Africa: US$200 million pledged for African universities

Contributor
Sep 28, 2005

Six major US foundations have pledged US$200 million to strengthen higher education institutions in seven African countries. The money will be spent over the next five years in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. Part of the initiative is an effort to dramatically increase access to the Internet in universities there. The commitment signals the re-launch of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, set up in 2000 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York...read more

Burundi: Free schooling starts with huge logistical problems

Contributor
Sep 19, 2005

Teachers and administrators of Burundi's primary schools faced logistical problems on Monday as hundreds of thousands of primary school students lined up to enroll for the first time for the 2005-2006 school year which the president promised would now be free. "We will not be able to cope with the increases," Donat Hatungimana, a primary school teacher in the capital, Bujumbura, said. The ministry projects that some 2,400 extra teachers and 2,400 new class rooms will be needed.

Burundi

Africa: International Placement Opportunity

Contributor
Sep 28, 2005

Student Partnership Worldwide (SPW) is a youth led development charity that empowers young people from the North and South to work together as volunteers in rural areas of Africa and Asia. These peer educators deliver Health Education and Community Resource Peer Education Programmes empowering local youth to take control over their own lives and shape the future of their communities. 85% of SPW peer educators come from programme countries. SPW is offering Opportunity Africa participants the u...read more

International human rights officer, Africa

Contributor
Sep 28, 2005

The post-holder will coordinate a 3-year project on enabling minorities in Africa to use international standards and mechanisms, primarily the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. S/he will have project management experience and good English and French.

Uganda: Relief agency renews call for international interventions in the North

Contributor
Sep 12, 2005

The international community and the Ugandan government should take urgent action for an immediate and peaceful resolution of the war in the north in order to stop a "grave humanitarian crisis", an international humanitarian agency announced on Monday. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) reported that as many as 1,000 people in northern Uganda are dying each week from violence and war-related problems.

Uganda

Namibia: Teachers plan mass demonstration

Contributor
Sep 11, 2005

Teachers countrywide are poised to hold nationwide demonstrations to protest against Government's failure to implement salary increases and benefits. "We want to register our maximum anger and disappointment and thus put pressure on the Government to implement the Revised Salary Structure for Teachers without any further delay," the Namibia National Teachers' Union (Nantu) said in a statement at the weekend.

Namibia

Raised Voices: Call to filmakers

Heidi Bachram
Sep 13, 2005

Raised Voices: views from the South Call out for filmmakers to send testimonies from the global South on climate change

We are currently collecting short testimonies from Southern peoples on issues related to climate change for the upcoming UN climate talks in Canada in December 2005. The project seeks to push open political space for the views of those most affected who do not have a voice at the talks. Raised Voices has already collected testimonies on the G8 in 2005 which created a...read more

South Africa: Mini labs take science to rural schools

Contributor
Sep 09, 2005

Rural high school pupils in Mpumalanga will now have access to well-equipped mini science laboratories. The mini laboratories are small, compact, durable boxes that weigh no more than 15kg and do not need electricity. They also come with printed and electronic manuals, as well as equipment and chemicals for the Grade 8 and 9 Natural Science curricula. "The mini labs are designed to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education by stimulating an interest in science," said provincial ...read more

South Africa

Somalia: Access to education remains a major challenge – EC

Contributor
Sep 08, 2005

The European Commission (EC) said on Thursday that access to basic education remained a major challenge in Somalia despite tremendous gains in literacy in recent years. "Much remains to be done to ensure that Somalis, especially the poor, have access to basic education and lifelong learning opportunities," the EC delegation in Kenya, which also handles Somalia operations, said in a statement on the occasion of the international literacy day.

Somalia

Africa: Universities ‘can held offset brain drain from South’

Contributor
Sep 09, 2005

Universities in developed nations could help offset the 'brain drain' of skilled workers from poorer countries, says a report published on 1 September. It says universities could transfer resources, technology and knowledge to developing nations through exchanges of staff and students, research collaborations, and 'twinning' with institutions there. The report, which focuses on Africa, notes that developing countries see some benefits from the brain drain because migrant workers send money ho...read more

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