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PeopleImages/Shutterstock When an exam board for England, Wales and Northern Ireland recently clarified that students are now permitted to use gender-inclusive or gender-neutral forms in French, Spanish and German exams, it marked more…

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banhan chueatong/Shutterstock In Toy Story 5, Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang are up against a new challenge: Bonnie’s tablet. Even Rex the toy dinosaur is worried about going extinct again. The storyline reflects a broader shift in…

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Students’ textbooks, provided by USAID, at a school in Malawi, 2016. By Lawrence Jackson, Wikimedia Commons Over a year has passed since the Donald Trump administration dismantled USAID , cutting more than 5,000 programmes and slashing…

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Transactional sex, defined as the exchange of sex for money, food, or favours, is common among young people in Africa. Studies have reported that about 10% of those aged 15-24 have engaged in this exchange in South Africa, 23% in Nigeria…

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The federal government recently announced two policies that will shape the future of Canadian youth’s interactions with artificial intelligence: the AI for All strategy and the Safe Social Media Act . The government says the AI for All…

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Students are using AI to cheat, but the problem isn't limited to that. VectorMine/iStock/Getty Images Plus My colleagues and I recently spoke with a group of talented, interesting students who just completed their first year of college…

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Marches , Mozambicans murdered , state-sponsored evacuations , a nationally televised presidential address . Anti-immigrant mobilisation has again drawn the world’s attention to South Africa. The continental backlash threatens tourism,…

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Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels The federal government has announced another A$3.6 billion to boost childcare workers’ pay. The government says combined with other changes to the minimum wage, this will mean about $255 more per week for a typical…

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Thx4Stock team/Shutterstock Most of my ecology and evolution undergraduates have never held a pair of binoculars or looked at a bug through a magnifying glass. They don’t know how to use a key to identify a plant or insect, let alone why…

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Banditry is widespread in Nigeria. It has been defined as “a loose collection of various criminal groups involved in kidnap-for-ransom, armed robbery, cattle rustling, rape and sexual violence, pillage and attacks on traders, farmers and…

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In an age of instant communication, it is easy to assume that everyone receives disaster warnings. Smartphones buzz, sirens sound, alerts flash across screens. But for millions of people who speak minority or Indigenous languages, the…

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EF Stock/Shutterstock The UK government’s decision to introduce restrictions on children’s access to social media marks a significant moment in the evolution of online safety policy. For supporters, it represents a long-overdue response to…

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Students and teachers pose outside a National Freedmen's Bureau school in Beaufort, S.C., in 1865. Corbis/Getty Images The abolitionist and writer Frederick Douglass is known for many things, but perhaps among the most significant is his…

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David Hockney, who died on June 11, was perhaps the most successful and well-known British artist of his lifetime. His exhibitions, from career-spanning shows like David Hockney 25 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris (2025) to his…

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As Toronto hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the city is welcoming large crowds, international visitors and volunteers into stadiums, transit hubs, fan spaces and public areas. For many people, the World Cup is about soccer, national pride…

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The child at five is immersed in a material world they come to name, know and understand through direct tactile experiences, mediated by talk and interaction with peers and adults. (Allison Shelley/EDUimages) , CC BY-NC It’s the time of…

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Adolph Johannes Brand was born on 9 October 1934 in Cape Town. He would become better known as Dollar Brand and then Abdullah Ibrahim , an artist of mixed ethnic descent who personified the city’s multiculturalism and represented it on the…

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Xavier Lorenzo/Shutterstock Is the time teenagers spend on social media really damaging their wellbeing and mental health? Around the globe, youth mental health problems are on the rise. This has coincided with an ever increasing amount of…

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Kenya hosts nearly a million refugees , mainly from South Sudan and Somalia. Many of them have been living in refugee camps for decades. Now, the country is attempting a major shift in refugee policy. The Kenyan government and the United…

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Vukasin Ljustina/Shutterstock The UK government has announced plans to introduce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16. This follows a consultation on the impact of social media on young people’s mental health,…

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Students often learn best when they take risks and struggle to get it right, including on the playground. Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images A child at a playground tries to climb, jump or negotiate with…

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Bricolage/Shutterstock As the UK prepares to introduce an “Australia plus” ban on social media for under 16s, many lessons can be learned from Australia’s experiment. Many people may think Australia’s ban is a success, with nearly 5…

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Wall of remembrance in Lagos for missing Nigerian schoolgirls. Beendy234 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 , CC BY According to Unesco, around 250 million children (16%) globally are out of school although they are of an age to be at school in…

