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

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

Photo collage of teenagars looking at their phones against a colourful cloudy sky.

Governments are pushing teen social media bans – but behind the scenes is a messy fight over science

Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, University of Wollongong and Matthew B. Jané, University of Connecticut

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

Tinashe Mushakavanhu, University of Oxford

An African woman's hand holds a cell phone, orange circles of light in the background.
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
Only 5.3% of welders in the US are women. After years as a writing professor, I became one − here’s what I learned

Jo Mackiewicz, Iowa State University

A woman welding a headboard for a bed.
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

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Parenting matters

A young girls pouts and puts here hands together.

Why is my kid using a baby voice? How can I manage it?

Elizabeth Westrupp, Deakin University

If your child is watching TV and playing online games, you should do it with them – here’s why

Jamie Lingwood, Liverpool Hope University and Gemma Taylor, University of Salford

Fathers and daughter watching TV
How to help your child return to school after a long illness, new diagnosis or an accident

Sarah Jefferson, Edith Cowan University

A man holds the hand of a small child in a backpack. They walk through a school gate.
Should you give your child a ‘dumb’ phone? They aren’t the answer to fears over kids’ social media use

Andy Phippen, Bournemouth University

Hand holding pink and white flip phone
Children and the internet: helping kids navigate this modern minefield

Lucy Jamieson, University of Cape Town; Heidi Matisonn, University of Cape Town, and Wakithi Mabaso, University of Oxford

A smiling mum and daughter wave at the digital tablet the mother is holding

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Reading and books

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

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

Natasha Robinson, University of Oxford

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

Bonny Norton, University of British Columbia

Digital stories could hold the key to multilingual literacy for African children
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
Learning to read is a journey: a study identifies where South African kids go off track

Gabrielle Wills, Stellenbosch University and Cally Ardington, University of Cape Town

A boy in a school uniform uses his finger to track books in a book
Girls usually read better than boys. Why this isn’t the case in some African countries

Pearl S. Kyei, University of Ghana

A small group of schoolchildren in light blue school uniforms raising their hands to address a teacher sitting on a desk at the head of the class
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Higher education

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)

A group of people sitting under a tree
Online classrooms where students run the show: we tested how this unconventional model can work

Matthew Wingfield, Stellenbosch University; Bettina von Lieres, University of Toronto, and Laurence Piper, University of the Western Cape

A digitally generated image of multi coloured gear wheels connected together in the shape of a brain on grey background
Decolonising the curriculum hasn’t closed the gap between Black and white students – here’s what might

Paul Ian Campbell, University of Leicester

Students focusing on own work in class
South African universities need to rethink how they evaluate research: social impact counts too

Andiswa Mfengu, University of Cape Town

A studious looking young man in a collared shirt working in a library, making notes
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