Almost 70 years after independence was gained across the continent, many African countries continue to face the complex task of managing ethnic diversity and building national cohesion. National cohesion is a broad and often abstract concept.

It refers to the extent to which people within a country share a sense of common purpose and belonging. It is often reflected in the strength of national identities and the degree of pride individuals feel in being part of the nation.

The fact that borders in colonial Africa were drawn in the late 19th century to the early 20th century by European powers without regard for ethnic and cultural realities and histories meant that post-colonial African governments had to develop a sense of national consciousness and belonging.

he Director of the Forpoh Vocational Training Institute in Grand Kru County, Gabriel S. Tidoe, has strongly encouraged parents and guardians to take their children’s education seriously if Liberia is to match the educational standards of other countries in the region.

Speaking over the weekend at the 34th Thanksgiving Service of the Doyle Goodspeed Christian Academy in the Township of Caldwell, Director Tidoe emphasized that parents must be fully involved in their children’s education. “It’s not just about enrolling them in school or paying tuition,” he said. “Parents should check their children’s notes and follow up with teachers regularly.”

He described education as a powerful tool because it equips individuals with knowledge, skills, values, and experiences that enable them to improve their lives and make positive contributions to society. “Education is not just about learning how to read and write,” he stated.

The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Professor Noah Yusuf, has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to review the Act establishing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to enable private universities benefit from its supplementary support—currently reserved for public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, Professor Yusuf, whose tenure ended on Monday, argued that TETFund derives its revenue from private organizations in the country, and therefore, private universities should also be eligible for support.

The university don noted that private institutions could achieve more in terms of infrastructure, research, and learning if given access to TETFund, and he appealed to NASS to amend the Act accordingly to accommodate private universities.

Teachly, an emerging AI-powered education SaaS-enabled marketplace that connects learners with expert tutors, has entered into a partnership with global startup accelerator FasterCapital through its LaunchUp programme.

Set to fast-track Teachly’s growth and innovation as it aims to transform education access across Nigeria and other underserved markets by leveraging advanced artificial intelligence and space-based internet technology, the partnership unites Teachly’s dynamic platform, which matches students with qualified, vetted tutors based on budget and learning preferences, with FasterCapital’s global network and venture-building support.

The synergy is expected to drive scale, improve platform performance, and deepen Teachly’s impact in the competitive EdTech sector. The global EdTech market is expected to exceed $400 billion by 2027, yet many learners, especially in remote or low-income regions, face challenges accessing affordable, quality instruction.

As the world marks World Youth Skills Day, UNICEF Nigeria, yesterday, reaffirmed its commitment to equipping young Nigerians with critical digital and entrepreneurial skills to bridge the country’s digital divide.

UNICEF, in partnership with the Nigerian government, private sector players, like Microsoft, Airtel, IHS Towers, and international partners, aims to reach 20 million young Nigerians with digital skills, workplace readiness, and entrepreneurship training by 2030.

In an interview with THISDAY, BabaganaAminu, UNICEF Nigeria Education Specialist, explained that the initiative had already reached over nine million youths since its launch in 2021 under the Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU) platform.

Two hundred public school teachers in Osun State have been trained in digital literacy as part of efforts to strengthen the use of technology in classrooms and improve access to digital learning resources. The training aimed to equip primary and secondary school teachers with digital skills and tools to enhance teaching and learning in their respective schools.

Speaking at the officially launch the Digital Literacy Training and School Connectivity Programme organised by IHS Nigeria Limited, in partnership with UNICEF, with implementation support from Focus Teens Foundation, held on Tuesday in Ede, Muritala Jimoh, the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Education, said that 40 primary schools and 60 secondary schools were selected by the UNICEF with two representatives from each school.

Jimoh said that Osun officially joined the Nigeria Learning Passport platform in December 2024 and had since integrated it across both primary and secondary schools, giving students access to curriculum-based materials online and offline.

Ethiopia is aligning education and training with labor market demands, focusing on key sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, mining, and tourism, Prosperity Party Vice President Adem Farah said. "Jobs are not just about income. They represent dignity, inclusion, stability, and peace," he said. "Creating resilient societies and unlocking human potential cannot be the task of governments alone.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 3rd African Job Creation Forum, held under the theme: "Advancing Job Creation and Economic Resilience through Regional Integration, Digital and Financial Inclusion along Agricultural Value Chains in the AfCFTA Market," Adem emphasized that job creation must be viewed not as a temporary policy concern but as a core strategy within Africa's broader development agenda.

