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Africa needs a revolution in education

Noticias

Africa/April 17, 2018/by ISS Today/ Source: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za

Access to education must be markedly improved if Africa is to catch up with global averages. By Jakkie Cilliers and Stellah Kwasifor. 

While education worldwide, especially for girls, has improved, the gap between Africa and the rest of the world is wide and the continent doesn’t appear to be catching up. In fact, it is falling further behind.

From 1960 to 2015, the gap between the average number of years of education obtained by African adults aged 25 and above and that of the rest of the world increased from two to three years. Today African adults have, on average, five years of education while the rest of the world has around eight.

Globally the disparities are large. Adults in North America and Europe have 13 and 11 years respectively, while those in South Asia have seven years. Education levels are improving everywhere, but more slowly in Africa than anywhere else.

Gallery

Source: Barro-Lee

Quality of education aside, countries now take less time to improve average years of education than in the past. Whereas it took around 17 years to increase average education levels in poor countries by one year in the 1960s and 70s, it now takes around 11 years. However while the rate of progress has generally sped up, Africa is falling further behind and will continue to do so, in part because of rapid population growth.

There are many well-known benefits of education. First, education affects demography through improved health (it reduces mortality) and reduced fertility rates (there are fewer children per female within childbearing age, meaning parents can better look after their children). In turn, demography affects improved education systems and opportunities in terms of size and characteristics of the school-going age of the population. Slower growth in pupil numbers allows poorer countries to cope with the requirement for more schools, books, teachers and other facilities.

Second, educational gains lead to improved productivity. A more literate and skilled workforce is more productive and can be engaged in higher value-add activities. For example, with grade 12 it may be possible to staff a call centre; with Grades 4 to 6, manual labour is probably the only option.

Third, better-educated people can increase their incomes, thus improving their economic circumstances. The relationship between higher levels of education and income is strong and almost linear. As workers progress from primary to secondary and eventually tertiary education, they are better positioned to increase earnings, sometimes dramatically. Education also promotes equity and democracy. A better educated citizenry can make more informed political choices.

Finally, improved levels of education reduce social inequalities where individuals can progress and be judged based on merit, with less importance being put on their social backgrounds, standing or other characteristics such as religion, race or caste.

Beyond these general positive features, attaining secondary education for females has numerous additional benefits. According to a widely quoted 1995 study by K Subbarao and Laura Raney, completion of secondary education would reduce the total fertility rate among women in developing nations by 26%. By comparison, doubling access to family planning would decrease the total fertility rate by only half that number.

Currently, only 14% of Africa’s low-income female population of the appropriate age group graduate from secondary school. For females in lower-middle-income Africa the portion is 48% and in upper-middle-income African countries it is 57%. The International Futures forecasting system from which these trends are extracted calculates that 122-million Africans are missing secondary school, slightly more than half of whom are female.

Economically, female education increases income of households when women enter the workforce and are gainfully employed. A 2003 study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisationin 19 countries points out that a country’s long-term economic growth increases by 3.7% for every year that the adult population’s average years of schooling increases. Female education should therefore be a cornerstone of any nation’s strategy to ensure that women are empowered economically, socially and intellectually.

So how does Africa catch up with progress elsewhere?

More rapid economic growth rates would allow African governments to spend more money on education. Improved health care, the provision of water and sanitation and access to modern contraceptives would aid these efforts as they would reduce fertility rates over time. Fewer children would reduce the burden of spreading money too thinly, allowing those who enter the system to do better.

Urbanisation accompanied by improved facilities and services like water, electricity and educational material would promote quality education. Students would be better able to access amenities like the internet to aid learning – a resource that is largely absent and/or expensive in rural regions. This way, efficient education planning by these under-resourced governments can be achieved. More donor aid would also help.

But even more is needed for Africa to close its enduring education deficit compared to the rest of the world.

Given current backlogs and budgets, Africa would simply not be able to build enough schools and train enough teachers at the scale that is required. Neither would it be able to provide resources such as books and laboratories and all the associated support structures needed for functioning schools at that scale.

Some experts say Africa may be able to catch up by tapping into the digital revolution. Direct access to world-class education material should provide some added momentum. But even this requires African governments to invest heavily in the provision of internet access and the means to access such material.

The 2017 United Nations Children’s Fund report on the state of the world’s children points to the potential of information and communication technology to transform education by “expanding access to high-quality educational content, including textbooks, video material and remote instruction, and at a much lower cost than in the past”. The report warns, however, that technology cannot fix education without support from “strong teachers, motivated learners and sound pedagogy”.

Equally important, societies need to recognise the value of education, especially of girls, and provide an enabling environment to ensure gender equity in education. In north-east Nigeria, girls already lag behind boys in attendance, because of cultural barriers, the belief that girls’ education isn’t that important and the determined efforts by Boko Haram to deny education to females.

