EDUCATION - The African Mirror

Jul

13

2021

Are 3D-printed schools a solution to Africa’s classroom shortage?

EDUCATION

CHARLES PENSULO GATHERED under the hot sun, dozens of women danced and sang in jubilation as children from the village of Salima, in central Malawi, started their first day at their new 3D-printed school, which had been built from the ground up in only 15 hours. Made of concrete placed layer by layer through a computer-controlled nozzle, the school is made up of a single room with rounded corners and is big enough to accommodate 50 students. Olipa Elisa said her 10-year-old son used to have to hike 5km (3 miles) every day to the nearest school, often arriving late…

Jul

11

2021

By The African Mirror

Understanding Ghana’s students is key to fixing the country

EDUCATION

A great many African countries had shown steady economic growth in the decade prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. But all have failed to adequately create opportunities for the young people in their countries. With growing youth populations, creating paths for education and employment is a make or break issue for the continent. KAJSA HALLBERG ADU, Researcher in Higher Education and Migration, KTH Royal Institute of Technology But there’s also good news. Many young people are getting access to secondary education and an increasing number also university education. An increasing share of youth in Africa are university students,…

Apr

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Mentorship programmes in Kenya can make graduates more employable. Here’s how one works

EDUCATION

SEVERAL studies have shown that besides technical education, “soft skills” are critical for graduates to succeed as innovators, entrepreneurs, and in the formal workplace. These include problem-solving, teamwork and communication. DR. CHAO MBOGHO, Educator, Researcher, Mentor, Kenya Methodist University Mentoring relationships – where an experienced person offers guidance and support to a mentee – are some of the most effective methods to nurture these employability skills. This can be seen in South Africa and in the Middle East and North Africa region. Other benefits that students receive through mentorship include raised learning outcomes and increased completion rates. However, there is…

Jul

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Teacher training needs a rethink to integrate language and subject learning

EDUCATION

IN many countries where many languages are spoken, English is often the language of teaching and learning in schools. Learners get their knowledge of school subjects through the use of English – be it reading and writing or speaking and listening. NHLANHLA MPOFU, Associate Professor, Rhodes University MNCEDISI MAPHALALA, Research Professor in the School of Professional Studies in Education Studies, North-West University Learners who are comfortable using specific English language structures, phrases and terms as they are used in each school subject have greater academic success. Some school systems, therefore, aim to teach language and subject content at the same…

Apr

15

2021

By The African Mirror

The way Nigeria selects vice-chancellors is deeply flawed. But it can be fixed

EDUCATION

SOME universities in Nigeria are in crisis over the selection of vice-chancellors. From Ibadan to Lagos, Oye Ekiti and Dutse, things have not been running smoothly. While others like Lokoja and Ndufe Alike have been resolved, there were problems as well. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asks Ayodeji Olukoju, former vice-chancellor of Caleb University, why this is so and what should be done to tackle it. AYODEJI OLUKOJU, Distinguished Professor of History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos How are vice-chancellors chosen in Nigerian universities? This depends on the type of university – federal, state or private – as well…

Jul

01

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenyan universities face big challenges going digital. But it can be done

EDUCATION

KENYA has over 70 universities, 38 of them public and 35 private. Over 500,000 students were enrolled in the last academic year. Public universities took the lion’s share with over 400,000 of these students. SHEHU SHAGARI AWANDU, Head/Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology While public universities are challenged by overcrowding, inadequate numbers of lecturers and degraded facilities, private ones have lower student to staff ratios and have better facilities and equipment. But all universities have been affected by the pandemic. An entire year of learning was lost due to government closure and universities…

May

12

2021

By The African Mirror

It’s time to stop ignoring paid childcare in urban Africa

EDUCATION

EARLYMOMENTSMATTER is the hashtag that UNICEF and many others use when advocating for the importance of early childhood development. And it makes sense. The early years – when brain development is at its most rapid – set the course for a lot of what follows. This includes learning, earning and happiness. ROBERT HUGHES, Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine PATRICIA KITSAO-WEKULO, Associate Research Scientist, African Population and Health Research Center There are, however, two ways to look at this “critical period”. Firstly, a risky period of vulnerability. The rapidly developing infant brain…

Jun

23

2021

By The African Mirror

Tanzania to offer alternative education for school dropouts including pregnant girls

EDUCATION

SECONDARY school drop-outs in Tanzania will be offered the opportunity to resume studies in alternative colleges, the government has said, part of a shift away from a disputed policy under which pregnant girls were expelled from school. Such expulsions had increased under the tenure of maverick President John Magufuli, who died in March, according to rights groups who accused his government of discriminating against female students based on a policy that dated back to 1961. "We are offering an alternative path to education to all children who missed their education for any reason, including those girls who got pregnant while…

Jun

22

2021

By The African Mirror

Counting the cost of lost schooling in South Africa

EDUCATION

A year ago, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we predicted that school closures in South Africa would result in learning losses. A loss of contact learning time would lead to lower educational outcomes, and the losses would be higher in no-fee schools (serving children from low-income families) than in fee-paying schools. VIJAY REDDY, Distinguished Research Specialist, Human Sciences Research Council Now we can update how much contact teaching time was lost in 2020 and make an “informed speculation” on the amount of learning loss based on changes in test scores between 2019 and 2020. Globally, the literature on…

May

09

2021

By The African Mirror

Kids with a desk and a quiet place to study do better in school, data shows

EDUCATION

ASK what students need to learn at home, and the answer often involves access to Wi-Fi or a digital device. For example, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 sets aside US$7.1 billion to support access to high-speed internet for schools and libraries. DAVID RUTKOWSKI, Associate Professor of Education Policy, Indiana University DIRK HASTEDT, Executive Director IEA, Indiana University What often gets overlooked is whether kids have a desk at home or a quiet place to study. As researchers who focus on education policy and how students perform on standardized tests, we decided to take a closer look – on…