All over the world, lives have been put on hold due to COVID-19, and students have not been spared. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, school closures have interrupted children’s learning since March 2020, when for the first time studies were suspended by order of the President of the Republic. At the beginning of the lockdown, teachers did not know how long it would last. So that studies could continue, pupils were given homework, but the system didn’t work...
Education
Mai Mahiu is a bustling trading centre that never sleeps. It is a long-distance truck stop that sits in the shadow of a massive escarpment at the bottom of the Rift Valley, about an hour west of Nairobi, the Kenyan Capital. Here, tucked between single-story shops selling household consumables, agricultural supplies, and truck spare parts, along a dusty street parallel to the Nairobi – Kampala highway, you’ll find Ubuntu Life Education Centre.
This is where Teresia Njeri Ngugi, mother of...
Ten-year-old Esther Okore, a primary six student of the Denon Free Tuition Education Foundation at Agbelekale, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria, is a brilliant child who dreams of becoming a medical doctor. However, during the COVID-19 lockdown, her father lost his job, thus threatening not only whether or not Esther could stay in school, but also her four other siblings.
Esther dreams of becoming a doctor as a means of giving back to society, but today that is a...
Diana Ayala is a Youth Leader for Global Partnership for Education. She raises awareness of the barriers to education and aims to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development.
More than a year after the first announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic by the WHO, the announcement of COVID-19 vaccines has brought hope that millions of lives can be saved and this virus that has taken the lives of more than 2 million people around the world can...
Ashlegh Pfunye and Iyunoluwa Ademola-Popoola are Youth Leaders for Global Partnership for Education. They raise awareness of the barriers to education and aim to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development.
It is undeniable that COVID-19 has altered how we live and work. Lives continue to be lost, and hospitals and health workers have been overwhelmed with patients suffering from the virus. Though efforts such as social distancing, wearing of masks, and bans on large gatherings have...
Maryjacob Okwuosa, Mukhtar H. Modibbo are Youth Leaders for Global Partnership for Education. They raise awareness of the barriers to education and aim to increase the ambition of leaders for financing education and development.
The impact of COVID in Nigeria
The advent of the COVID pandemic has not only revealed the poor state of infrastructure and facilities in the health sector of Nigeria but also revealed the reality of the dilapidation and poor funding of the education sector. Aside from the...
Even before COVID-19 hit, the world was experiencing a global learning crisis: 90% of children in low-income countries could not read and understand a simple story by their 10th birthday. In Nigeria, three-quarters of primary teachers could not pass a fourth grade test.
The onset of COVID-19 is exacerbating this: at its peak, the pandemic pushed 1.6 billion children out of school. 8 out of 10 children surveyed in 46 countries reported that they have learnt very little or not...
Olaoluwa Abagun is an activist and founder of the Girl Pride Circle. Here’s her story about how COVID-19 has impacted girls in Nigeria, and her hope for the future.
For many young girls across Nigeria, their classrooms and schools have served as safe spaces – where they can interact with their peers, learn critical skills, and express their hopes and dreams without fear.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the closure of these safe spaces with very limited alternatives for learning...
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to undo years of progress on global education. Since the pandemic started, school closures have affected up to 91% of enrolled learners, or 1.6 billion children. Here is a look at how countries’ policies on school closures evolved over the past six months.
COVID-19 quickly transformed from a localized epidemic to a global pandemic with far-reaching consequences across sectors
6 months ago, when COVID-19 was still just a localized epidemic, only two countries had restrictions on...
“UBUNTU,” is a word from the Xhosa language that loosely translates as “I am because you are.” It’s a word that expresses the solidarity of all people, made famous by Nelson Mandela. As an anti-apartheid revolutionary, the first black president of South Africa, and a philanthropist, he is a symbol of black resistance movements worldwide.
That’s why ONE activists have shared their favourite Mandela quotes on social media. From Nigeria to Canada, Mandela’s words inspire young people in their activism...