As the higher education sector in Africa continues to consider the current and future implications of the United States’ foreign aid freeze since January, the development has provided further momentum to rethink long-term higher education funding strategies on the continent – a shift that has already started to take shape in some North-South scientific collaborations.

Changing global power dynamics and aid priorities have been a catalyst for some of the changes in foreign aid, of which the US foreign aid freeze is only the latest, albeit extreme, example. Other countries have also been reprioritising their funding and funding structures, experts told University World News. The major geopolitical forces that have been affecting funding include US-China tensions and funding reallocations to crises such as Ukraine and the Middle East.

However, it is because the US is the largest provider of foreign aid globally that the freeze has been felt acutely, reports The Guardian, with annual allocations reaching nearly US$40 billion, much of it directed towards health, humanitarian, and development programmes in the Global South. Last year, Africa received US$8 billion in US foreign assistance, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Nigerian academics must restore the intellectual integrity of the country’s academic institutions. They should also prioritise their roles as agents of progress, Tanure Ojaide, the Frank Porter Graham Professor of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States, said in a memorial lecture at the end of 2024.

Ojaide also urged intellectuals to end ethnic and religious biases at universities, which he described as a major hindrance to national development. “Universities are plagued by sectionalism and favouritism, reflecting the divisions in the larger society. This must be addressed for academia to play its role in fostering unity,” he said.

In a subsequent interview with University World News, Ojaide said he believes that an intellectual possesses a questioning mind, should “constantly disturb, should bear witness to the misery of the world, should be the chief doubter of [non-working] systems, should be provocative by being independent, should rebel against all hidden and open pressures as well as manipulations”.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has approved a one-year moratorium on new applications for polytechnics and monotechnics. He, however, exempted health institutions due to low enrollment challenges.

This was contained in a statement by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Prof. Idris Bugaje, on Thursday in Kaduna. Bugaje said the moratorium which takes immediate effect means that all new applications for polytechnics and monotechnics are put on hold for 12 months.

He, however, said institutions currently being assessed will be required to pay specific fees to continue the registration process. He said, “Polytechnics awaiting ministerial approval will be required to pay an application fee of N4 million and a processing fee of N2 million per programme of study.

Prof. Abiodun Adebayo, immediate past Vice Chancellor, Covenant University, Ota, has said that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, for tertiary institutions was grossly insufficient. Mr Adebayo said this on Thursday in Calabar, during an interview with newsmen after a colloquium, to mark the 50th Anniversary of the University of Calabar, UniCal.

The colloquium had as its theme: ”University of Calabar and Its Contributions to National Development”. The former VC, who is an alumnus of UniCal, said that there was the need for the Federal Government to start investing in dedicated research centres in universities, adding these would serve as centres of excellence.

Reacting on the need for facility enhancement in institution, Adebayo appealed to all alumni of the school to come together and develop it, while encouraging UniCal researchers to go global and secure grants. “The Nigerian government needs to be more intentional, because no one will tell our stories better than us and until we begin to support our local content and researches, we will continue to go in circles.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hon Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, yesterday emphasised the integral role of sports and physical education in the overall development of students, highlighting the importance of nurturing talents beyond academics.

Alli-Balogun explained that sports are a critical component of education, through developing the whole child; intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. He made this known at the maiden edition of Lagos Schools festivals designed to promote values and provide public school students with a platform to showcase their talents, skills, and sportsmanship.

According to him,” sports and physical education play a vital role in this process, and our maiden Lagos Schools’ Sports Festival is a testament to our dedication to this ideal.” The importance of sports in schools, he noted, cannot be overstated, adding that through sports, students develop essential life skills like teamwork, discipline, and perseverance.

Advocates for people with disabilities are calling for urgent solutions to challenges such as stigma and the shortage of trained teachers, which continue to hinder the full implementation of inclusive education in Rwanda.

According to the Rwanda Education Board (REB), 49 per cent of teachers have received training in inclusive education. Additionally, every school now has an Inclusive Education Focal Person trained in specialised skills such as Braille, Rwandan Sign Language (RSL), and inclusive ICT.

