Education – Views & Research

Group of young people walking; girl looks back smiling

What’s overlooked in student mental health in South Africa: social connection and sexual wellbeing

Jarred H Martin, University of Pretoria; Jacomien Muller, University of Pretoria; Jolize Joubert van Appel, University of Pretoria, and Sonja Nicolene Mostert, University of Pretoria

Open books on the ground; children's feet and legs

Malawi’s education choices in the wake of aid cuts

Alyssa Morley, Michigan State University; Nelson Masanche Nkhoma, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Rachel Silver, York University, Canada

Conflict hits schooling hardest where children are the target – study

Roos van der Haer, Leiden University; Andreas Forø Tollefsen, University of Oslo; Gudrun Østby, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO); Ragnhild Nordås, University of Michigan, and Siri Aas Rustad, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

Young, South African and unemployed: finding direction starts with knowing yourself – counsellor

Kobus Maree, University of Pretoria

Want to learn a South African language? Your options are limited – here’s why

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

Illustration of heads and speech bubbles

School in a hot world: what research is saying about children’s health and learning

Caradee Yael Wright, South African Medical Research Council and Natasha Naidoo

Ghana wants learner-centred classrooms – but many teachers still favour old methods

Frank Quansah, University of Education, Winneba and Nathaniel Quansah, University of Cape Coast

Black and white photo of young people sitting in rows

Cultural bias in west Africa’s school-leaver exam questions puts many students at a disadvantage

David Baidoo-Anu, Ontario Tech University and Monsurat Raji, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

Getting through school in South Africa: how learners make it to the end after a poor start

Ursula Hoadley, University of Cape Town; Carol Bertram, University of KwaZulu-Natal; Gabrielle Wills, Stellenbosch University, and Servaas van der Berg, Stellenbosch University

Man gesturing while standing in front of children at desks in classroom

Student teachers in South Africa face a stressful career: how to prepare them better

Zayd Waghid, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

How will teachers handle bullying? South African study finds they’re ill-prepared

Moeniera Moosa, University of the Witwatersrand

Man standing in front of children who are seated at desks

100 million African children are not in school. What’s driving the trend and how to reverse it

Moses Ngware, African Population and Health Research Center

Woman stands at a blackboard in front of children seated on the floor

Young Africans will inherit a climate crisis: how kids in Sierra Leone are getting ready

Rebecca Morgenstern Brenner, Cornell University and Sonny S. Patel, Georgia State University; Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health

About 30 young people in school uniform stand outside a blue building

What’s stopping kids from learning useful skills? Short answer: exams

Frank Quansah, University of Education, Winneba

Teaching mathematical statistics: one lecturer’s way of testing what students understand

Michael Johan von Maltitz, University of the Free State

Hand with pen, graphs, book, calculator, laptop

Do dads of disabled children do enough? Kenya study points to misunderstood ways of caring

Amani Karisa, African Population and Health Research Center

A man at the front of a classroom talking to children and holding up a piece of white paper, with two learners in the frame facing forward

Two young people in front of a sculpture of seated people

History with a human face and voice: how museum theatre gets kids to care about the past

Stephanie Jenkins, University of Pretoria

Countries need higher education to rebuild after conflict – study finds foreign aid isn’t going where it’s needed

Savo Heleta, Nelson Mandela University and Logan Cochrane, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

Interior of a room with the roof destroyed

We run writing workshops at a South African university: what we’ve learnt about how students are using AI, and how to help them

Dr Peet van Aardt, University of the Free State

View from above of hands pointing to pieces of paper; one is holding a pen

Curious Kids: What is the smallest thing in the universe?

Omololu Akin-Ojo, University of Ibadan

Student well-being comes from care, but is caring enough? Academics reflect on 3 stumbling blocks

Martina van Heerden, University of the Western Cape and Sharita Bharuthram, University of the Western Cape

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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

Fun with fossils: South African kids learn a whole lot more about human evolution from museum workshops

Shaw Badenhorst, University of the Witwatersrand

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

Silhouette of a seated child holding an open book

South African learners struggle with reading comprehension: study reveals a gap between policy and classroom practice

Tracy Kitchen, Rhodes University

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

Fridah Gatwiri Kiambati, African Population and Health Research Center

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.

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

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

AI can be a danger to students – 3 things universities must do

Sioux McKenna, Rhodes University and Nompilo Tshuma, Stellenbosch University

A woman wearing spectacles looks at a computer screen, whose image is reflected in the lenses

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

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