Transition and Dropout in Lower Income Countries: Case studies of secondary education in Bangladesh and Uganda
The purpose of this study was to explore secondary education transition failure and dropout in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on access to quality education. Two case studies were conducted for Uganda and Bangladesh using representative sample surveys and qualitative exploration. Country specific socioeconomic context and education system initiatives were considered in […]
The Challenges and Implications of a Global Decline in the Educational Attainment and Retention of Boys
Over the past two decades, policymakers, international organizations, and scholars focusing on gender and education have largely concentrated their efforts on issues relating to girls. However, results from recent international assessments, coupled with data on higher education enrolment rates, have led to a new concern about the performance and retention of males ‒particularly those from […]
The Role of Private Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Highlighting the work of Bridge International Academies in Liberia, Nicholas Kristof recently wrote in the New York Times: “Let’s worry less about ideology and more about how to help kids learn.” I couldn’t agree more with Kristof. Private education provision has an essential role to play in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and other developing regions. With rapid growth in […]
Who Moved My Intelligence?
The title of this article is inspired by a self-help book from the 1990’s called ‘Who moved my Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life’. Despite significant criticism, this book became a best seller and a popular tool in any change manager’s back pocket. The implications […]
How to Leverage the Democratic Potential of Social Media to Cultivate Global Citizens?
Francis Bacon’s ‘Meditationes Sacrae’ of 1597 has inscribed in it perhaps one of the world’s greatest truths; that “knowledge itself is power.” The power to inform, scrutinise, hold accountable and lead are all knowledge-dependent. They all rely on the individual having access to, and being able to mobilise, a whole range of facts and figures […]
Unlocking Engagement Through Global Competence and Collaboration
Here in North America, we’re facing a crisis of student engagement. While provinces like my own brag about the “highest graduation rates ever” (at 86.5%), a peek under the covers reveals a different story. Gallup recently released the latest data from their 2016 Gallup Student Poll, which revealed that just 34% of Grade 12 […]
What It Means to Be a Global Citizen Today
Global citizens see themselves as part of a world community. Such a community is rapidly emerging as a result of the growing inter-connectivity and inter-dependence of people and their countries. A global citizen’s actions support the political, social, economic and moral values of this community which have also been espoused by global leaders for […]
Three Paths to Global Citizenship
Global citizenship, even citizenship, is not a familiar concept to many Chinese people. Awareness of citizenship, which I interpret as a sense of claiming citizens’ rights and working for the betterment of community, is almost absent in Chinese society due to the strong tradition of obedience to authority. However, awareness of citizenship is essential […]
The Promise and Challenges of Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
Whether or not we live in Africa, all of our futures will be affected by the success or failure of education on the continent. Progress has been made, but not enough. Around two years ago, we decided to start an investment and advisory group, Caerus Capital, drawing on our mutual experience working with the International Finance […]
The Tale of Two Mohammads
Mohammad A. graduated from a top-rated university in Jordan in 2013 with an ICT (computer science) degree. After a year searching for a job, he was hired by a regional telco for 300 JD ($500) per month. Even though the job was in the call center, he considered himself lucky. Of the 6,000 ICT graduates […]