights. The role of the wider international community is also crucial. The UN High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, established by the Secretary-General, highlighted the urgent need for donors to work together on sustainable, long-term mechanisms to ensure the timely and adequate payment of teacher salaries in crises. The UK Government has a key role to play, by providing both financial and technical support. To unlock the transformative power of education, in Palestine, Ukraine, and every place where children’s futures hang in the balance, we must put teachers and partnerships at the heart of the UK’s global education and development agenda. Read the NEU’s new policy briefing at www.neu.org.uk/about/international BY Oliver Mawhinney International Policy Specialist at the National Education Union

Empowering Student Voices: Young Ambassadors Champion Inclusive Education for All

By Ann Beatty • October 13, 2025
In our continued commitment to ensuring quality and inclusive education for every child, we’ve taken our advocacy to a new level by empowering the next generation to lead the conversation. In partnership with The Gambia Teachers’ Union, we recently convened The Foundation’s Young Ambassadors for a vibrant day of engagement dedicated to promoting the right to education for all. The event brought together passionate students from selected senior secondary schools across Region 1, including St. John’s School for the Deaf, to explore what it truly means to make education inclusive, equitable, and accessible to every learner.