President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, has challenged African Leaders to tackle headlong, the educational inadequacies confronting countries in the continent.

He said that the problems were being compounded by inconsistent educational policies of African leaders which had continued to give rise to the continents illiteracy rate, poverty, unemployment and social ills.

He, spoke on Saturday night in Yola, Adamawa State, at the special award ceremony for the conferment on him, of an honorary doctorate degree by the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola.

Zuma regretted that the state of education in Africa was disheartening as the sector continued to go down the drain.

The Southern African President noted with concern that of the 100 top universities in the world none was in Africa, lamenting that the sorry state of education in continent was primarily responsible for its backwardness.

He admonished his counterparts in Africa to give education its deserved priority pointing out that no nation, could develop or advance further without sound and steady educational policies.

“African academics should be seen in the forefront of its struggle to emancipate the continent educationally, because they are in better position to offer balanced and African orientation to the people” Zuma adviced.

“I must condemn in my strongest term the unending brain drain in the continent as our best brains are being utilized abroad for exploitation and selfish interest by the so called colonial masters,” he further lamented.

President  Zuma further stressed the need for African educational system to promote the continent’s indigenous languages as parts of the continued efforts and struggle to emancipate the people.

He said that the honor bestowed on him by the American University of Nigeria, Yola, was a reflection of the cordial relationship his country had continued to share with the government and people of Nigeria.

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