Browsing: Education

• Tackling poverty in Africa remains one of the primary goals of policymakers and institutions globally, including the World Bank.
• As the world’s economic powers focus on Africa for a share of its vast resources, the stars could be aligning for Africa to deal a body blow to the ghosts of poverty.
• One of the key cogs of this endeavor, however, is tapping on human capital and technology to drive change at scale, as advised by the UN.

One of the most vexing questions for policymakers internationally is how to make sustainable progress in tackling poverty in Africa. In this endeavor, which often draws in actors from across the globe, one thing remains clear: combating poverty in Africa requires empowering the continent and its people to make the most of its abundant resources.

With vast mineral resources and an increasingly educated and informed leadership and workforce, one wonders: Why is Africa …

• Across Africa, there is still very limited access to education.
• Even when accessible, there is a huge discrepancy in the quality of education offered.
• In a forum held in Tanzania, policymakers have urged governments to increase investment in education.

Education in Africa is poorly funded. In one too many countries, poor funding of education systems is an understatement. The African Union, designated this year, 2024, as its ‘Year of Education,’ and as we enter the last quarter of the year, stakeholders are asking, what have we learned about education in Africa?

The pros and cons of Africa’s education system were most recently highlighted at an education conference, held by the East African Community (EAC) member countries in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa. Themed “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Collective Action for Quality, Inclusive, and Life-long Learning in East Africa,” the conference sought to assess progress …

• There is a debt crisis in Africa as countries struggle to repay international loans. 
• According to the World Bank, nine African countries entered 2024 in debt distress, with another 15 at high risk of distress and 14 more categorised as moderate risk.
• According to the United Nations, Africa’s public debt will stay above pre-pandemic levels in 2024 and 2025.

At 4 per cent, Africa is projected to be the second fastest-growing economic region in the world in 2024,  according to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, behind the headline figure is a less optimistic reality.

Many African countries have suffered from slow post-COVID-19 recovery, climate change shocks, worsening food security situation, political instability, weak global growth, and high-interest rates. These economic shocks have pushed over 55 million people into poverty since 2020. The situation is increasingly alarming as more than half of the continent’s countries are in …

• DRC Joins the Organisation of Southern Cooperation after depositing the Instrument of Acceptance
• Secretary-General Manssour Bin Mussallam received the Instrument of Acceptance.
• The OSC, aimed at fostering cooperation and development among Southern Hemisphere countries

The Republic of the Congo has consolidated its full membership status of the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC) by depositing the Instrument of Acceptance by Daniel Owassa, Ambassador of the DRC to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union.

Secretary-General Manssour Bin Mussallam received the Instrument of Acceptance at a handover ceremony yesterday at the OSC Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The Republic of the Congo is a founding member of the OSC. The depositing of the Instrument of Acceptance signifies the completion of the full membership process by countries in the Global South.

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H.E. Bin Mussallam said the occasion marked the beginning …

• Recognizing the vital role of education, students and their families across sub-Saharan Africa have started using educational technologies to supplement formal schooling during times of disruption.
• Mobile laboratories (mobile labs) bring scientific tools and techniques right to the school parking lot, allowing students access to experiences far beyond what many schools can provide.
• In Chad, a mobile school offers nomad children hope. Chad’s nomads make up almost a tenth of the country’s population and many children in the community hardly get an education.

Countries and organizations are taking perceptible actions for Inclusive Education to succeed internationally as well as in individual African countries. Internationally, countries adopted several treaties in support of Inclusive Education. Inclusion has become a global issue while in different countries we can find many stated intentions and written policies to move towards its achievement.

In Africa, a few examples include South Africa’s Department of Education White Paper …

The National Association of School Governing Bodies’ general secretary, Matakanye Matakanye, told SowetanLIVE during an interview that many teachers were unemployed and the government should prioritize them over foreign teachers.

Matakanye also accused the government of failing to create a strong local capacity for specialist teachers.

“There are lots and lots of university graduates who are not working and we don’t get the department’s logic of taking people from outside our country when our people are not working. If this was happening five or 10 years after democracy, it would be understandable. It is unacceptable that the department of basic education is still getting educators from Cuba and Zimbabwe after 26 years of democracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to the Rwanda Education Board (REB), Rwanda is set to receive close to 500 Zimbabwean teachers by September this year. The teachers will be placed in polytechnics and higher learning institutions.…