EDUCATION - The African Mirror

May

2024

Malawi’s school kids are using tablets to improve their reading and maths skills

MALAWI introduced free primary education in 1994. This has significantly improved access to schooling. However, the country – which is one of the poorest in the world – still faces a high learning poverty rate of 87%. Learning poverty is a measure of a child’s inability to meet minimum proficiency in reading, numeracy and other skills at the primary school level. Malawi’s rate means that 87% of children in standard 4, at age 10, are unable to read. Only 19% of children aged between 7 and 14 have foundational reading skills and 13% have foundational numeracy skills. This leads to…

May

2024

By TAWANDA MAKUSHA

Becoming a dad can be scary. Here’s how to be the best father for your kids

EDUCATION

IT is natural to feel apprehensive about the responsibilities that come with parenthood – the financial obligations, the emotional and practical support, and the lifelong commitment. And parenting takes many forms. In my case I became a father for the first time in 2013. In my new role, I was forced to weave together my academic expertise – I research fatherhood and early childhood and development, among other things – with real life. Entering fatherhood was a profound and transformative experience. From the moment conception was confirmed, I faced many emotions. Amid the joy and anticipation, there was fear. I…

May

2024

By THANDI LEWIN

South Africa’s national student financial aid scheme has helped millions but is in trouble: here’s why

EDUCATION

THE board of South Africa’s National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has been dissolved by the country’s higher education and training minister, Blade Nzimande, and the organisation placed under administration. Nzimande made the decision because of “(the problem of) non-payment of (students’) allowances”. Thandi Lewin is a higher education scholar who worked in the Department of Higher Education with responsibility for oversight of NSFAS between 2018 and 2023. She also briefly served as a departmental representative on the NSFAS board in 2018. The Conversation Africa asked her to explain the organisation’s history, its mandate and the current crisis. What is…

Apr

2024

By AYOBAMI PRECIOUS ADEKOLA

Talking to teens about sex: advice for parents on when, how, what to say and why it’s so important

EDUCATION

THE “birds and the bees”. The “facts of life”. Whatever you call it, many parents dread discussing sex and sexuality with their teenagers. They may be embarrassed, or worried that they don’t understand some concepts. In some countries, cultural norms may mean it’s considered inappropriate for adults and adolescents to talk about sex. However, these are conversations worth having. A large body of research has shown that teens who openly discuss sex and sexuality with their parents reduce their risky sexual behaviour, leading to improved reproductive health. It’s also important to remember that this won’t be a one-off discussion. Adolescents…

Apr

2024

By WACANGO MUGURO KIMANI

South African study shows the power of sharing daily experiences for teachers to learn how to include all learners

EDUCATION

GLOBALLY, more than 258 million children and young people between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in school. In South Africa, the figure stands at 232,000 for children aged between 7 and 17. The main reasons they’re not attending school are related to the quality of education, financial constraints, disability and child or teenage pregnancy. The notion of inclusive education focuses on ensuring that all children attend school and receive a good education. The first is a challenge for governments. The second is a challenge for teachers – but they don’t often get the support they need. Wacango…

Apr

2024

By EKATERINA RZYANKINA

Digital textbooks expand learning for engineering students – South African study

EDUCATION

IN the past four years, it’s become increasingly common for part or all of a university student’s learning to happen online. This transition to digital learning platforms has highlighted the digital divide within educational contexts. In poorer, less resourced and connected countries like South Africa, this divide is not merely a matter of who has access to digital devices and who doesn’t. It’s also about whether students are digitally literate. This is about more than merely navigating digital devices and platforms. It’s also about being able to think and evaluate information critically and to creatively use technology in problem-solving. Universities…

Apr

2024

By INGER FABRIS-ROTELLI, ANSIE SMIT, DANIELLE JADE ROBERTS, DANIEL MAPOSA, FABIO MATHIAS CORREA, MICHAEL JOHAN VON MALTITZ and SONALI DAS

South Africa is short of academic statisticians: why and what can be done

EDUCATION

OUR world is awash with data. A 2019 article published by the World Economic Forum estimated that, by 2025, about 463 exabytes of data will be created each day globally – that’s the equivalent of 212,765,957 DVDs per day. But data is only useful if it can be collected, analysed and explained by experts. That’s where statisticians come in. People like us are trained to make sense of data. Our analyses can then guide organisations and governments in making sensible policy decisions. Both “data scientist” and “statistics lecturer” feature on the South African government’s critical skills list. Due to the…

Apr

2024

By SHARON FONN and MARTA VICENTE-CRESPO

Africa’s PhDs: study shows how to develop strong graduates who want to make a difference

EDUCATION

THE challenge for universities is to produce graduates who can work with others to produce knowledge and research that can change institutions and societies for the better. That is the basis on which the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (Carta) began developing an approach to teaching PhDs 12 years ago. The consortium supports faculty members of public universities and research institutes on the continent who want to pursue a PhD. The training covers a range of research methods to ensure graduates value multidisciplinarity. It also includes a focus on stakeholder and community engagement and prepares students for life…

Mar

2024

By CHINAZA ULEANYA

Rural schools in South Africa can produce good exam results too: study shows what’s behind one success story

EDUCATION

EACH weekday, hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers in South Africa’s rural areas (which make up just over 31% of the country’s total area) make the journey to school. It’s often difficult. Poor road networks and a lack of easy access to transport make just getting to and from school a challenge. Many rural schools are dilapidated and poorly equipped. It’s very unusual for these schools to have libraries, computer rooms or science laboratories. There has been some improvement in matric (school-leaving) exam results in the largely rural provinces. In 2016 the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces, which…

Mar

2024

By VICTOR OSEI KWADWO and ROSE VINCENT

Ghana’s free high school policy is getting more girls to complete secondary education – study

EDUCATION

EDUCATION drives economic growth and individual well-being. Secondary education, in particular, plays a crucial role. In recent decades, this recognition has encouraged several African countries to make secondary education free. One example is Ghana’s Free Public Senior High School (FreeSHS) policy, initiated in 2017. The policy aimed to remove cost barriers to secondary education, including fees, textbooks, boarding and meals. As scholars of public policy, we conducted research into the impact of the policy, particularly its effect on the number of girls completing secondary school. We emphasised the educational outcomes of girls because they are at a disadvantage when accessing…