The coronavirus pandemic has severely affected the education sector in Africa Like, with mounting worries that it will take some time for many African countries to recover.
In Kenya, for example, where there were 8,250 confirmed cases and at least 165 deaths as of July 10, 2020, authorities announced that schools could only open in 2021. The academic year of 2019-2020 has been canceled — much to the disappointment of students, teachers, parents and education policymakers.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Coronavirus: A new enemy
A crew of former child soldiers and street kids dig a well for an impoverished suburb in CAR's capital, Bangui. These youngsters are helping to improve hygiene in overcrowded communities as part of a UNICEF project. They have already installed wells for around 25,000 people. The project began before coronavirus took hold, but it's now helping CAR fight the pandemic.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Drilling for peace
A young worker stands on top of a drill as his teammates manually turn it to create a well. The project is also a form of social rehabilitation, offering these teenagers new skills and paid work as they escape their violent past. It also encourages the community to accept them. The program was set up in 2015, and is now integrated into CAR’s coronavirus response plan.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
A dirty job
A pair of former child soldiers squat down to dredge out the earth by hand. There are more than 3,900 confirmed cases of coronavirus in CAR , although limited testing means that the true number is likely higher. The well-digging taskforce is now racing to install new pipes and boreholes nationwide. Almost 80% of households in CAR lack hand-washing facilities.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Winning hearts and minds
A crowd of children gather to watch the well diggers. Former child soldiers often face stigma and rejection, which can increase their chances of being recruited again. Interventions that promote acceptance are crucial. As one former child solider explained: "This work could change my life. I finally have some money. And I'm helping these communities and my country."
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
A scarred land
Unmarked graves on the outskirts of Bossangoa in north-west CAR hold the remains of civilians who were massacred in the conflict. After decades of instability, war broke out in 2013 when a mainly Muslim rebel coalition known as the Séléka swept across the country and toppled the president. In response, Christian and animist communities mobilised to form 'Anti-Balaka' militias.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
A fraying peace deal
A rebel soldier from the powerful 'FPRC' faction stands guard at a checkpoint in CAR’s lawless north. Rebels control much of the country and, despite the signing of a peace deal last February between the government and 14 armed groups, instability persists. Unrest has been particularly bad in recent months in this region, where rival factions are clashing over control of the mineral-rich area.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
'Children, not soldiers'
A UNICEF roadside sign in Bossangoa advocates against recruiting children in armed conflict. Between 2014 and 2019, more than 14,500 child soldiers were released from CAR's militias. However, an estimated 5,550 children remain trapped in armed groups nationwide, wiht many subject to violence and sexual abuse. Some are combatants, while others serve as cooks, guards or messengers.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Education against the odds
Children gather inside a makeshift classroom under tarpaulins in a sprawling camp for families displaced by the conflict in rebel-held Kaga Bandoro. More than 1.3 million people have been uprooted from their homes. On average, one in five children do not attend school. But in the worst-affected areas, the number is as high as four out of every five.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Civilians under siege
A UN peacekeeper heads out on patrol through a displacement camp in the eastern, rebel-held town of Bria. A sign at the entrance warns militants against bringing in weapons. The cramped and unsanitary conditions of camps like these also increase the risk of coronavirus spreading.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Resilience in the face of war
Civilians sit in the back of a pick-up truck while driving through territory held by the FPRC faction in north-eastern CAR. The UN warns that the country is very poorly prepared to cope with a coronavirus outbreak. The complex, sectarian conflict has ravaged CAR's weak healthcare system and forced medical personnel to flee. Today, half of the population depends on humanitarian support.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
An uphill struggle
A child carrying water passes a peacekeeper near a displacement camp in rebel-held Bria. UNHCR is installing more water points in camps and explainign the importance of handwashing to residents. However, the sheer number of people are overwhelming and senior aid officials have warned that there are too few resources to meet the population's needs.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Trying to keep the peace
Women walk past a UN armoured vehicle in rebel-held Kaga Bandoro. There are fears that COVID-19 could undermine security and exacerbate tensions between communities by creating price increases and stalling aid supplies. With the presidential election set for December, this is a critical year for CAR. But observers fear hostilities will increase in the run-up to the vote.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
Tackling the violators
Teenage boys play football in the dust in Kaga Bandoro’s displacement camp. While the real numbers are almost certainly far higher, more than 500 grave violations of child rights were reported last year. Efforts are underway to bring warlords to justice but widespread corruption makes it more difficult.
