In his document on the Church in Africa, Pope Benedict XVI addresses the educational crisis on the continent, calling high illiteracy rates “a scourge on par with that of pandemics.”
“True, it does not kill directly, but it contributes actively to the marginalisation of the person – which is a form of social death – and it blocks access to knowledge,” the Pope says in Africae Munus (The Commitment of Africa), signed on 19 November.
The document, which presents the Church’s role in the future of Africa, expands on themes from the 2009 Synod of Bishops for Africa, including education.
The document notes that the educational crisis is not limited to Africa but is a worldwide problem. Africa, however, suffers more than other continents, with a literacy rate of less than 60 per cent according to international agencies.
It calls for the development of educational programmes that rely on both faith and reason to prepare children for adulthood.
It says it is important for students to be educated in the faith and to gain an understanding of the Church’s social doctrine since religious education institutions “train children in the African values that are taken up by those of the Gospel.”
Bishops in Africa also have a responsibility to provide schooling for children. “This is a matter of justice for each child and, indeed, the future of Africa depends on it,” the document states. – CNS