Tag Archive for: Education

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VOD Education in Kenya

VOD Education in Kenya
Kenya has seen remarkable growth in education in the last few years. Between 2012 and 2013 student enrollment increased by 20 percent, and the number of college graduates in Kenya is expected to exceed those without any formal education by 2020.

However, university resources aren’t keeping up with the rapid increase in student enrollment. According to Finance Minister Njeru Githae’s 2012 policy budget statement, “The sector’s biggest challenges include inadequate infrastructure and staffing, a slow pace of ICT integration and dealing with accelerated admissions to universities.”

Video on Demand or VOD education in Kenya has yet to blossom, but it has the potential to ease the pressures that Githae mentioned. Africa’s market is perfect for the system’s development and integration into school systems due to the country’s high population and extensive internet penetration.

The system allows students to select and watch video content of their choice via either their televisions or computers. VOD allows teachers to customize and live to stream their own content to give students in remote areas access to the most effective lectures.

When used as a supplement to traditional teaching methods, it reinforces students’ understanding of content. Students have the option to stop or replay parts of lectures as many times as needed, while advanced learners can use the system to explore more material. Students can also use the system to catch up on missed lectures.

VOD education in Kenya could give the country an advantage with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) competitiveness and innovation. The system will familiarize students with technology and prepare them for entrance into a modern workforce that highly values technological literacy.

The system also contributes to student empowerment, active engagement, leadership and collaboration. Educators who use VOD encourage students to collaborate with each other — even peers from other universities — to create their own material.

VOD generates revenue through subscriptions, sponsorship, and advertising models, which could be used to fund education and reduce the cost of tuition. Students can access the system for free with university hotspots.

VOD education thus far has been shown to enhance student performance and academic development. Not only does it have the potential to become a useful enhancement to 21st century teaching methods, but it also is compatible with Kenya’s goal of becoming a globally competitive and prosperous nation.

– Liliana Rehorn

Photo: Flickr

Education in Mosul: Keeping Hope Alive

Education in Mosul: Keeping Hope Alive
Occupied by the Islamic State since 2014, Mosul has been in the news recently as the site of the most largely-deployed Iraqi army since 2003. As the state attempts to wrest control of the city back from ISIS, Mosul has suffered heavy casualties and numerous humanitarian crises.

Recently, 40 percent of Mosul’s population was cut off from their water supply as the conflict raged into its sixth week. Additionally, the onset of winter intensifies the anxiety surrounding the food supply.

Education in Mosul has always struggled against a myriad of obstacles over the past 15 years, and the arrival of the Islamic State has only worsened a shaky situation. Curriculums were overturned, textbooks destroyed and children were soon being indoctrinated with violent dogmas and the use of weapons. Students traveled to class to learn how to build bombs and load guns.

Families are removing children from school to avoid these militarized classrooms, the physical danger of traveling and attending school in a war zone. For those who have fled the city, refugee camps are often lacking in educational materials and teachers.

Despite these challenges, camps around Iraq are continuing their commitments to keeping education alive. In the Hassan Sham camp outside Mosul, teachers are seizing the opportunity to establish regulated learning environments for subjects like Arabic, English and Math.

Despite the surrounding chaos, the teachers’ dedication is matched by their students’ passion for returning to regular classes, thriving in the positive and controlled environment. When NPR correspondent Alice Fordham asked a young boy in the camp how it felt to return to school, he responded with, “The happiest.”

This dedication is not just restricted to the small children of the camp. Reviving education in Mosul is garnering support from many outlets, with organizations like the Iraqi Institution for Development, UNICEF and the Norwegian Refugee Council promising to aid Iraqis in their goal to continue education for their children.

– Emily Marshall

Photo: Flickr

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Six Things to Know About the Education in Yemen

Education in Yemen
On August 13, 2016, a Saudi-led airstrike killed 10 children at a school in the country’s northern region, and all were under the age of 15. Unfortunately, children in Yemen have become accustomed to this fallout from the civil war that has raged within their country since March of 2015. Currently, education in Yemen has become a crucial subject for the country’s youth, who struggle to continue learning despite the war surrounding them.