Whatever the combination of solutions, African governments will need to get serious about improving access to education. More of the same is not enough if the continent is to catch up with progress elsewhere. DM

Jakkie Cilliers is Head of African Futures & Innovation, ISS and chair of the ISS Board of Trustees. Stellah Kwasi is a researcher, African Futures & Innovation, ISS

Photo: Learners in a classroom in Cape Town. 8 May 2018. Photo by Leila Dougan

Source:

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-16-africa-needs-a-revolution-in-education/#.WtVmVYjwbIU

 

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Ecuador: 69 internos de cárcel regional terminaron la educación primaria

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América del Sur/ Ecuador / 16.04.2018 / Fuente: www.eltelegrafo.com.ec.

Tras cumplir cuatro módulos de seis meses cada uno, 69 internos del Centro de Rehabilitación Social (CRS) Regional Guayas, culminaron la educación primaria, el pasado jueves. Los presos pertenecen al proyecto de Educación Básica para Jóvenes y Adultos (EBJA), que lleva adelante el Ministerio de Educación. Liliana Guzmán Ochoa, viceministra de Atención a Personas Privadas de Libertad, manifestó que los internos serán promovidos a octavo año de educación básica superior. Los estudiantes estuvieron acompañados de sus familiares.

El programa gubernamental de educación tiene como objetivo reducir la tasa de analfabetismo al 4% de manera progresiva en el Ecuador. La viceministra felicitó a los graduados y los motivó a seguir esforzándose, a continuar de pie, luchando por la vida. “Sigamos avanzando, con voluntad, con iniciativa.

La educación es un derecho que les otorga el Estado ecuatoriano, me satisface conocer que el esfuerzo vale la pena”. La funcionaria reiteró que los ministerios de Justicia y Educación garantizan el derecho a la educación de las personas que en estado doble de vulnerabilidad al estar privados de su libertad y no haber accedido o concluido el proceso educativo, en los diferentes niveles del sistema educativo nacional.

“El tiempo en privación de libertad podemos aprovecharlo de la mejor manera con los ejes de tratamiento que nos ofrecen”, dijo Junior R., el alumno mejor puntuado del periodo 2017-2018. Destacó que todo depende de sus propias capacidades y el aprovechar las facilidades que les brinda el Centro Regional. “Sin embargo, la decisión de cambiar está en cada uno. Agradezco a los ministerios, y a los maestros que  nos ayudan diariamente”, acotó Junior R.

Además, 30 personas privadas de libertad del Centro de Rehabilitación Social  CRS Regional Guayas, se graduaron como Bachilleres en Ciencias. El interno Alfredo S. fue reconocido por alcanzar 9.52 de puntaje académico. El interno inició su bachillerato en la etapa de máxima seguridad y, actualmente, está en la etapa mínima. (I)

Fuente: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/judicial/12/ppl-carcelregional-educacionprimaria-ecuador

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England: Music education should be inclusive. So where are the disabled teachers?

Noticias

England/ 16.04.2018/ From: www.theguardian.com.

For Kris Halpin, a disabled musician who delivers music lessons in schools, the thought of being in front of a room full of students used to be terrifying. But he knew what it would have meant to him at 14 to see a disabled person teaching his class.

“My experience in education [in the 1980s] was not immensely positive,” Halpin says. “I was bullied a lot at school because of my disability. Not by my peers but by the staff … When I had to flag an access [problem], I was told I was only disabled when it suited me. It was not a supportive place to be. Music education was my one salvation.”

Representation in the arts

At charity Drake Music, we wanted to look at the representation of disabled people in music education. But finding the data was problematic. Figures from Arts Council England [pdf] show that only 4% of the wider arts workforce identify as disabled. UK Music’s diversity research did not include disability in its survey.

In an attempt to improve knowledge in this area, we spoke to 36 music education hubs [pdf] about their workforce. Music hubs are groups of organisations – such as local authorities, schools, art organisations and voluntary organisations – working together to provide music education. They are so varied that making direct comparisons between them is difficult, but it gave us some idea about disability representation.

A third of the hubs said they had at least one paid member of staff who self reported as disabled. One in five (22%) were paid music leaders. There was a wide range of understanding and experience of disability, and each hub was at a different stage in providing truly inclusive music education services. But we were heartened to see that many recognised the importance of the topic. One respondent told us: “You are opening up a discussion we need to have.”

Diverse populations need teachers from a range of ages, backgrounds, experiences and communities. A more balanced and representative workforce creates relatable role models and opens the door to new possibilities for young people. It makes space for positive, constructive debate about the best teaching methods and approaches for working with young disabled people, and it combats negative perceptions and misunderstandings.