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Former child soldiers join the fight against coronavirus
A glimmer of hope
A team of former child soldiers finish drilling their new well in Bangui. Therapy is out of reach for many here. But projects like this help them deal with feelings of shame and guilt and create a sense of normality. While not a perfect solution by any means, grassroots initiatives like this offer the children of CAR a glimmer of hope.
Author: Jack Losh
The decision left especially many high school finalists, who were looking forward to completing their high school studies, devastated.
Mixed feelings about school closures
At the same time, some final-year students are happy that the delay will give them more time to revise for their final exams.
"I am not happy because I wanted to finish school and embark on plans, and I'm sure many like me wanted to finish school this year," Catherine Njoki, a final-year student in Kenya, told DW.
Read more: Opinion: COVID-19 pandemic threatens Africa’s gains in reproductive healthcare
Students are concerned that a lack of PPE could jeopardize efforts to bring down COVID-19 cases
Unlike Njoki, fellow finalist Tom Mwangi thinks that the dead year is a blessing in disguise since it will give him more time to prepare for his final exams next year.
"If you look at it from a positive perspective, I have more time to prepare for the exams … But also, there was that excitement that you were going to finish school and go to university," Mwangi said.
West Africa: schools resume
In west Africa, the reopening of schools is regarded as a positive development; however, students have concerns that the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) could jeopardize individual efforts to bring down the number of COVID-19 cases.
In Ghana, students are reluctant to resume classes because of the coronavirus pandemic. Joel Sonne, a student currently doing his finals, told DW: "We have to go to school to write our exams to be admitted to the university. But with coronavirus around, it is terrifying."
"It makes me feel insecure because you never know who has the virus. From what I am hearing, some people might have the virus but don't show any symptoms. In case I go to school and contract the virus, I might unknowingly pass it on to my parents. So in a way, I am concerned about my safety and the safety of all," he explained.
Read more: Regional armies in Africa must 'share intelligence' to defeat Boko Haram: ICG
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Coronavirus hairstyle turns heads in Kenya
Wearing coronavirus as a hairstyle
Donwilson Odhiambo, a photographer from Nairobi has stumbled upon something very unique during the COVID-19 pandemic: the coronavirus hairstyle. Since then it has become his favourite topic. "This was something deep because it’s something that no one has done in Kenya. No one has done it anywhere else," Donwilson Odhiambo says.
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Coronavirus hairstyle turns heads in Kenya
Raising awareness in the Kibera slum
Kibera resident Mable Etambo has been spreading awareness about the pandemic through a simple hairstyle: "With the corona hairstyle we would like to tell people to keep distance, to wear masks wherever they go and to wash their hands regularly or use sanitizers to protect themselves."
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Coronavirus hairstyle turns heads in Kenya
Kenya's schools are closed
Schools in Kenya have been closed during the outbreak. So Etambo makes sure her daughters understand the meaning behind the hairstyle and the importance of adhering to government measures to combat the pandemic. "I like it because it shows that corona is real so we should take it seriously," says her daughter Martha Apisa.
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Coronavirus hairstyle turns heads in Kenya
Teaching shape and colors
Not only did Mable Etambo design the hairstyle in the shape of of the corona virus, she also use colored thread to represent the colors of the virus itself. "The pink color represents the protein layer, the maroon is the fatty layer and the zigzag is the crown," she explains. She hopes to continue her new-found talent as a hair-stylist even after the pandemic is over.
Author: Wacera Ngunjiri
There are concerns that the coronavirus outbreak could overwhelm Ghana's health sector if the government does not take urgent action — such as guaranteeing that health workers have sufficient protective gear. And the virus affects all parts of society: On July 5, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo had to go into self-isolation for 14 days on the advice of doctors after a person in his close circle tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a government statement.
The price-tag of education
Parents and guardians have different kinds of worries about the future of their children. In Kenya, where the academic year was effectively stopped, they are worried about tuition fees. Some are opting for homeschooling, which comes with its own challenges, such as a lack of educational materials and teaching skills.