Here are some features of what education in Yemen looks like for millions of children today:

  1. On any given day, the number of children in Yemen who miss out on school exceeds 2 million. Reasons range from lack of textbooks and chairs to the destruction and militarization of school buildings.
  2. Children in Yemen often face grave danger both in and out of class. Students have been killed on their way to school as well as while attending classes, raising questions within families as to the safety of pursuing education.
  3. Staying home, however, raises further concerns. The fear of child recruitment is very real — children as young as eight have been counted by the U.N. as some of 1,200 enlisted to fight in the conflict. Education proves an effective tool for keeping children from the violent arms of war.
  4. According to the U.N., more than 3,600 schools have closed in Yemen since the beginning of the conflict in March 2015. Bombings destroyed many of these buildings, while many others are now used as training facilities for military forces. UNICEF currently estimates that it needs $34 million for its Back-to-School campaign to help rebuild Yemen’s education system, which includes building restoration, training, textbooks and provisions.
  5. In the 14 years leading up to the conflict, education in Yemen saw an incredible period of growth and improvement. Yemen’s enrollment rate rose from 71.3 percent to 97.5 percent during this time, an incredible stride, according to The World Bank.
  6. In July 2015, UNICEF and Yemen’s Ministry of Education trained 50 teachers and social workers to help children deal with the psychological fallout of living in the country torn apart by civil war. Specialized training in psychosocial approaches offers a healing hand to children growing up in war zones and helps equip them with the tools to deal with the violence.

In the midst of such difficult times, both teachers and students have proven that education in Yemen is a valuable thing. Although a large number of children currently struggle to find ways to learn, their path is becoming increasingly clear due to the hard work and resolution of educators in their country.

– Emily Marshall

Photo: Flickr

Current Education in Kyrgyzstan

Current Education in Kyrgyzstan

Many formerly Soviet-controlled nations struggled to bolster their education systems following the collapse of the USSR. Kyrgyzstan is one such country, having faced significant challenges in its education system after independence while also making steady efforts to improve it.

Kyrgyzstan’s Economy

Before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Kyrgyzstan’s economy and industry were regulated by Moscow. Since the Soviet disbandment, the nation has transitioned toward a free market economy, one of the first formerly Soviet countries to do so. However, the economy has slowed down a bit in recent years, and many Kyrgyzstanis are suffering as a result. Although only 1.3% of the country’s population lived below the global extreme poverty line as of 2020, exactly one-third of the country’s population lived below the nationality line as of 2021.

Economy’s Effects on Education

Immediately following Kyrgyzstan’s independence, funding for education nosedived due to the break with the USSR. Therefore, the transition to independence caused a significant shock to Kyrgyzstan’s education system.

Furthermore, as of 2020, one out of three children in Kyrgyzstan lived below the poverty line (it should be noted that the pandemic severely exacerbated the issue of poverty). Children often have to sacrifice their schooling to work instead. About 27% of children in Kyrgyzstan have to work, and 14% miss class to work. Poverty in Kyrgyzstan is therefore impeding children’s ability to receive an education, since they often have to worry about providing for their families.

Learning Resources Lacking

Kyrgyzstan does not have enough qualified teachers to adequately educate children on important subjects. In 2025, Kyrgyzstan lacked 947 teachers that were needed by the education system. Many of these vacancies were in the subjects of math and Russian language, two vital subjects that children suffered in due to this shortage.

Furthermore, in 2025, there was a massive shortage in textbooks: schools in Kyrgyzstan only had 50% of the textbooks that they should have had. In lieu of school-provided textbooks, some students had to rent their own.

Solutions to Kyrgyzstan’s Problems

Kyrgyzstan is taking measures to combat the problems it faces in education.

Kyrgyzstan has a program called Programme to Support Families and to Protect Children, which began in 2018 and will continue through 2028. This program provides benefits to children or families in many cases: for example, a benefit is given to any newborn child, and a monthly benefit is given to families whose earnings are below a certain threshold and who have children under the age of 16. 

Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan is trying to bolster the learning resources available to children. In 2025, the Kyrgyzstan government put $8.5 million into printing new textbooks to combat the shortage. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education created an online textbook platform (the “Okuu Kitebi” platform) to allow for easier access to textbooks. Through this platform, the ministry hopes to not only match but actually exceed textbook demand by 2030.

Kyrgyzstan’s education system does face problems, such as students needing to miss school to work and a lack of teachers and textbooks. However, Kyrgyzstan’s government is working to address these issues in order to improve education for children nationwide.

– Robin Lee, Jackson Meyer 

Photo: Flickr

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Education Provided to Syrian Refugees in Hosting Countries

Education Provided to Syrian Refugees in Hosting Countries
When the Arab Spring began in 2011, the Middle East’s future became unclear. Since its advent, nearly 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million have been displaced externally. Syrian refugees have taken refuge in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, Greece and Germany.

Even though the countries have granted them asylum, many young children do not attend school. Of the 11 million displaced Syrians, nearly 2.5 million are school-aged children. Attending school is a difficult task for these children. As an overarching issue, the education system cannot sustain the thousands of Syrian refugee children entering their classrooms.

Another major issue is that Syrian refugee children are behind in the curriculum and don’t speak the language. Many children, especially young boys, have to choose between working and schooling. Their families cannot afford to send their children to school. These obstacles contribute to the fact that 80% of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are not attending school. As a result, many children end up dropping out, contributing to the 56% of refugee children who are not enrolled in Jordanian schools.

Since 2012, the Jordanian Government, Ministry of Education and Higher Education have either covered Syrian children’s fee or waived them. Even if the children can afford to go to school, parents do not think it’s safe for their children to be journeying a long way. To overcome these barriers, War Child Holland in Lebanon created a walking bus. Instead of children walking alone to school, they walk together in one large group.  In Jordan, UNICEF provides buses to take children to school.

To accommodate those who are not attending school or who have dropped out, the Lebanese NGO Iqra runs Classroom in a Bus whereby students and teachers are trained and taught in the town. In Turkey, students now do not have to show any identification, they can enroll for free and are taught in a Syrian Arabic curriculum. These adjustments coupled with the collaboration between Turkey and UNICEF to build seven new schools is a contributing factor to the 30% increase in enrollment. As a global initiative, donors and host countries have pledged, as the Human Rights Watch states, “more than $11 billion in multi-year support to meet goals including universal school enrollment in refugee-hosting countries by 2017.”

Through donations, global workings and Human Rights Watch projects, there are expansions, “to address other barriers.” Some of these include issues of documentation, NGO roles, addressing dropouts and reducing child labor. The NGO, government and global initiative contribute to UNICEF’s strategy, No Lost Generation, which ensures all Syrian refugees are provided with adequate educational opportunities.

The Syrian Crisis is one of the worst humanitarian crises. Yet, there is an admirable level of determination to help Syrian refugees adapt and provide them with equal opportunities.

– Kristen Guyler

Photo: Flickr

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Education for Children with Disabilities Stunted Globally

Education for Children with Disabilities
An international advocacy group released a report this month outlining the enormous task the world faces on the global issue of education for children with disabilities. The report states that “at least half of the world’s 65 million school-age children with disabilities are not in primary or lower secondary school.”

The International Disability and Development Consortium (IDCC) commissioned the report with an eye on understanding whether the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs) can be achieved with respect to “inclusive and equitable quality education for all.” According to UNESCO, “children with disabilities make up the largest group of readily identifiable children who have been and continue to be persistently excluded from education.”

The contrast between education for children with disabilities and children generally is stark. As of 2016, 91 percent of all children in the majority world are enrolled in primary education. Meanwhile, in a 2015 report by UNESCO, 98 percent of children in majority world countries do not have any schooling afforded them.

The link between poverty and the disability is also telling. In the majority world, where poverty rates are often severely detrimental to social growth, the problems self-perpetuate each other. UNICEF notes that “Poverty and disability reinforce each other, contributing to increased vulnerability and exclusion.”

