British independent schools face fresh pressures on expanding their links with China as the authorities tighten restrictions on foreign influence in the education system and seek to more than halve the number of children educated privately.

Restrictions on visas for foreign teachers are also contributing to a slowdown in the establishment and expansion of private schools for Chinese nationals, dozens of which have links to well-known British institutions — including Harrow, Wellington, Dulwich College and Charterhouse.

The changes are part of China’s attempt to equalise education opportunity following the rapid growth in private schools, including those offering international exams and teaching in English as more students seek to apply to foreign universities.

The reforms follow recent draconian curbs on private tutoring services.

The central government in May stopped approving new private schools for the compulsory, or first nine of 12, years of education and last month at least four provinces said there was a goal to cut the proportion of children who attend such schools from more than 10 per cent to less than 5 per cent by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, some provincial authorities are imposing controls on the curriculum and the use of foreign textbooks in private schools.

ISC Research, an educational consultancy, has identified 66 schools in China with an affiliation to 29 UK schools.

These include 12 for children born overseas to Chinese citizens, who can hold foreign passports and Chinese identity cards until they have to make a choice of nationality when they turn 18.

There are also 52 bilingual private schools open to other Chinese citizens.

ISC said it was aware of a further 28 schools being planned.

The government policy does not explicitly target the schools for dual nationals or bilingual establishments, which comprise about one-fifth of China’s 15,000 private primary and secondary schools, but some have been caught up in the clampdown and leaders in the sector are expecting more.

The schools with foreign links are usually owned and operated by Chinese investors but pay fees to the affiliated British school, which often lend their brand name and provide some staff as well as materials and advice on teaching methods.

Seventy five per cent of students who sat for the final Uganda Business and Technical examinations have passed.

Releasing the results at their offices in Ntinda, Kampala, the executive secretary of Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board (Ubteb), Onesmus Oyesigye, said 11,334 (75 per cent) out of 15,019 students who sat for the exams passed. A total of 3,685 (25 per cent) students failed.

Speaking on the performance in the 2020 results compared to the previous year, Oyesigye said compared to November-December 2019 performance, there is a 3 per cent decline in pass rates from 78 per cent in 2019 to 75 per cent in 2020.

He attributed the 25 percentage failure rate on Covid-19 disruption on the education sector, which saw students spend months at home, while others failed to get internship placements.

The board also noted that out of the registered 16,144 students for the March final exams, only 15,019 showed up.

Oyesigye attributed this to absenteeism, the Covid-19 pandemic and failure to pay tuition.

Students sat for exams in various programmes, including Technical Advanced Craft, Technical National Certificate, Technical Community Polytechnics, Business Diploma and Business Certificate.

Overall, male students outperformed their female counterparts with 76 per cent pass rate compared to the latter’s 73 per cent.

For Uganda Community Polytechnic Certificate category, female candidates performed better than their male counterparts with 93 per cent pass rate compared to 83 per cent, respectively.

Oyesigye said the board registered 36 cases of malpractice, a figure he said is lower than that of 2019 (68).

The board recommended cancellation of 19 results out of 36 cases after the candidates were found guilty.

Presiding over the release of results, the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, whose statement was read by the State Minister for Higher Education, John Chrysostom Muyingo, asked Ugandans to embrace techincal vocational education training (TVET) at all levels.

The Ubteb chairperson, Silver Mugisha, asked the government to fast track the establishment of a TVET university to enable students who sit for Ubteb exams at diploma level to proceed to a higher level of learning.

He added that after securing an acre of land from Kyambogo University, the board sought approval of building architectural and structural plans which were approved.

The board is at the procurement process for the construction of the assessment center.

The government OF Kenya is keen to revitalise research and innovation to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda and Vision 2030.

Principal Secretary, State Department of University Education and Research, Ambassador Simon Nabukwesi, noted that significant resources have been made available through the National Research Fund to support research in higher learning institutions.

He said the Ministry of Education will continue to work closely with various government agencies such as the Higher Education Loans Board, Commission for University Education and the National Research Fund to ensure that tertiary institutions acquire and sustain effective capacity for knowledge generation, research, innovation and service to the community.

He said this at the ninth graduation ceremony at Kisii University over the weekend.

The Principal Secretary said Universities across the world and the country have leveraged technology particularly during the pandemic in redesigning learning spaces and pedagogy to enable this new model of education to thrive.

According to the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), more than 80 per cent of the world’s student population and around 14.3 million learners in Kenya have been impacted by the closures occasioned by the Covid-19 fiasco.

The Kisii University management said despite the tough times brought about by the pandemic and the general disruption it has had in the education sector, they were able to have 1,369 students graduate.

