Imagine for a moment that you have one chance to pass a driving test; if you fail, you can never reapply for a license. You ask for the material you will be tested on and are told you can see it only briefly, peering over someone else's shoulder. No one has trained you to operate an actual car. And when it is time to take the test, you are blindfolded. The result will, of course, be catastrophic.

This isn't a bad analogy for the challenges facing a typical African elementary- or secondary-school student, even though most world political leaders and development specialists agree that the future of African nations lies in education. African schools teach toward set exams, which determine who passes and who leaves school. It is a system that does not foster much creative thought but in its own way ensures certain standards. Or would, if access to educational materials were equal throughout all schools.