right to education article in south africa

The Right to Basic Education

Introduction

Education rights are contained in section 29 of the South African Constitution. In terms of section 29 everyone has the right to a basic education, including adult basic education; [1]  and to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible. [2] These rights place a duty on the state to respect an individual’s right to education. It also imposes a positive obligation on the state to promote and provide education by putting in place and maintaining an education system that is responsive to the needs of the country.

The Aims of Education

Rights to education must be understood in light of the aim of education. Education should be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. [3] The right to education as described above is based on the premise that education is a precondition for the exercise of other rights. If guaranteed, it has the ability to unlock the enjoyment of other human rights and ultimately empower individuals to contribute and participate meaningfully in a free society.

Analysis of the Constitutional Framework

The right to basic education, including adult basic education, unlike other socio-economic rights in the Bill of Rights, is neither formulated as a right of access nor subject to internal qualifiers. The right to basic education is immediately realisable, as confirmed by the Constitutional Court in the Juma Masjid Case: [4]

“Unlike some of the other socio-economic rights, this right is immediately realisable. There is no internal limitation requiring that the right be ‘progressively realised’ within ‘available resources’ subject to reasonable legislative measures’. The right to a basic education in section 29 (1) (a) may be limited only in terms of a law of general application which is ‘reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equity and freedom.”

This means unlike other socio-economic rights where the state need only demonstrate that it has allocated resources rationally, the right to basic education must be prioritised regardless of the State’s other budgetary commitments. It can only be limited in such a way that is compliant with section 36, as the Court has stated.

While maintaining that this right is not subject to resource constrains, the content and meaning of this right is yet to be interpreted by a court, particularly with reference to the standard of education that is protected by the right.

The Provision of the Right to Basic Education

In understanding the provision of the right to basic education, we should be guided by the preamble of the Constitution, which gives purpose and meaning to the Constitution. It states that the task ahead is to:

“Heal the division of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental rights; ... [and] improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person.” [5]

Also important in defining the meaning of the right to education is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). This is arguably the most significant international convention, which recognises the right of everyone to education. [6] Although not ratified by South Africa, it can be used to guide South Africa’s relatively young socio-economic rights jurisprudence. [7]

General Comment No. 13, published by the Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (CESCR) of the ICESCR, states that while the exact standard protected by the right may vary according to conditions prevailing in a particular State, education in all its forms and at all levels shall exhibit the following interrelated and essential features: availability, accessibility, acceptability and adaptability. [8]

• Availability - functioning educational institution must be available to all learners. This entails the provision of buildings, sanitation facilities for both sexes, teaching material, libraries, computer facilities and access to the internet. [9]
• Accessibility - has three overlapping dimensions: non-discrimination, physical accessibility and economic accessibility; meaning education must be affordable, within safe physical reach, and must be granted on a non-discriminative basis. [10]
• Acceptability - the form and substance of education, including curricula and teaching methods, have to be acceptable. This refers to the relevance, appropriateness and quality of education, subject to educational objectives required. [11]
• Adaptability - education has to be flexible so it can adapt to societal changes and respond to the needs of learners within their diverse social and cultural settings. [12]

The Notion of Reasonableness

Several claims have been made against the State in the Constitutional Court for the enforcement of other socio-economic like health, housing and social security. This has allowed the Court to scrutinise the reasonableness of Government’s actions to provide for those rights. The notion of reasonableness has become the standard against which the Constitutional Court assesses Government’s compliance to meet its constitutional obligations in respect of qualified socio-economic rights. [13]

An application to review the reasonableness of the right to basic education has not yet been made. This means Government’s compliance to meet its constitutional obligation with regards to the right to education cannot be assessed.

In the Grootboom case, the Constitutional Court detailed the standard of 'reasonableness’ in the context of assessing the State’s positive obligation to realise socio-economic rights. The following criteria can be distilled from the judgement.

In order for a government programme to be deemed reasonable, it must display the following characteristic:

• be comprehensive and co-ordinated with a clear description of responsibilities amongst the various spheres of government, with the national government having overreaching responsibility;
• be capable of facilitating the realisation of the right;
• be reasonable both in conception and implementation;
• be balanced and flexible and make appropriate provision for crises and for short-, medium and long-term needs;
• it cannot exclude a significant segment of society; and
• it must include a component that responds to the urgent needs of those in the most desperate situations and the state must plan, budget and monitor measures to address immediate needs and the management of crises.  [14]

The Constitutional Court further stated that a court considering reasonableness will not enquire whether other more desirable or favourable measures could have been adopted, or whether public money could have been better spent. The question would be whether the measures that have been adopted are reasonable. [15]

Considering that this standard of ‘reasonableness’ was established for a qualified socio-economic right, an appealing case can be made that, an application to review the reasonableness of an unqualified socio-economic right, such as education, is desirable and probably necessary.

[1] http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/a108-96.pdf [2] ibid. [3] http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ [4] http://www.saflii.org.za/za/cases/ZACC/2011/13.html [5] http://www.info.gov.za/documents/constitution/1996/a108-96.pdf [6] http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CESCR.aspx [7] http://www.saflii.org.za/za/journals/PER/2011/34.html#sdfootnote100sym [8] http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/ae1a0b126d068e868025683c003c8b3b?Opendocument [9] ibid. [10] ibid. [11] ibid. [12] ibid. [13] http://www.saflii.org.za/za/journals/PER/2011/34.html#sdfootnote100sym [14] Sandra Liebenberg, http://www.communitylawcentre.org.za/projects/socio-economic-rights/Research [15] http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2000/19.pdf

Anele Mtwesi – [email protected] Researcher Helen Suzman Foundation

Publications

Quick links.

• About SAFLII
• Terms of Use

Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal // Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad

The obligation to provide free basic education in south africa: an international law perspective [2011] per 34.

Basic Education Rights Handbook

SECTION27 has developed a  Basic Education Rights Handbook  in collaboration with partner organisations, Equal Education Law Centre, Equal Education, The Centre for Child Law, The Legal Resources Centre, The Southern African Litigation Centre and the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute.  The  Handbook  is a legal literacy tool that serves to empower communities, school governing bodies, principals, teachers and learners to understand education law and policy, to know when learners’ rights have been violated and what steps are required to protect learners’ rights.   It is a valuable resource in providing information on case developments and legal frameworks in key-areas of education law and policy.

For hard copies email [email protected]

All Chapters

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe now to stay informed about section27’s progress in achieving access to healthcare services and basic education all year round..

Complete the form below to subscribe. You will receive an email in order to verify your email address. Once you verify your email you will start receiving our newsletter.

