Crisis in Ethiopian Education

 The Conversation published on 23 November 2023 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's Education System Is in Crisis--Now's the Time to Fix It" by Tebeje Molla and Dawit Tibebu Tiruneh. 

Ethiopian children did poorly on the 12th grade leaving examination for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 years.  While COVID-19 accounts for much of the decline, the crisis has deep roots ranging from inadequate school infrastructure to improperly trained teachers.  

Articles on China's Presence in Africa

 Good Governance Africa published in June 2023 an edition with a series of articles on China's presence in Africa titled "Sovereignty in an Emerging Multipolar World."

The articles are:

--Chinese Media in South Africa: An Overview by Barry Van Wyk.

--Resuscitating Indigenous Languages through Translanguaging Pedagogy within the Evolution and Dynamics of Teaching Mandarin in Nigeria and South Africa by Philip Ademola Olayoku.

--Chinese Companies' Corporate Social Responsibility in the Eyes of Local Communities in Kenya: A Public diplomacy Approach by Cliff Mboya.

--Chinese Vloggers' Representations of Sub-Saharan Africa on Douyin: An Exploratory Study by Isak Wang and Ann Wang.

--The China Factor in Africa's Pursuit of Digital Sovereignty by Mandira Bagwandeen.

Al-Shabaab Targets Teachers in Northeast Kenya

The International Crisis Group posted on 22 July 2020 a briefing titled "How to Shield Education from Al-Shabaab in Kenya's North East."

Northeastern Kenya has proven fertile ground for al-Shabaab.  It is trying to expel teachers it views as outsiders of majority-Muslim northeastern Kenya.  The Kenyan government response--to evacuate non-native teachers--has shuttered the area's schools.  Nairobi should supply funds to hire local teachers (if they exist) while it works to restore security. 

China-Africa Course Syllabus for Fall 2018

Attached is the syllabus for an undergraduate course on China-Africa relations taught in the fall of 2018 in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Educational Challenges in Somalia

The Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute for Policy Studies just published a study titled "Educational Challenges in Post-transitional Somalia: Case Study Mogadishu" by Abdullahi Sh. Adam Hussein, Qatar National Research Fund.

The study is based on information collected in Benadir region and focused entirely on formal basic schooling or the K-12 education system.  It identified the following as the major challenges: too much variation in curriculum, differences in language of instruction, and teachers with inadequate training.