Higher education has been relegated to the back burner as public debate focuses on primary and secondary schools, which have had more pressing issues in regard to access, funding, examinations and staffing. But that does not mean that all is well in higher education.

More than 180 people employed in the tourism and hospitality services sector attended a specially designed Tanzania Host training programme at Arusha Hotel Training Institiute last week.

'HELLO? This is Metro FM. Who are we speaking with and where are you speaking from, please?" "I'm .... and I'm speaking from .... in Lagos."

The Teachers Union in Arusha (CWT ) has decried the government reluctance to pay teachers allowances and arrears unless they threatened to strike.

THE Ministry of Education has selected 12 districts for special attention because of poor performance over the years.

THE chronic conflicts at Makerere University Kampala (MUK) have drawn Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi's concern. He has asked the education ministry to prepare a memorandum for discussion by Cabinet.

A FEW HUNDRED METRES from the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (where the Grand Coalition met for a "bonding" session last week), on a steep mound of mud and rubbish, stands a communal pit latrine shielded by rusting mabati sheets.

The Zimbabwe School Examinations Council has reviewed Ordinary and Advanced level examination fees for June and November this year.

I would like to draw the attention of Ministry of Education and the government in general that while they boast of having enough teachers, they will in the near future wake up to find a shortage of these professionals in the country.

The air travel industry in Nigeria which was beginning to suffer from a dearth of Nigeria-born pilots may be on its back from that setback with the recent resolved by Virgin Nigeria to give young Nigerians the opportunity of a lifetime as pilots. Nseobong Okon-Ekong reports.

World Bank has said Nigeria might not attain the Universal Basic Education (UBE) goals by 2015 because of the huge financial investment needed.

Two students have won the 2010 Green Goal Mouille Point Student Landscape Design competition for designing a safe, spacious and aesthetic inner city park and recreation area head of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

National Science Week kicked off on Saturday with learners in the Western Cape receiving test tubes, measuring cylinders and thermometers to experiment and conduct tests with.

Professor Wole Soyinka at the weekend took a swipe at the Nigerian political elite accusing them of promoting and arming cultists in Universities and turning around to accuse pirate confraternity.

In this last part, former Makerere University Academic Registrar, Dr Mukwanason Hyuha exposes the 'dirty tricks' and 'politics' that forced him out of the institution - to its detriment

National Committee on Science and Technology Education in Post Basic Education has recommended 80 research projects to the Minister of Education for approval.

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has said it has developed a strategy to guide against the involvement of teachers in examination malpractice, cultism and other vices in schools.

Hints emerged at the weekend that President Umaru Yar'Adua has cancelled the decision of his predecessor, President Olusegun Obasanjo to merge the Nigerian Institute of Social Economic Research (NISER) with the premier university, University of Ibadan.

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Denis Polisi has called upon university students to be the vanguards in the fight against the Genocide ideology in the country.

Eritrea and Egypt agreed to enhance cooperation in the education sector, especially in higher education and scientific research.

For Safia Ama Jan who championed education in Afghanistan for three decades, school was a sacred place. To her, the future of Afghanistan rests with ending the senseless violence and discrimination that keeps girls hostages of their own communities.

THE Makerere University Business School (MUBS) council has not taken a decision to terminate an information and communications technology tender with SocketWorks.

A teacher in one of the secondary schools in Kyengera, Wakiso district, lost his job after he was found riding a boda boda. This was after the headmaster found him on the cycle, taking passengers to and from different destinations.

Angolan ambassador to Cote D'ivoire, Gilberto Buta Lutucuta, Saturday granted an audience to a team of students from Cocody University, with whom he discussed the teaching of Portuguese language there, Angop learnt.

Over 80 per cent of students in Angola are already integrated in the education reform, which started in 2004 with the goal of making the schooling system more efficient and correspond to the country's development aspirations, said Sunday in Luanda the deputy minister of Education,Pinda Simão.