By Gamal Nkrumah There is one vital quality to good education: it is in a state of constant change, evolution and progress. All education investment, nevertheless, is speculation. One buys a service whose future supply is bound to change. Education is key to a country's prospects for economic development and social advancement. This is especially the case in impoverished and least developed countries -- most located on the African continent. However, education is often viewed as a burden struggling African economies can ill afford. The obstacles for providing a decent education for all are formidable. There are many social concerns. But the biggest beef, not surprisingly, is the sorry state of the educational system. Pondering the educational options available to their children can cause many parents to break out in a cold sweat. Although many people in the developing countries of the South are poor, most are prepared to pay for the education of their children. And, Egypt is no exception. The problem, however, is that there is a dearth of creativity and entrepreneurship in the educational sector -- private and public -- that can be harnessed to cater to those seeking better education. There is a flicker of a brighter future. Yet, there is disgruntlement in the air. In this issue of Beyond, many views on the challenges of education are aired. In practically every country across the continent we witness the same familiar catalogue of educational incompetence. At first it seems like a monstrous mistake, or a series of mistakes. But, before you know it, the education sector is in shambles and a crisis of confidence ensues. Proper education is a prize that has eluded policy-makers across Africa. The sting in the tail was that dubious educational establishments mushroomed as would-be educationalists jumped headlong into the speculative fray. For millions of jobless young men and women education became something of a "wasting asset". Connections, rather than qualifications, in the end determine one's job prospects. Why then the need for seriously pursuing education? Education is one of those services that people will pay for even when it is bad, or when they are not entirely satisfied with the educational system. People tend to send their children to school and university even when they are not happy with the system. People simply have no other choice. It is the only guarantee to ensure good employment prospects for one's offspring. The problem was a combination of poor investment decisions, lack of proper funding and a flawed educational structure. As a result a number of ruthless operators began to prey upon gullible parents' desire to educate their children at any cost. What these sobering challenges reveal is that the public at large and parents in particular need to be extremely vigilant when investing in their children's education. There has never been a better time to overhaul the educational system. The best advice is to do as much research as possible on this subject of critical concern.