RSS feed Facebook Twitter   Donate Share -->

• News & blog
• Monitoring guide
• Education as a right
• United Nations
• Humanitarian Law
• International Human Rights Mechanisms
• Inter-American
• Regional Human Rights Mechanisms
• What information to look at
• Where to find information
• Comparative Table on Minimum Age Legislation
• Adult education & learning
• Education 2030
• Education Financing
• Education in Emergencies
• Educational Freedoms
• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Free Education
• Higher education
• Technology in education
• Justiciability
• Marginalised Groups
• Minimum Age
• Privatisation of Education
• Quality Education
• News and blog

You are here

The role of the courts in ensuring the right to a basic education in a democratic south africa: a critical evaluation of recent education case law.

This article critically evaluates case-law developments regarding the right to basic education as enshrined in the South African Constitution and argues that litigation, or at the least the threat of it, plays an important role in the realisation of the right to education. 

• High contrast
• Become a donor
• Work for UNICEF
• Avoid fraud
• Press Centre

Search UNICEF

Right to education, more to explore.

• Statement (1)
• South Africa (2)

Intimidation and harassment of learners must end

SAHRC charter of children's basic education rights

South Africa is failing the rights of children to education and health

Professor, Centre for Human Rights in the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria

Disclosure statement

Magnus Killander receives funding from the National Research Foundation.

University of Pretoria provides funding as a partner of The Conversation AFRICA.

View all partners

Is South Africa regularly denying children their right to access education as well as health care on the grounds either of petty bureaucracy or by a misinterpretation of the country’s laws and international obligations?

The answer is yes.

The country places limitations on children’s access to education and affordable health care. This is particularly true of migrant children. These limitations are, in my view, unconstitutional and in violation of South Africa’s international obligations. For example, South Africa is bound by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In the interpretation of this convention, the United Nations Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights has emphasised that :

all children within a state, including those with an undocumented status, have a right to receive education and access to adequate food and affordable health care.

However, South Africa isn’t living up to this promise.

What’s clear is that South Africa’s current school admission policy has a serious effect on the access to basic education of both children who are South African citizens and those who are foreign nationals or stateless.

The challenges for those who are not South African citizens and don’t have the required permits are compounded by section 39 of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002 . This states that a “learning institution” may not provide “training or instruction” to an “illegal foreigner”. Principals of schools that enrol a child who is an “illegal foreigner” can be charged and may face penalties.

Children who are not South African citizens often also struggle to access affordable health care through what’s been called “medical xenophobia” .

A recent Constitutional Court ruling gives some hope that the requirements of birth certificates and study permits for children to enrol in school will eventually be relaxed. However, litigation is still ongoing and as with access to affordable health care, there’s often a discrepancy between what the law provides and the actual situation on the ground.

Denial of rights

On 10 December 2018, the Grahamstown High Court gave an order dismissing an urgent application by the Centre for Child Law that 37 children should be admitted to a public school pending final determination of a case instituted by the Centre in 2017 , in which the applicants, among others, requested an order that:

no learner may be excluded from a public school on the basis that he or she does not have an identity number, permit or passport.

The 37 children were among the many children whose guardians have not managed to secure the paperwork needed to be allowed to register in a school under the 1998 Admission Policy for Ordinary Public Schools.

On 15 February 2019 the Constitutional Court granted leave of appeal against the High Court order and overturned it, ordering that the children should be admitted and enrolled in school by 1 March. However, this order does not finally decide the issue of requirements for enrolling in school as the case instituted in 2017 is still pending before the High Court.

The right to health care is provided for in article 27 of the Constitution. The National Health Act 61 of 2003 provides for free health care at public facilities for children under six years old, unless a child is covered by private medical insurance.

According to the Uniform Patient Fee Schedule all non-South African citizens – except those with permanent or temporary residence and citizens of the member states of the Southern African Development Community who “enter the (the republic) illegally” – are classified as full-paying patients. Children without the required permits who are over six years old, who lack medical insurance and are not from a Southern African Development Community member state therefore lack access to subsidised health care.

International obligations

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted in December 2018 with South Africa’s support. Among other things, the global compact calls on states to adopt child sensitive migration policies. It also promotes international legal obligations in relation to the rights of the child, and upholds the principle of the best interests of the child at all times.

The principle of the best interest of the child was first set out in an international treaty 30 years ago in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . It was reiterated in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child . South Africa is party to both these treaties. In addition, the South African Constitution provides that:

a child’s best interests are of paramount importance in every matter concerning the child.

A child is defined as anyone below the age of 18.

The right-holder in the bill of rights in the Constitution, is with few exceptions “everyone”. Clearly this includes not only South African citizens but everyone who is in the country. Most rights are not absolute and may be limited under section 36

in terms of law of general application to the extent that the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.

The Immigration Act is a “law of general application”. However, the child’s best interest is “of paramount importance”.

In my view, the rights of children to basic education and affordable health care in South Africa can’t be limited and “everyone” must be read to include every child, irrespective of their immigration status. When it comes to access to health care the situation is even clearer as there are no limitations set out in the country’s laws. The Uniform Patient Fee Schedule should therefore be revised to provide for subsidised health care for all children whose guardians cannot afford medical insurance.

• Human rights
• right to education
• International standards
• Health care access
• Immigrant children

Program Manager, Teaching & Learning Initiatives

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, Earth System Science (School of Science)

Sydney Horizon Educators (Identified)

Deputy Social Media Producer

Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy

Master Programmes

Training programmes.

• International Electoral Observers
• La Tutela dei Diritti Umani presso la CEDU
• Summer Schools
• Venice School
• Venice Academy
• Cinema Human Rights and Advocacy

Sustainability campaign

Regional Programmes

• GC South East Europe
• GC Asia-Pacific
• GC Caucasus
• GC Latin America Caribbean
• GC Arab World
• GC Central Asia

Career Development

• Global Internship Programme
• Alumni associations’ activities
• Online Courses
• Blended Courses
• Training Seminars

Capacity Development Programme

• Timor Leste

Networking and Outreach

• Global Classroom
• Nelson Mandela World Moot Court
• Exchange of Professors
• Afghan Scholarship Programme
• Visual Contest
• To The Righthouse Podcast Series
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• Research Programme
• Policy Observatory Project
• Children's Rights
• UN Global Study
• Visiting Researchers

Publications

• Global Campus Human Rights Journal
• Global Campus Master's Theses
• FRAME Reports
• European Human Rights Yearbook
• Copyrighted Materials
• EMA 20 years
• Master's Theses
• Recent Publications
• Headquarters
• Other Libraries
• Workshop Integrated Teaching
• Research Skills Hub
• International Conference on Human Rights and Democratisation
• Venice Academy of Human Rights
• Global Campus Visiting Researchers
• Press Office
• Press Events
• GC in the Press
• Media Gallery
• PR Campaigns

Latest News

• International
• Conferences

Fundraising Events

Global campus.

