In a major step to address ongoing concerns surrounding the staffing and payroll management within the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), the government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency (CSA), on Wednesday announced the kickoff of a comprehensive personnel verification and payroll audit exercise.

Speaking to the media during a press conference, the Director General of the CSA, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai stated, “We are all aware, as a matter of fact, that our daughters, sons, brothers, and sisters in the MCSS school system sometimes protest. The ghost law action of their teachers across the 27 MCSS schools, and they were protesting because volunteers had a ghost law, which became a serious concern.”

This move comes in response to protests by teachers and students in the MCSS, who have raised concerns over unpaid volunteer teachers and discrepancies in the management of school staff. This situation disrupted normal activities and raised alarms within the government, prompting immediate action to resolve the issue.

A significant crisis is brewing in Kenya's education sector as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) raised the alarm over a massive shortfall in teaching staff both in numbers and qualifications. Appearing before the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC), TSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nancy Macharia revealed the country is grappling with a shortage of 98,261 teachers, a number that is projected to increase with the rollout of senior secondary schools in 2026.

Macharia attributed the crisis to inadequate funding for teacher recruitment, warning that this has greatly undermined the delivery of quality basic education, a right protected under Article 43 of the Constitution.
"The current shortfall, including Junior Secondary School (JSS) educators, stands at 98,261," she stated.

"TSC has never met the optimal teacher-to-student ratio due to budget limitations. This is a major hindrance to fulfilling our constitutional mandate." The committee also addressed growing public concern that Members of Parliament are playing a direct role in teacher recruitment.

Access to educational resources tailored to the unique requirements of children with autism, clinically referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), continues to pose a considerable challenge in Lesotho. Matséliso Machai-Ndumo and Pulane Shale, represent scores of parents in Lesotho who encounter challenges in securing education that meets the specific needs of their autistic children.

This situation persists despite the guarantees outlined in the Constitution of Lesotho and the Education Act (2010), which affirm education as a fundamental human right and mandate that primary education be free and compulsory for all children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ASD includes a variety of conditions marked by challenges in social interaction and communication, as well as specific behavioural patterns that may involve difficulties in transitioning between tasks, an emphasis on details, and atypical reactions to sensory inputs.

Creating a truly inclusive learning and working environment means going beyond compliance - it requires a shift in mindset, institutional culture, and daily practice. At the University of Cape Town (UCT), the "Transformation through Disability Inclusion" course was developed to address these challenges, ensuring that all staff have the tools to create a more accessible university for students and colleagues with disabilities.

A collaboration between the Office for Inclusivity & Change (OIC) and the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT), the course takes a practical and reflective approach to disability inclusion, giving staff the knowledge to foster a more equitable campus.

While UCT has made significant strides in advancing accessibility, many students and staff with disabilities continue to encounter barriers, both visible and invisible. These range from physical and technological challenges to unconscious biases in teaching, communication, and workplace interactions.

The Proprietress/Director of School, Epitome Primary School, Isolo, Lagos, Mrs. Bunmi Salami, has stressed the significance of establishing a national education database, saying it would help the government to track students’ progress, identify areas of improvement and boost policy-making.

She also said it was imperative to prioritise teacher training and capacity development to enhance learning outcomes and overall quality of education. She urged the government to also prioritise infrastructural development, technology and modern equipment, noting that a mini standard stadium in each community will enhance the physical activities of schools.

Stressing the importance of sport, the proprietress noted that it plays a vital role in youth development and personal growth, adding that they can develop essential life skills, which will improve their physical and mental health, help build positive relationships between other schools, peers and adults.

INTERSWITCH, one of Africa’s integrated payments and digital commerce companies, has announced the call for entries for the seventh edition of its National Science quiz Competition. “The competition, tagged ‘InterswichSpark’ is free and open to all SS2 students from age 14 to 17 years across Nigeria, aiming at empowering the students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

The competition is the flagship of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives on education, with this year’s edition featuring a university scholarship pool of over N30 million for the winners. Reaffirming the company’s dedication to this course, the vice president, Group Marketing and Communications of Interswitch, Cherry Eromosele, noted that the intervention is aimed at producing Africa’s next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

While the overall winner will receive a N15 million tertiary scholarship, spread over five years, along with a laptop, and monthly stipends, the first and second runners-up will be awarded a N10 million scholarship, spread over three years, and a laptop, as well as a N5 million scholarship for one year, along with a laptop and other gifts, respectively.