However, François Xavier Karangwa, Executive Director of the Umbrella of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in the Fight against HIV & AIDS and for Health Promotion (UPHLS), emphasized that the shortage of trained teachers remains a major challenge, particularly for students with sensory impairments and those who rely on sign language.

Ethiopia and South Sudan committed to strengthening bilateral ties through education, with Ethiopia providing free education to 644 South Sudanese students this school year, Ethiopian Embassy in South Sudan announced.

Ethiopian Ambassador to South Sudan, Nabil Mehdi, stated that the free education opportunity was extended to 577 undergraduate and 67 postgraduate students. This initiative not only supports the educational advancement of South Sudanese students but also fosters mutual development and lasting ties between the two countries.

He urged the students to play an active role in nurturing the bond between Ethiopia and South Sudan. South Sudan’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology,Training and External Relations Director General,Prof.Touch Liemappreciated Ethiopia for its unwavering support in the field of education and training.

Despite significant increases in school enrolment over the past decades, more than 1.9 million children of basic school-going age (4–14 years) were out of school as of 2023. Additionally, many children who are in school are not acquiring foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Evidently, the outcomes of the 2022 National Standardized Test suggest that 48.7 per cent and 50.8 per cent of Basic Four pupils failed to meet basic competency levels in literacy and numeracy, respectively. A closer examination of the data by gender, socioeconomic status, disability, and geography highlights systemic inequalities in access and learning outcomes.

As Ghana begins a new chapter under the leadership of its newly appointed Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, addressing these dual crises of inequitable access and poor learning outcomes must be a top priority.

I am writing this article to address a matter of great importance: the need for a critical review of Ghana’s free Senior High School (SHS) education policy. While the policy’s intent is laudable – to provide accessible education for all Ghanaian children – its implementation has been fraught with challenges that demand urgent attention.

Our current boarding school system is in crisis. Overcrowding, inadequate feeding programmes and a severe lack of basic amenities are the daily realities for many students. Reports of students sleeping on the floor due to a shortage of beds and going hungry due to insufficient or poor-quality meals are deeply troubling.

The time has come to consider a fundamental shift in our approach. If we want to move forward in our educational endeavours, I propose that we dissolve the boarding school system as it currently exists and redirect the funds towards improving the quality of education and the daily lives of our students.

A Nigerian-owned educational institution, Westerfield College has announced the establishment of a campus in the United Kingdom.

The college’s founder, Mr Michael Dosunmu, in a statement made available to our correspondent, said the campus will provide English language upskilling courses, leadership training, a summer camp for students aged 10 to 17, and a pre-masters programme for graduates seeking academic refinement before enrolling in UK universities.

He added that the UK campus will offer a range of programmes, including pre-university courses in business, science, and engineering. According to Dosunmu, the campus is expected to reinforce Nigeria-UK bilateral trade relations, particularly in the education sector.

Concerned about rising academic indolence and plagiarism, the management of the University of Lagos is set to unveil a policy document on the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence in academia. The institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research), Prof. Bola Oboh, made this known during the opening session of a three-day workshop on ethics in higher education.

The workshop, facilitated by Prof. Russell Porter, Deputy Ethics Officer at Texas A&M University, Central Texas, USA, was organized by the Office of International Relations, Partnerships, and Prospects, UNILAG. While acknowledging the inevitability of AI in academic work, Oboh emphasized that staff and students should use AI responsibly, to enhance, rather than replace, critical thinking.

“If we say no to AI, we will just be deceiving ourselves. So, we have already started developing policies in that area as a university. In the next one or two months I’m sure the policy will be finally taken to the Senate for consideration.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced a significant increase in the application fees for establishing private universities in Nigeria.

In a statement on Monday, the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Abdullahi Ribadu, explained the hike aims to enhance coordination and ensure that newly established private universities are equipped to tackle 21st-century challenges.

The fee for purchasing application forms has risen from N1 million to N5 million. The processing fee has been increased from N5 million to N25 million. The NUC clarified that the revised N25 million processing fee would apply to applicants who previously purchased forms at the old rate but have yet to pay the processing fee.