• Universities
• Mission & Vision
• Facts & Figures
• Annual Reports
• South East Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America - Caribbean

Documents of Reference

• Mission and Vision
• EMA Venice Charter
• EMA Joint Degree Agreement
• Organisation, Management, and Auditing Model pursuant to Legislative Decree 231/2001
• Code of Ethics
• Environmental Policy
• Comunicazione ai sensi Art. 1 Commi 125 - 129 Legge 04.08.17 N.124
• Comunicazione ai sensi Art. 14 comma 2 del Codice del Terzo Settore
• MoU EIUC - City of Venice
• PARTNERS DoR
• Memberships
• Sponsorships

Fundraising Campaigns

• Arts and Human Rights
• Crowdfunding
• UN Global Goals

Online Shop

• Arts & Design Gadgets

Digital technology, the right to education and the issue of inclusivity in South Africa: lessons from COVID-19

In south africa, the shifting from physical to virtual education due to covid-19 has created inequalities among learners from urban areas who could continue with online schooling and learners from rural areas and also learners with disabilities who were deprived of their right to education..

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest challenges that the world has faced. It has affected people's daily lives worldwide and led governments to take measures to curb the spread of the virus. In South Africa, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on March 5, 2020. Ten days later, the President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a state of disaster according to the South African Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002. This situation led to the national lockdown , declared on March 23, 2020. Other extraordinary measures led to the limitation of gatherings, a partial or total shutdown of businesses and quarantine measures. In addition, there was complete closure of all schools, including universities. Such a situation seriously challenged the learning process.

Considering the fundamental role of education, the closure of schools was mitigated by the use of digital technology. The Government of South Africa took several measures to ensure the continuity of education through online methods and e-learning solutions for schools as well as through tv channels, in order to support the learning process from home.

In particular, the government allocated electronic readers available via all platforms in partnership with Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell-C. Moreover, study materials for all grades were delivered on multimedia with assessments, lockdown digital school, audio lessons, interactive workbooks, Vodacom e-school, video tutorials and reading material. In addition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and the Digital Satellite Television (DSTV) Channel 180 have provided channels entirely dedicated to education. Through Enhanced Television (E-TV), the Government also allocated a dedicated channel for three months on the open-view platform for learners.

However, online learning and teaching was possible only in urban areas and some private schools where pupils could learn from home through online platforms, including google classroom and WhatsApp platform. On the other hand, many learners in rural areas found themselves excluded from schooling and unable to access online resources due to a lack of infrastructure, the unavailability of electricity and electronic gadgets, and a lack of qualified teachers who could assist with online learning. Many pupils from rural areas could not study properly because their parents were not able to afford the appropriate equipment and necessary materials. In this regard, children from no-fee schools, who constituted more than 66 percent of South Africa’s learners in 2019, were obliged to stay home until the lockdown was lifted.

In this regard, Untalimile Crystal Mokoena has noted that South Africa’s lockdown plans for learning failed to take account of learners who did not have the necessary technology at home. In addition, she highlighted that the closures and switch to online learning have pushed education into further unequal realisation, making it more like a privilege than a right.

The legal framework on the right to education in South Africa and the issue of inclusivity In South Africa the right to education is well guaranteed under international, regional and national instruments. At the international level, this right is enshrined in several human rights instruments ratified by the country. These include the Universal Declaration on Human Rights ( UDHR ), article 26; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ( ICESCR ), articles 13 and 14; the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child ( CRC ), articles 28 and 29; the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ( CEDAW) article 10; the International Convention for Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ( ICERD ), article 7; and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ( CRPD ), article 24.

The right to equal access to education has received recognition at the regional level, especially in the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights ( article 17 ) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child ( article 11 ). In addition, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights issued a press statement on human rights-based effective response to COVID-19 in Africa. It urged states parties, including South Africa, to ensure that measures adopted to fight COVID-19 do not lead to discrimination and stigmatisation of anyone.

At the national level, the South Africa’s Constitution (section 29.1) guarantees to everyone the right to education. This means that no one should be discriminated against to enjoy the right to education, which is guaranteed to everyone, including learners with disabilities, learners from poor backgrounds, and learners from rural areas.

Importantly, the right to education and its core issue of inclusivity have become a reality apart from the Constitution. The South African Government has adopted several policies and legislative measures , such as the White Paper on Education and Training , the White Paper on an Integrated National Disability Strategy , the South African School Act , the White Paper 6 : Special Needs Education, Building and Inclusive Education and Training System, and the 2015 White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Challenges of digitalised schooling The online schooling applied during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa has created challenges leading to forms of discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to education as guaranteed under the existing legal framework. In particular, online education has favoured urban and well-privileged learners, widening the gap in respect to learners from poor rural areas.

In fact, the aforementioned measures adopted by the Government have not included learners with disabilities, learners from poor backgrounds and those from rural areas, and have been discriminatory in different ways. First, most of the initiatives taken by the Government rely on electronic gadgets such as computers, tablets, televisions, radios, cell phones, and laptops which are not usually accessible to learners with disabilities and learners from poor backgrounds. Second, the lack of internet connection has represented a big challenge to learners from rural areas as they have a low rate of media access. Furthermore, the internet is not cheaper for learners from rural areas and learners with disabilities who are generally associated with extreme poverty. Third, most teachers and learners in South African rural areas do not have computer skills that could allow them to engage in online teaching with electronic gadgets to continue schooling, as imposed by the Government. Fourth, most of the learners with disabilities and learners from rural areas come from low-income families. Fifth, learning from home has not been an adapted environment for learners with disabilities and learners from rural areas. Parents have not always been able to assist their children due to the lack of required skills and expertise.

Significantly, Martin Gustafsson has indicated that by the end of 2020 South Africa lost about 60 percent of annual school days. In addition, only 5 percent of schools have had 90 percent of their learners with computers and access to the internet at home.

Ghazinyan Sergey has also emphasised that one of the key issues was the lack of preparedness and strategic planning of public authorities to respond to such a crisis and adapt the educational system, by envisaging necessary measures which could guarantee effectively the right to education.

Lessons learned and recommendations The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated to what extent South Africa could ensure exclusive rather than inclusive education under the existing system. According to a 2020 official statistics’ report , only 11.7 percent of schools offered remote learning options nationally. The shifting to virtual education has shown further inequalities in the education sector in South Africa. Learners from urban areas could continue with online schooling, whilst learners from rural areas and learners with disabilities were deprived of their rights to education due to the aforementioned challenges. Furthermore, the cited report highlights that one in ten ( 11.7 percent ) individuals aged 5-24 were offered the option of remote learning by the educational institution they were attending. In addition, a participation gap in remote learning exists as white people ( 18.3 percent ) were three times more likely than black Africans to participate ( 5.3 percent ). Close to 91 percent of black Africans aged 5-24 attended schools that did not offer remote learning options compared to 63.3 percent among whites.

Therefore, the South African Government’s activities in relation to the digitalisation of schooling have resulted in a denial of the right to education to the majority of learners.

