The latest news and highlights in higher education from Africa

IN THIS ISSUE

• The announcement of results for the HSC examinations in Mauritius. This marks the traditional end to the seven-year stretch of secondary studies with the average pass rates a commendable 90%
• Uganda has planned to reopen institutions of higher education in November and other schools in January 2022
• The Department of Basic Education in South Africa has released the revised timetable for this year’s matric final exams

Nigeria

• One million Nigerian children will likely stay away from school this year as a result of more than 1,000 pupils being snatched in mass abductions for ransom by criminal gangs in Nigeria’s north-west and central states since December 2020, UNICEF said on Wednesday 15th September 2021. It added that there had been 20 attacks on schools in Nigeria this year and more than 1,400 pupils were taken while 16 have died. Some state governments have temporarily shut schools after the abductions but as schools resume this month, UNICEF says many children will be cut off from their education and other vital benefits schools provide as families and communities remain fearful of sending children back to their classrooms, noting that education has also been delayed in Nigeria for many children due to COVID-19 restrictions during 2020.
• A court in Nigeria has ordered doctors to end their strike and return to work immediately. The National Association of Resident Doctors has been on strike since 2nd August 2021, causing havoc in government hospitals. The doctors say they will study the judgement before making a decision. They went on strike over pay and a lack of insurance cover while demanding a hazard allowance for working with patients infected by COVID.

Rwanda

• Rwanda hit the September global target of fully vaccinating 10 percent of its 12.9 million population against COVID-19 and is among countries recommended by the European Union to have unrestricted access for non-essential travel its territory. The country has vaccinated 2,029,038 people with the first jab and 1,466,966 are fully vaccinated as of September 24. In August, Rwanda launched a vaccination campaign that targeted Kigali. According to the World Health Organisation, Rwanda has received 3.4 million doses of vaccines so far. Of these, it has administered 3.3 million doses and fully vaccinated 10 percent of its population.

Mauritius

• COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Mauritius, with 154 new infections reported on average each day. There have been 14,863 infections and 60 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. Mauritius has administered at least 1,633,952 doses of COVID vaccines so far. During the last week reported, Mauritius averaged about 3,121 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 82 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.
• The week of 17th Sep 2021 saw the announcement of results for the HSC examinations, marking the traditional end to the seven-year stretch of secondary studies with the average pass rates a commendable 90% both for Mauritius and its outer islands. There may have been some “special considerations” made by Cambridge in view of the special circumstances of the pandemic and some unfortunate weather conditions as well as the disruptive extension of the traditional 2020 teaching year by some 5-6 months well into 2021 and the various efforts to combine face-to-face teaching with the less interactive web or MBC lecture modes. This marks the end of a cycle for the Form Six students, 45 who have emerged as “laureates” with the best overall marks at the Cambridge examinations in various disciplines from the arts, sciences and technical subjects. They are guaranteed a scholarship from the state or from the SSR Foundation and the MCB, covering their flight and full tuition and living costs to the university and country of their choice.

South Africa

• The Department of Basic Education has released the revised timetable for this year’s matric final exams. Grade 12 exams start on 27th October 2021, after the initial dates clashed with the local government elections. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma declared that elections would take place on 1st November, which clashed with three other papers.
• COVID-19 infections are decreasing in South Africa, with 2,871 new infections reported on average each day. There have been 2,889,298 infections and 86,500 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. South Africa has administered at least 16,560,718 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 14.1% of the country’s population. During the last week reported, South Africa averaged about 179,393 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 66 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

Zimbabwe

• The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has ordered all provincial education directors to submit weekly staff COVID-19 vaccination returns to its head office in Harare. This move follows a recent Public Service Commission (PSC) directive ordering government ministries to make arrangements for all civil servants under their jurisdiction to be vaccinated as well as explaining to those who chose not to be vaccinated that they will not be deemed to be working, hence shall not be paid.
• Zimbabwe is reporting 235 new infections on average each day. There have been 128,464 infections and 4,576 coronavirus- related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. It has administered at least 5,123,522 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 17.5% of the country’s population. During the last week reported, Zimbabwe averaged about 42,769 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 69 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

Zambia

• The Minister of Education, Hon. Douglas Syakalima, MP, announced the 2021 Grade 9 External Examination results on Friday, 17th September 2021 to the public, while congratulating the ECZ and the entire Ministry of Education for the good work to seal loopholes as the examinations were leakage free. Speaking at the same meeting, ECZ Director, Dr Michael M. Chilala announced that the General Certificate of Education (GCE) results were yet to be processed and that marking will be done from the 16th to 25th October 2021 as this is when teachers would be available for the marking exercise due to the term break.
• COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Zambia, with 73 new infections reported on average each day. There have been 208,676 infections and 3,639 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. Zambia has administered at least 670,361 doses of COVID vaccines so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that’s enough to have vaccinated about 1.9% of the country’s population. During the last week reported, Zambia averaged about 4,560 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 784 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population.

