Posts tagged Education

The University of Pretoria in South Africa was recently ranked 92nd in the world for law by the Times Higher Education Law subject ranking. The university is the only academic institution in Africa that’s in the top 100, making it the best place to study law on the continent.

Today is the International Day of the Girl Child celebrated under the theme is EmPOWER Girls: before, during and after crises.. It has been marked since 2012 to create awareness on and address challenges faced by girls. It also promotes empowerment of the girl and enjoyment of their human rights.

In Nigeria, 10,5 million children are not in school. Those who live in slums are at greater risk of growing up uneducated. While one non-profit social development organisation is working to solve the problem by taking education to their doorstep, the government shows little sign of following suit.

Ghana has introduced a free education programme that has taken off in different parts of the country. The government introduced the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme which was launched on September 12 at the West African Senior Secondary School (WASS) in Accra.There have been questions however about the sustainability of such programme.

Nigeria is making a concerted effort to promote the use and study of its indigenous languages in elementary schools as a way of preserving the country’s rich and diverse tapestry of tongues. A policy has been introduced that allows primary school pupils to receive elementary education in the language of their immediate community.

The most populous country in Africa is facing one of its biggest challenges, if not the most serious. Nigeria has the world’s highest number of children that are out of school according to statistics from the UN, with 10.5 million out-of-school children.

The people of Maiduguri and surrounds have faced death and loss but their spirit seems indomitable, says Linus Unah.

Following Mother’s Day , today is the International Day of Families. The family is an integral part of the socialisation of an individual. In most African communities, a lot of importance is placed on the family unit. In most African countries a family consists of a mother and father and their biological children, given that the parents are together (nuclear family). In most rural areas we still have a big family setups, which include the extended family living with the nuclear family. We also have different family setups depending on the circumstances that individuals find themselves in. In celebrating families today we look at how they aid education and well-being as informed by this year’s theme- “Families, education and well-being.”

Parents in Zimbabwe who cannot raise tuition fees for their children can offer livestock such as goats as payment or offer their skills to the schools, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora recently revealed. Dr Dokora was quoted by local press saying, “On the issue of livestock, the community has to arrange a market where everyone participates; from the school authorities, local leadership and parents themselves to avoid parents being duped.” The country is currently going through a crippling cash crisis, and efforts by the Central Bank to ease the liquidity crunch have been fruitless. The livestock-for-fees proposal has been met with mixed emotions in the country, and on social media, welcomed by some but heavily criticised by others as a desperate move.

Zimbabwe’s High Court has banned corporal punishment at school and home. The ruling comes after disgruntled parents complained following the thorough beating of their children, some as young as six years old by teachers. While the ruling has been widely hailed, some conservative voices have been vocal against the abolition of corporal punishment and continue to buy into the belief, spoil the rod and spoil the child.