Yet, the South African Government should take the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to rethink and learn how to guarantee inclusivity during emergencies. In particular, in view of the aforementioned challenges, the Government should elaborate and implement action plans to:

• provide appropriate devices to learners with disabilities and learners from rural areas;
• provide free internet to allow access to learning materials;
• guarantee equal access to learning resources;
• train teachers, learners and parents in computer skills;
• allocate grants to support learners with disabilities and those from rural areas.

In addition, in line with the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020-2030) , and the AU Continental Education Strategy (2016-2025) , South Africa as a member state of the African Union should:

• include the use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) platforms at all levels of education to promote access to education;
• equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to use technology to improve their own professional competence and the learning experiences of their students;
• encourage and make more affordable the access by educational institutions to the Internet;
• encourage the media to allocate time for news about general technological development, ICT educational programs and ICT progress in the whole country.
• frame the introduction of digital technologies in education around the right of every person to free, quality, public education and the commitments of states in this regard under both international human rights law and Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 of the 2030 Agenda, as stressed in a 2022 report by the former UN Special Rapporteur Koumbou Boly Barry.

Written by Christian Fazili Mihigo

Fazili Mihigo Christian is a Congolese Human Rights Lawyer, Lecturer/Researcher and Consultant. He holds an LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa ( HRDA ) from the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, and an LLB (with Hons) from the University of Goma in DR Congo. He is interested in human rights, digital rights, international and environmental law.

Cite as:  Mihigo, Fazili Christian. "Digital technology, the right to education and the issue of inclusivity in South Africa: lessons from COVID-19", GC Human Rights Preparedness , 8 June 2023, https://gchumanrights.org/gc-preparedness/equality-and-non-discrimination/article-detail/digital-technology-the-right-to-education-and-the-issue-of-inclusivity-in-south-africa-lessons-from-covid-19.html

Add a Comment

This site is not intended to convey legal advice. Responsibility for opinions expressed in submissions published on this website rests solely with the author(s). Publication does not constitute endorsement by the Global Campus of Human Rights.

 CC-BY-NC-ND. All content of this initiative is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Go back to Blog

Original Page: http://gchumanrights.org/gc-preparedness/equality-and-non-discrimination/article-detail/digital-technology-the-right-to-education-and-the-issue-of-inclusivity-in-south-africa-lessons-from-covid-19.html

Three decades of freedom: Too many flaws in SA’s education system

In June 1976, thousands of black school children took to the streets in Soweto over the use of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction at majority black schools. More than 100 pupils died and approximately 700 were injured that day, and their bravery marked a turning point in South Africa’s liberation struggle. Almost 50 years since that fateful day, and 30 years since the advent of democracy, and the struggle of the class of 1976 continues, as the medium of instruction remains a fundamental flaw in the current basic education system.

According to Dr Xolisa Guzula, an early literacy expert in the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) School of Education, this is one of four reasons why South Africa finds itself in the grips of a literacy crisis and 80% of children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning. The other three reasons include: a narrow conceptualisation of literacy as a skill while failing to understand it as a social practice; using English logic with teaching, reading and writing in African languages; and applying literacy pedagogies that emphasise rote learning (a memorisation technique based on repetition). For Dr Guzula and her peers, who are in the field working to evaluate and test innovative ways of getting children to read with understanding, this crucial sector of society has achieved “very little” in the past three decades.

“There are very few achievements. What we’ve managed to do is to ensure universal access to education and all children are expected to attend school. We’ve also managed to introduce a single curriculum for all children, unlike the differentiated curriculums for whites, blacks, coloureds and Indians under apartheid, and increased educational spending per child,” Guzula said. “But there remains so much inequality materially. Things like science labs, school libraries, sports fields, school halls, as well as other enrichment activities such as the arts and sports between schools are nowhere near being equal.”

UCT News spoke to Guzula to get some insight into the current state of the education system, 30 years into the democratic dispensation. She also provided tangible suggestions on how to turn the giant tanker around and improve education outcomes for millions of children.

Change the medium of instruction and improve pedagogy, content knowledge

To start, Guzula said the Department of Basic Education (DBE) must make a concerted effort with changing the medium of instruction in schools with majority of African language-speaking learners and improve pedagogic and content knowledge.

Currently, she said, African-language-speaking learners begin learning in their mother tongue from Grades 1 to 3. But once they reach Grade 4, they are forced to switch to English as the preferred medium of instruction. This, she explained, causes havoc and means that learners need to move from learning monolingually in their home languages to learning in English, even though they can’t speak, read, or write in English at the required level expected of a child in Grade 4.

“English- and Afrikaans-speaking children are at an advantage when compared to their African-language-speaking peers.”

“With the result, English- and Afrikaans-speaking children are at an advantage when compared to their African-language-speaking peers. They have the opportunity to learn in their mother tongues from Grade 1 to matric and beyond, but African-language-speaking children need to contend with an automatic language switch in Grade 4. This has countless ripple effects,” she said.

“And what’s worse is that the parents of African first-language speakers also find it difficult to help their children understand content at home because they don’t understand it themselves.”

Develop bilingual and multilingual education

During the early days of the democratic dispensation, Guzula said the department was committed to addressing this need and introduced the Bilingual/Multilingual Education Policy in 1997, which encourages the use of two or more languages for teaching, learning and assessment. The policy states that learning more than one language should be general practice and principle in South Africa and “being multilingual should be a defining characteristic of being South African”. But there’s been little movement with implementation.

Consequently, for African-speaking first-language learners, Guzula said, school textbooks are only published in English and are produced by English first-language speakers. School tasks and assessments are set in English as well. To support African first-language speakers and improve their learning outcomes, she said the DBE must focus on implementing the language policy, and train teachers on how best to develop bilingual textbooks and learning material to support their learners.

“Producing textbooks in English privileges the language, as well as the culture and identities associated with the language, which makes it challenging for learners to understand if they can’t relate. And if assessments are set in English, learners struggle to express themselves both orally and in writing. This leads to them failing subjects, which ultimately leads to high grade repetition rates and dropout levels. We need to focus on developing multilingual education in order for our learners to flourish,” she said.

Decolonise education

But that’s not all. Guzula said the country has also made “very little progress” with decolonising education, which, she added, includes language, knowledge, pedagogies and being. She said the Rhodes Must Fall movement of 2015 called for decolonised education at universities. But this applies to schools as well.

At the time, she said, the students reminded everyone of the colonial matrix of power, which intersects to create hierarchies of privilege and inequality in society, as well as just how common it is for western knowledge and languages to dominate high status domains in the Global South.  

“The result has been the expectation that indigenous people must be proficient in colonial languages and [absorb] colonial knowledge in Global South colonies [because] colonial languages dominate the curriculum and books.”

