Eritrea’s education system is plagued by inadequate investment, corruption, and systemic barriers that hinder progress. Despite constitutional commitments to education, the country’s education expenditure remains well below the African average, stagnating at under 2% of GDP. This low spending, compounded by high corruption levels, severely limits resources for improving the quality of education. Key challenges include poor access to pre-primary and secondary education, with nearly half of primary-age children out of school. Tertiary enrolment is also alarmingly low, and high student-to-teacher ratios further diminish educational quality. Additionally, forced conscription of students and teachers, along with practices like child marriage, prevent many from completing their education. While Eritrea has outlined plans to improve education, these initiatives require substantial financial investment and reforms to address social issues and increase gender equality, which are essential to ensuring broader access and better quality education.
Pray for adequate investment in quality education for all children in Eritrea. Pray for the authorities to take action to improve the country’s education quality (The Holy Bible, Ecclesiastes 11:1).
Pray for wise counsel from the authorities to address the social issues that prevent children from completing their education in Eritrea. Pray against corruption, which hinders the growth of the education sector in the country. (The Holy Bible, Matthew 18:10).
News Source: Amnesty International
Image Source: Canva