"It is excruciating that a whole year has gone to waste, and some of us usually pay full-year school fees for our kids," parent Mary Wanjiku from Kenya told DW. "Will the school fees that I had spent in 2020 cover the 2021 calendar year?"
"I used to pay for internet learning through Zoom and WhatsApp for my children to at least continue their studies," Wanjiku said. "So, what about the expenses we have incurred to ensure our kids are learning at home?"
However, in Ghana, safety matters come first. Joshua Kortey told DW that he was not sure that his child would be safe at school because safety protocols are not observed: "The very first day we brought our children back two weeks ago, they told us that they would use the thermometer guns to test their temperature. They didn't do that. Nobody's temperature was taken," Kortey said.
For Stephen Amo, another parent in Ghana, there is nothing that can change his mind about not allowing his daughter to return to her school, where he says there are no safety measures taken: "I can't keep her there when I know there is an outbreak because if you have about six or seven students (with COVID-19), there is a possibility of them all getting it," Amo said.
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Masks with personality in Algeria
Mounia Lazali, a designer in Algeria, has sewn and donated hundreds of masks – singer Joe Batoury models one of her designs, above. She told DW people "want to assert their culture and their tastes, so I think that the mask will not escape the fashion effect. If that can encourage people to protect themselves more, art will have succeeded in its mission by entering citizens’ everyday lives."
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Tackling mask shortages in Rwanda
Rwanda-based tailor Alexander Nshimiyimana (second from left, above) told DW he has been producing colorful masks like these because of the stock shortages in the country. Nshimiyimana has tried to keep the price of his masks as affordable as possible so that more people can get access to one. His masks sell for around 50 US cents – while those in Rwanda's pharmacies retail for around US $2.
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Splashes of color in Liberia
Liberia-based The Bombchel Factory is an ethical fashion company which helps its all-female staff to become self-sufficient by offering them training in making garments. It is turning unsold skirts into bright face masks like this one, above. For every purchased mask, another gets donated to someone unable to quarantine at home – because they don’t have anywhere to stay.
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Stylish masks in Kenya
Kenyan fashion designer David Avido (above), founder of the label 'lookslike avido,' poses with a mask he made, created from leftover cloth. Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Kenya in March, 'lookslike avido' has so far created and distributed more than 10,000 masks for free to communities in and around the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Cameroon sister designers do their bit
Ange Goufack (left) and her sister Edmonde Kennang (right) have been producing these colorful face masks in Cameroon, with added plastic across the eyes. Since April 13, the government there has made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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Turning face masks into a fashion statement in Africa
Donating masks to hospitals in Tunisia
When the coronavirus crisis started, Tunisian designer Myriam Riza (above, adjusting a mask at the workshop of her Miss Anais label) was contacted by hospitals suffering from mask shortages. She produces the masks and distributes them to hospitals using donated fabric. To offset the cost of continuing to provide free masks to clinics, Riza decided to create masks for individual paying customers.
Author: Melanie Hall
Teachers' welfare as important
Teachers in Kenya meanwhile welcomed the government's decision to reopen schools in January 2021:
"The safety of teachers and learners in the workplace is also very critical and important," Wilson Sossion, the secretary-general of Kenya National Union of Teachers said. "We urge all Kenyans, parents, and stakeholders to support the decision, and we must accept to forfeit certain programs. We cannot have high expectations."
The decision to cancel the academic year also affected primary school leavers in Kenya. But the government defended its position regardless of the students' and parents' feelings:
"The 2020 primary and high school leaving examinations will be done at the end of 2021," Kenya's education secretary, George Magoha, announced earlier. "This year's school calendar will be considered lost due to COVID-19."
Meanwhile in Ghana, the government has defended its decision to have schools reopen instead of canceling the academic year. The country's information minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, said various precautions had been taken to avoid new infections.
"The president has tasked a sub-committee of the COVID-19 presidential task force to be set up to quickly address any challenges that may arise in the next eight weeks, while final year students are on campus," said Opong-Nkrumah.
Education analyst Amos Kaburu thinks that African governments should follow Kenya's decision to protect the lives of children — no matter what curriculum: "Governments have to be very realistic about the safety of the children. So any responsible government should do what the Kenyan government did, and that is to take a conservative approach," he said.
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