GEM Sites Bi-Weekly Updates

                                August 26th , 2024 - September 6th, 2024

Malawi

UN Increases Food Aid for Refugees in Malawi's Dzaleka Refugee Camp The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced a 25% increase in cash transfers for over 54,000 refugees at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi's Dowa District, starting August 2024, writes Esther Banda. The boost, from 50% to 75% of full rations, aims to address food insecurity exacerbated by El Niño. The monthly amount per person will rise from K8,900 to K13,600. Simon Denhere, WFP Deputy Director in Malawi, said, "Our primary goal is to ensure that all refugees in the camp have access to sufficient food to thrive." The increase follows a July 2023 cut to 50% rations due to funding shortages. USAID Malawi Mission Director Pamela Fessenden emphasized support for refugees fleeing conflict, while Arnaud Roux from the French Embassy highlighted alignment with France's international food security strategy. WFP expressed gratitude to donors, including Denmark, France, UN CERF, USAID, and Sweden, calling for sustained international support to prevent further deterioration of conditions for refugees in Malawi.

Malawi refugee camp raid unlikely to smash people smuggling networks Almost two weeks after the Malawian army raided the Dzaleka refugee camp to uproot people smuggling gangs, there’s still a good deal of support for the action, but it's tinged with worry that these powerful networks may simply reestablish themselves. Over 200 people were arrested on the night of 18 July when the army – without any warning – stormed in to break up a highly profitable business that illegally transports young, undocumented men from rural Ethiopia to find work in urban South Africa. There was widespread panic as shots rang out for over an hour. “We thought we were going to die,” said one refugee, who asked not to be named. “It felt like the old horrors we escaped from in our home countries.”

Lebanon

Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees' human rights and EU funds paid for it European aid sent to Lebanon in an attempt to regulate migration by sea is funding practices that violate human rights, according to a global watchdog report published Wednesday. As part of a policy to contain migration, authorities in Cyprus have physically pushed Syrian refugees back to Lebanon, and Lebanese security agencies have deported them, the Human Rights Watch report said. The report, based on interviews with 16 Syrians who tried to leave Lebanon via smuggler boats, found that 15 of them “suffered human rights violations at the hands of Lebanese and/or Cypriot authorities. Rights groups have frequently criticized the tactics of authorities in both Lebanon and Cyprus in dealing with would-be migrants and asylum seekers. Officials from the two countries deny violating any laws but say they are overwhelmed by the migration they are facing.

Netanyahu warns ‘this is not the end’ after Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire in major escalation Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that “this is not the end” as Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire in southern Lebanon in an escalation of the Middle Eastern conflict. The cross-border firing of missiles, rockets and drones was the largest day of attacks since the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was reignited last October, after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas led a deadly incursion into Israel. The Israeli military said it had struck Lebanon, the south of which is controlled by Hezbollah, on Sunday morning with around 100 jets to thwart an attack from the Iran-backed militia. Hezbollah then fired hundreds of projectiles and drones at Israel, claiming they fired 320 Katyusha rockets and hit 11 military targets in what it called the “first phase” of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, last month.

South Africa

Five new universities to open on South African soil The establishment of five new universities over the next decade will widen the scope of professional qualifications on offer at tertiary institutions in South Africa.As it currently stands, the country boasts 26 official government-owned universities. The National Development Plan aims to accommodate 1.6 million students in higher education by 2030. This ambitious plan to afford young people who wish to further their studies after matric, access to higher education, calls for the private sector to hold hands with the state to deliver on the growing demand for educational hubs. Earlier this year, the Department of Higher Education and Training revealed that plans are afoot to get the building projects of two new government universities underway in 2025.

Some teacher contracts won’t be renewed in the Western Cape, but schools will stay open Thousands of teachers may soon be jobless in the Western Cape when their contracts are not renewed because of budgets. An estimated 2,400 teacher posts are set to be cut in 2025, due to the national government’s inability to fully accommodate a 2023 wage agreement, said the Western Cape government. The provincial government recently revealed they are facing a R3.8 billion shortfall over the next three years, despite their execution of a substantial R2.5 billion budget cut in administration, curriculum and infrastructure. While retrenchments are not on the cards, Education MEC David Maynier confirmed that contract teachers will not be renewed. Permanent teachers will be relocated to other schools to help with shortages. Maynier told The Citizen that “no schools are planned to be closed” amid the cuts.

Rwanda

Explore six premier scholarships, grants for Rwandan students, innovators September is here, and beyond the usual back-to-school buzz, those in academia are launching applications for various programs. With rising costs on everyone’s minds, The New Times returns with a carefully curated list of opportunities for Rwandan youth.

Whether you're aiming for a scholarship or seeking funds to kickstart that project you've been dreaming of, there's something here for you. The University of British Columbia (UBC) has announced its ongoing partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (MCFSP) for the 2024/25 academic year. If you’ve completed a Bachelor’s degree, don’t already hold a Master’s, are 35 years old or younger (born in 1989 or later), and are a citizen or refugee from a Sub-Saharan African country, this could be your chance to advance your education. The program offers scholarships for various Master’s degrees, including Food and Resource Economics, Food Science, Land and Water Systems, Sustainable Forest Management, International Forestry, Geomatics for Environmental Management, and Data Science.

Rwanda joins global student assessment programme The Ministry of Education officially launched Rwanda’s participation in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Friday, August 30. PISA, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is an international large-scale assessment designed to evaluate the proficiency of 15-year-old students in reading literacy, mathematics, and scientific literacy. By participating in PISA, Rwanda aims to measure its education system against global standards, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of student outcomes, officials said. PISA is conducted in two phases. The first phase, a field trial, took place from May 27 to June 6 this year in 45 schools, involving 1,440 students. The second phase, the main survey, will be conducted from April 27 to June 7, 2025. This phase will involve 7,350 students across 210 schools nationwide.

Kenya

University funding model needs review to work for all
Former Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary-General Wilson Sossion has called for a review of the new university funding model, arguing it lacks inclusivity. Speaking on KTN News on Wednesday, 4 September, Sossion said the model’s implementation was flawed, excluding key stakeholders such as students, lecturers and the public.

“The Vice Chancellors should not have been left to determine the level of fees in public universities,” he said. “We excluded students, lecturers and the public in developing this model, and that is why there is confusion.” Sossion added that the model should have been easier to implement if leadership had been stronger, noting that poor households could have been better supported through scholarships and the Higher  Education Loans Board (HELB).

Government releases Sh13 billion towards teachers salaries increase Teachers in public schools will receive their July and August salary increments by the end of this week after the government released Sh13.5 billion as part of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). While moving in to resolve the ongoing strike by sections of teachers, the Ministry of Education promised to address all pending administrative issues through the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). This came as the Ministry assured parents of the safety of students who continued to troop back to schools for the third term amid confusion over the strike called by KUPPET.
On Sunday, KNUT called off its national strike after engagement with the Government but KUPPET called on its members to keep off from school until issues of pending salaries and promotions were addressed. According to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba, the government is working around the clock to make sure that teachers are paid all their pending dues.
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