EDUCATION - The African Mirror

Feb

14

2023

This edtech startup is helping rural schools overcome tech integration barriers in classrooms

EDUCATION

AT a chief's camp in Lokichogio, North West Kenya, various school children have gathered to observe microorganisms with pocket-size foldable microscopes. This is the first time these children are seeing and using microscopes. Barely 30 km from the South Sudan border, this semi-arid area inhabited by pastoral communities usually has limited access to learning innovations. "Since access to microscopes in this region is difficult, we introduced these foldable microscopes which can fit in pockets. The children can go to the fields with them," explained Patrick Njoroge, co-founder of Edutab. Edutab Africa is an edtech startup founded in 2018 to provide…

Feb

08

2023

By The African Mirror

George Magoha was a force for better education in Kenya. But he had his flaws

EDUCATION

THE death of former Kenyan education minister Professor George Magoha, 71, closes a vibrant chapter in education policymaking and leadership. It was a chapter marked by an unmatched commitment to educational reforms but equally coloured by controversy and missteps. Magoha was the cabinet secretary for education from 2019 to 2022. He also served as the chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council from 2016 to 2019. He was forceful and uncompromising, both under President Uhuru Kenyatta and during the transition to William Ruto. Author ISHMAEL MUNENE, Professor of Research, Foundations & Higher Education, Northern Arizona University His impact is unmistakable…

Feb

08

2023

By The African Mirror

ChatGPT: our study shows AI can produce academic papers good enough for journals – just as some ban it

EDUCATION

SOME of the world’s biggest academic journal publishers have banned or curbed their authors from using the advanced chatbot, ChatGPT. Because the bot uses information from the internet to produce highly readable answers to questions, the publishers are worried that inaccurate or plagiarised work could enter the pages of academic literature. Authors BRIAN LUCEY, Professor of International Finance and Commodities, Trinity College Dublin MICHAEL DOWLING, Professor of Finance, Dublin City University Several researchers have already listed the chatbot as a co-author on academic studies, and some publishers have moved to ban this practice. But the editor-in-chief of Science, one of…

Jan

21

2023

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s school reform is entering a new phase in 2023 – but the country isn’t ready

EDUCATION

THE start of the 2023 school year in Kenya marks an important occasion: the first cohort of pupils to adopt a new curriculum in 2017 are entering junior secondary school. The competence-based curriculum, as it is known, was launched in 2017 to replace the 8-4-4 system that had been in place for 32 years. The older system was criticised for its emphasis on teachers instructing students and on examinations. An evaluation in 1998, 13 years after it was introduced, detailed numerous shortcomings. These include subjecting students to a heavy workload. Author JANEROSE MUTEGI KIBAARA, Lecturer of Education Management and Policy,…

Jan

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s university system needs radical reform: student loans for more than 100 million people might be a good place to start

EDUCATION

AMID strikes by Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities, one thing is clear: the current funding model for the country’s public universities is broken. The government’s new Higher Education Bill aims to fix it. Our view, based on over 30 years of working in the academy, including holding positions as university administrators in Nigeria and the UK, is that the bill won’t fix the many problems facing the country’s higher education system. Unless we rethink the whole system, it is unlikely to deliver the change that’s needed. Authors DAVID MBA, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise), University of the…

Jan

10

2023

By The African Mirror

6 priorities to get Kenya’s curriculum back on track – or risk excluding many children from education

EDUCATION

KENYA’S education curriculum was reformed in 2017 to improve its quality – but now many Kenyans are calling for change again. Public disillusionment with the competency-based curriculum has forced a government review. Frustrations with the curriculum centre around the complexity of learning activities and its sustainability given the high costs involved in its delivery. Authors ELISHEBA KIRU, Postdoctoral Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center BRENDA WAWIRE, Associate Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center The previous 8-4-4 curriculum, launched in 1985, required eight years of primary schooling and four years each of secondary and tertiary education. Critics…

Nov

30

2022

By The African Mirror

LGBTIQ learners at risk in South Africa as conservative Christian groups fight plans for safer schools

EDUCATION, LGBTQIA+

ADVOCACY groups in South Africa are intensifying their efforts to prevent the country’s education department from creating safer environments for children of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Some of the advocacy groups have ties to conservative US Christian groups. Representing conservative organisations, Freedom of Religion South Africa, the Family Policy Institute, the African Christian Democratic Party and Freedom Front Plus is creating controversy about draft guidelines on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. The guidelines have been made public through consultations with communities that began earlier this year. Authors HALEY MCEWEN, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Gothenburg DENNIS…

Nov

23

2022

By The African Mirror

Ebola: Uganda’s schools were closed for two years during COVID, now they face more closures – something must change

EDUCATION

CHILDREN in Uganda missed out on more schools because of the COVID pandemic than their peers anywhere else in the world. An estimated 15 million pupils in the East African nation did not attend school for 83 weeks – that’s almost two years. Statistical models predict a learning deficit of 2.8 years in Uganda because of the time lost through COVID-related closures. Authors SIMONE DATZBERGER, Assistant Professor in Education and International Development, UCL MUSENZE JUNIOR BRIAN, PhD Fellow, Makerere Institute of Social Research, Makerere University Now the education system has been hit by another public health emergency. In early November…

Nov

19

2022

By The African Mirror

Education in Kenya’s informal settlements can work better if parents get involved – here’s how

EDUCATION

EDUCATION is a public good. All children should have access to education as a human right, irrespective of their gender, socioeconomic or disability status. This is reinforced and validated by countries’ commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4. Its promise is inclusive and equitable education and lifelong learning for all children. This right is not assured, however. About 303 million children and adolescents aged between five and 17 are out of school. Author BENTA A. ABUYA, Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center Research studies have underscored that parental involvement and empowerment make a difference in student educational outcomes and…

Nov

18

2022

By The African Mirror

COP27: Pilot programme to bring climate change courses to African universities

EDUCATION

STEVE UMIDHA, BIRD STORY AGENCY AN educational programme set to launch in 2023 will give university students across the African continent a chance to learn more about climate change and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), so they can "become ambassadors for the change process". GAIA Education, an international NGO, is readying the concept for launch early in 2023 through a pilot programme involving 15 of Africa's leading universities. It has roped in top academics from the continent through a partnership with the Association of African Universities, headquartered in Ghana, the SDG Centre for Africa based in Rwanda and the…