EDUCATION - The African Mirror

Jul

25

2026

Why children learn English more easily with the help of their home language – Namibian study

EDUCATION

ACROSS Africa, millions of children grow up speaking African languages at home but are later expected to learn through English, French or Portuguese at school. This transition can make learning difficult, particularly when learners are required to understand new concepts in a language they are still developing. For example, in Namibia, learners switch from mother-tongue instruction to English in Grade 4 at the age of 9 or 10, a change that has been linked to poor reading comprehension and lower academic achievement (though national statistics are not available). We are education researchers who study teaching and learning in rural contexts,…

Jul

10

2026

By SALLY K. LEDWABA and ADRIAN D. VAN BREDA

Black women academics in my study said their main allies were White men – what this reveals

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITIES have a role in challenging the status quo on issues such as gender, race, nationality and sexuality. But all too often, they replicate societal inequalities. For example, a recent study notes that globally, only one-third of senior academics are women. In the US, universities have twice as many male professors as female. Culture is one driver of these intersecting inequalities in higher education. In South Africa, a report noted that in 2017, Black women made up 16% of university academics and 40% of the population, making them the most underrepresented group. There’s an imbalance by seniority as well as…

Jul

01

2026

By CHIDERA SAM-EZE, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Nigerian kids learning purpose through play

EDUCATION

THE sound of children’s laughter drifts through the compound long before the work day starts. Children move among puzzles, books, music sessions, and role-play activities. Some practice speaking in front of others. Others explore leadership exercises. A few sit quietly, building ideas through drawing and conversation. At the center of it all sits Philomena Nwajagu. For seven years, the Nigerian educator and social entrepreneur, known fondly as Phil, has been helping children develop essential life skills often overlooked in traditional classrooms. These include confidence, creativity, leadership, financial responsibility, and problem-solving. “Informal education teaches children how to live, how to be…

Jun

27

2026

By The African Mirror

Funding boosts postgraduate student success – South African study measures how

EDUCATION

POSTGRADUATE education is good for a country. Thriving economies need people with advanced academic degrees to enhance research productivity. Research and innovation capability have a positive impact on the competitiveness of a country. The South African government has developed an extensive financial support programme for undergraduate (first degree) education in the form of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). However, this doesn’t extend to postgraduate programmes. Postgraduate education, therefore, remains a luxury for many students, even though the National Development Plan aims to have over 25% of university enrolments at the postgraduate level by 2030. As academics in the…

Jun

25

2026

By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

When the door finally locks: dignity comes home to rural KwaZulu-Natal schools

EDUCATION

THERE is a particular kind of childhood arithmetic that no Grade 7 learner should ever have to perform: how long can I hold on, how fast can I get there, and how loud will the door not lock behind me. At Vuka Primary School in the rolling hills above Wartburg, that calculation used to run quietly through almost every school day. “Most of the Grade R and Grade 1 learners really struggle using the toilets,” Nandi Ndlovu, a Vuka learner, said. “I have never felt safe using them.” It is a sentence a child should never have cause to say.…

Jun

19

2026

By ALYSSA MORLEY; NELSON MASANCHE NKHOMA, and RACHEL SILVER

Malawi’s education choices in the wake of aid cuts

EDUCATION

OVER a year has passed since the Donald Trump administration dismantled USAID, cutting more than 5,000 programmes and slashing US$40 billion in funding worldwide. The cuts have reduced access to HIV treatment, driven up severe malnutrition among children, and resulted in an estimated 700,000 lives lost. Medication and infrastructure to treat diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and pneumonia were withdrawn. In education, USAID’s closure has created an “unprecedented crisis”, according to a report by the European Training Foundation, an EU agency. Aid austerity is not limited to the US. In 2025, overall official development assistance dropped by 23%, marking what the…

Jun

18

2026

By ROOS VAN DER HAER; ANDREAS FORØ TOLLEFSEN; GUDRUN ØSTBY; RAGNHILD NORDÅS, and SIRI AAS RUSTAD

Conflict hits schooling hardest where children are the target – study

EDUCATION

ACCORDING to UNESCO, around 250 million children (16%) globally are out of school, although they are of an age to be at school in their countries. Available evidence suggests that out-of-school numbers are extremely high in conflict-affected countries, though the exact number is hard to quantify. For example, in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Eritrea, more than 50% of primary school-age children are not going to school. Research has long shown that conflict disrupts education. But armed groups do not all operate in the same way. Some use tactics that directly target children, such as recruiting child soldiers…

Jun

09

2026

By FRANK QUANSAH

Ghana wants learner‑centred classrooms – but many teachers still favour old methods

EDUCATION

ACROSS Africa, countries are redesigning school curricula to prepare children for the demands of the 21st century. These reforms aim to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving rather than rote memorisation in schools. Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia have made changes, and Ghana is part of the movement too. In 2019, Ghana introduced a new curriculum for basic schools that strongly promotes learner-centred teaching. The idea is simple: instead of teachers dominating classroom instruction through lectures and note-taking, learners are expected to take a more active part through discussions, group work, inquiry and practical learning activities. But changing…

Jun

04

2026

By DAVID BAIDOO-ANU and MONSURAT RAJI

Cultural bias in West Africa’s school‑leaver exam questions puts many students at a disadvantage

EDUCATION

THE West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) is a high-stakes test. For decades, it has served as the gateway to post-secondary education across five countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia. But is it fair? David Baidoo-Anu and Monsurat Raji say their research shows that cultural bias in exam questions can put students at a disadvantage. This happens through language, contexts and examples. It raises questions about what counts as “ability” in standardised testing. Why do students in the five countries write the same exam? The exam is administered by the West African Examinations Council. This was…

May

29

2024

By MOENIERA MOOSA

How will teachers handle bullying? South African study finds they’re ill‑prepared

EDUCATION

BULLYING is a widespread global problem, with extensive research across countries showing that no school is immune. In South Africa, the scale is particularly concerning, with studies indicating that between a fifth and over half of learners have experienced or witnessed school violence. This means many pre-service teachers will enter training having experienced bullying at school themselves. Studies elsewhere have shown that experiences of bullying can foster empathy and intervention, but may also result in avoidance, helplessness or even aggression. That’s why it’s important to understand teachers’ beliefs and coping styles in addressing bullying. One theory about learning, Social Learning…