UNICEF explains that’s because children who are poor and who also live in poor countries are more likely to become disabled because of poor health care and other social systems. Furthermore, they are often denied basic resources that would otherwise mitigate or prevent their increasingly impoverished state.

Much is to blame for the apparent discrimination toward children with disabilities. One primary cause is a lack of understanding by government officials on the efficacy of investing in children with disabilities. The IDCC in part concluded that many governments incorrectly believe that investing in education for children with disabilities will yield low returns.

However, the group’s research has shown that inclusive education for all can reduce the population of uneducated, tackle discrimination generally and promote solutions for other school-related problems. They also found that segregated education, beyond the extent to which certain students may need it, is more expensive.

UNESCO and the IDCC conclude that to tackle the problem as it is now, greater reform culturally and politically is needed among “stakeholders.” Governments and non-governmental organizations must reverse global trends of divestment in education for children generally, as well as educate on nearly all social levels the need for investment in children with disabilities.

The IDCC urges prioritization of education for children with disabilities around the world if the SDGs are to be realized. Those changes must occur in terms of increased and targeted funding practices and increased normalization of disability-awareness and responsiveness to the needs of children with disabilities.

– James Collins

Photo: Flickr

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Uganda’s Struggling Universal Primary Education Policy

Universal Primary Education Policy
The Ugandan government spends roughly $300 million annually on universal primary education. Despite the government’s devotion to free public education, the universal primary education policy is enduring severe growing pains.

One main issue is that despite the government’s large expenditure, parents still pay for half of their students’ fees. According to Nelson Wanambi, an economist at Uganda’s Ministry of Education, parents now pay 46.9 percent for education whereas the government pays a mere 27.6 percent.

The high cost for families causes many children to drop out of school as education becomes burdensome for parents. This economic strain on families contributes to Uganda’s staggering 75.2 percent primary school dropout rate.

After the universal primary education was introduced in 1997, Ugandan schools grew at such a high rate that not enough teachers could be trained to accommodate the increased enrollment rate. Further, many teachers receive insufficient salaries, resulting in strikes and frequent teacher absenteeism.

Fortunately, the government has recently received financial support from the Global Partnership for Education. The most recent contribution was over $100 million to support Uganda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (EESP). The ESSP originally ran from 2004-2015, and the Global Partnership for Education has made a pledge to continue the program from 2014-2018.

As in many developing nations, gender-related issues contribute to the high drop out rate. On average, Ugandan boys stay in school for two more years than girls — 6.3 compared to 4.5 years respectively. In Uganda, 30 percent of girls drop out of school when they start menstruating because they cannot afford sanitary pads.

Organizations like Afripads, which is headquartered in Uganda, work to increase accessibility to sanitary pads for young girls and provide job opportunities for Ugandan women. Some schools, such as Katwe primary school, are successfully implementing the universal primary education policy. At Katwe, the school provides sanitary pads for their female students.

In theory, the universal primary education program would relieve the burden for many families to pay tuition for their children and increase graduation rate. However, the program has faced many obstacles. With the help of organizations such as Global Partnership for Education and Afripads, Uganda’s future for education is bright once again.

– Sabrina Yates

Photo: Flickr

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How UNICEF is Maintaining the Education of Burundian Children

Education of Burundian Children
Burundi relies heavily on foreign aid and what is not coming in cannot possibly go out. At the close of last year, the president of Burundi announced the budgetary conditions for the upcoming year, and all sectors would be receiving a large cut. The Ministry of Education was reduced by one-third, with water/sanitization and human rights services closely following. The Ministry of Health would also have to operate with half of its previous budget.

It is not just the availability of education in Burundi that affects a child’s capacity to learn and function, all of their basic needs must also be met in order to contribute to their growth. Toward the end of last year, the number of children suffering from severe malnutrition in Bujumbura doubled within less than three months. The city is in strife, abreast with political unrest, making the streets unsafe for children, leading to an increase in Burundian’s seeking asylum in neighboring countries.

With strains being placed on Burundi’s already feeble education system, it is hard to predict a positive outcome for the education of Burundian children living in these harsh circumstances. However, UNICEF refuses to let the education of Burundian children fall victim to circumstances.

