Africa Cameroon 03 December 2020: Update: In Kumba city, Southwest region, police have pressed criminal charges against the proprietress of the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy and her partner, alongside four other persons, following the killing of seven young students on 24 October 2020. Source: Mimi Mefo Info 09 December 2020: In Oku village, Boyo department, Northwest region, a student was shot and injured by Ambazonian separatists on his way to school.* Source: ACLED1 As reported on 09 December 2020: Update: In Northwest and Southwest regions, the long-standing Anglophone crisis…
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Is the Global Partnership for Education Redundant?
Or Is It a More Progressive, Democratic Alternative to the World Bank? Suppose a rich country, say the UK, wants to give foreign aid to improve education in a poor country, say Malawi. How should it go about that? There is an enormous literature comparing the cost-effectiveness of everything from buying free eyeglasses for students to paying performance bonuses to teachers. Who exactly should Her Majesty’s Treasury, in the UK’s case, or Janet Yellen, in the US case, make the check out to? Broadly speaking, there are three options, and…
Read MoreWomen’s entrepreneurship report: Education and finance for successful entrepreneurship in Africa
New ECA report shows that tackling educational attainment gaps can uplift African women entrepreneurs Addis Ababa, 19 January 2021 (ECA) – A new report finds educational attainment gaps limit the success of women-owned businesses in Africa while offering solutions to tackle the imbalance. The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) released its report on women’s entrepreneurship today, which studies data from tens of thousands of African entrepreneurs and firms to establish links between education, access to finance and improved productivity. Gaps First, the report reveals that education is a critical…
Read MoreCameroon Closes Schools as Boko Haram Suicide Bombings Increase
YAOUNDE – Cameroon says it has again closed more than 60 schools on its northern border with Nigeria to save children and teaching staff from increasing Boko Haram attacks. The central African state has deployed its military to teach displaced children in locations they say are safe. Boko Haram is increasingly using suicide bombers, as the military has drastically reduced the terrorist group’s firepower. Ousmanou Garga, the Cameroon basic education official on the northern border with Nigeria, says recent Boko Haram attacks have made many schools unsafe. Garga says several…
Read MoreCameroon Teachers Reject Military Convoys to Schools
YAOUNDE – At least 3,000 Cameroon teachers have refused offers by the central African state’s military to transport teaching staff to schools in the conflict-prone English-speaking regions. The teachers, who fled separatists’ attacks, looting, burning and occupation of their schools in the English-speaking regions, say they are not sure of their safety as some separatist fighters are again threatening to kill teachers and students who go to school. The renewed separatist threats are casting doubts over all schools reopening after four years of closure due to separatist crisis. Primary school…
Read MoreOnly 1 in 3 countries ready to receive children safely in schools in West and Central Africa
UNICEF calls on governments to accelerate a safe re-opening of schools for all children, with clear public health, hygiene and sanitation safeguards in place. DAKAR/NEW YORK, 7 October 2020 – UNICEF calls on Ministries of Education and Finance today to prioritize education in their COVID-19 recovery plans to reduce the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis on children and national economies. New data from UNICEF on progress and perspectives for the re-opening of schools in West and Central Africa shows that, six months from the onset of the pandemic, which…
Read MoreGlobal financiers tackle refugees’ education
Leading organisations invested in children’s education met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week to share programmatic and financial learnings developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the need to strengthen digital learning. Entitled ‘Meeting our Promises on Refugee Education during COVID-19’ the virtual roundtable brought together senior government, institutional, private sector and philanthropic partners to discuss learnings and solutions that have emerged throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Co-hosted by Save the Children, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, Education Cannot Wait and the World Bank, this high-level event…
Read MoreSchool health and nutrition: Invest now to build human capital, or pay more later
As schools reopen during COVID-19, governments must invest in essential school-based services By Mohamed Abdiweli Ahmed, WFP Advocacy Adviser Sareeyo is a Somali mother of three — including two boys who have lost their father. For her, the meals her children receive at school are a godsend. “I cried for happiness when I saw the children coming home satisfied with full stomachs,” she says. Like her, millions of poor and vulnerable parents around the world find comfort in knowing their children’s health and nutritional needs are taken care of at…
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