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Wall of remembrance in Lagos for missing Nigerian schoolgirls. Beendy234 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 , CC BY According to Unesco, around 250 million children (16%) globally are out of school although they are of an age to be at school in…

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While many men are remembered as heroes of political struggles, women seldom get enough attention. Vesta Smith is a good example. She fought for South Africa’s liberation from white minority rule, called apartheid . Historian Maria Suriano…

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It’s 50 years since the Soweto uprising in South Africa. On 16 June 1976, tens of thousands of young black South Africans protested against being taught in the Afrikaans language (alongside English) at school. At the time, under apartheid…

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Thirty-two years after South Africa became a democratic state, the futures of millions of young people in the country are shaped to a large degree by uncertainty, exclusion, poverty and discouragement. As one lens on this scene,…

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The Canadian government’s new artificial intelligence strategy positions AI as a major driver of job creation, economic growth and national competitiveness. It has also drawn some criticism for not providing enough detail on safety and…

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Deep in Book VII of Plato’s Republic, Socrates describes prisoners chained inside a cave, mistaking shadows cast on a wall by firelight for reality itself. They name the shadows, debate them and develop expertise about them. The prisoners…

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Our relationships with wildlife are dynamic. They can change rapidly and unexpectedly. In South Africa, these changes are visible in tourists searching kelp forests in Cape Town for octopuses and communities contesting baboon management in…

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Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped from the Gold Coast, today's Ghana. National Maritime Museum, London , CC BY The transatlantic slave trade was a multilayered, highly commercialised global enterprise that lasted from…

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BearFotos/Shutterstock In a recent BBC documentary, former England men’s football manager Gareth Southgate explored the challenges facing young men in Britain, including low school attainment, declining employment opportunities, low…

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The last 18 months have seen a historic decline in development aid budgets from various donor countries, in a period where many of them are earmarking more funds for rearmament . The biggest waves have been made by the abrupt and massive…

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Mauritius set out its national AI strategy in 2018, the first by an African country. Since then over a dozen African states have adopted national AI policies of some sort or another. As a national policy plan, an AI strategy typically sets…

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Nigeria’s electricity regulator triggered a big tariff shock in April 2024. It increased rates for some consumers by over 240%, citing the cost of producing and delivering power. The regulator classifies consumers into five bands, A…

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It’s time South Africa faced up to an honest question: what if the formal economy can’t deliver the jobs that are needed? I am an economist who has been working closely with South Africa’s administrative tax data over the past five years –…

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The National Science Foundation's Washington headquarters seen in July 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images As a university researcher focused on education , I have spent hundreds of hours designing studies to help the field and that might attract…

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As the school year winds down and families start planning summer activities, possibly anticipating those inevitable rainy days, I have found myself returning to a simple but powerful joy: sharing museum experiences with young children. As…

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Threats and deadly conflict over migration are spreading fast in South Africa. This is hugely worrying and could result in widespread injury and killings, as it has in the past. The region’s investment prospects could be dimmed too, due to…

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Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Changes are on the horizon for the food that students can choose in English schools. The government is proposing updates to the school food standards, which set out what schools can serve. The changes…

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Anti-migrant campaigns in South Africa are increasingly being framed as acts of community protection. Protesters present their efforts as a response to community concerns about crime, unemployment and failing public services. Leaders of…

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In the rugged and mountainous Drakensberg grasslands of South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, farmers rear sheep for food, cultural practices and financial security. The steep slopes, cold winters, frost and seasonal droughts shape…

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Approximately $2 billion in earmarked money went to colleges and universities from September 2025 through October 2026. Douglas Rissing/iStock via Getty Images Plus U.S. politicians have perhaps never been more divided , including when it…

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SolStock/ Getty Images Educators have long debated whether students should be “streamed” – or organised into different classes based on their academic performance. Is it better for students to be learning with students of a similar…

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Canada’s federal government is waiting for a special joint parliamentary committee’s recommendations on the issue of MAID expansion to include mental illness . Justice Minister and Attorney General Sean Fraser told CTV the government…

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Across Africa, countries are redesigning school curricula to prepare children for the demands of the 21st century. These reforms aim to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving rather than rote memorisation…

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“Today, everyone recognises that trade is as much a security issue as an economic one.” European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde made this comment in February 2026, while addressing the Munich Security Conference . Although she…

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The first day of kindergarten is a momentous occasion for children and families. It’s an exciting milestone that comes with new friends, teachers and learning opportunities. It can also bring parental anxiety about whether their child is…

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Uganda’s environmental impact assessment system is meant to protect the environment from harmful development projects. For nearly 30 years, the law has required developers applying for approval to consider alternatives to their proposed…