We know that music is a powerful force for many of the disabled people we work with. If made accessible, it can be a space for self-expression and offer a way in to a world of creative opportunities. That doesn’t happen enough.

Change cannot be affected by one organisation, or by a single policy, but will take many small movements across music education. There is increasing recognition that making music education more inclusive is important. This month, Youth Music launched the Alliance for a Musically Inclusive England, promoting diversity and cultural democracy in music education. Accessible practice is taking centre stage at conferences such as Music Mark. And there is recognition of the problem of declining music provision in schools more broadly.

From: https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2018/apr/13/music-education-should-be-inclusive-so-where-are-the-disabled-teacher

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Firma de la Carta de Entendimiento, para la promoción del funcionamiento de un Marco de Cualificaciones Profesionales de la Educación y Formación Técnica Profesional en el Sistema Educativo Nacional

Noticias

En el marco del “Proyecto de Fortalecimiento a la Educación y Formación y Técnica Profesional” que la OEI está impulsando en Honduras, se firmó el 10 de abril de 2018 la Carta de Entendimiento para la promoción del funcionamiento de un Marco de Cualificaciones Profesionales de la Educación y la Formación Técnica Profesional en el Sistema Educativo Nacional.

Ver firma:

  • Firma carta de entendimiento MNCP.pdf

Fuente: http://oei.hn/Educacion/Noticia/firma-de-la-carta-de-entendimiento–para-la-promocion-del-funcionamiento-de-un-marco-de-cualificaciones-profesionales-de-la-educacion-y-formacio

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Nigeria: As History Returns to the Curriculum

Noticias

Africa/ Nigeria/ 16.04.2018/ From: allafrica.com.

Finally, the future of Nigeria looks a little brighter because the nation has decided to begin to look, again, into its own past.The erstwhile removal of History from the school curriculum, or its so-called integration into that of Social Studies, was a mindless and uncharitable act of disservice to the generation of Nigerian pupils/students to which it was denied, a deprivation of the human need to understand its origin and trajectory in order to chart a worthy and viable course for its continuity. Thankfully, however, History has been restored, and Nigeria is no longer doomed, like the proverbial river that forgets its origin, to dry up and crack in its bed.

As far back as 1999, in a meeting with the then newly elected President Olusegun Obasanjo who had made a reference to the problem of youth violence across the country, one of Nigeria’s historical icon J. F. Ade-Ajayi had made it clear that this problem stems from the lack of the knowledge of history in the Nigerian youth population. A host of other things, both positive and negative, happening in the country now can be better understood and engaged if they were traced back into history. The paucity of a sense of nationalism or patriotism can be directly tied to the lack of a sense of history, for it is difficult, perhaps even impossible, to love a country that one does not know.

Moreover, there is a sense of identity, culture, ownership and responsibility among other things that can be taught or given only through an immersion in the history of one’s people. Once again, therefore, the re-introduction of History as a stand-alone subject in the basic and junior secondary curriculums across the country must be greeted with joy and renewed hope. The government must be commended for listening to the criticisms and pleas of its people on this particular matter and reshaping its policy to suit the reasonable stance of its citizens.

In implementing or executing this very commendable policy, however, the need for vision and responsibility must not be overlooked. History being as long and wide as human reality itself, the study of the history of Nigerian peoples and their connections with the greater world must be emphasized as the core of the new curriculum. The greater portion of school children in the country nowadays, perhaps by virtue of their exposure to the history-laden comics and sitcoms of the West, are conversant with the exploits of such figures as Benjamin Franklin and Joan of Arc while questioningly cringing their noses at the mention of Ovonramwen and Queen Amina. This is not a desirable state of affairs. History, like charity, must begin at home, and it is time for Nigeria to also begin to utilise the products of technology and innovation in teaching its children its own history.

Culture, being intertwined with history, must share in this rebirth. There is thus nothing wrong with the making of cartoons and other animations that tell the stories of Ogun, Sango, Chaka the Zulu, Amadioha and Mandela, all made colourful with toned-down representations of the personages and rites of passage without which these stories will not be complete. Since these children, as research has shown, respond better to visuals, then let them be given visuals.

The history of a people must also be taught in line with the particular vision that that people has for itself. The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, has said that one of the purposes of this policy is the promotion of Afro-Nigerian history so that the challenges of globalisation can be better understood, appreciated and negotiated. This is a goal that is worth pursuing, and the starting point must be for that which is Nigerian/African to be posited as strong and valuable on its own, able to inter-connect with the outside world on its own terms and as an equal. For this task to be achieved, the employment of history teachers (i.e. teachers who actually studied history and are trained to teach it rather than makeshift instructors from perhaps other disciplines) is imperative. If this is taken along with the use of new media, the study of history in Nigeria will know no limitation in its fruits.