It requires the collective engagement of policymakers, the private sector, educational institutions, financial organizations, regional bodies, and above all the youth themselves." Adem highlighted that Ethiopia's ongoing reform and resilience agenda is driving the alignment of education and vocational training with labor market realities, ensuring that graduates possess the skills needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.

The Asutifi North District Director of Education in the Ahafo Region, Ms Naomi Asante, has appealed to the government to provide addi­tional infrastructure for deprived basic schools in the district, particularly at the pre-school level in order to help address over­crowding.

She explained that increasing enrolment figures, especially at the Kindergarten level, had compelled some basic schools to run two or three streams per class, a situation that was negatively affecting quali­ty teaching and learning. Ms Asante cited schools such as Kodiohia Basic School at Kenyasi, Osei Kofi Abbrey Basic, and Kwakyekrom Basic School at Ntotroso, which currently have inadequate facilities.

She made the appeal in an in­terview with The Ghanaian Times during the 2025 edition of the Asutifi North Reading Festival held last Thursday at Kenyasi. At Kwakyekrom D/A Basic School, Ms Asante mentioned that both KG1 and KG2 classrooms required additional blocks, offices, and conference rooms to provide a conducive learning environment for pupils and working space for teachers.

The African Union has made headlines with the Nouakchott Declaration, marking the launch of the Decade of Education beginning from this year, 2025-2034 - a 'Decade of Accelerated Action for the Transformation of Education and Skills Development'.

The announcement was bold, backed by concrete commitments: 4-7% of national GDPs to be allocated to education, free and compulsory public schooling across member states, and a renewed continental push for skills development.

Because if we're about to pump billions more into a flawed system, all we're doing is scaling failure! In our rush to lay bricks, train teachers, and print new syllabi, one fundamental question is dangerously overlooked:
What is school even meant for? Here's the awkward truth: if Africa does not radically redefine the purpose of education itself, this so-called decade will become just ten more years of mass-producing irrelevance - another wasted effort.

The Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, has emphasised the strong need for effective collaboration, innovation, and strategic planning in delivering quality basic education in the country.

She stated this in her address at the KADA EduPACT International Summit 2025 in Kaduna, a statement on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer and Protocol of UBEC, Mr. David Apeh, said. Garba noted that UBEC remains committed to building inclusive and sustainable education systems that empower learners, improve outcomes, and ensure no child is left behind.

She underscored UBEC’s role in strengthening Nigeria’s basic education system through collaborative and strategic actions. Garba highlighted UBEC’s active partnership with the Kaduna State Government in addressing long-standing challenges in the education sector.

It is alarming that cases of examination malpractice in primary and secondary schools in the country have been on the rise. Even more distressing is the fact that parents and school authorities are now involved. ADEREMI OGUNDARE examines the situation and what can be done to stem the tide.

A few weeks ago, there was a reported incident where a mother went to threaten a teacher in a school for seizing her child’s phone which contained the answers to the external examination that the boy was supposed to write that day. The teacher was later beaten mercilessly by the boy’s elder brother and his friends because he refused to allow the boy cheat during the examination.

This incident is indicative of the level of decadence found in the education sector of this country. Many parents and some school owners do not see anything wrong in examination malpractices anymore. It has now become the order of the day in both private and public secondary schools, and even higher institutions, to aid students in the exam halls.

An initiative, the Digital Higher Education Africa (DHEA), is championing the continent’s higher education’s digital transformation to address gaps in the areas of access and affordability. DHEA demonstrated this through the summit it organised which was anchored by Argyle IT & Education and was held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The inaugural event brought together leaders in education, technology, and public policy to explore the theme: “Digital Transformation in Further and Higher Education Institutions.” In his opening speech, Opeyemi Ibukun, CEO, Argyle IT & Education remarked on the reason for the Summit and how African universities should create and adapt technology in education processes.

The summit witnessed a gathering of stakeholders from institutions including the University of Lagos, Covenant University, Bowen University, Caleb University, Ekiti State University, LASUSTECH, Crawford University, University of Ilorin, University of Ibadan, Miva Open University, Niger Delta University, Petroleum Training Institute, and Delaware’s Institute of Technology.