EDUCATION - The African Mirror

May

2021

Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system

SINCE its earliest traces, at least 5,000 years ago, formal education – meaning an education centred on literacy and numeracy – has always been highly selective. Ancient Egyptian priest schools and schools for scribes in Sumeria were only open to the children of the clergy or future monarchs. CONRAD HUGHES, Research Associate at the University of Geneva's department of Education and Psychology; Campus and Secondary Principal at the International School of Geneva's La Grande Boissière, Université de Genève Later on, the wealthy would use private tutors, such as the Sophists of Athens (500 - 400 BCE). Ancient Greek schools, such…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

From the ashes, library vows to rebuild unrivaled Africa collection

EDUCATION

KIM HARRISBERG CAPE TOWN is reeling after one of its worst fires in recent history tore through the University of Cape Town campus, forcing 4,000 students to evacuate as it consumed precious items from the library's rare African Studies collection. Tens of thousands of books, manuscripts, films and government publications from across Africa were on Sunday turned to ash in the Jagger Library; many more emerged water damaged. The library housed one of the world's biggest collections of African history books and unique African films, including early editions of the first Black-owned newspaper in South Africa. Ujala Satgoor, executive director…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Education cannot wait investments transform children’s lives in Somalia

EDUCATION

ABDALLE AHMED MUMIN TEN-YEAR-OLD Sabah Abdi from Ali Isse, a small rural village on the Somaliland-Ethiopian border, scored well in her recent exams, placing third overall in her local village school of 400 students. Yet it was just three years ago Sabah spent her days helping with household chores and herding goats, rather than studying because her pastoralist family could not afford her school fees. “I’m very glad to be among the top three students in the village school. I am hoping to be a doctor and cure sick people in the village when I grow up,” Sabah told IPS. Droughts,…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Boosting connectivity in African universities: a lofty ideal, but doable

EDUCATION

CONNECTING African universities to high-speed internet can help drive the development of digital skills and capabilities. This would also benefit secondary schools and technical and vocational colleges. WILLIE TAFADZWA CHINYAMURINDI, Professor, University of Fort Hare A strong argument has been made, that improving connectivity should be viewed as a priority infrastructure investment. The World Bank published a report last year pointing out the drawbacks of poor connectivity. It noted that the lack of affordable and high-speed broadband for African universities was the main barrier to the use of technology in education and research. And it prevented African faculty and students…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Machines can’t ‘personalize’ education, only people can

EDUCATION

IN the past year, COVID-19 abruptly disrupted schooling, and forced the question of how much kindergarten to Grade 12 education should or will rely on online teaching in the near and distant future. Education has taken a decided technological turn in its massive adaptation to online learning. This is precipitating a critical debate in education right now, with a most uncertain future and much depending on its outcome. MICHAEL MASER, PhD candidate - Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University Read more: Ontario's ‘choice’ of fully online school would gamble on children for profit One key concern when considering both online…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Conflict kills education: Rwandan experiences show how lost years can be recovered

EDUCATION

HUMANITARIAN situations, especially protracted violent conflicts, are a serious barrier to accessing education. This is why, for 30 years, aid practitioners have been advocating for “Education in Emergencies”. The idea is to try to ensure “the right to education in emergencies and post-conflict reconstruction”. MIHO TAKA, Assistant Professor, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University But violent conflicts pose significant challenges to deliver education in emergencies. For instance, in Rwanda, schooling rapidly deteriorated when the 1990 civil war began. Schooling came to a complete stop in April 1994 and reopened again in September 1994. By this time the…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Grit matters when a child is learning to read, even in poor South African schools

EDUCATION

SCHOOL quality is important in determining children’s success at school. But individual characteristics of the child also play a role. In particular, researchers and teachers are starting to pay more attention to the part that social and emotional skills play in academic success. These are also known as character skills or soft skills. HELEEN HOFMEYR, Postdoctoral fellow, Stellenbosch University This interest in the “softer” side of learning stems from a movement in economics. It looks for statistical evidence of the importance of soft skills in a number of domains, including the labour market and even marriage. One question this research…