“The result has been the expectation that indigenous people must be proficient in colonial languages and [absorb] colonial knowledge in Global South colonies [because] colonial languages dominate the curriculum and books. Kolonilingo-normativity needs to change in global south contexts,” she said.  

Train teachers adequately

And a large part of decolonising education starts with training African language-speaking teachers in their mother tongues and in English. This will help their learners to develop a proficiency in English, while preserving the cultures, traditions and stories that have been a part of the fabric of teachers’ lives and imparting it onto their learners.

“Because language carries knowledge, training teachers exclusively in a language that is different to their mother tongue erases African languages in the education system, as well as from teachers’ knowledge, and means they start learning mechanically when learning in a new language,” Guzula said. “Recently, there have been comments about teachers’ lack of content knowledge. Yes, teachers also struggle if they are required to learn in English only and flourish when they are taught bi/multilingually. It applies to their learners too.”

“What we need to do is embrace both technical skills and literacy practices and make reading and writing a daily social practice.”

With this, she said, teachers also need to improve the way in which they teach literacy, which is expected to come naturally as they are given an opportunity to learn and teach in their mother tongue.

“We also need to move away from thinking of literacy as teaching and learning technical skills. Instead, what we need to do is embrace both technical skills and literacy practices and make reading and writing a daily social practice. To become better at reading and writing, you need to make it part of your daily activities,” she said. “And in teaching literacy skills, educators need to work with phonological and morphological approaches to ensure learners grasp reading with meaning.”

Moving forward

Despite the many flaws in the system, Guzula said the sector has made progress with moving the Grade R aspect of early childhood development (ECD) learning from the Department of Social Development to the DBE. And ECD practitioners, specialists and academics have long advocated for this move. This approach, she said, places a standardised training programme in place to ensure ECD specialists offer children early learning opportunities besides just care and protection.

Reassuringly, the department has also made some progress on the language of teaching, learning and assessment issue – a fundamental step towards developing multilingual learning spaces. On 21   February, the minister of DBE, Angie Motshekga launched the Mother-Tongue-based Bilingual Education programme, which stipulates that Grade 4 learners will be allowed to continue learning in an African language, while adding English as the second medium of instruction.

“This programme is a positive step forward and will be a game-changer in learners’ learning journeys.”

“Research shows us that children learn best in the languages they know best, and our systems should allow for this. By adopting multilingual education, our children will feel like they are important and that their languages are valued and appreciated. This programme is a positive step forward and will be a game-changer in learners’ learning journeys,” Guzula said.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.

Daily News RSS

Latest articles, embed article.

By embedding this news article on your site you are agreeing to  the University of Cape Town's terms of use.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

Students protesting on campuses across US ask colleges to cut investments supporting Israel

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in pro-Palestinian encampments with a unified demand to end investments supporting Israel’s war in Gaza.

University of Michigan computer science junior Josh Brown, center, hands out miniature blue and white flags of Israel while standing Wednesday, April 23, 2024, in front of a banner reading “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA,” in Ann Arbor, Mich. The banner is part of a protest by students and groups demanding the Ann Arbor school divest from companies that do business with Israel. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

• Copy Link copied

University of Michigan computer science junior Josh Brown, center, hands out miniature blue and white flags of Israel while standing Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in front of a banner reading “LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA” in Ann Arbor, Mich. The banner is part of a protest by students and groups demanding the Ann Arbor school divest from companies that do business with Israel. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

Tents erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Students and press look on as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to the media on the Low Library steps on Columbia University’s campus in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Students and press look on as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to the media on the Low Library steps on Columbia University’s campus in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Workers remove posters with an image of President Joe Biden reading, “International Terrorist,” from a statue on the University of Minnesota campus, Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Minneapolis. Student activists called for a second day of protest against Israeli military action in Gaza. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to the media on the Low Library steps on Columbia University’s campus in New York, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to the media on the Low Library steps on Columbia University’s campus in New York on Wednesday April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

University of Southern California protesters push and shove University Public Safety officers as tempers get heated during a pro-Palestinian occupation on the University of Southern California campus Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester, right, confronts a University Public Safety officer at the campus’ Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters fight with University Public Safety officers as they try to remove tents at the campus’ Alumni Park during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus’ Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tents around Alumni Park on the campus of the University of Southern California to keep security from removing them during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A University of Southern California protester is detained by USC Department of Public Safety officers during a pro-Palestinian occupation at the campus’ Alumni Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

University of Southern California protesters carry a tent around Alumni Park on the University of Southern California to keep security from removing it during a pro-Palestinian occupation on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Students at a growing number of U.S. colleges are gathering in protest encampments with a unified demand of their schools: Stop doing business with Israel — or any companies that support its ongoing war in Gaza .

The demand has its roots in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a decades-old campaign against Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. The movement has taken on new strength as the Israel-Hamas war surpasses the six-month mark and stories of suffering in Gaza have sparked international calls for a cease-fire.

Inspired by ongoing protests and the arrests last week of more than 100 students at Columbia University, students from Massachusetts to California are now gathering by the hundreds on campuses, setting up tent camps and pledging to stay put until their demands are met.

A sign sits erected at the pro-Palestinian demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York, Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

“We want to be visible,” said Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, who noted that students at the university have been pushing for divestment from Israel since 2002. “The university should do something about what we’re asking for, about the genocide that’s happening in Gaza. They should stop investing in this genocide.”

Campus protests began after Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, when militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took roughly 250 hostages. During the ensuing war, Israel has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the local health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and noncombatants but says at least two-thirds of the dead are children and women.

WHAT DO THE STUDENTS WANT TO SEE HAPPEN?

The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from any companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself.

Protests on many campuses have been orchestrated by coalitions of student groups , often including local chapters of organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. They’re banding together as umbrella groups, such as MIT’s Coalition Against Apartheid and the University of Michigan’s Tahrir Coalition.

The groups largely act independently, though there has been some coordination. After students at Columbia formed their encampment last week, they held a phone call with about 200 other people interested in starting their own camps. But mostly it has happened spontaneously, with little collaboration between campuses, organizers said.

The demands vary from campus to campus. Among them:

— Stop doing business with military weapons manufacturers that are supplying arms to Israel.

— Stop accepting research money from Israel for projects that aid the country’s military efforts.

— Stop investing college endowments with money managers who profit from Israeli companies or contractors.

— Be more transparent about what money is received from Israel and what it’s used for.

Student governments at some colleges in recent weeks have passed resolutions calling for an end to investments and academic partnerships with Israel. Such bills were passed by student bodies at Columbia, Harvard Law, Rutgers and American University.

HOW ARE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RESPONDING?

Officials at several universities say they want to have a conversation with students and honor their right to protest. But they also are echoing the concerns of many Jewish students that some of the demonstrators’ words and actions amount to antisemitism — and they say such behavior won’t be tolerated.

