A total 10,864 teachers for both primary and secondary schools who were hired without degrees in education, has been offered a one-year contract, according to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Gaspard Twagirayezu. Twagirayezu says that during the provisional one-year employment, the teachers will be required to complete a mandatory pedagogical course, to qualify for a permanent contract. The development follows a recent government decision to scrap teacher entry exams, to address the shortage of teachers in schools.

More than 30 000 pupils did not return to school across the country during the gradual return to classes after the Covid-19 lockdown last year, leaving without a trace, while over 3 600 schoolgirls fell pregnant during the 2020 academic year.

The minister of education, arts and culture, Anna Nghipondonka, yesterday announced that 30 665 pupils could not be traced.

She was speaking at the Covid-19 public briefing at State House.

The regions where the highest number of pupils dropped out of school are Kavango West with 4 426, followed by Otjozondjupa (3 894), Khomas (3 764) and Omusati (3 440).

Schools Will Reopen As Planned - South African Education Dept

The Department of Basic Education has assured that plans are on track for the reopening of schools when the academic year commences on 27 January. The Department of Basic Education has said it did not receive any requests to delay the reopening of schools, scheduled for the end of January. This follows concerns by parent groups over the high rates of Covid-19 infections in South Africa. As of 11 January 2021, 1,231,597 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the country, of which 33,163 proved fatal and 966,368 resulted in recoveries.

Mass Dropout Fears Arise as Kenyan Schools Reopen

Thousands of learners have failed to report back to school, raising fears of mass dropouts across the country, the Daily Nation reports. There have been concerns that many learners will drop out owing to various reasons. Girls are the most affected, with many having become pregnant or married during the time they were out of school. Many other learners have been working in farms, quarries, the boda boda trade and hawking in some towns. Some parents have also delayed taking their children back to school having lost their livelihoods. This comes after a statement by Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha said he was impressed with the turnout of learners as schools reopened after a 10-month break caused by Covid-19. "As you have seen, apart from crowding, all students are wearing their masks and teachers are ready to teach so let us support them," Magoha said when he toured Olympic Primary School in Nairobi's Kibera.