In between elections, universities brace for disruptions
New Makerere vice-chancellor designate aims high
New university to produce experts on regional integration
University regulators curtail Kenyan expansion spree
South African universities – Is the end in sight?
In Africa News, Munyaradzi Makoni reports on a lecture by renowned African scholar Professor Mahmood Mamdani on ‘Decolonising the Post-colonial University’ at the University of Cape Town in South Africa – the same institution Mamdani left 16 years ago after disagreements with colleagues over the content of a new curriculum, while Maina Waruru reports on the struggle by some private universities in Kenya to stay afloat, despite recently being allowed to admit government-sponsored students.
In Africa Features, Stephen Coan interviews Professor Nelson Torto, recently appointed as the executive director of the African Academy of Sciences' Governing Council, and highlights Torto’s view on the power of research to propel Africa into the future, while Wagdy Sawahel writes about the challenge of meeting the needs of students with disabilities in North African universities.
In World Blog, Patrick Blessinger and Enakshi Sengupta commend those who are working towards inclusivity of educational environments and encourage education, civic and other leaders to do more to ensure refugees have access to education, including higher education. More...
Building better partnerships in the arts and literature
In Africa Features, Sungula Nkabinde finds that in using data analytics to boost student success, knowing what data is important and how to use it is critical. Christabel Ligami interviews vice-chancellor designate Professor Barnabas Nawangwe about his plans to position Uganda’s flagship Makerere University as a leading African institution for academic excellence and innovation.
In News from around the continent, Kudzai Mashininga reports on the Zimbabwean cabinet’s approval of a new university to be named after President Robert Mugabe, the anticipated cost of which will amount to a quarter of the national budget, and Wadgy Sawahel writes about the launch of a new doctoral school in Burundi. More...
African students call for greater student involvement
Le numérique peut-il réinventer l’éducation de base en Afrique ?
Si les efforts des pays africains ont permis d’améliorer grandement l’accès à l’éducation de base, le retard initial et la très forte croissance démographique font que l’Afrique subsaharienne compte encore 29,6 millions d’enfants non-scolarisés en âge d’être au primaire et 21,1 millions en âge de l’être au secondaire. À ces difficultés encore importantes d’accès et de rétention se rajoutent les très fortes inquiétudes concernant l’équité et la qualité des enseignements dispensés aux élèves. Plus...
South Africa has failed its young people. What can be done about it
It is more than 40 years since young people, first in Soweto, and then around the country, rose up against the apartheid regime. Initially their protest was against the introduction of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools. But it quickly spread into a general uprising against apartheid. More...