Ethiopia

• According to data obtained from the Ministry of Health (MoH), to date 3,277,931 people were tested for COVID-19, positive cases were registered at 314,984 while 283,991 recovered and 26,228 cases remain active. The ministry said there is a high probability of a third wave of new infections. Addis Kewaye, education expert at the ministry of education, told Addis Maleda that the Ministry of Education (MoE) plans to return to normal schooling in 2021 or 2022. The previous Ethiopian school year was held in two shifts for three days per week, based on directives stated by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) to control and prevent the pandemic. According to the expert, if these plans are implemented, schools will be operating five days a week compared to prevention measures that limit schooling to three days a week.

Uganda

• Some private institutions of learning may not reopen due to a number of constraints as a result of the Covid-19 induced lockdown that led to the closure of schools, including lack of funds for their operationalization. Many private schools are currently choking on debts and risk being auctioned by banks over accumulated loans while others face eviction from rented premises.The Uganda Government has availed two types of vaccines, Pfizer and Astrazeneca, to Ugandans amid debate among scientists that the latter offers more sustained protection against COVID-19. Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of scientists advising government on COVID-19, yesterday said in a letter to Daily Monitor that cases of infection among those vaccinated with Astrazeneca are fewer than those who received the Pfizer shot. Both Pfizer and Astrazenaca are double-shot vaccines and at the initial approval by separate bodies, with Pfizer having an efficacy of 95 percent, higher than Astrazeneca’s 67 percent, in preventing COVID-19.
• Uganda has planned to reopen institutions of higher education in November and other schools in January 2022 provided that teachers, support staff and students above 18 years are vaccinated against COVID-19. President Museveni called upon all teachers and support staff to get vaccinated as soon as possible to enable safe re-opening of schools and said the Ministry of Education and Sports will support head teachers to carry out surveillance and early reporting of suspected cases. Schools were also closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened in March 2021 and closed again on June 6th, after the country recorded a large number of COVID-19 cases.

Kenya

• Kenyatta University, Mount Kenya University, Riara University and Kenya Education Management Institute (KEMI) have been identified to offer the Teacher Professional Development modules with Mount Kenya University being forced to set up a call centre with 5 attendants to take care of the thousands of enquiries as 300,000 teachers scramble for the available slots in the 4 institutions. Teachers are at liberty to choose an institution of their choice and enrollment is ongoing with training to set off before December starting with online learning due to the prevailing challenges of COVID – 19 pandemic, although a pilot program with about 100 teachers has already been carried out.
• Kenya and the UK government are working to process vaccine certificates recognizable by both countries. In a joint statement, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and British High Commissioner to Kenya, Jane Marriott, said the document will make travel smooth for citizens of both countries after growing public concern about the issue of vaccine certification. ·The current nationally imposed curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. remains for another 60 days; this was reinstated on 19th August 2021.

Tanzania

• Deputy Permanent Secretary of the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government (TAMISEMI), Gerald Mweli, has told the Teachers’ Service Commission (TSC) to assess whether the recent process to promote teachers had any indications of corruption as the assessment would help in clearing doubts among some suspicious teachers due to complaints about how the process was conducted.
• Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) has finalized processes to introduce the Creative Industry Sector Skills Council (CISSC). This is part of sector skills councils that the government has entrusted to the TPSF to form and coordinate them in implementation of the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) 2016-2026 under the support of the World Bank (WB) through the Education and Skills for Productive Jobs (ESPJ) programme-for-results. The CISSC would therefore come to stimulate the implementation of the NSDS, according to TPSF Executive Director Francis Nanai. The creative industry includes, among others, advertising and marketing, architecture, design, film, TV production, Radio, cartoonist and photo graphics.