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Mauritius is a small African island where natural disasters like floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events have become frequent and intense. They are expected regularly. Rising sea levels, flash floods and tropical cyclones cause…

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Climate change is making southern Africa hotter . While much attention has focused on climate impacts like droughts, floods and food insecurity, another crisis is unfolding quietly inside classrooms. Research has shown that some schools…

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The former Anna Howard Shaw Middle School in Southwest Philadelphia became Hardy Williams Elementary, a K-6 charter school, in 2015. Julio C. Vega , CC BY-NC-SA The Philadelphia School Board voted in May 2026 to close 17 of its 218…

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Three years into the civil war in Sudan that began on 15 April 2023, a coalition of civilian, political and armed factions has launched a new peace initiative . Announced in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in May 2026, the roadmap seeks to end…

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As an educator, I attest to the remarkable aspects of the teaching profession. Teachers truly have the capacity to be agents for positive change in this troubled world. That said, a myriad of factors have left the teaching field in a…

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Research shows that some 'distraction blocker' apps can deepen feelings of shame and inadequacy around productivity for neurodivergent people. (Unsplash/Nubelson Fernandes) In today’s attention economy , social media platforms,…

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fizkes/Shutterstock Spend ten minutes talking to a soon-to-be graduate about their job search and you might come away convinced that a university degree has become a confidence trick. The class of 2025 spent the better part of a year…

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South African teacher education qualifications are expected to comply with the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications . But evidence points to gaps in teacher competence and the quality of instruction. Many students who…

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An undocumented Honduran immigrant walks her child to a school bus stop in November 2025 at an unspecified location in the U.S. John Moore/Getty Images All public schools in the U.S. must provide an education to all students, regardless of…

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Emmanuel Ikwuegbu/Unsplash , CC BY The West African Senior School Certificate Examination ( WASSCE ) is a high-stakes test. For decades, it has served as the gateway to post-secondary education across five countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra…

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Nicholas Ellinas/Shutterstock From comics aimed at very young children to university-level textbooks, comics are known to be an effective medium for helping people to learn new information. This is because they represent information in two…

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In August 2019 , India took the significant step of ending the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir. Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution granted Jammu and Kashmir semi-autonomous status following the territory’s accession to…

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Picture this: you have spent decades building a career. You have a master’s degree. You have taught hundreds of students. You walk into work every morning with a sense of purpose. Then, almost overnight, the gates close. You are told you…

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A landmark climate case is being heard by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The request was brought by the Pan African Lawyers Union and other African civil society organisations. They’ve asked the court to issue advice on…

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South Africa’s schooling system presents a striking paradox. Fewer than one in five grade 4 learners can read for meaning, yet more than 60% of young people (aged 15 to 24) eventually complete grade 12. Matric (school leaving exam) pass…

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Kareem Neal, a teacher at Maryvale High School in Phoenix, poses in his classroom in October 2022. Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images Having Black teachers and other educators of color improves students’ classroom experiences, research…

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Abstract Aerial Art/ Getty Images The latest data on Australian schooling shows about 81.5% of Year 10 students go on to Year 12. This is a modest rise of 1.6 percentage points on the previous year, but figures have been largely stable…

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PeopleImages/Shutterstock Over the last decade, UK universities have put increasing effort into supporting student mental health. This often means following frameworks: documents that outline good practice, typically developed by sector…

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The campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Catherine Robotis/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images In 2014, a group of students at Bowdoin College thought it would be fun to dress up as Pilgrims and Native Americans for a…

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Many Chinese and Chinese American students do not seek the mental health care they might need, sometimes because of stigma. Jonathan Kirn/The Image Bank/Getty Images She has straight A’s, a full schedule of Advanced Placement classes, a…

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Lorsque les taux d'intérêt augmentent, la plupart des gens ressentent les effets de cette hausse sur leur budget, car les remboursements de prêts immobiliers, d'achats de voitures ou de prêts personnels s'alourdissent. Cela réduit le…

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A recent development in the credit rating space could signal important progress in one of the more intractable challenges in global development finance. The challenge is how countries can manage periods of acute debt stress without being…

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Smith College is one of the 30 all-women's colleges in the U.S. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Since 2015, Smith College, one of the largest and most prestigious women’s liberal arts colleges in the United States, has…

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Tsuguliev/Shutterstock School trips are often remembered as a highlight of childhood education. Whether it’s exploring a castle, visiting a museum or spending the day at a farm or zoo, these experiences offer something the classroom often…

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Ethiopia is preparing for a national election on 1 June amid deep political uncertainty and growing insecurity. Officially, the polls are expected to reinforce the country’s democratic transition and political stability. But the conditions…

