GEM Sites Bi-Weekly Updates
March 21 - April 04, 2024
Lebanon
“We dubbed it the fake kabseh,” says Mariam with a smile, as she stirs a pot of aromatic vegetables in her home in Tyre, southern Lebanon. The young mother of three is busy preparing the dish for iftar.
The main ingredient of kabseh, a Middle Eastern dish made of spiced rice, is chicken. But, here in Maachouk, an impoverished neighbourhood of Tyre which has long been home to Palestinian refugee families, residents such as Mariam have replaced chicken with flavoured cubes to mimic the taste of meat. Mariam has also now mastered chicken Maggi-flavoured maklouba, the traditional Palestinian dish usually made with layers of roasted vegetables, meat and seasoned rice. “Meat has become too expensive, we had to adapt traditional recipes,” she said. “Inflation has made even basic staples too expensive for us." But on the day The National visited, she had a special treat to offer her family alongside the "fake kabseh".
Escalating Israeli strikes on Lebanon have reignited fears of the country being dragged into a full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel. “The stakes are now about preventing an all-out war,” a diplomatic source told The National, after Israeli air strikes increased in intensity and scope this week. Sixteen civilians, including 10 paramedics, were killed in three separate Israeli air raids on south Lebanon on Wednesday, marking the deadliest day for civilians in the country since the cross-border conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces erupted nearly six months ago. On Friday, at least six Hezbollah fighters were among about 40 people killed in Israeli air strikes on Syria’s Aleppo province, while a Hezbollah member, identified as a deputy commander by the Israeli army, was killed in a drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon.
Rwanda
African leaders have been urged to commit to and champion foundational learning so as to lift the foundational level of education among African children. The two-day symposium which will conclude on March 26 gathers over 100 participants from government institutions, teachers, students, development partners, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector, to discuss progress to strengthen foundational learning in Rwanda.
South Africa
According to IOL, asylum seekers originally occupied the Methodist Church on Green Market Square in 2019 before approximately 600 individuals were relocated to Bellville’s Paint City under the Disaster Management Act during the Covid-19 lockdown. However, facing potential eviction, the asylum seekers expressed their desire to be relocated to another country due to alleged xenophobic treatment. Despite their request, the UNHCR declined to assist them.
Educor students find themselves in a moment of despair as their institutions, including Damelin College, City Varsity, Icesa City Campus, and Lyceum College, have been deregistered. The Department of Higher Education highlighted Educor’s failure to submit audited annual statements and comply with regulations.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and AdvTech have since taken opposing stances on the matter. Saftu has called for the nationalisation of these institutions, while AdvTech has pledged its support to the affected students. In a statement released on Thursday, Saftu’s General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi demanded the nationalisation of Educor institutions. He said this stems from the colleges’ blatant disregard for established labour practices in South Africa.
Kenya
Mount Kenya University has signed a memorandum of understanding with a German university that will see its graduates access training and employment opportunities in the European country.
The university yesterday announced it was sending the first cohort of five nursing apprentices who will travel to Hochschule Koblenz Univeristy of Applied science in Germnay. The university will provide German language and preparatory courses for the Kenyans ahead of placement. The piolot cohort has successful been taught the German language and attained B2 of proficiency level as well as completed preparatory course. It comprises of Gekonge Mogambi, Aisha Wacuka, Hellen Okwaro, Bonciana Chepkorir and Teresiah Muthoni
All public and private universities will be required to establish tree nurseries as part of the government's efforts to achieve its target of planting 35million trees and producing 300 million seedlings annually.
Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Tuesday said the initiative also aims to inculcate a culture of environmental awareness among students by ensuring that they actively participate in tree planting and maintenance activities. Last year, primary and secondary schools were also tasked with planting trees. However, many school administrators complain of a lack of financial support for the initiative.
Malawi
Dr Kaonga said amid the high cost of living induced by the economic turmoil the country is sailing through, the K350,000 student upkeep allowance has always been insufficient to cater for public university students’ expenses, a development which left them with no choice but to accumulate debts. As PRISAM, we commend the State President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera because we adopted some students, who we pay school fees for, but we believe that what the Malawi leader has done will help to alleviate financial challenges among these students, hence developing education standards,” said Kaonga.
As national maize stocks run low, the country has been forced to import staple commodities, driving food prices to alarming levels. Maize prices nearly doubled in just one year and tripled against the five-year average. With over 80 percent of the population relying on agriculture to cover basic needs, the steep decline in staple crops such as maize, rice, soya beans, cowpeas and groundnuts has been devastating for millions of people.
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