January 17
Kenya: Should Kenya Abolish All School Exams? Expert Sets Out Five Reasons Why They're Still Useful
The role of examinations in Kenyan schools is under scrutiny. This is because there is a lot that is wrong with the country's examinations, a situation that threatens to derail… Read more »
January 09
Africa: Phd Students' Mental Health Is Poor and the Pandemic Made It Worse - but There Are Coping Strategies That Can Help
A pre-pandemic study on PhD students' mental health showed that they often struggle with such issues. Financial insecurity and feelings of isolation can be among the factors… Read more »
Southern Africa: Studying Engineering Is Tough - 6 Insights to Help University Students Succeed
Engineering courses are a popular choice among South African university students. But these courses are also gruelling and the attrition rates are high. The Council on Higher… Read more »
January 04
South Africa: Bullies in South African Schools Were Often Bullied Themselves - Insights From an Expert
"Pupil stabbed to death at Gauteng school had suffered history of bullying". "Grade 6 learner commits suicide after bullying". "Grade 11 learner takes her own life after taunts… Read more »
December 29, 2023
Africa: Time to Choose a Career? a Psychologist Offers Tips On the Journey After High School
Pivotal decisions loom large for high school graduates and those with responsibility over them. The trajectory has been a fairly straightforward line until now - learning and more… Read more »
November 23, 2023
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Education System Is in Crisis - Now's the Time to Fix It
In October 2023, Ethiopia's minister of education, Berhanu Nega, disclosed several shocking figures on the outcomes of the 12th-grade national examination. Of the 3,106 schools… Read more »
November 21, 2023
South Africa: A Free Messaging App Seemed Useful for Disadvantaged South African Students
South African higher education is plagued by inequalities due to the social and economic legacies of apartheid. Read more »
November 19, 2023
South Africa: South African University Students Use AI to Help Them Understand - Not to Avoid Work
When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it sparked many conversations and moral panics. These centre on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the information… Read more »
November 08, 2023
South Africa: Do You Like Snakes, Lizards and Frogs? Why Herpetology Might Be the Career for You
We are so fortunate to share the world with a huge diversity of creatures. For me, some of the most fascinating are reptiles and amphibians. Collectively called herpetofauna,… Read more »
November 07, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Universities Aren't Training Future Civil Servants for What the Country Needs
Many analysts blame state capture - the corruption of the management of public affairs - for the weakening of state capacity in South Africa. A judicial commission of inquiry into… Read more »
November 02, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Literacy Crisis - Our App Could Help Young Readers By Using Home Language and English
Literacy changes lives: in Unesco's words, it "empowers and liberates people, ... reduces poverty, increases participation in the labour market and has positive effects on health… Read more »
November 01, 2023
South Africa: Multimedia Is Key to Distance Education - I Built a Model South African Universities Can Use
Distance education first appeared in the United States in the 1800s. At the time, students received the relevant material through the post and then returned it to the institution. Read more »
October 26, 2023
Africa: Global University Rankings Embrace Social Impact, African Universities Shine
World university rankings are released towards the end of each year. Institutions globally scramble to see how they have fared. Have they risen or fallen? If so, by how much and in… Read more »
October 24, 2023
Zimbabwe: HIV-Positive Parents in Zimbabwe Struggle to Manage Their Children's Educatio
Over the past three decades researchers have explored various aspects of the impact of the HIV pandemic. One focus area has been children who have lost their parents to AIDS. Less… Read more »
October 18, 2023
Africa: Colonialism Shaped Modern Universities in Africa - How They Can Become Truly African
Colonialism profoundly shaped modern universities in Africa. It implanted institutions on African soil that were largely replicas of European universities rather than organically… Read more »
October 17, 2023
Nigeria: Sexual Harassment Victims in Nigerian Universities Blamed, Study Finds
Sexual harassment encompasses a wide range of inappropriate behaviour, from ogling, touching and commenting about body parts, to sexual proposition, coercion, assault and rape. In… Read more »
October 04, 2023
Africa: Teachers Can Nurture Students Who Care About the World - Four Approaches That Would Help Them
Teachers wear many hats. They are expected to be subject matter experts, leaders, administrators, managers, lifelong learners - and not just in the classroom, but in their wider… Read more »
October 03, 2023
Africa: African Thinkers Analyse Some of the Big Issues of Our Time - Race, Belonging and Identity
The subjects of race, identity and belonging are often fraught with contention and uneasiness. Who are you? Who belongs? Who is native, or indigenous to a place? These perennial… Read more »
South Africa: Language Skills Could Improve History Teaching in South Africa
In recent years there's been growing recognition among education experts that integrating content and language learning is key to promoting comprehensive academic achievement. Read more »
September 28, 2023
Ghana: Akan Folklore Contains Ancient Wisdom That Could Benefit Ghana's Western-Style Education System
Philosophies of education serve as frameworks for producing lifelong learners and a knowledgeable and skilled human workforce who develop their societies. Ghana's education system… Read more »
September 21, 2023
Africa: How Well You Do At School Depends On How Much Your Teachers Know
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made remarkable progress towards reaching universal school enrolment in the past 25 years. Across the region, 8 in 10 children of primary… Read more »
September 20, 2023
Africa: Five Golden Rules for Effective Science Communication - Perspectives From a Documentary Maker
Over the past three years, people from all walks of life have learned a great deal about different branches of science. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many of us to information… Read more »
September 18, 2023
Kenya: Kenya's New Urban School Meal Plan Is Ambitious - It Could Offer Lessons for Scaling Up
More than 250,000 children in public primary schools in Nairobi will receive regular subsidised school meals provided by the county government. The Dishi Na County programme is… Read more »
August 17, 2023
South Africa: Teen Mums in South Africa - Largest Ever Study Explores What It Takes to Go Back to School
Imagine the weight of responsibility for caring for a child when you are not yet fully grown yourself, and the fear of being shamed by parents, fellow learners, and even strangers… Read more »
July 31, 2023
Africa: 3 Ways Higher Education Can Become More Hopeful in the Post-Pandemic, Post-AI Era
We live at a time when universities and colleges are facing multiplying crises, pressures and changes. Read more »