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Ethiopia’s general election on 1 June 2026 will take place amid armed conflicts and political fragmentation . This has raised questions over voter participation and legitimacy and the future of the country’s multi-ethnic federal system.…

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Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has been the most disruptive force to hit education in a long time , and educators are still absorbing the impact. My colleagues and I have had to reprogram our approaches and classroom…

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Frazao Studio Latino/ Getty Images The latest round of national testing has shown Australian school students’ skills around digital tools, such as computers and tablets, has dropped. This is despite students spending significant time…

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Power struggles often play out in Senegal’s political arena, both within a party and between rival parties. To summarise British foreign minister Lord Palmerston’s argument in 1848: In politics, there are no permanent enemies, no permanent…

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Bullying is a widespread global problem, with extensive research across countries showing that no school is immune. In South Africa, the scale is particularly concerning, with studies indicating that between a fifth and over half of…

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Les autorités maliennes ont annoncé le 4 mai 2026 que le chef de la junte, le général Assimi Goïta, occuperait le poste de ministre de la Défense après l'assassinat du général Sadio Camara une semaine plus tôt. La mort de Camara est…

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In Canada, we need more qualified teachers . Alberta’s Expedited Teaching Certificates , introduced in April 2026 , have been presented as a solution to getting more teachers in classrooms. So have other shortened university teacher…

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The United States’ retreat from aspects of global climate and health leadership has exposed the risk Africa took in relying on external funding for these projects. When the US pulled back on aid , many African programmes and plans that…

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Moving to renewable energy will fail unless wealthy nations help finance cleaner energy systems, industrialisation and local mineral processing across the African continent. This was the argument that African countries put to a recent…

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Peter Cade/ Getty Images New data shows 27.2% of Australian students are receiving an adjustment for disability at school. This is up from 25.7% in 2024 and 18% in 2015. An educational adjustment helps students participate on the same…

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Decades of research in child development confirms that young children’s play is linked to positive outcomes in mental health, cognitive and social development as well as fewer behavioural problems. Despite this consensus, play is becoming…

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It is forgivable to think that an oil shock mainly hurts at the petrol pump. After all, that is where households feel it first. But when my colleagues and I at the Bureau for Economic Research started digging through South Africa’s fuel…

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Mali and Nigeria, two of the countries in the Sahel region of west Africa, are separated by approximately 1,000 kilometres, with the Niger Republic between them. They differ in population size and government, but they face some of the same…

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By the second week of the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo it was already clear that containing the spread of the haemorrhagic disease was proving to be difficult. On 17 May 2026, the World Health Organization…

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A series of conferences held in Entebbe, Uganda, between 2023 and 2025 have resulted in a draft African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values . The meetings were organised by the Inter-parliamentary Network on African Sovereignty and…

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Halfpoint/Shutterstock Around one in six adolescents worldwide report having self-harmed at some point in their lives. In England, an NHS mental health survey of 2,370 children and young people found that more than one in three young…

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College commencement ceremonies celebrate students' achievements, but also have become occasionally fraught with politics. photosbyjim/iStock/Getty Images Plus Delivering a university commencement address used to simply be a unique kind of…

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Many of us, at one time or another, have been in situations where something someone said or did felt offensive, hurtful or dismissive. These can be subtle, often unintentional, comments, questions or actions that suggest bias and negative…

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Africa is providing cheap liquidity to wealthy nations. In return it is paying huge interest rates to external institutional investors at the cost of its own development. For instance, African central banks export their reserve funds for…

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Severe bleeding after birth (postpartum haemorrhage) is the leading cause of maternal mortality globally. It causes approximately 70,000 deaths annually . About 80% occur in Africa and South Asia. A recently published World Health…

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When interest rates rise, most people feel the financial pinch as repayments for home loans, car purchases or personal loans increase. This leads to less money for everyday spending and tightens the household budget. Middle- and…

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Children with special needs often experience a range of early developmental challenges that can affect their readiness for learning and their participation in school. This population includes children with a wide range of…

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Banning students from writing theses and dissertations on sexual orientation and gender identity could be seen as curtailing students' freedom of speech rights. Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images Texas Tech University, a public university in…

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South Africa has a paradox when it comes to food availability. Its supermarkets are overflowing . But it continues to record high levels of stunted growth . This seems to be a global problem. Data suggest that the world has produced more…

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Malian officials announced on 4 May 2026 that junta leader General Assimi Goïta would take on the post of defence minister after the killing of General Sadio Camara a week earlier. Camara’s death occurred amid an offensive by the Azawad…

