Editorial Note: Web links have been removed from this page due to outdated third-party web content.

Regional

Illiteracy Still a Problem in Asia and Africa

According to a recent United Nations report, worldwide illiteracy is diminishing, with the rate estimated at 23 percent today compared to 45 percent 50 years ago. Although this improvement remains a remarkable achievement given the fact that, over the same period, the world population has risen significantly, there are still significant disparities. Illiteracy rates remain the highest in Africa and Asia. In 1995, for example, 19 countries had an illiteracy rate of at least 70 percent. Fourteen of those countries were in Africa and five were in Asia. Moreover, the number of illiterate people is rising in southern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab states.

Director-general, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Federico Mayor,recently called on all governments concerned “to redouble their efforts to spread adult education and literacy.” He said solidarity between industrialized countries and developing countries should to be strengthened, suggesting that non-government organizations (NGOs), the private sector and voluntary groups could play pivotal roles toward this end.

— BuaNews (Pretoria)
Sept. 9, 2002

Angola

16,000 Children Without Education

More than 16,000 children in the central province of Bié are not in school due to a lack of classrooms and teachers. According to local authorities, most school facilities were destroyed during the recently ended civil war.

A dearth of textbooks and other educational materials has exacerbated the situation. Government officials told reporters they are dealing with the crisis by building new schools.

— Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
Sept. 3, 2002

Ethiopia

Four Colleges to Assume University Status

Mekelle University College, Bahir Dar University, Jimma University and South University will soon be upgraded to full-university status.

Currently, the four institutions are designated as university colleges linked under the umbrella of a single university. These schools will soon function as autonomous, full-fledged universities, bringing the total number of universities in Ethiopia to six.

One senior-level education official cautioned that although the institutions have met the required criteria to assume university status, they must improve the quality of education they provide.

The presidents of the four university colleges said that upgrading their institutions will allow them to provide education geared toward addressing local problems.

—Walta Information Center
March 2002

Kenya

New Nursing Degree Offered

Kenyatta University currently offers a new international degree in nursing.

The new program will be offered in conjunction with Emory University’s School of Nursing in the United States and the Lilian Center for International Nursing in Great Britain.

The bachelor of science in community health and nursing will be offered through Kenyatta’s Open Learning Center. It will include hospital-based residential sessions.

— The East African Standard (Nairobi)
Aug. 17, 2002

New Mombassa University Announced

The government recently announced plans to build a new university in Mombassa in early 2003. Talks with the Saudi Arabian benefactors were scheduled to take place in mid-September.

The project is being seen as a major education boost for the Coastal Province, which has continued to record better performance every year.

In addition, a group of church-based organizations are set to establish a university at Maandani in the Kilifi district. The construction of the campus will be funded by U.S. donors, as well as by Methodist, Anglican and Baptist churches from all over the world.

— The East African Standard
Sept. 9, 2002

Three Colleges to Absorb WUST Faculties

It was recently announced that at least three colleges in Western Province are to be upgraded to offer different faculty courses for the new Western University of Science and Technology.

The colleges include Sangalo College in Bungoma, Kaimosi College of Technology in Vihiga and Sigalagala Technical College in Kakamega.

According to officials, the purpose of the move is to prevent overcrowding at the university’s main campus.

— The East African Standard (Nairobi)
Aug. 28, 2002

Mozambique

Canadian Aid Package Targets Education

Canada recently agreed to donate 35 million Canadian dollars (about 22.3 million US dollars) to bolster Mozambique’s education sector. The money is earmarked for two different programs: The first, scheduled to be launched in 2003-04, will improve access to and the quality of basic education, and the second will be geared towards strengthening education support services.

Canada is regarded as the country’s largest partner in terms of providing school materials for primary education. Canadian cooperation with Mozambique also covers the sectors of rural water supply, micro-credit, transports and communications and the fight against HIV/AIDS.

— Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique
Sept. 6, 2002

Nigeria

Only 5 Obafemi Awolowo Degree Programs Gain Accreditation

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has accredited only five academic programs offered by Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU).

The NUC granted interim accreditation to 37 courses and denied approval to eight others. The five degree programs given full accreditation were in agriculture, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and nursing science. Programs denied accreditation were not listed.

— This Day (Lagos)
Aug. 20, 2002

At Least 15 Killed in Attack on Students

Several armed men burst into a classroom at the University of Nigeria campus in Nsukka and opened fire on students taking engineering examinations. At least 15 people were killed in the June attack, witnesses and police said. Several other people were seriously injured.

Officials blamed a university secret society believed to be targeting a rival student group.

The assailants used three cars to flee the engineering complex. Police have arrested two students, Enugu Police Commissioner Nwachukwu Egbochukwu said.
Several university officials and students, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they counted 15 to 18 bodies, most of them students but including at least two lecturers.

Nigeria’s daily Vanguard newspaper reported 18 killed.

The Nsukka campus and another in Enugu were closed indefinitely after the attack.

Rivalries between student movements at Nigerian universities have been blamed for hundreds of deaths in campus clashes since the early 1990s.

— The Associated Press
June 19, 2002

Uganda

New Catholic University to be Established

The Brothers of Christian Instruction (BCI) recently announced plans to establish a university campus in Kisubi.

A BCI spokesman said he had concluded talks with Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi, to help set up the country’s second Catholic-based university. It is not yet known when construction will begin.

The BCI also plans to build a new comprehensive school at Bubule.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni hailed the organization for supplementing government efforts in providing quality education.

— New Vision (Kampala)
August 20, 2002

Zambia

Faculty Strike and Student Demonstrations Lead to Closure of College

A faculty-led strike and student demonstrations closed Evelyn Hone College on Aug. 18. Armed police officers ordered all students to vacate the campus.

Students were angered by the fact that they had paid their fees but could not attend classes because lecturers were on strike. School officials said the campus had suffered significant damage resulting from the student unrest but provided assurances that the college would reopen for the third term on September 16, 2002.

— The Post (Lusaka)
Aug. 19, 2002

Zimbabwe

University Graduates Face Bleak Future

President Robert Mugabe presided over the the University of Zimbabwe’s August graduation ceremony, officially launching more than 4,000 graduates into a dismal job market.

With the country mired in severe economic crisis, the majority of graduates will be unable to find sustainable jobs. A record unemployment rate of 70 percent, soaring inflation currently pegged at 122 percent and international isolation are all clear signs that the economy is on the verge of collapse.

Although the government has poured billions of dollars into education since gaining independence in 1980, Zimbabwe remains a poaching ground for countries around the world seeking cheap professionals. Most university graduates take the earliest possible opportunity to leave the country for greener pastures in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand.

— Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)
Aug. 20, 2002