EDUCATION - The African Mirror

Jun

04

2026

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…

May

16

2026

By MOSES NGWARE

100 million African children are not in school. What’s driving the trend and how to reverse it

EDUCATION

MANY countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data have revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school, out of a total potential population of 469 million. The latest statistics suggest that after some years of progress, the situation is deteriorating. Education and youth empowerment scholar Moses Ngware and his co-researchers recently carried out an analysis of trends going back 25 years. Their main findings are set out below. What are the school attendance trends in Africa across all age groups? In 2000, the number of out-of-school children…

May

13

2026

By FRANK QUANSAH

What’s stopping kids from learning useful skills? Short answer: exams

EDUCATION

ACROSS Africa and beyond, education systems are shifting to curricula designed to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Competency-based curricula put learners at the centre. They are meant to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, where success depends on the ability to adapt, think critically, and solve complex problems. Unlike traditional curricula, which often emphasise covering content and memorising facts, competency-based curricula focus on how students apply what they learn in real-world situations. For example, instead of simply recalling scientific definitions, students might be asked to use a concept to explain how diseases spread. Much of the discussion around…

Apr

22

2026

By REBECCA MORGENSTERN BRENNER and SONNY S. PATEL

Young Africans will inherit a climate crisis: how kids in Sierra Leone are getting ready

EDUCATION

IF today’s young people are tomorrow’s leaders, they will inherit not only the world’s problems but also the tools and ideas to solve them. One of the biggest changes they will face is a changing climate. This means hotter days, more intense storms and floods, longer droughts, and big changes in where and when rain falls. Youth need to be actively involved now in deciding how their cities will prepare for these changes. We are climate adaptation researchers and university professors who study how communities can prepare for floods, heatwaves, and displacement. Together with our co-author, Bashiru Koroma, president of…

Mar

28

2026

By MICHAEL JOHAN VON MALTITZ

Teaching mathematical statistics: one lecturer’s way of testing what students understand

EDUCATION

IT’S getting tougher to assess how much university students have learnt. In his work as a Mathematical Statistics lecturer, Michael von Maltitz has tried a new way of getting students to learn, and of assessing what they’ve absorbed and retained. Students have to show and discuss how they arrived at their understanding of the subject. They can’t just rely on cramming, because he interviews them as if they were applying for a job. What prompted you to try something new? “We understand, but how will it be asked in the test?” This is the question that was posed to me…

Mar

27

2026

By AMANI KARISA

Do dads of disabled children do enough? Kenya study points to misunderstood ways of caring

EDUCATION

A child’s success at school doesn’t depend only on teachers and classrooms. Studies show that when parents engage with schools – by attending meetings, supporting learning at home and working with teachers – children tend to do better academically and socially. In many African countries, fathers hold decision-making and financial authority within families. This gives them strong influence over children’s schooling. But when a child has a disability – such as Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism or other conditions that significantly affect learning and daily functioning – a father’s involvement often shifts in complex ways. Research from Kenya and other African…

Mar

25

2026

By The African Mirror

Africa’s queen of every letter

EDUCATION

SOMEWHERE in Harare, Zimbabwe, as competitors from over twenty African nations shuffled nervously at their podiums and parents sent frantic prayers skyward, a 14-year-old girl from Ado Ekiti - calm, composed, and apparently unbothered by the weight of an entire continent resting on her shoulders - stood up and spelled her way into continental history. Her name? Adeolu Oluwadamilola Ooreofe. Her school? St. Lawrence Metropolitan College is tucked in the heart of Ekiti State. Her age? Fourteen. Her audacity? Continental. Damilola - as she is known to family, friends, and now an entire continent of admirers - has emerged champion…

Feb

25

2026

By The African Mirror

Africa is rising: The leaders are already here

EDUCATION

THE sun had barely crested the Johannesburg skyline when they began to arrive. From Burkina Faso and Zambia. From Namibia and beyond. Thirty young people - some walking with the confidence of those who have always been told the future belongs to them, others carrying the quiet fire of those who have spent their whole lives proving that it belongs to them too. They came to Johannesburg not as guests. Not as beneficiaries. They came as leaders. On 24 February 2025, the Special Olympics Africa Regional Youth Leadership Summit opened its doors - and in doing so, cracked open something…

Feb

07

2026

By SAVO HELETA and LOGAN COCHRANE

Countries need higher education to rebuild after conflict – study finds foreign aid isn’t going where it’s needed

EDUCATION

HIGHER education institutions are frequent casualties in violent conflicts. In Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan, to mention only a few recent examples, university campuses have been bombed. Academics, staff and students have been killed, injured or displaced. Teaching, learning and research have been undermined or come to a halt. Higher education plays a critical role in knowledge production, research, education and skills development in any society. In conflict-affected countries, the sector is also expected to support broader societal recovery, development and peacebuilding in the post-conflict period. In the aftermath of violent conflicts, higher education systems require support to recover and rebuild.…