Among those who received their awards were 15 doctorates and 24 Masters Degrees.

The event was also attended by Transport Chief Administrative Secretary Dr Chris Obure.

Kisii University Acting Chancellor, Dr Mildred Mudany said eight years ago, the institution had an enrolment of slightly above 3,000 students but today, the student population stands at slightly above 20,000. Over 50,000 students have graduated in the previous convocations.

Dr Mudany expressed delight that out of the 15, who received their doctorate degree, eight are women.

She revealed that Kisii University emerged as the seventh most preferred University in the recent selection undertaken by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service, through the admission of 4600 students.

Vice Chancellor Prof John Akama said that since Kisii University received its Charter in 2013, it has endeavored to be a world class institution in the advancement of training, research, innovation and community outreach.

A high school in Swaziland (eSwatini) has been closed indefinitely after pupils boycotted classes in protest at beatings that some had received.

Corporal punishment is banned in Swaziland.

Pupils at Nyamane refused to return to classes after lunch while singing political songs in protest until the police were called.

According to the Times of eSwatini, pupils objected to being beaten for not cutting their hair with some so badly injured they needed hospital treatment.

Shiselweni Regional Education Officer, Siboniso Gumbi, confirmed the incident adding that the school was closed pending a meeting with parents.

Adamawa State Government has closed 30 out of 34 junior boarding secondary schools in the state over insecurity.

A statement by the Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Wilbina Jackson, said the closure took effect from September 6, 2021 till further notice.

According to the statement, the action was a proactive measure to ensure the safety of students in view of the insecurity bedeviling the country.

The state government’s action might not be unconnected with the escalating banditry in the country, leading to the kidnap of hundreds of school children in some parts of the country especially in the northern states.

The four schools that will remain open are the Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Yola; General Murtala Mohammed College, Yola; Special School Jada; and Special School, Mubi.

The statement read: “The Commissioner Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development wishes to announce that 30 boarding junior secondary schools out of the 34 schools in the state have been de-boarded with effect from 6th September, 2021. From now henceforth, all the 30 government junior secondary schools are now day schools.

“The remaining four that are not affected are Government Girls Junior Secondary School Yola, General Murtala Mohammed College Yola, Special School Jada and Special School Mubi.

“This becomes necessary due to the present incessant security challenges faced by the country and owing to students’ tender age, hence the need for them to study under the care of their parents.

“All students from the affected schools are to be placed in the nearest public junior secondary schools within their catchment or domicile areas. Stakeholders, PTA, ANCOPS and others are to ensure compliance with this government policy.”

The Federal Government says it would employ 38,700 educated but unemployed youths as part of a strong army of mentors for out-of-school children and other vulnerable people.

The government said the 38,700 youths would be drawn from the 774 local government areas of the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, Maryam Uwais, made this known during a joint press conference with the Northern Governors’ Wives Forum in Abuja weekend.

Uwais had earlier briefed the governors’ wives on what the federal government was doing to empower youths and protect those she described as “at-risk population”.

She explained that the engagement of the youths for the mentorship job was part of a strategic work plan by the Office of the Vice President designed to address the needs of vulnerable children and youths.

The presidential adviser said, “We are collaborating with the governor’s wives and other stakeholders to select 50 young educated but unemployed youths in every local government to empower them to mentor the young children and guide those that are out of school to live meaningfully.

“Fifty youths will be selected in each of the 774 local governments. They will be paid N30,000 which is the minimum wage. This will create capacity and jobs for them.”

In her remarks, the Chairperson of the Northern Governors’ Wives Forum, Hadiza El-rufai, who rolled out the forum’s agenda for 2021 and 2022, identified gender-based violence and drug abuse as major menaces the 19 First Ladies in the region would focus on combat.

Also speaking, the vice-chairperson of the forum and first lady of Kwara State, Ambassador Folake AbdulRazaq, said they were collaborating with government institutions and functionaries to ensure the sustainability of their programmes even beyond 2023.

Contractors who fail to meet project specifications and quality in their execution of ongoing UBEC/SUBEB jobs in Kwara State risk revocation of their contracts.

The chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, said this at the weekend in Gorobani, Kaiama Local Government Area of the state, during the inspection of ongoing UBEC/SUBEB intervention projects for from 2014 to 2019.

He said the board would not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions against defaulting contractors.

Some of the projects inspected in Kaiama Local Government Area included renovation of four classrooms at Tunga Aboki LGEA Primary School, remodeling of five classrooms at LGEA Central Primary School and construction of four compartment of VIP toilet at Kamaji LGEA Primary School, among others.