AFRICA: LATEST UPDATES

According to data from Africa CDC, the continent has seen an 8% increase in new cases each week over the past month. Some of the most populous countries like Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, and DR Congo have seen a rise in cases, but others like Ethiopia and South Africa have seen a downturn. The COVID curve for Africa peaked in July, came down and stabilized around September, but is now experiencing an upsurge again.

This month, the UN Economic Commission for Africa will convene its 24th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee of Senior Officials and Experts (ICSOE) to discuss the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 crisis on Eastern Africa and strategies for Building-Back-Better.

The current impact of the pandemic on education is evident and is likely to have a bearing in the future as well. The Association of African Universities has advised universities to expect reduced funding from their governments in the years ahead and emphasized the need to integrate remote learning in some of their academic programs post COVID-19 as well. AAU has urged universities to integrate digital technology into all areas of their institutional mandates and to not make digital transformation an add-on donor project. 

After COVID-19, international funding for doctoral training and research in Africa is also set to decline. Such funding changes may determine where African students choose to do their postgraduate studies in the future. Instead of going abroad, they may opt for universities on the continent to save money. Students could also be approaching their studies differently and substitute the popular mode of studying abroad with blended and sandwich options. This could mean interacting with their foreign supervisors virtually to begin with, followed by a period of face-to-face learning.

A recent report shows France as one of the favored destinations for international students from Africa. Approximately 46% of international students in France for the 2018-2019 academic year came from Africa. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, and Cameroon are among the top student recruitment markets for French universities and higher education institutions.

News from NORTH AFRICA

Algeria – The start of the new university year in Algeria has yet again been postponed from 22 November to 15 December. The recent resurgence of COVID-19 infections has forced the government to revise its plans and introduce a series of measures to curb the spread of the virus. This delay may suit universities, with some of them struggling to complete their examinations for the past academic year by 22 November.

Morocco – According to IIE’s ‘Open Doors’ report, Morocco is the most popular destination in North Africa for American students, and was seen welcoming 1749 students during the 2018-2019 academic year. In fact, the number of American students coming to study in Morocco increased by 24% from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019. On the other hand, the number of Moroccan students who travelled to the US to study increased by 2.6% in the 2019-2020 academic year.

News from EAST AFRICA

Kenya – The 2021 academic calendar will require all learners in primary and secondary schools to report back from 4 January. The KCPE and KCSE exams will begin in March 2021. International schools will also reopen for physical learning from 4 January for all learners. Private schools in Kenya are facing a financial crunch, with most struggling to stay afloat with few learners. So far, 227 private primary and secondary schools have closed, leaving 56,000 learners without schools to go back to.

Uganda – The Joint Admissions Board (JAB) has finalized the admission of at least 7738 students to 41 public tertiary institutions across the country. These students will pursue diploma programs on government sponsorship in fields including Business, Agriculture, Forestry, Teaching, Technical, and Health. The board has admitted more students this year compared to 6000 from the previous academic year.

News from WEST AFRICA

Ghana – Following the release of the results of the 2019-2020 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) of the first batch of Free Senior High School (FSHS), Ghana recorded one of its best performances in the teaching and learning of Mathematics at the second cycle level. An analysis of the results by Ghana Education Services indicated that 65.71% of students secured between A1 and C6 in Mathematics, making it one of the best performances in the history of the country. 57.33% of students passed (A1-C6) in the English language, the best performance of the subject in the last 10 years. The overall performance of students was remarkable as compared to the previous year.

Nigeria – The Government of Saudi Arabia disclosed that it would offer 6956 scholarships annually for African students, as well as 424 scholarships to Nigerian students. The gesture is part of the cordial Saudi-African relations and the Kingdom’s support for educational and scientific development. The Kano State Scholarship Board has said that 60,000 students would benefit from the 2020 scholarships offered by the state government. The Kano government has earmarked over N1.8 billion for the payment of students in various public higher institutions in the country, and an additional N700 million has been proposed for the payment of scholarships at various private institutions. The Ogun state government has partnered with telecommunications service providers to provide free internet service to students for e-learning in public secondary and primary schools in the state.

News from SOUTHERN AFRICA

South Africa – The skill development arm of Amazon Web Services has partnered with Dimension Data to provide essential cloud education, joining an elite few in the South African cloud environment. This partnership will address the alarming shortage of IT and digital skills that Africa is currently contending with. The Department for Higher Education and Training is working with universities to develop a multi-model teaching and learning approach to support students in regaining lost time and finishing their academic year. The approach includes teaching and learning support through the delivery of print-based material on USB sticks.

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