By Ayanfeolula Ewun, youth climate activist, Nigeria Africa contributes a measly 3% of global carbon emissions, yet no continent is feeling the heat – literally – as much. Rising temperatures are killing our livestock, and coastal areas face the brunt of rising sea levels. It’s a harsh reality brought on by a world that has prioritized […] The post They don’t need to fix us, they need to catch up: An African’s perspective on climate education appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

People are excited about the potential of programs focused on children’s social and emotional learning (SEL). At the least, they can make learning a more engaging and enjoyable experience for children. But, do we know how and if SEL programs work, especially across the diverse economic, ethnic and cultural contexts that constitute low- or middle-income […] The post Social and emotional learning in the Global South: The path forward appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

By Kholosa Nonkenge and Stephen Taylor, Department of Basic Education, South Africa  When it comes to education, unlike rugby, South Africa is often in the news for the wrong reasons. Far from being world champions, the country is one of the worst performers in international assessments of learning like TIMSS and PIRLS.   However, South Africa […] The post Sustaining system-wide educational improvement in South Africa appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

By Takuya Baba, Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, and Atsushi Matachi, Senior Education Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Agency Japan’s international cooperation programmes in basic education, reflecting its own historical development experience, have emphasized the use of existing systems and resources to help build institutions. This blog draws from a background […] The post Japanese international cooperation has supported primary mathematics programmes in Africa for more than two decades appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

By Jean Louis Ripoche, consultant This blog is based upon a background paper produced for the second Spotlight continental report.  To reduce grade repetition and dropout, many African countries are providing some type of remedial education, either in-school or through community-based activities. In Chad, three out of every five children starting primary school are expected […] The post Lessons for teachers from a remedial education programme in Chad appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

By Alice Mukashyaka, Youth Reference Committee Member, Office of the African Union Youth Envoy Imagine a world where every young person, regardless of where they are born, can confidently solve problems, make informed decisions, and envision a future filled with possibilities. This is not just a dream – it is a vision grounded in the […] The post A vision to prioritize numeracy: empowering children with numbers for a brighter future appeared first on World Education Blog ..read more

The 2024 Gender Report, Technology on her terms, released recently, reviews progress on gender parity in education for most SDG 4 targets. Despite the myriad range of possibilities to look at gender disparity, the report asserts the continuing growth in girls and young women’s participation in education at different levels, which has helped reverse decades of discrimination.  Progress aside, however, it remains the case that parity has not been achieved at the same rates for all levels of education in sub-Saharan Africa.  As of 2020, for every 100 enrolled males, there were 96 female ..read more

By Rodney Buadi Nkrumah, 2023 GEM Report Fellow, PhD candidate at McGill University The deadline for the Sustainable Development Goal of ensuring access to quality basic education and learning skills for all children (by 2030) is barely 7 years away. Yet, the Spotlight report series on foundational learning in Africa, a partnership between the GEM Report, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa and the African Union, shows learning levels in many African countries remain low: only 16% of primary school-leavers achieve minimum literacy skills compared to 61% globally. Beyond ..read more

The second report in the Spotlight series in Africa, Learning Counts, focuses on foundational numeracy and shows that teachers will struggle to effectively translate the curriculum into action in the classroom without support to address their knowledge gaps and their adverse classroom conditions, for example through easy-to-use teacher guides. Produced in partnership with the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the report is being launched today, 7 May, at the 2024 Conference of the African Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities. Along with the continental report ..read more

The second report in the Spotlight series in Africa, Learning Counts, focuses on foundational numeracy and shows that teachers will struggle to effectively translate the curriculum into action in the classroom without support to address their knowledge gaps and their adverse classroom conditions, for example through easy-to-use teacher guides. Produced in partnership with the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), the report is being launched today, 7 May, at the 2024 Conference of the African Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities. Along with the continental report ..read more