Sylvia Burwell, president of American University, rejected a resolution from the undergraduate senate to end investments and partnerships with Israel.

“Such actions threaten academic freedom, the respectful free expression of ideas and views, and the values of inclusion and belonging that are central to our community,” Burwell said in a statement.

The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Burwell cited the university’s “longstanding position” against the decades-old BDS movement.

Protesters in the movement have drawn parallels between Israel’s policy in Gaza — a tiny strip of land tucked between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea that is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians — to apartheid in South Africa. Israel imposed an indefinite blockade of Gaza after Hamas seized control of the strip in 2007.

Opponents of BDS say its message veers into antisemitism. In the past decade alone, more than 30 states have enacted laws or directives blocking agencies from hiring companies that support the movement. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called it a “pernicious threat” in 2019, saying it fueled bias against Jews on U.S. campuses.

Asked this week whether he condemned “the antisemitic protests,” President Joe Biden said he did. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” Biden said after an Earth Day event Monday.

At Yale, where dozens of student protesters were arrested Monday, President Peter Salovey noted in a message to campus that, after hearing from students, the university’s Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility had recommended against divesting from military weapons manufacturers.

President Minouche Shafik at Columbia said there should be “serious conversations” about how the university can help in the Middle East. But “we cannot have one group dictate terms,” she said in a statement Monday.

MIT said in a statement that the protesters have “the full attention of leadership, who have been meeting and talking with students, faculty, and staff on an ongoing basis.”

HOW MUCH MONEY ARE THE SCHOOLS RECEIVING?

On many campuses, students pushing for divestment say they don’t know the extent of their colleges’ connections to Israel. Universities with large endowments spread their money across a vast array of investments, and it can be difficult or impossible to identify where it all lands.

The U.S. Education Department requires colleges to report gifts and contracts from foreign sources, but there have been problems with underreporting , and colleges sometimes dodge reporting requirements by steering money through separate foundations that work on their behalf.

According to an Education Department database, about 100 U.S. colleges have reported gifts or contracts from Israel totaling $375 million over the past two decades. The data tells little about where the money comes from, however, or how it was used.

Some students at MIT have published the names of several researchers who accept money from Israel’s defense ministry for projects that the students say could help with drone navigation and missile protection. All told, pro-Palestinian students say, MIT has accepted more than $11 million from the defense ministry over the past decade.

MIT officials didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.

“MIT is directly complicit with all of this,” said sophomore Quinn Perian, a leader of a Jewish student group that is calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. He said there’s growing momentum to hold colleges accountable for any role they play in supporting Israel’s military.

“We’re all drawing from the same fire,” he said. “They’re forcing us, as students, to be complicit in this genocide.”

Motivated by the Columbia protests, students at the University of Michigan were camping out on a campus plaza Tuesday demanding an end to financial investments with Israel. They say the school sends more than $6 billion to investment managers who profit from Israeli companies or contractors. They also cited investments in companies that produce drones or warplanes used in Israel, and in surveillance products used at checkpoints into Gaza.

University of Michigan officials said that they have no direct investments with Israeli companies, and that indirect investments made through funds amount to a fraction of 1% of the university’s $18 billion endowment. The school rejected calls for divestment, citing a nearly 20-year-old policy “that shields the university’s investments from political pressures.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE STUDENTS?

Students at Harvard and Yale are demanding greater transparency, along with their calls for divestment.

Transparency was one of the key demands at Emerson College, where 80 students and other supporters occupied a busy courtyard on the downtown Boston campus Tuesday.

Twelve tents sporting slogans including “Free Gaza” or “No U.S. $ For Israel” lined the entrance to the courtyard, with sleeping bags and pillows peeking out through the zippered doors.

Students sat cross-legged on the brick paving stones typing away on final papers and reading for exams. The semester ends in a couple of weeks.

“I would love to go home and have a shower,” said Owen Buxton, a film major, “but I will not leave until we reach our demands or I am dragged out by police.”

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

At this time, we recommend all  Penn-affiliated  travel to Israel, West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon be deferred.  If you are planning travel to any of these locations, please reach out to [email protected] for the most up to date risk assessment and insurance exclusions. As a reminder, it is required that all Penn-affiliated trips are registered in  MyTrips .  If you have questions, please contact  [email protected] . 

Utility Navigation

Utility links.

• University of Pennsylvania
• Office of the Provost
• Penn Global

Secondary Nav Penn Global

• For Penn Students
• For Penn Faculty
• For Alumni & Friends

Primary Nav Penn Global

Drawer menu penn global.

• Back to main menu
• Our Strategic Framework
• Perry World House
• Penn Biden Center
• Penn Abroad
• International Student & Scholar Services
• Global Support Services
• Penn in Africa
• Penn in China
• 2022 PLAC Symposium
• Pulitzer International Reporting Student Fellowship
• Connect with PLAC
• Penn in Oceania
• Penn in the Middle East
• Penn in Northern America
• Global at Penn's Schools
• Global Centers & Programs
• Global Engagement Fund
• China Research and Engagement Fund
• India Research and Engagement Fund
• Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund
• Apply for a Convening Grant
• Apply for a Research Grant
• Manage My Grant
• Grants Database

PENN GLOBAL RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM 2024 Grant Program Awardees

Basic page sidebar menu penn global.

In 2024, Penn Global will support 24 new faculty-led research and engagement projects at a total funding level of $1.5 million.

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program prioritizes projects that bring together leading scholars and practitioners across the University community and beyond to develop new insight on significant global issues in key countries and regions around the world, a core pillar of Penn’s global strategic framework. 

PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE HOLMAN AFRICA RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT FUND

• Global Medical Physics Training & Development Program  Stephen Avery, Perelman School of Medicine
• Developing a Dakar Greenbelt with Blue-Green Wedges Proposal  Eugenie Birch, Weitzman School of Design
• Emergent Judaism in Sub-Saharan Africa  Peter Decherney, School of Arts and Sciences / Sara Byala, School of Arts and Sciences
• Determinants of Cognitive Aging among Older Individuals in Ghana  Irma Elo, School of Arts and Sciences
• Disrupted Aid, Displaced Lives Guy Grossman, School of Arts and Sciences
• A History of Regenerative Agriculture Practices from the Global South: Case Studies from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe Thabo Lenneiye, Kleinman Energy Center / Weitzman School of Design
• Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery Use in Botswana Public Schools Elizabeth Lowenthal, Perelman School of Medicine
• Podcasting South African Jazz Past and Present Carol Muller, School of Arts and Sciences
• Lake Victoria Megaregion Study: Joint Lakefront Initiative Frederick Steiner, Weitzman School of Design
• Leveraging an Open Source Software to Prevent and Contain AMR Jonathan Strysko, Perelman School of Medicine
• Poverty reduction and children's neurocognitive growth in Cote d'Ivoire Sharon Wolf, Graduate School of Education
• The Impacts of School Connectivity Efforts on Education Outcomes in Rwanda  Christopher Yoo, Carey Law School

PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE INDIA RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT FUND

• Routes Beyond Conflict: A New Approach to Cultural Encounters in South Asia  Daud Ali, School of Arts and Sciences
• Prioritizing Air Pollution in India’s Cities Tariq Thachil, Center for the Advanced Study of India / School of Arts and Sciences
• Intelligent Voicebots to Help Indian Students Learn English Lyle Ungar, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

PROJECTS SUPPORTED BT THE CHINA RESEARCH AND ENGAGEMENT FUND

• Planning Driverless Cities in China Zhongjie Lin, Weitzman School of Design

PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT FUND 

• Education and Economic Development in Nepal Amrit Thapa, Graduate School of Education
• Explaining Climate Change Regulation in Cities: Evidence from Urban Brazil Alice Xu, School of Arts and Sciences
• Nurse Staffing Legislation for Scotland: Lessons for the U.S. and the U.K.  Eileen Lake, School of Nursing
• Pathways to Education Development & Their Consequences: Finland, Korea, US Hyunjoon Park, School of Arts and Sciences
• Engaged Scholarship in Latin America: Bridging Knowledge and Action Tulia Falleti, School of Arts and Sciences
• Organizing Migrant Communities to Realize Rights in Palermo, Sicily  Domenic Vitiello, Weitzman School of Design
• Exploiting Cultural Heritage in 21st Century Conflict   Fiona Cunningham, School of Arts and Sciences
• Center for Integrative Global Oral Health   Alonso Carrasco-Labra, School of Dental Medicine

This first-of-its-kind Global Medical Physics Training and Development Program (GMPTDP) seeks to serve as an opportunity for PSOM and SEAS graduate students to enhance their clinical requirement with a global experience, introduce them to global career opportunities and working effectively in different contexts, and strengthens partnerships for education and research between US and Africa. This would also be an exceptional opportunity for pre-med/pre-health students and students interested in health tech to have a hands-on global experience with some of the leading professionals in the field. The project will include instruction in automated radiation planning through artificial intelligence (AI); this will increase access to quality cancer care by standardizing radiation planning to reduce inter-user variability and error, decreasing workload on the limited radiation workforce, and shortening time to treatment for patients. GMPTDP will offer a summer clinical practicum to Penn students during which time they will also collaborate with UGhana to implement and evaluate AI tools in the clinical workflow.

The proposal will address today’s pressing crises of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and growing economic disparities with a holistic approach that combines regional and small-scale actions necessary to achieve sustainability. It will also tackle a key issue found across sub-Saharan Africa, many emerging economies, and economically developed countries that struggle to control rapid unplanned urbanization that vastly outpaces the carrying capacity of the surrounding environment.

The regional portion of the project will create a framework for a greenbelt that halts the expansion of the metropolitan footprint. It will also protect the Niayes, an arable strip of land that produces over 80% of the country’s vegetables, from degradation. This partnership will also form a south-south collaboration to provide insights into best practices from a city experiencing similar pressures.

The small-scale portion of the project will bolster and create synergy with ongoing governmental and grassroots initiatives aimed at restoring green spaces currently being infilled or degraded in the capital. This will help to identify overlapping goals between endeavors, leading to collaboration and mobilizing greater funding possibilities instead of competing over the same limited resources. With these partners, we will identify and design Nature-based Solutions for future implementation.

Conduct research through fieldwork to examine questions surrounding Jewish identity in Africa. Research will be presented in e.g. articles, photographic images, and films, as well as in a capstone book. In repeat site-visits to Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Zimbabwe, we will conduct interviews with and take photographs of stakeholders from key communities in order to document their everyday lives and religious practices.

The overall aim of this project is the development of a nationally representative study on aging in Ghana. This goal requires expanding our network of Ghanian collaborators and actively engage them in research on aging. The PIs will build on existing institutional contacts in Ghana that include:

1). Current collaboration with the Navrongo Health Research Center (NCHR) on a pilot data collection on cognitive aging in Ghana (funded by a NIA supplement and which provides the matching funds for this Global Engagement fund grant application);

2) Active collaboration with the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana. Elo has had a long-term collaboration with Dr. Ayaga Bawah who is the current director of RIPS.

In collaboration with UNHCR, we propose studying the effects of a dramatic drop in the level of support for refugees, using a regression discontinuity design to survey 2,500 refugee households just above and 2,500 households just below the vulnerability score cutoff that determines eligibility for full rations. This study will identify the effects of aid cuts on the welfare of an important marginalized population, and on their livelihood adaptation strategies. As UNHCR faces budgetary cuts in multiple refugee-hosting contexts, our study will inform policymakers on the effects of funding withdrawal as well as contribute to the literature on cash transfers.

The proposed project, titled "A History of Regenerative Agriculture Practices from the Global South: Case Studies from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe," aims to delve into the historical and contemporary practices of regenerative agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes:

1. Research Paper: The primary output of this project will be a comprehensive research paper. This paper will draw from a rich pool of historical and contemporary data to explore the history of regenerative agriculture practices in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. It will document the indigenous knowledge and practices that have sustained these regions for generations.

2. Policy Digest: In addition to academic research, the project will produce a policy digest. This digest will distill the research findings into actionable insights for policymakers, both at the national and international levels. It will highlight the benefits of regenerative agriculture and provide recommendations for policy frameworks that encourage its adoption.

3. Long-term Partnerships: The project intends to establish long-term partnerships with local and regional universities, such as Great Lakes University Kisumu, Kenya. These partnerships will facilitate knowledge exchange, collaborative research, and capacity building in regenerative agriculture practices. Such collaborations align with Penn Global's goal of strengthening institutional relationships with African partners.

The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (PCNB) was developed at the University of Pennsylvania by Dr. Ruben C. Gur and colleagues to be administered as part of a comprehensive neuropsychiatric assessment. Consisting of a series of cognitive tasks that help identify individuals’ cognitive strengths and weaknesses, it has recently been culturally adapted and validated by our team for assessment of school-aged children in Botswana . The project involves partnership with the Botswana Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) to support the rollout of the PCNB for assessment of public primary and secondary school students in Botswana. The multidisciplinary Penn-based team will work with partners in Botswana to guide the PCNB rollout, evaluate fidelity to the testing standards, and track student progress after assessment and intervention. The proposed project will strengthen a well-established partnership between Drs. Elizabeth Lowenthal and J. Cobb Scott from the PSOM and in-country partners. Dr. Sharon Wolf, from Penn’s Graduate School of Education, is an expert in child development who has done extensive work with the Ministry of Education in Ghana to support improvements in early childhood education programs. She is joining the team to provide the necessary interdisciplinary perspective to help guide interventions and evaluations accompanying this new use of the PCNB to support this key program in Africa.

