schools - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

By MARILYN CAMPBELL and ELIZABETH J EDWARDS

We looked at all the recent evidence on mobile phone bans in schools – this is what we found

MOBILE phones are currently banned in all Australian state schools and many Catholic and independent schools around the country. This is part of a global trend over more than a decade to restrict phone use in schools. Australian governments say banning mobile phones will reduce distractions in class, allow students to focus on learning, improve student wellbeing and reduce cyberbullying. However, previous research has shown there is little evidence on whether the bans actually achieve these aims. Many places that restricted phones in schools before Australia have now reversed their decisions. For example, several school districts in Canada implemented outright…

Mar

2024

By TAMIKA WORRELL

Generative AI in the classroom risks further threatening Indigenous inclusion in schools

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

IT is well documented that Australian teachers face challenges incorporating Indigenous perspectives and content in their classrooms. The approach can sometimes be somewhat tokenistic as if the teacher is “ticking a box”. We need a more culturally responsive teaching workforce. Generative AI is advancing at a fast pace and quickly finding a place within education. Tools such as ChatGPT (or Chatty G as the kids say) continue to dominate conversations in education as these technologies are explored and developed. TAMIKA WORRELL, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Critical Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, Macquarie University There are many concerns around academic…

Oct

2022

By The African Mirror

Schools in Scotland, Uganda, Chile among ‘world’s best’

NEWS

SCHOOLS in Scotland, Uganda, Chile, the Philippines and the United States triumphed at the inaugural "World’s Best School Prizes" for feats including saving mangroves and expanding classrooms in an area hit by war. The five schools shared $250,000 in prize money for supporting pupils and communities, especially during the pandemic, in the awards organised by global body T4 Education. Dunoon Grammar School in Scotland won the category of community collaboration for skill-based courses, including in travel and tourism, design and maritime studies, intended to stem a brain drain. Escuela Emilia Lascar in Penaflor, Chile won for innovation for its "Emilia TV" programme…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Schools can be a great resource for mental health in South Africa

EDUCATION

IN the face of deep inequality, unemployment, high rates of crime and violence, and the social and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health trajectory for young South Africans looks bleak. Mental health is multi-faceted. It enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. When people face social and economic adversity, their risk of developing mental illness increases if they don’t have support that could protect them. Author SARAH SKEEN, Associate Professor, Global Health, Stellenbosch University Data on the exact burden of child and…

Mar

2022

By The African Mirror

Elitism affects schools across the globe: it needs to be kept in check

EDUCATION

THERE is no shortage of themes to address in schools and universities: wellbeing; climate change; diversity; equity and social justice; assessment; 21st century learning; the list goes on. Author CONRAD HUGHES, Campus and Secondary Principal at the International School of Geneva's La Grande Boissière, Research Associate at the University of Geneva's department of Education and Psychology, Université de Genève But, are there some challenges that stand out above the others? The answer is yes, but yes on two fronts. The first relates to the teacher – the most important human influence on student learning. This has been shown through multiple…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Parents plea for return of 150 abducted students

NEWS

DOZENS of distraught parents gathered at the Bethel High School in northwestern Nigeria, some weeping and crying out, standing in groups awaiting news about the 150 students who were kidnapped by armed men. Discarded sandals lay strewn nearby. Dormitories containing metal bunk beds and cupboards were deserted. "May God take away their tears and the suffering that they will face in the hands of the kidnappers," said a woman pointing at a hole in the school's perimeter where the attackers entered. His voice breaking, parent John Evans said he had recently told his daughter that God would protect her while…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Education and inequality in 2021: how to change the system

EDUCATION

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…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 has dealt a blow to Ethiopia’s private higher education institutions

EDUCATION

ETHIOPIA’S education sector has seen unprecedented challenges since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and universities were closed for eight months following the confirmation of the first case on March 13, 2020. This put nearly 26 million primary and secondary school students, and around a million tertiary students, out of learning. WONDWOSEN TAMRAT, Associate Professor, St. Mary’s University Over the past few months, the effects of the pandemic have been pronounced in the private higher education sector whose resource base and capacity is too limited to withstand the impact of a crisis of this magnitude. Private higher education institutions…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Young Egyptian remembers father killed by COVID-19 as she heads back to school

COVID-19

WHEN 12-year-old Sama Mohamed's father died of the coronavirus in May, the family tried cutting expenses. With the school year resuming this week in Egypt, buying a new uniform seemed unaffordable. Unable to purchase a complete uniform costing 150 pounds ($9.58) from shops, she headed to a manufacturer in northern Cairo to buy just the regulatory T-shirt. Flooded with unsold garments after schools shut in March because of the coronavirus lockdown, the factory sells uniforms for around 10 to 20 pounds less than shops, a significant figure for families already financially stricken by the pandemic. Standing in her new shirt…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Namibia to close schools, limit public gatherings as COVID-19

COVID-19

NAMIBIAN schools will be suspended for the second time in four months next week, while limits on public gatherings will be tightened further to 100 from 250 amid surging cases, President Hage Geingob said. In a televised speech on Friday, Geingob said the decision to suspend schools from Aug. 4 for 28 days came after considering the risks associated with the spread of the virus. The measure affects early childhood development, pre-primary, primary and the first two grades of high school. Namibia has 2,129 confirmed cases and 10 deaths with the country's rate of daily new cases now the fourth…