AFRICA: LATEST UPDATES

According to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), there are 1,654,412 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent as of Tuesday. The country is now gradually opening up as economic activities resume and children start going to school. But the situation in disadvantaged neighborhoods, or townships, stays fragile. Countless lives have been severely hit by the pandemic.

The African continent has experienced fewer COVID-19 casualties than initially predicted, but this upturn wasn’t felt by its economy. Lockdowns, coupled with a plunging global economy, have put leading African economies in a precarious position. There is large scale unemployment and under-employment

The implementation stage of the African Continental Free Trade Area in East Africa is due to begin within 3 months. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Djibouti have deposited their ratification of the AfCFTA.

Despite efforts towards digital transformation being implemented across the continent during the pandemic, Africa is yet to fully explore and experience the benefits of digitalization. It is believed that a higher degree of digital transformation is associated with a high level of per capita gross national income.

The International Education Association of South Africa and African Network for the Internationalisation of Education have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see them carrying out joint activities to promote internationalization within Africa and beyond, over five years to begin with.

News from NORTH AFRICA

Algeria – More than 5 million primary school students will return to school on Wednesday across the country, amid exceptional health conditions. The national success rate in the 2020 baccalaureate examination has reached 55.30%. Results depict that the Mathematics sphere comes first with a pass rate of 80.22%, followed by foreign languages with a rate of 67.78%.

Egypt – 23 million school students began their new academic year on 17 October. The pandemic forced the country to close schools and universities for the last semester and replace exams with online research work for final grades. The Ministry of Education and Technical Education is to develop an education system that encourages students’ cognitive progress. At the Canadian-Egyptian Business Council (CEBC) meeting last week, Egypt’s education development plans were reviewed and a need to modify the curriculum in a way that develops critical thinking among students was outlined.

Morocco – 229 schools across the country serving roughly 12,599 students were closed, following the discovery of COVID-19 cases among pupils, educators, and staff. From mid-October, universities have begun a hybrid model that gives students a choice between remote and in-person education or both. This year, the Moroccan International Cooperation Agency (AMCI) granted 150 scholarships to Gabonese baccalaureate holders.

News from EAST AFRICA

Kenya – Primary schools and many others will partially reopen this week as part of a phased opening of institutions. Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) rolled out a program indicating the dates for KCPE and KCSE examinations between March and April next year. The Ministry of Education has disbursed Sh14.5 billion to public schools to fund the free basic education program ahead of schools reopening. The United Kingdom and Kenya announced that they will co-host a landmark summit next year to amass funds for the Global Partnership for Education which aims to raise $5 billion towards education in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Uganda– Final-year undergraduate and postgraduate learners returned to their campuses on 15 October. The number of final-year students in educational institutions is less than 10% of the total enrolment to ensure each group can practice social distancing.

News from WEST AFRICA

Ghana – Ghana Education Service has decided to promote students to the next level of their academic year without assessment or examination, from January 2021. Nine model schools will be established in the SHS sector across the country, including the first-ever solely dedicated to the creative arts. Educate Ghana 2020 exhibition commenced this week in Accra with a call to prioritize skills training for youth employability. This German-initiated forum encourages dialogue between stakeholders in the education industry as a means of making Ghanaian students better trained to drive industrialization.

Nigeria – Nigeria reopened its schools on 12 October, six months after they were closed to curtail the spread of coronavirus. All higher institutions in Kano state will reopen on 26 October. Katsina state approved the reopening of academic activities at Alqalam University and Umaru Musa Yar Adua University from 19 October. The National Open University of Nigeria already resumed its academic activities since 12 October. The National Examination Council (NECO) of Nigeria has rescheduled the Computer Studies practical examination from 19 October to 16 November. EdFin, which is Nigeria’s first specialized education microfinance bank, has teamed up with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to launch a N5 billion support fund to help recover and benefit 2,000 private schools, vocational training centers, and individuals hit by losses because of COVID-19.

News from SOUTHERN AFRICA

South Africa – The Government announced that out of the country’s 26 education institutions, 10 universities will complete their academic year this year, while the remaining 16 will complete their academic years over January, February, and March 2021. With the National Senior Certificate examination results expected by late February 2021, the new academic year for first-year students will be staggered between 8 March and 12 April 2021. Bridge House and Digemy have come together to create ConnectEd – an online high school with an Independent Examination Board (IEB) curriculum. The school will initially launch for Grade 10 and 11, with other grades to follow next year and into 2022.

Zambia – The University of Zambia has been ranked the 18^th best university in Africa out of the 200 graded by UniRank.  All public higher education institutions have been told to double the number of their students by using online learning methods. The Government has already invested in installing communication infrastructure in all districts of Zambia so that people can have access to education from all corners of the country.

SCOTIABANK UPDATE for International Students

Starting October 20, 2020, designated learning institutions (DLIs) with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by their province or territory will be able to reopen to international students who are currently outside Canada. Please see the Government of Canada’s website for further information.

If a student is about to travel to Canada, they must ensure they have sufficient funds on hand to sustain themselves and their family during the mandated self-isolation period. It will take 14 days or more for students to be able to access their funds upon arrival.

Students are encouraged to call the local branch to book an appointment to access their funds as soon as their self-isolation period is complete, as long as they do not show any COVID-19 symptoms. Branch contact information can be found via our branch locator tool.

Students are advised to bring their required documents along when they visit a Scotiabank branch to open an account:

• Valid foreign passport
• Investment directions confirmation
• Welcome letter
• Canadian college or university letter of enrolment or a student identification card
• Study permit (i.e., IMM 1442 form)
• Proof of Canadian address

More on getting education in Canada started right for international students here.

WWEC Initiatives

30 October: Maple Assist will host the Scotiabank-Agent Connect this month exclusively for agents and counselors from South Asia. Scotiabank will present live and speak to agents on the Student GIC Program, Banking in Canada and helping students better prepare for their journey to Canada

OUR RESOURCES Worldwide EduConnect International Recruitment Solutions: https://worldeduconnect.com/ WWEC LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/worldwide-educonnect Maple Assist Blog: https://www.mapleassist.com/blogs/ Maple Assist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXFhQ5_uIF4cQLidiOO_m-Q Scotiabank Resource Centre for Newcomers to Canada: https://startright.scotiabank.com/covid-19-resources.html