THE Federal Government, through Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is to establish 18 new Innovation Hubs across tertiary institutions in 2025 to strengthen Nigeria’s research and innovation. The Fund has, in line with its determination to boost innovation and skills development, earmarked N70 billion to strengthen Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, speaking on the development said the major area of focus starting this year would be on TVET and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), noting that the plan of the government was to build in phases 72 innovation hubs and centres across the country.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 30th Cohort of the Research for Impact (R4i) initiative, held at Innov8 Technology Hub in Abuja, Echono maintained that TETFund is committed to fostering a culture of problem-solving research, entrepreneurship, and technological advancement.

Stem-A-School, an initiative of Product Hub Africa, has trained over 3,000 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to enable them to compete in today’s global village. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence in recent times has underscored the need for countries to invest in tech skill development in order not to be left behind, stated Victoria Oladosu, founder of Stem-A-School and Product Hub Africa.

She said this while speaking at the startup’s 2025 STEM Conference organised in Nile University, Abuja, which connected students with robotics, aerospace, and AI experts. She noted that her edtech is on a mission to birth innovators, especially from a young age.

Oladosu noted that her edtech, through its STEM-A-School initiative, has visited several tertiary and pre-tertiary institutions to introduce students to emerging technologies. She added that the programme has now upskilled about 3,000 students with STEM skills.

The Federal Government has disbursed N2.035 billion to 1,147 school-based management committees in states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The government also launched the Universal Basic Education (UBE) School-Based Management Committee-School Improvement Programme and the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) activities.

The initiatives, according to the government, are expected to improve the basic education sector, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Alausa said the ministry plans to construct 7,200 new UBE facilities, provide 1,680,000 furniture pieces, renovate 195,000 classrooms, install 22,900 water boreholes and 28,000 toilets and provide perimeter fencing for 14,000 schools.

Minister of Education Tunji Alausa stated this at the national flag-off of the UBE School-based Management – School Improvement Programme (SBMC-SIP), public presentation of the implementation guidelines and commencement of teacher professional development programmes in Abuja yesterday.

At UNESCO, we work to empower adolescents and young people and respect their right to make decisions and drive change in their lives and communities. This means supporting Member States to achieve this, and actively engaging with institutions and technologies to find space for expression, resilience, and innovative solutions.

For example, in close cooperation with Ministries of Education and with the guidance of teachers, we’ve developed medium-tech tools and chatbots to support learners’ pre-exam studying through WhatsApp in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These were particularly popular, and we’ve received positive feedback on their impact and usefulness from learners.

Specifically for teachers, the Scripted Lesson Planner is an AI-powered assistant that simplifies lesson planning for teachers in sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on education for health and well-being. Through an intuitive step-by-step process, educators create customized lesson plans and materials, saving valuable time and enhancing the overall quality of instruction.

Africans today are better educated than ever before and they are reshaping the global workforce, with the working-age population expected to reach 600 million by 2030. Many African nations are making commendable strides towards ensuring access to quality education and lifelong learning for their populations.

However, progress remains gradual and one in four young people is neither in education, employment, nor training. The second report monitoring the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), jointly published by UNESCO, UNICEF and the African Union, provides a comprehensive assessment of progress towards the targets set for education in Africa.

The report entitled Transforming learning and skills development in Africa, underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to reinforce education systems and equip Africans with the skills and knowledge necessary for a sustainable future.

The FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, has approved N4 billion for the implementation of the minimum wage, backlogs of arrears and other allowances for the striking primary school teachers and staff of the six area councils.

A senior management staff of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), who preferred anonymity, told our reporter on Monday that the minister gave the approval on Wednesday after the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) forwarded the total sums needed for the payment to him.

A member of the standing committee of the NUT also confirmed the approval of N4 billion for the payment of the teachers and the area councils' staff minimum wage and other backlogs of arrears. He said the unions would meet with the relevant officers and the director of treasury to fine-tune modalities for the payment.