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For decades, science educators have been encouraged to “stick to the science” and leave politics at the classroom door. But as disinformation spreads online and public trust in science seems to erode in some contexts , this advice is no…

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During the Ebola epidemic of 2014 to 2016, Musu, a resident of Monrovia, Liberia contracted the Ebola virus along with her husband, five sons and daughter. A few weeks later, six members of her family died. Musu and her youngest son…

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The most culturally diverse men’s football World Cup in history is taking place in the United States at a time when foreign nationals feel less and less welcome in the country. The 2026 competition kicks off on 11 June with games in…

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Across many cities and towns in South Africa, turning on a tap no longer guarantees water. Instead, trucks – known as water tankers – arrive to deliver water to communities facing shortages. Water tankers have shifted from being an…

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Emphasizing the sounds of certain words to young children can help them retain language, not confuse them about speaking properly. MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images Many parents have heard the warning: Don’t use baby talk…

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Julius Malema , the leader of South Africa’s fourth-largest party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), is a divisive figure: loved by some, hated by others. Malema made headlines in April 2026 after a lower court found him guilty of…

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Alistair Berg/Getty Images The federal government has announced a new “ safeguard ” around how funding is spent to support school students with disabilities. The budget papers say there is an issue with “ inaccurate claiming ” by schools…

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The shape of the word bubble resembles the shape of an actual bubble, according to research participants. (Unsplash) Think about a word that looks like its meaning. For instance, the word bed kind of looks like a bed, with the vertical…

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Many countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data has revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school, out of a total potential population of…

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Many countries across Africa have embraced universal basic education policies in recent decades. But recent data has revealed that more than 100 million children and adolescents remain out of school, out of a total potential population of…

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Farming in the Great Lakes region of Africa (which includes Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya) is challenging because of changing environments and ongoing social and political tensions . These…

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Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Scientific discoveries rarely happen alone. Modern research often involves teams spanning institutions and even countries. Yet when research is published in academic journals, credit is reduced to a list of names –…

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Writing the dreaded English essay spikes anxiety for thousands of students, but is there a way for writing to boost students’ well-being instead? I wanted to know if a new approach to teaching literary studies could tap into the feel-good…

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Support for students is one value that both Democrats and Republicans alike value in a teacher. Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images If you follow the headlines , it can seem like K-12 schools in the…

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Botswana’s economy is projected to contract by 0.4% in 2026, driven largely by a slowdown in the diamond sector. Diamonds account for a third of fiscal revenues and a quarter of GDP. This means the government has less money to spend, even…

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airdone/Shutterstock Screens are everywhere in children’s lives. They use them at school and at home. They see screens used by their parents as they work on laptops, use phones to arrange playdates or look up outings or recipes on tablets.…

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The 2026 Africa-France summit in Nairobi on May 11-12 is the first to be held in an African country that is not a former French colony. It is also the first to be held since the dramatic collapse of relations between France and a number of…

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Maskot/ Getty Images Governments have spent about a year announcing new policies to make early education safer for Australian children. In the wake of reports of shocking abuse and neglect in daycare centres , there have been moves to…

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The message to students used to be simple: “Just say no.” But in today’s schools, that message is not only outdated, it may be part of the problem. Across Canada, student substance use is a growing concern. According to the most recent…

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Recently, a spate of news coverage has raised concerns about grade inflation in schools across Canada . These concerns stem in part from policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was widespread cancellation of large-scale…

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Birds of prey and vultures (raptors) play a vital role in ecosystems, both as top predators and key scavengers. However, compared to many other bird species, raptor populations are declining faster . This is because they need large areas…

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Understanding whether different groups of kids are more likely to be identified as having autism can help ensure that all students have equal access to the appropriate services at school. Adrian Vidal/iStock/Getty Images Plus Students who…

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Teens contribute in ways that go far beyond organized volunteering. Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images A teenager scrolls through their phone at the dinner table, barely looks up and answers questions with one-word replies. For many…

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Andresr/Getty Images Across Australia, Year 6 families are doing the rounds of high school open nights, information evenings and tours. Perhaps in your area, you don’t get a choice of schools. Maybe you and your child have already made up…

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Feeding children can be challenging. It is sometimes hard to know if you’re getting it right. We want the best for our children, and we often think that means making sure they eat the right amounts of the right foods. Research tells us…

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How does a medium once branded “ the devil’s own box ” become the fireplace around which a nation tries to rekindle its broken identity? This question lies at the heart of our recently published book that marks 50 years since the flicker…