Although UNICEF provides school supplies, manages grants and other forms of relief in Burundi, they have also implemented a number of other programs for the advocacy and safety of Burundian children.

Partnering with Handicap International, a program called “Zones of Peace” was launched in Bujumbura, where teachers received specialized training to help children cope with the psychosocial effects of living in turbulent conditions. UNICEF also mediated with organizations in Tanzania to provide a way for Burundian refugee students to take their 9-10 grade exams, without jeopardizing their safety.

The safety and education of Burundian children are UNICEF’s top priority, especially lone male children that are being targeted and forced into jail. In response, UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have fought rigorously for their release and opened two re-education centers to house the previously detained children.

The majority of imprisoned children are held in adult prisons, where they are at risk for abuse and are malnourished during their confinement. The re-education center is a safe haven for the children to receive needed counseling, nourishment, legal services, education and reintegration back into society. These centers hope to remove the stigma that often accompanies incarceration and to return educated, mentally well young adults into society.

UNICEF’s efforts to provide safety and the education of Burundian children does not stop at the re-education centers. On Aug. 1, 2016, in conjunction with Burundi’s Ministry of Education, UNFPA, WFP and the United Nations Volunteers, they have opened 20 summer camps in Bujumbura. The goal of these camps is not only to allow the children a safe place to join in recreation but also to provide them with life skills, education, as well as enhancing non-violent communication and interactions.

The road towards achieving stability for Burundian children, with reliable access to education, is wrought with challenges, but through the unrelenting efforts of UNICEF and co-sponsoring organizations, one thing Burundian children have is hope.

– Amy Whitman

Photo: Flickr

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Increasing Education Foreign Assistance

Increasing Education Foreign Assistance: Unlocking a World of Promise
Knowledge is power. This simple statement is more resonant than ever as the world moves towards a knowledge-based economy. In spite of the tremendous importance of education in building the lives of youth around the world, only a small share of the United States’ foreign aid budget goes to education and social programs. By increasing education foreign assistance for such programs, the U.S. could bolster its contribution to global development.

Here are four facts about the current amount of U.S. foreign assistance for education:

  1. Since 2010, spending budgeted for foreign assistance for education has fallen by 44 percent from $1.75 billion to $1.21 billion in 2016. This stands in stark comparison to the seven percent decline in the overall foreign assistance budget and the 13 percent increase in total federal spending over the same time period.
  2. The U.S. spends only three percent of its total foreign assistance budget on social and educational programs, around half of which goes to basic education. By contrast, Australia spends around 25 percent of its foreign aid budget on such programs. The largest recipient of foreign assistance for education in the 2016 fiscal year is Afghanistan. Many of these programs target education for women and girls in a society where female education has traditionally received little support or even outright hostility.
  3. In 2016 the military budget for the U.S. was $604.5 billion and foreign assistance spending on security was $8.77 billion, respectively 500 and 7.2 times higher than spending on foreign assistance for education.
  4. Since 2006, 123 different countries have received foreign assistance for education from the U.S. Afghanistan received the most, $696.8 million, while Montenegro came in last with a little over $14,000. The other leading countries after Afghanistan were Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya and Guatemala.

Increasing education foreign assistance can bolster economic growth, encourage gender equality and build local capacities. For each additional year of schooling in a country, annual GDP growth rises by 0.37 percent, allowing for greater trade opportunities. The higher the proportion of the population enrolled in secondary education, the lower the risk of war. Therefore it is key to U.S. economic and national security interests that we continue to provide foreign assistance for education.

– Jonathan Hall-Eastman

Photo: Flickr

Five Myths about Social Safety Nets Debunked!

Five Myths about Social Safety Nets-Debunked!
When it comes to social safety nets, many myths and half-truths about the efficacy of these programs exist among citizens and political leaders. Social safety nets are programs that aid the poor by increasing their incomes, improve school attendance, provide access to basic health care and implement employment opportunities.

