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Education is Absolutely Critical for Economic Competitiveness

The Global Competitiveness Report from the recent World Economic Forum stated that 'Education and training have emerged as key drivers of competiveness, ensuring that the labor force has access to new knowledge and is trained in new processes and the latest technologies....A country's ability to absorb new technologies, to produce goods and services that can reach standards of quality and performance acceptable in international markets, to engage with the rest of the world in ways that are value-creating, is intimately linked to the quality of it's schools, to the priority given to training in mathematics and science, and to the existence and accessibility of specialized research and training centers.'

Governments, industry and educators should be alarmed at the complete lack of quality education and research in Africa. Everyone should be concerned with the deficiencies in Science, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, and Ethics Education. Smart AFRICAN GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND EDUCATION leaders should be pushing emergency legislation to quickly modernize ALL African schools so they can be competitive.

Africa Needs Legislation that provides tax-incentives for Businesses that Actively participate in Education Transformation. Africa desperately needs the kind of education transformation that will ease transferability of students in higher education - both from country to country and from discipline to discipline.

Why Should Anyone Care ?

For decades, many world respected Economists like Gary Becker (Nobel Prize winner in Economics at the University of Chicago) and Robert Borro of MIT among others, have convincingly argued and provided data on the importance of human capital in reducing POVERTY, DISEASES, ALL CAUSE MORTALITY, as well as provide stability for any kind of sustainable ECONOMIC GROWTH. RealFocus will go as far as to say that Educating Africa's Youth is the best step toward reducing the burden of some of the greatest problems facing the world today.

Africa Needs Education that emphasizes critical thinking and problem solving, as well as foster entrepreneurial literacy and help young people take risks. African policy-makers MUST create a landscape that rewards risk takers, and makes failure an acceptable cultural and financial option.

How Can RealFocůs Help

http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/resources/fastfacts_e.htm

RealFocůs is the voice for Individuals, Policy-makers, and Businesses who are interested in Helping Schools all over Africa provide what Dr. Jim Goodnight (CEO, SAS) and other global leaders recognize as essential skills: Intelligence, Creativity and Courage.

Anyone can SIGNUP to volunteer and be a tutor or mentor to a child in Africa to help teach Math, Science, Technology and Engineering teachers in Africa, and RealFocůs will link them with a school with teh greatest need.

Industry can support RealFocůs in a variety of ways; financially, host RealFocůs information sessions and charity drives, donate Computers and other modern day technological material that will help bridge the education gap and increase competiveness, provide internships qualified students in Africa etc.

A New Way Foward

The ONLY way to prepare Africa for even potentially more devastating future challenges from global warming, Disease Epidemic or any other problems is through Education as a part of Human Capital Development.

"In times of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves no longer equipped to live in a world that no longer exists." -Eric Hoffer

Douala, CMR
Updated Tuesday, February 09, 2010 9:00 AM