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Zhuravlev Andrey/Shutterstock Ofsted, the schools inspectorate in England, was the subject of a UK parliamentary inquiry after the death by suicide of Ruth Perry, headteacher of Caversham Primary school in Berkshire, in 2023. The coroner’s…

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The Smith College campus in Northampton, Mass., in October 2025. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Within the past decade, most women’s colleges in the United States – including Smith College, a liberal arts college in…

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The small community of Arviat, Nvt., has reportedly been selected to host the main campus of Inuit Nunangat University , the first Inuit-led university in Canada. The institution is expected to open in 2030. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK),…

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Over the past 11 years, The Conversation Africa has published 12,961 articles by 8,257 authors, making the expertise of academics and researchers in Africa and other parts of the world accessible to the public, national and global…

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Generative AI has become a part of everyday student life in Canada. While institutions focus on misconduct and detection, a deeper shift is happening, one that concerns identity. A recent KPMG Canada report finds that 73 per cent of…

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La République centrafricaine figure non seulement parmi les pays les moins avancés du monde, mais aussi parmi ceux qui ne progressent presque pas. Pendant longtemps, cette tendance a été expliquée par son statut de « pays orphelin de…

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Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock The upcoming Senedd elections may shift the balance of power in Wales. Any new government must immediately grapple with the significant ongoing challenges of embedding educational reforms across the additional…

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Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock Across the UK, working‑class boys are navigating an unprecedented convergence of pressures. There are entrenched gaps between working-class boys and their peers in their levels of attainment at every…

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The precarious security situation in Mali took a turn for the worse in late April 2026. Well coordinated attacks targeted several cities and claimed the lives of the defence minister, Sadio Camara, and several Malian soldiers. The events…

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A mother leads her 7- and 9-year-old sons in a morning lesson during homeschool in Buffalo, Minn., in September 2023. Nicole Neri for The Washington Post via Getty Images When schools abruptly closed their doors at the onset of the…

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When environmental hazards strike, the damage is usually counted in numbers: how many people died, how many homes were destroyed, how many people were displaced, and how much money it will take to rebuild. But not all losses and damage can…

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Nigerians have no reliable way of scrutinising the national budget. The citizen’s portal of the Nigerian Budget Office of the Federation is often offline, and when it is online, it is highly technical and difficult for ordinary citizens to…

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Image by DC Studio on Magnific , CC BY Across Africa and beyond, education systems are shifting to curricula designed to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Competency-based curricula put learners at the centre. They are…

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Image by DC Studio on Magnific , CC BY Across Africa and beyond, education systems are shifting to curricula designed to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Competency-based curricula put learners at the centre. They are…

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What kind of education best helps students learn math? In the province of Ontario, the most recent provincial standardized results (2024–25) show modest improvement in elementary mathematics achievement, but overall performance remains…

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Experiencing bullying frequently in childhood can have lifelong consequences. Malte Mueller/iStock illustrations/Getty About 1 in 4 elementary students in the United States reports being bullied at least once during a given school year.…

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Students across Canada are exposed to artificial intelligence (AI) whether through search engines, writing assistants, automated recommendation systems or social media. That everyday exposure raises a first, fundamental question: What…

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Modern medicine prides itself on being a universal science, built on evidence from clinical trials. But there’s a bias in medical research. While Africa accounts for roughly 25% of the global disease burden and 19% of the global population…

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India’s engagement in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea basin was, until recently, largely limited to UN peacekeeping operations and anti-piracy patrols. Since the second half of the 1990s, India has participated in nearly all peacekeeping…

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Extreme heat is not just uncomfortable weather – it is becoming a serious threat to health, jobs and food security across southern Africa, especially for those least able to cope. Unlike floods, cyclones, wildfires or storms, extreme heat…

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School students in a National Day parade, Asmara, Eritrea. Angela N Perryman/Shutterstock It’s often assumed that expanding access to education is progressive – that it’s a means of ensuring social, economic and political development.…

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Freepik , CC BY South Africa’s 50 public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges are, in the main, struggling institutions. In many, throughput rates – how many students qualify in the expected time – are low . Some…

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Freepik , CC BY South Africa’s 50 public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges are, in the main, struggling institutions. In many, throughput rates – how many students qualify in the expected time – are low . Some…

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Nigerian women of working age are mostly ( 90% ) self-employed. By comparison, self-employment accounts for less than 16% of employment in high-income countries such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is far lower in…

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Vach cameraman/Shutterstock What’s the point of play? Is it simply a way to keep children occupied, or something more? For some, it’s about learning literacy and numeracy. For others, it’s how friendships form and relationships deepen. But…

