Posts tagged Education

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.

Today we celebrate International Mother Language Day proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO in November 1999. International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. Please do leave us a greeting in your mother language.

In Kenya, one of the biggest barriers to education is often the physical act of getting to school, despite primary education being offered for free. In areas where schools are distant, for many young girls, the task of going to school has always been a nightmare, but an initiative giving bicycles to girls is making a difference. About 8,000 bicycles have so far been distributed to 50 schools. We applaud the initiative.

KwaZulu Natal’s Department of Education in South Africa has launched a programme to distribute free sanitary towels to schoolgirls to keep girls in school during their menstrual cycle. The initiative has received widespread applause, seen as a progressive step towards reducing the barriers that limit and hinder girls’ educational access.

Global pop star Rihanna visited Malawi as part of her duties as the ambassador for Global Citizen and Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The pop star whose philanthropic activities started with the establishment of her foundation, Clara Lionel Foundation, spent her time with students and the board of directors of GPE. The foundation says its committed to the fight against injustice, inequality, and poverty, through education.

Today we share the remarkable and inspirational achievement of a 77 year-old Zimbabwean retiree Hatifari Munongi, who recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sociology and Gender Development from the Women’s University in Africa (WUA) in Zimbabwe. Munongi has impressed many people with her accomplishment which proves that it’s never too late to go back to school.