In conclusion, the return of History to schools as an independent subject must be recognised also as a clarion call to parents, teachers, and guardians to first take up the responsibility to educate themselves in their own history and then teach their younglings the same. To be practical, the history of particular tribes and clans (which is also very important) is best taught at the level of the family. It is, therefore, time to bring back the culture of an oral transmission of tribal history.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/201804110187.html

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España: La educación diferenciada, una batalla que dura casi veinte años

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Europa/España/ 16.04.2018/ Fuente: sevilla.abc.es.

Fue Manuel Pezzi allá por 1999 el primero en iniciar en Andalucía la batalla contra la diferenciada. «Si no aceptan la coeducación le retiraremos la subvención». La frase, la misma que hoy mantienen los dirigentes de la Junta de Andalucía, la pronunció hace cerca de veinte años. Lo dijo iniciando una batalla del ejecutivo andaluz contra los colegios concertados que separaban a niños y niñas. Unos centros cuyos dirigentes y los padres que los eligen denominan «diferenciados» y que la Junta tilda de «segregada».

Son muy pocos los que quedan en Sevilla con ese modelo que sí existe en otros países de la UE sin problema y cuyo debate esconde un trasfondo ideológico con defensores y detractores. En Sevilla hay seis concertados con este modelo: Ribamar, Albaydar, Altair, Angela Guerrero, Elcható de Brenes y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes en Carmona.

Son centros que, como dice Javier Delgado, director de Altair, se alejan del concepto que muchos tienen de centro elitista al estar en el distrito Tres Barrios-Amate que engloba «Los pajaritos», uno de los barrios más pobres de España. Y tienen más demanda que oferta. En pleno proceso de escolarización Altair tiene 63 solicitudes para las 50 plazas en 3 años y 35 para 30 en la ESO.

Pero la Junta emprendió su batalla. «Fue el consejero de Educación Pezzi que abrió un expediente a Altair diciéndonos que teníamos que admitir a alumnos y alumnas», recuerda Delgado. En el centro se opusieron, decidieron que no estaban dispuestos a aceptarlo y se fueron a los tribunales a defender el derecho de los padres a defender el modelo de educación que querían para sus hijos.

A partir de ahí todos y cada uno de los titulares de Educación han seguido la misma batalla cuyo punto álgido llegó cuando en febrero de 2017. la anterior consejera, Adelaida de la Calle, decidió retirarles el concierto. Semanas después se veía obligada a rectificar tras la sentencia del Tribunal Supremo que avalaba este modelo y debía devolverles el concierto.

Pese a ello, la Junta de Andalucía se adhería al recurso que presentaron los diputados socialistas a la LOMCE y seguía en sus trece. Esta semana seguía insistiendo en que defenderá una educación «no segregadora». A la Junta le quedan dos recursos: uno del TC prácticamente igual al del PSOE y otro, de 2013, en el TS. Dos tribunales que han avalado la diferenciada y que raramente se pronuncian en contra de sus propios criterios.

Es una maraña judicial de recursos que ha provocado más de cuarenta resoluciones y que esconde un trasfondo ideológico. Por eso Angustias García Guillén, directora de Albaydar, un centro que ofrece bachillerato y FPa chicas, está harta de que la educación esté tan influenciada por las «tendencias políticas» que, a su juicio, «no dejan ver lo bueno que tiene esta educación». Una educación que, como recuerda la directora, se aleja del concepto elitista que tienen. «Estoy harta de que llamen a este centro elitista y luego comprueben que no es así». Albaydar se considera un centro «que trabaja por y para la mujer» y que lucha por su inserción laboral.

Fuente de la noticia: http://sevilla.abc.es/sevilla/sevi-educacion-diferenciada-batalla-dura-casi-veinte-anos-201804142021_noticia.html

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Uganda: New Curriculum Good, but Beware of Pitfalls

Noticias

Africa/Uganda/ 16.04.2018 / From: allafrica.com.

The government has rolled out a revised curriculum for Ordinary Level with ambitious reforms that have seen 20 subjects either dropped or consolidated with others to bring down the number of examinable units to 13. Even among the retained subjects, there have been changes. Topics that are deemed irrelevant have been scrapped.

Teachers have expressed reservations on the implementation of the curriculum, saying they were not consulted as the tail-end implementers, which may impede the execution and realisation of the objective.

 But that aside, the most critical reform in the new curriculum, which might bring more challenges than the intended good, is the change of grading system in the final Ordinary Level examinations for the lower secondary learners.

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/201804120152.html

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