Education – Views & Research

We set out to improve literacy among struggling readers in Kenya – what we learnt

Fridah Gatwiri Kiambati, African Population and Health Research Center

Girls sitting at desks with paper and pencils

Does free schooling give girls a better chance in life? Burundi study shows the poorest benefited most

Frederik Wild, University of Heidelberg and David Stadelmann, Bayreuth University

Man writing on a blackboard with children sitting at desks watching him

30 years of free basic education in Ghana: a report card

Pearl S. Kyei, University of Ghana; Fred Dzanku, University of Ghana, and Samuel Kobina Annim, University of Cape Coast

Teachers in South African schools may be slow to report rape of girls: study shows why

Ayobami Precious Adekola, University of South Africa and Azwihangwisi Helen Mavhandu-Mudzusi, University of South Africa

Global crises have hit education hard: 24 years of research offers a way forward for southern Africa

Emmanuel Ojo, University of the Witwatersrand

Chairs upturned on top of desks in a classroom

Sexual predators at school: why South African law is failing to protect children from teachers

Cecile de Villiers, University of Cape Town

A man holding a gavel hits it against one hand

New survey explores what people in South Africa expect of publicly visible scientists – why it matters

Marina Joubert, Stellenbosch University; Lars Guenther, Stellenbosch University, and Simone Rödder, University of Hamburg

A man in a white lab coat, wearing blue surgical gloves, stands in a laboratory alongside a woman, similarly garbed, who is working on samples of some sort

Kenya’s decision to make maths optional in high school is a bad idea – what should happen instead

Moses Ngware, African Population and Health Research Center

Schoolgirl solving addition sum on white board with marker pen.

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Parenting matters

Two young students with backpacks walk along. One has an arm around the other.

How can you help your child make friends?

Gretchen Geng, Flinders University and Phillip Slee, Flinders University

How can you tell if your child is ready for a smartphone? What are the alternatives?

Joanne Orlando, Western Sydney University

Children see art differently – our eye-tracking research shows how museums and art classes can capture their attention

Francesco Walker, Leiden University

Adult and child looking at still life painting, child wearing glasses

Kids should be encouraged to talk back – 5 tips for teaching them critical thinking skills

Heidi Matisonn, University of Cape Town

A child stands in front of a green chalkboard, one finger on their chin, comic-style question marks popping out of their head

Parents lie to children all the time – but they should think twice about it

Rebecca Brown, University of Oxford

An African woman's hand holds a cell phone, orange circles of light in the background.

African publishing is being revolutionised – report explores trends in six countries

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, University of Oxford

South Africa’s classrooms should have a ‘box’ of languages to help children learn: new bilingual education policy is a start

Russell H. Kaschula, University of the Western Cape and Mbali Sunrise Dhlamini, University of the Western Cape

South Africa's flag, which is red, green, white, yellow, black and blue, illustrated in the shape of a speech bubble

Coloured South Africans are all but erased from history textbooks – I asked learners how that makes them feel

Natasha Robinson, University of Oxford

A young woman in an off-the-shoulder evening gown sticks her tongue out cheekily while displaying a large gold statue shaped like a gramophone

Digital stories could hold the key to multilingual literacy for African children

Bonny Norton, University of British Columbia

Thinking aloud: what happens when children read for pleasure in classroom clubs

Eileen Scheckle, Nelson Mandela University

Two boys talking with a book in front of them

African countries need more PhD graduates but students are held back by a lack of money and support

Oluwatomilayo Omoya, Flinders University; Olumide A Odeyemi, Flinders University; Omowale A Odeyemi, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Udeme Samuel Jacob, University of Ibadan

Rear view of male in academic gown, hood and cap, looking out over a distant landscape

What one university’s 30-year transformation reveals about Afrikaans and language planning in South Africa

Lloyd Hill, Stellenbosch University

A group of protesters holding a banner that reads Open Stellenbosch. Others are holding placards calling for Afrikaans to be removed as a teaching language

Africa’s flagship universities have a proud history – but are they serving local communities?

James Ransom, UCL

A black and white photograph of people sitting at long tables, reading

Nigeria’s universities need to revamp their entrepreneurship courses – they’re not meeting student needs

Abiodun Egbetokun, De Montfort University and Adedayo Olofinyehun, National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM)

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