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Tucked into the Ontario Ministry of Education’s newly introduced Putting Student Achievement First Act is a mandate requiring teachers to use ministry-approved learning resources in classrooms . Providing learning resources sounds neutral…

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A museum curator removes a rare Native American Chumash basket from California, circa 1800, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., in 2003. MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images Many universities and museums in the U.S. have…

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Golubovy/Shutterstock It’s revision season. If you’re a student preparing for upcoming exams, you might be tempted to put aside sport or other physical activity for a while in order to dedicate more time to learning. But exercise is…

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Vanessa Loring/ Pexels Parents are told to avoid screens altogether in the first two years of a child’s life. At the same time, digital devices are part of everyday family life used for communication, work, learning, and at times, simply…

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Krakenimages.com/Shutterstock Sencos – special educational needs coordinators – play a vital role in maintained mainstream English schools, nursery schools and sixth forms. If you are a parent, you may encounter them if you have concerns…

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The Ontario government recently introduced Bill 101, the Putting Student Achievement First Act that the province says intends to move “Ontario toward a more accountable, consistent and modern model of high-quality education.” Given that I…

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Most schools do lockdown drills, but there is not any federal guidance on the best approach to this practice. TW Farlow/iStock/Getty Images Plus There have been 63 school shootings – meaning any time there is gunfire on a school campus –…

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Romuald Wadagni won the 2026 presidential election in Benin with over 94% of the vote. Wadagni, 50, is a technocrat who became an influential finance minister under Patrice Talon from 2016 until his election. The Beninese political system…

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School absenteeism is a major concern across Canada — and beyond. As researchers with the Canadian School Attendance Partnership , we have been exploring this issue for a few years, motivated by concerns raised by families, community…

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A fourth grade teacher leads a small group of students in a reading exercise in March 2023 at Tuskegee Public School in Tuskegee, Ala. Julie Bennett/The Washington Post via Getty Images Despite decades of legislation meant to boost…

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In African countries, there’s a gap between the financing available for renewable energy and the projects its meant to reach. Funds are not reaching the right places and even as more funding is announced for clean energy, many projects…

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A proposed list of required reading for Texan public schools includes several stories from the Bible. plherrera/E+ via Getty Images In 2023, Texas passed a law aimed at improving K-12 students’ reading . In part, it called for a required…

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Ghana introduced a new payment arrangement for petroleum imports in 2023, using gold instead of scarce US dollars. The policy was designed to ease pressure on the cedi by reducing the need for upfront dollar purchases to settle fuel import…

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Larvae of the mopane moth (Gonimbrasia belina), on a mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane). By SAplants - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 , CC BY South Africa’s Limpopo province borders Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. It is one of the poorest…

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There is a rich history of Black graduation ceremonies in the United States focused on celebrating the unique experiences and achievements of Black university students. In Canada, the tradition gained attention with the University of…

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LightField Studios/Shutterstock The announcement by the government that a legal ban will be placed on mobile phones in English schools marks a continued shift in tone, if not necessarily in substance, around the control of devices in…

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In South Africa, a water-scarce country, groundwater is a vital supply for small towns and commercial farming. Approximately 13% of South Africa’s groundwater resources are used for domestic supply , with about 400 towns getting at least…

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These kids are doing a lot more than just playing in the dirt. SolStock/E+ via Getty Images I used to teach high school science in Oklahoma, and one day I brought in a stalk from a cotton plant with bolls of cotton still attached. Students…

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Brain breaks improve the neural connections your brain is making between new information and prior knowledge. Mihaela Rosu/iStock/Getty Images Plus If you have a child in school right now, you may have heard them talk about needing a…

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Approximately 34% of U.S. fourth grade students without disabilities and 72% of students with disabilities scored below basic reading levels in 2024. Anna Maslennikova/iStock/Getty Images Plus Recently, I worked with a group of elementary…

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Canada’s 2024 cuts to international study permits led to significantly larger reductions in study permit approvals than intended , according to a report by the auditor general tabled in March 2026. The report found the reduction in study…

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New Africa/Shutterstock Incels, or involuntary celibates, are members of an online subculture, most often heterosexual men, who believe they have been unconditionally excluded from the dating scene. This has negative implications for their…

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The Salinas High School (Calif.) girls volleyball team from 1924, as seen in the school's yearbook, 'El Gabilan.' Michael A. Messner , CC BY High school students will soon take part in a more than 160-year-old tradition in American…

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Ghana’s parliament ratified the country’s first lithium mining agreement in March 2026. This came three years after lithium mining was confirmed as commercially viable in September 2023. The Ewoyaa Lithium Project, in the Central Region of…

