Job markets are changing and girls and women can no longer rely on traditional occupations. One of the factors which must be addressed urgently is the acute shortage of science textbooks in Africa. It is not enough to enroll more girls in science subjects, teaching methods and materials must be improved. Syllabuses have a tendency to be too abstract and students rarely do practical experiments. A major reform is needed too to make science and maths more relevant to the lives of girls and women.
Research shows that girls excel in subjects that have a bearing on their lives.
For these reforms to happen, teacher training must be improved and teachers must learn how to transmit to their students a scientific and mathematical way of thinking and the ability to apply learned facts to new situations. Benin, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.