Even though some of these myths are inoffensive, they do have the potential to harm people who rely on governmental assistance programs. The New York Times reports, “One billion people in developing countries participate in a social safety net. At least one type of unconditional cash assistance is used in 119 countries.” Here are some of the top myths about social safety nets debunked:

Myth #1: The economy will do better if social programs are cut.

When governments decide to cut their social safety nets, many sectors within the economy begin to suffer. Governments inadvertently increase the unemployment rates within their countries when social programs are cut.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan signed the Recovery Act, which cut social programs such as payments for individuals with disabilities and school-lunch programs. As a result, the largest projected deficit in U.S. history occurred leading the U.S. economy to its worst recession since the Great Depression. The American economy struggled to combat the resulting 14% inflation rate as well as the increased interest rates of the Federal Reserve Board.

With fewer citizens being able to afford goods and services, overall manufacturing decreased while layoffs and unpaid taxes increased. It is recorded that in 1982, those unemployed reached a staggering nine million, 17,000 businesses had failed, farmers across the nation began to lose land and the poor, elderly and sick became homeless.

Instead of aiding the economy, social budget cuts on social safety nets result in a decrease in the overall finical health of a country’s economy.

Myth #2: Reducing government assistance benefits will make people get a job.

This myth is usually perpetrated by those who do not understand the demographics of social safety nets. More than half of all people who are enrolled in government assistance programs are those who cannot physically or mentally work such as the elderly and people with disabilities. Even if governments were to reduce benefits for those who can work, it still would not make a significant difference in employment rates.

According to the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, many people who are working and receive housing assistance still live in homeless shelters simply because they still do not make enough currency to afford a place to live. The Wall Street Journal further states that the four largest welfare recipients are those who labor as fast-food workers, home-care workers, child-care workers and part-time college faculty.

Reducing government assistance will not make people get a job simply because those who receive these benefits are either unable to work or are currently working in a low-paying occupation.

Myth #3: Welfare makes people lazy.

Though the majority of persons benefiting from welfare are employed, surveys show that individuals from around the globe believe that social safety nets waste revenue and make people lazy. However, in 2014, The World Bank reported that contrary to public opinion, individuals on financial assistance in countries such as Asia, Latin America and Africa rarely wasted money on alcohol and tobacco.

In addition, Abhijit Banerjee, the director of the Poverty Action Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, released a scholarly paper that tracked and documented the cash-transfer programs in seven countries. The results from this paper determined that out of the seven countries, Mexico, Nicaragua, Morocco, Honduras, Indonesia and the Philippines, these programs did not discourage people from working.

Moreover, people who receive benefits from social safety nets do not become lazy. Rather, people who did receive these benefits continued to work diligently while also not wasting funds on items such as tobacco and alcohol.

Myth #4: People can benefit from social safety nets for as long as they want.

Most government assistance programs have a limited amount of time that someone can use unemployment benefits. For instance, the U.S. used to allow people 99 weeks of unemployment assistance.

In recent years, states have limited the amount of time that citizens can use unemployment benefits to around 26-30 weeks. Currently, the only state that gives citizens 30 weeks of unemployment benefits is Massachusetts.

Myth #5: Certain demographics make social safety nets benefit one group and disadvantage the rest.

A majority of people believe that social safety nets benefit a particular kind of demographic while disadvantaging other groups within a society. Particularly, U.S. citizens feel that groups, comparatively liberals, benefited the most from social assistance programs. Yet, details from a 2012 survey from the Pew Research Center show that in regard to politics, liberals and conservatives used governmental assistance programs almost equally. There are 42% of liberals and 40% of conservatives using at least one governmental assistance program.

Despite these myths being detrimental to those who rely on social safety nets, it is worth noting that the U.S. economy is slowing improving. As of August 2016, unemployment rates in the U.S. are as low as 4.9%. Additionally, average hourly wages have increased between five cents and $25.59, with average weekly wages at around $880.30.

However, the best way to eradicate these myths about social safety nets is to advocate for legislation that protects these programs. Pay attention to laws that pertain to social safety nets and meet with local representatives about how social safety nets benefit society. Information about U.S. elected officials can be found on Common Cause.

– Shannon Warren

Photo: Flickr