The latest news and highlights in higher education from Africa

IN THIS ISSUE

• Rwanda to start giving Covid booster jabs
• NUC discovers 67 illegal varsities, study centres
• University of Ottawa opens scholarships for students
• 2021 WASSCE provisional results out; 174 cancelled for malpractices

NUC discovers 67 illegal varsities, study centres in Nigeria

The National Universities Commission has said that it has discovered 67 illegal universities, satellite campuses and study centres in the country. Executive Secretary of the Commission, Abubakar Rasheed, stated this while speaking at the 11th convocation of Al-Hikmah University held in Ilorin on Saturday 4th December 2021. Rasheed said all the alleged illegal institutions’ award certificates made the matter worse. He, however, said that the NUC is tackling the situation headlong to discourage the illegality and ensure that reputation of tertiary education in the county is not damaged. The NUC boss called for a concerted effort of all stakeholders to check the dwindling standard of education to make the country greater.

University of Ottawa opens scholarships for students

The University of Ottawa, Canada, has announced scholarships for African students. The entrance and excellence scholarship will provide incoming students with a four-year scholarship to cover the partial cost of their university tuition.

The renewable scholarship is offered to international students who are citizens of African countries admitted in the 2022 term (September start date) or later. Such students must have an admission average of 80 per cent or higher, According to the institution, the scholarship, which is a significant financial contribution to education, would help reduce the beneficiaries’ tuition fees by $17,500 to $25,000 for the excellence scholarships and by $12,000 to $20,000 for the entrance scholarships depending on the programme annually.

2021 WASSCE provisional results out; 174 cancelled for malpractices

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has released the provisional results of candidates, who sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The results of 194 schools have been withheld and are under scrutiny. WAEC says the withheld results of candidates may be canceled or released based on the outcome of the investigations. As a result of examination malpractices, a total number of 1,339 subject results and 174 entire results have been canceled. The examination malpractices included bringing foreign material including mobile phones into the examination hall, tearing off parts of question papers, and collusion.

Egypt to apply new bifurcated system for high school students as of 2022: Education minister

Egypt’s Education Minister Tarek Shawki said that a new bifurcated education system will be applied for high school students as of the next academic year, a step that aims to improve the pre-university stage of education. The new system reverses the three- branch system previously used in the three years of high school by merging natural sciences and mathematics under one section named the “science division.”

Swiss Education Group Meets CS Balala In Plan to Revamp Kenya’s Hospitality Sector

Swiss Education Group, the largest private educator in Switzerland, has kicked off its maiden visit to Kenya. The group paid a courtesy visit to Tourism CS Najib Balala led by Thomas Fitzgibbon – Vice President of International Development & Marketing, Nabil Elouardi —Senior Regional Manager; the Middle East & Africa and Ivy Mutiso — Regional Manager East Africa. Together with CS Balala, they discussed various partnership opportunities that Swiss Education Group can initiate to support the Government initiative to revamp the Hospitality Sector in Kenya. The Swiss Education Group reiterated their desire to work with Kenya Utalii College by conducting a full curriculum audit to ensure that it meets the needs of a dynamic market. This will further be extended to Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Kwale County.

Mastercard Foundation Partners to Strengthen E- Learning Capacity in Africa and Beyond

The Mastercard Foundation, United States International University-Africa (USIU- Africa), and Arizona State University (ASU) announced the launch of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program e-Learning Initiative, which over the next five years, will enable more than 600,000 university students to successfully pursue their studies online, from anywhere across Africa.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many universities, including those within the Scholars Program network, to suspend face-to-face classes and pivot to online learning. Building on what was learned during the disruption, this initiative will increase the investments that have already been made and strengthen the existing capacity of university partners to deliver high-quality, relevant, and inclusive e- learning courses. It will increase the number of young people accessing tertiary level education, particularly those living with disabilities, young women, refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and those living in rural areas.

COVID Jabs Drive has Boosts Tourism in Tanzania

Swift action by the government to launch a vaccination campaign against Covid- 19 has had a positive effect on tourism, it was revealed on 24th November. Despite being severely battered by the pandemic, the sector recorded a 52 percent increase in the number of visitors from last January to November. Likewise, this led to a 69 percent rise in revenue collected from the hospitality industry through increased arrivals between January and October 2021.

The figures sharply contrasted the tourism arrivals and revenue collections during the same period last year during which the key economic sector was almost brought to its knees.

Rwanda to start giving Covid booster jabs

Rwanda’s health ministry has announced that it will start giving third doses to the elderly and those who have underlying conditions. The ministry says the implementation will be done in phases and will begin in the capital, Kigali. Rwanda’s Minister of State in charge of primary healthcare says third doses will be given to those who are over the age of 50. Those between 30 and 50 will only get the extra shot if they have an underlying condition. The World Health Organization says this group should get an additional jab, as they are at higher risk of infections after their first vaccines. Health workers are also eligible for the third dose. Out of a population of about 13 million people, more than three million Rwandans have been fully jabbed to date.

Germany Adds Switzerland, Poland, Liechtenstein, Jordan & Mauritius to List of High- Risk Areas

Unvaccinated travellers from Switzerland, Poland, Lichtenstein, Jordan and Mauritius will face stricter entry rules when travelling to Germany starting from next Sunday, December 5, 2021, as all five have been included in Germany’s list of high-risk areas. The decision has been announced by the German health agency for disease prevention and control, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Covid: South Africa new cases surge as Omicron spreads

The new coronavirus variant Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections, health officials say. Some 11,500 new Covid infections were registered in the latest daily figures. That is a sharp rise on the 8,500 cases confirmed the previous day. By contrast, daily infections were averaging between 200 and 300 in mid- November, a top South African scientist told the BBC. Omicron has now been detected in at least 24 countries around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Canada says it won’t accept SA Covid-19 tests because flights are long

Canadian citizens travelling from South Africa are required to stop over in another country to get a PCR test, in order to go home. The “third country” testing requirement has seen Canada route its citizens through a country at war, as a safety precaution. The rule was imposed after Omicron, only on African states. Asked what it would take for SA tests to be accepted, Canadian authorities said the problem is long flights.

Zimbabwe reimposes Covid lockdown measures

Zimbabwe has reimposed a lockdown and mandatory quarantines for all travellers amidst rising Covid cases and to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The country has recorded over 130,000 Covid cases and about 4,700 deaths since the pandemic began early last year. The authorities cited growing public complacency that they believe will only worsen as the festive season approaches. There is also the fear of a fourth wave.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa reimposed a curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time.
All international travellers will be required to be tested on arrival and to quarantine at a state-designated facility all at their own cost. All businesses will be required to close at 19:00.