AFRICA: LATEST UPDATES

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa touched 1,794,507 on Monday, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Africa is currently the youngest continent in the world and will continue to be for the next several decades. By 2075, the youth population is expected to surpass that of India and China combined (as per UN-DESA).

Recent estimates by World Bank indicate that economic growth in the Sub-Saharan Africa will decline by 5.1% in 2020, compared to the economic growth rate of 2.4% in 2019, making it the first recession in the region in 25 years.

The economic contraction due to COVID 19 is a threat to countries looking to invest in secondary education at a time when demand is increasing. The Mastercard Foundation’s report suggests that demand for secondary education is expected to nearly double between now and 2030, from 60 million students today to 106 million students by 2030. There is a dire need to dedicate resources to secondary education that will prepare the youth with skills and competencies required by current trends of digitalization, automation and technological advances. 

Proposed changes to the United States visa rules with fixed timelines of up to four years for international students could possibly make US a less attractive destination for international students. There are indicators that suggest China may become the new dream destination in its stead. More recently, China has surpassed US and UK as the top destination for African students.

“Atingi,” a free-to-use platform backed by the German Government, has launched across 54 African countries following sustainable growth in the continent’s e-learning market. The African e-learning sector is expected to reach a market value of $1.8bn by 2024.

News from NORTH AFRICA

Algeria – According to Government statistics, 4 million students will return to middle and high school from a total of 10 million students enrolled in three educational cycles.  Nearly 1,160,000 students have started their new academic year, including 260,000 freshers. Algeria is in the process of introducing the European degree structure of three, five and eight years of higher education. More than 110,000 students will fit into the new system.

Egypt – With schools reopening across the country, about 23 million students have returned to 56,000 public schools nationwide. Egypt plans to have 125 universities by 2032 to bridge the current gap between the population and universities at the rate of one university per million. Currently, there are 30,000 Egyptian students studying abroad.

Morocco – Morocco and Tunisia are set to promote binational relations with a newly initiated plan to set-up joint laboratories to enhance networking between universities in the two countries. The plan will include 30 research projects in the fields of health, renewable energy, energy efficiency, water, environment, human and social sciences, artificial intelligence, and big data. Morocco, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Embassy of Norway in Rabat, launched a campaign to distribute tablets to students in remote areas of the country.

News from EAST AFRICA

Kenya – Despite the current spike in COVID-19 infections in the country, preparations for a full reopening of schools remain uninterrupted. Murang’a University of Technology is now offering agriculture-related courses after a signed MOU with the local county government. The University has welcomed 44 students to study agriculture in its first batch. Two Kenyans based in Canada, who are graduates of University of Toronto, created a platform that will allow businesses to hire influencers to promote their services and products. 

News from WEST AFRICA

Ghana – The controversial Public Universities’ Bill has been suspended at the Education Committee level in parliament for further consultation. In its current form, the Bill would give the Government the power to appoint a majority of the University Council members. 27 public Colleges of Education (CoE) in Ghana will benefit from e-learning support, a part of the wider Mastercard and Mott MacDonald COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Programs and UK Aid project. The support will enable CoEs to improve connectivity on their campuses through the installation of Wi-Fi services, as well as upgrading technology to aid virtual lessons for teacher trainees.

Nigeria – National Examinations Council (NECO) has fixed a new date for the suspended Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) and FCT. The examinations will now resume from 9November across the country. The Lagos State Ministry of Education has announced the release the 2020 admission lists for the State Model Colleges and Upgraded Junior Secondary Schools. The examination will strictly be a computer-based test from 2021.

News from SOUTHERN AFRICA

South Africa – South Africa remains the hardest hit country in the continent, accounting for 40% of Africa’s total caseload and 45% of its deaths. International students are finally able to enter South Africa to take up study programs following the re-opening of international borders in the beginning of October. However, challenges remain for the ELT sector as several important student markets remain on the restricted travel list. The Department of Basic Education has urged South Africans to rally behind the matric class of 2020 ahead of their final grade 12 examinations this week. The combined examination for Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate candidates makes this the largest cohort of 1,058,699 candidates. Students will sit for their examination from 5 November to 15 December 2020 and expect results by 22 February 2021.

Zambia – In celebration of 56 years of the country’s national independence, UNICAF University unveiled a scholarship program worth K20 million for eligible Zambian students. The 2020 External Grade 9 and General Certificate Examination (GCE) results were released last week. Of the 109,547 candidates that sat for the GCE examination, 98,403 candidates obtained the General Certificate of Education. 96,424 students out of 115,732 passed the 2020 Grade 9 External Examinations. 

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