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LightField Studios/Shutterstock Schools increasingly rely on testing, grading and performance accountability. In England, Ofsted inspections and school league tables sharpen the focus on measurable performance. Similar developments have…

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During Black History Month more than two years ago, in February 2024, the Ontario Conservative government announced it would introduce mandatory curriculum expectations focused on the history of Black Canadians for Grades 7, 8 and 10, with…

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For much of the past two decades, South Africa’s recurring waves of protest have been interpreted through a dominant lens: the failure of the post-apartheid state to deliver services to its poorest citizens. Rising unemployment, corroding…

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In some communities in Uganda, women aren’t supposed to work with pigs. This stems from restrictive social and gender norms, some of which are rooted in culture and religious beliefs. Until recently, eating pork was associated with…

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Placing a student in seclusion is meant to be used as an emergency response to dangerous behavior, but it happens in other circumstances, too. EyeEm Mobile GmbH/iStock Getty Images Plus “Jessica,” the adoptive mother of a third grade…

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By a dictionary definition, the word resilient means an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change . The key words here? “Recover” and “change.” The notion that psychological characteristics strongly influence…

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Nigeria’s new Electoral Act , passed in February 2026, is a significant attempt to overhaul the country’s electoral framework. The act establishes a dedicated funding framework and requires that election funds be released no later than six…

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Hampshire College's campus entrance on April 16, 2026, a few days after the school announced it is closing. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Hampshire College, a private college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, announced…

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should not be an arbiter of discussions about which other multilateral financial institutions should qualify for preferred creditor status. This is because the IMF is a direct beneficiary of the…

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Irene Fogel Weiss holds a photograph of her mother and brothers, who were killed during the Holocaust, during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2026, in Washington. Heather Diehl/Getty Images In 2025, 48% of Americans ages 18-29…

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DavideAngelini/Shutterstock Awkwardness and acne are the first things that spring to mind when thinking of adolescence, but they’re not always the full picture. We asked eight of our experts to tell us which book they feel best represents…

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The Ontario government has introduced legislation that will make its school boards run more like businesses. The recently announced Putting Student Achievement First Act reduces the power of elected trustees and creates a powerful new…

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The 2026 presidential election in Congo-Brazzaville (the Republic of the Congo) returned Denis Sassou Nguesso for a fifth consecutive term, with a definitive 94.90% of the vote. We asked Ngodi Etanislas, a political scientist who focuses…

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Although sexual misconduct is common on college campuses, most people do not officially report their experience. salim hanzaz/iStock/Getty Images Plus Sexual misconduct – including sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence and…

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The Canadian government launched the Global Impact+ Research Talent Initiative in December 2025 designed to entice international researchers to come to Canada. The initiative, which the government says will “invest up to $1.7 billion over…

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The global geoeconomic volatility wrought by the second Donald Trump US presidency and hostilities in the Middle East make the shift in China’s Africa strategy even more important for China and for Africa. China’s Africa strategy started…

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The gutting of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2025 has had catastrophic consequences , including in South Sudan where amid ongoing war, an estimated 33 million people require humanitarian assistance. The…

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Peggy Fortnum and Harper Collins Children's Publishing For many children, Paddington is now primarily the star of three movies and a hit west end musical. However, that is not where the bear in a red hat whose adventures involve high-speed…

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Two months after the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, which was won by Senegal in January 2026, the appeal board of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) decided to strip them of the title and give it instead to their…

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Rwanda has threatened to withdraw its troops from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, signalling a potentially decisive shift in the southern African country’s security architecture. The threat of withdrawal is driven by a European Union…

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Over the last several decades, the oceans have become more crowded. Aquaculture, wind and wave energy, and oil and gas exploration are taking up more space. This growth threatens the health of ocean ecosystems and coastal communities’…

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The minibus taxi is ubiquitous in southern Africa. These vehicles are the backbone of the urban economy, providing affordable mobility for millions . In Cape Town, South Africa’s second most populous city , they are central to the…

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Nelson Mandela remains one of the most revered political leaders of modern times. He is widely credited with guiding South Africa through a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy. He embodied racial reconciliation, and lent moral…

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Ontario’s recent announcement of a tuition increase and major changes to grant and loan structures have prompted student protests at the provincial legislature. The province has said the changes are required for sustainability . But…

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People hold signs during a Grossmont Union High School District board meeting in El Cajon, Calif., in July 2025. Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images Election races for local school boards have become hotly contested…

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antoniodiaz/Shutterstock In adolescence, beliefs about fairness, equality and social roles are still taking shape. This includes teens’ views about gender – whether they support gender equality and their beliefs about gender roles in…