Between the 2010 and 2020 census, there was a substantial increase in the number of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

In 2010, Ghana’s population was approximately 24.6 million, with about three per cent or 737,743 identified as PWDs. A decade later, in 2020, our population grew to 30.8 million and PWDs increased significantly to 2,098,138, representing eight per cent of the population – a five percent-point increase from previous data.

In an evolving world and a fast-changing education landscape, we must examine, more critically, our efforts at providing inclusive education for all. While the general population has about eight per cent of PWDs, our public schools have less than two per cent of students as PWDs.

A project to provide basic and junior high school (JHS) students with knowledge on renewable energy sources such as solar energy has been launched in Accra. The project, dubbed Green4Clean School's Renewable Energy Project, will train students on solar power and wind installations, and how to convert food waste into compost to support agriculture, among others.

The project, which was launched at the Labone Presbyterian Primary School and La Enobal Basic School in La today (May 29), is an initiative of Vivo Energy Ghana in partnership with the United Way Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, and Academic City University College.

It forms part of efforts by the corporate institutions to inspire the next generation to embrace sustainable energy solutions and raise awareness about environmental challenges and the importance of adopting sustainable energy practices within the schools and the community at large.

Experts at the African Development Bank (AfDB) have called on African nations to attract private-sector collaboration in financing tertiary education.

This appeal was made during the ongoing Annual General Meeting of the AfDB and a high-level dialogue held in Kenya on Wednesday. The experts emphasised the need for African countries to intensify efforts to secure private-sector financing to enhance tertiary education and equip the continent’s youth with competitive skills.

The dialogue, titled “Policy Dialogue on Innovative Financing for Tertiary Education in Africa: Revitalizing the Role of the Private Sector,” was organized in collaboration with the Kenyan government, the African Union Commission, and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has said that about N3.8 billion has been spent on 1,500 Nigerian scholars studying abroad. The agency said the disbursement was done under its academic training programme as a bailout fund to cushion the effect of the current exchange rate of the naira.

The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, made this known during an oversight visit to the agency by the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the high exchange rate caused some challenges for TETFund-sponsored scholars as many of them requested extra funding, adding that the issue has also resulted in a drop in the number of beneficiaries of TETFund’s academic training programmes in foreign institutions.

Nigerian undergraduate students achieved remarkable success at the recently concluded global Huawei ICT competition in China.

Among over 170,000 students from 2,000 universities across 74 countries worldwide, the Nigerian network teams went home with two grand prizes and three first prizes at the global finals, considered one of the best performances by Nigeria at the competition.

The Federal University of Minna (FUTMINNA), Niger state produced the two network teams which both won first place. Other winners and participants with impressive performances were from the University of Ibadan, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, University of Benin, Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Federal University of Technology Akure.

The Federal Government has said it had trained 10,000 teachers and educators in preparation for the take-off of 37 “smart schools” built across the country. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced this at the inauguration of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Digital Resource Centre (DRC) yesterday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Federal Government established 37 smart schools in different parts of the country (one per state and the FCT) to boost Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Inaugurating the UBEC resource centre, Mamman said it was designed to enhance the provision of smart teaching and learning and support implementation of smart education in Nigeria.

The National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) across the country will have additional mandate of ensuring education standards are promoted within their jurisdictions.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the extra role by administrators will bridge educational gaps and provide equal opportunities for all children thus ensuring the country’s literacy rates soar to higher levels.

The PS noted that the government has positioned the administrators as pivotal agents of change in Kenya’s educational landscape. NGAOs will coordinate with various stakeholders, including non governmental organisations and private donors to ensure schools are adequately equipped.

As Nigeria marks the first anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on May 29, some lecturers and students have complained bitterly about the incompetency of the leadership at the Federal Ministry of Education.

In 2023, the Federal Government declared May 29, a work-free day for the presidential inauguration and that was the day Tinubu’s government was inaugurated. May 29, also called Democracy Day is a national public holiday in Nigeria to commemorate the restoration of democracy in 1999, commemorated on 12 June.

While analysing the stance of the education sector in the last one year, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, a prolific scholar at the University of Ibadan, said the government had given the leadership of the education sector to low levels.

Technology innovation firm, iHUB Kenya has announced 12 EdTech start-ups that have joined the second cohort of the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship.

In a statement, iHUB Kenya said this year’s call for applications to the second cohort received diverse technologies and solutions from those seeking to improve access to quality education and enhance learning outcomes through technology-driven approaches.

The EdTech solutions by iHUB Kenya’s 2023 cohort reached 32,000 learners, and we look forward to greater impact this year,” said Joseph Nsengimana, Director of the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU), Professor Kweku Adutwum Ayim Boakye, has urged academic directors in the institution to effectively integrate soft skills such as communication and critical thinking into the curriculum.

He explained that impacting skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity would help their students stand out in the job market or even as self-made entrepreneurs.

Prof. Boakye was speaking at CCTU's second matriculation ceremony for postgraduate students for the 2023/24 academic year at the weekend. The ceremony ushered 29 fresh students into the master of technology programmes.

The Minister of Tourism has harped on the crucial role education, arts and culture play in shaping the character, values, and aspiration of the youth. She noted that through exposure to various forms of artistic expression, children are empowered to explore their creativity, cultivate their talents and embrace their unique identities.

The minister gave this counsel at the Children’s Day celebration and the third edition of National Children Arts and Culture Festival, organised by Oshodi Arts Gallery Foundation at Lagos State University of Science and Technology (LASUSTECH) Ikorodu, Lagos.

Speaking on the theme of the event: ‘Catch them young’, the minister, who was represented by the Director, Domestic Tourism promotion, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Sunday Bisong, said ‘it underscores the importance of early intervention, nurturing and investment in the development of children.”

Inadequate digital literacy and technological integration in most Nigerian schools have left numerous students ill-equipped for the modern world. This was manifestly evident in Nigeria’s last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which is now computer-based.

According to the statistics from the 2024 results, out of 1,904,189 candidates, who sat for the exams, 1,402,490 (73.7 per cent) pupils scored below 200 (50 per cent of the score line).

Understanding the situation and the magnitude of the challenge in Nigeria’s educational system requires collaborative efforts from various sectors, including the private sector. That explains while Stanbic IBTC Holdings inaugurated ‘Adopt-A-School’ initiative to serve as a beacon of hope through its Social, Environmental and Economic (SEE) framework.