This project will build on exploratory research completed by December 24, 2023 in which the PI interviewed about 35 South Africans involved in jazz/improvised music mostly in Cape Town: venue owners, curators, creators, improvisers.

• Podcast series with 75-100 South African musicians interviewed with their music interspersed in the program.
• 59 minute radio program with extended excerpts of music inserted into the interview itself.
• Create a center of knowledge about South African jazz—its sound and its stories—building knowledge globally about this significant diasporic jazz community
• Expand understanding of “jazz” into a more diffuse area of improvised music making that includes a wide range of contemporary indigenous music and art making
• Partner w Lincoln Center Jazz (and South African Tourism) to host South Africans at Penn

This study focuses on the potential of a Megaregional approach for fostering sustainable development, economic growth, and social inclusion within the East African Community (EAC), with a specific focus on supporting the development of A Vision for An Inclusive Joint Lakefront across the 5 riparian counties in Kenya.

By leveraging the principles of Megaregion development, this project aims to create a unified socio-economic, planning, urbanism, cultural, and preservation strategy that transcends county boundaries and promotes collaboration further afield, among the EAC member countries surrounding the Lake Victoria Basin.

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes:

1. Megaregion Conceptual Framework: The project will develop a comprehensive Megaregion Conceptual Framework for the Joint Lakefront region in East Africa. This framework, which different regions around the world have applied as a way of bridging local boundaries toward a unified regional vision will give the Kisumu Lake region a path toward cooperative, multi-jurisdictional planning. The Conceptual Framework will be both broad and specific, including actionable strategies, projects, and initiatives aimed at sustainable development, economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental stewardship.

2. Urbanism Projects: Specific urbanism projects will be proposed for key urban centers within the Kenyan riparian counties. These projects will serve as tangible examples of potential improvements and catalysts for broader development efforts.

3. Research Publication: The findings of the study will be captured in a research publication, contributing to academic discourse and increasing Penn's visibility in the field of African urbanism and sustainable development

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a global crisis, causing more deaths than HIV/AIDS and malaria worldwide. By engaging in a collaborative effort with the Botswana Ministry of Health’s data scientists and experts in microbiology, human and veterinary medicine, and bioinformatics, we will aim to design new electronic medical record system modules that will:

Aim 1: Support the capturing, reporting, and submission of microbiology data from sentinel surveillance laboratories as well as pharmacies across the country

Aim 2: Develop data analytic dashboards for visualizing and characterizing regional AMR and AMC patterns

Aim 3: Submit AMR and AMC data to regional and global surveillance programs

Aim 4: Establish thresholds for alert notifications when disease activity exceeds expected incidence to serve as an early warning system for outbreak detection.

  Using a novel interdisciplinary approach that bridges development economics, psychology, and neuroscience, the overall goal of this project is to improve children's development using a poverty-reduction intervention in Cote d'Ivoire (CIV). The project will directly measure the impacts of cash transfers (CTs) on neurocognitive development, providing a greater understanding of how economic interventions can support the eradication of poverty and ensure that all children flourish and realize their full potential. The project will examine causal mechanisms by which CTs support children’s healthy neurocognitive development and learning outcomes through the novel use of an advanced neuroimaging tool, functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS), direct child assessments, and parent interviews.

The proposed research, the GIGA initiative for Improving Education in Rwanda (GIER), will produce empirical evidence on the impact of connecting schools on education outcomes to enable Rwanda to better understand how to accelerate the efforts to bring connectivity to schools, how to improve instruction and learning among both teachers and students, and whether schools can become internet hubs capable of providing access e-commerce and e-government services to surrounding communities. In addition to evaluating the impact of connecting schools on educational outcomes, the research would also help determine which aspects of the program are critical to success before it is rolled out nationwide.

Through historical epigraphic research, the project will test the hypothesis that historical processes and outcomes in the 14th century were precipitated by a series of related global and local factors and that, moreover, an interdisciplinary and synergistic analysis of these factors embracing climatology, hydrology, epidemiology linguistics and migration will explain the transformation of the cultural, religious and social landscapes of the time more effectively than the ‘clash of civilizations’ paradigm dominant in the field. Outputs include a public online interface for the epigraphic archive; a major international conference at Penn with colleagues from partner universities (Ghent, Pisa, Edinburgh and Penn) as well as the wider South Asia community; development of a graduate course around the research project, on multi-disciplinary approaches to the problem of Hindu-Muslim interaction in medieval India; and a public facing presentation of our findings and methods to demonstrate the path forward for Indian history. Several Penn students, including a postdoc, will be actively engaged.  

India’s competitive electoral arena has failed to generate democratic accountability pressures to reduce toxic air. This project seeks to broadly understand barriers to such pressures from developing, and how to overcome them. In doing so, the project will provide the first systematic study of attitudes and behaviors of citizens and elected officials regarding air pollution in India. The project will 1) conduct in-depth interviews with elected local officials in Delhi, and a large-scale survey of elected officials in seven Indian states affected by air pollution, and 2) partner with relevant civil society organizations, international bodies like the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), domain experts at research centers like the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), and local civic organizations (Janagraaha) to evaluate a range of potential strategies to address pollution apathy, including public information campaigns with highly affected citizens (PHFI), and local pollution reports for policymakers (Janagraaha).

The biggest benefit from generative AI such as GPT, will be the widespread availability of tutoring systems to support education. The project will use this technology to build a conversational voicebot to support Indian students in learning English. The project will engage end users (Indian tutors and their students) in the project from the beginning. The initial prototype voice-driven conversational system will be field-tested in Indian schools and adapted. The project includes 3 stages of development:

1) Develop our conversational agent. Specify the exact initial use case and Conduct preliminary user testing.

2) Fully localize to India, addressing issues identified in Phase 1 user testing.

3) Do comprehensive user testing with detailed observation of 8-12 students using the agent for multiple months; conduct additional assessments of other stakeholders.

The project partners with Ashoka University and Pratham over all three stages, including writing scholarly papers.

Through empirical policy analysis and data-based scenario planning, this project actively contributes to this global effort by investigating planning and policy responses to autonomous transportation in the US and China. In addition to publishing several research papers on this subject, the PI plans to develop a new course and organize a forum at PWCC in 2025. These initiatives are aligned with an overarching endeavor that the PI leads at the Weitzman School of Design, which aims to establish a Future Cities Lab dedicated to research and collaboration in the pursuit of sustainable cities.

This study aims to fill this gap through a more humanistic approach to measuring the impact of education on national development. Leveraging a mixed methods research design consisting of analysis of quantitative data for trends over time, observations of schools and classrooms, and qualitative inquiry via talking to people and hearing their stories, we hope to build a comprehensive picture of educational trends in Nepal and their association with intra-country development. Through this project we strive to better inform the efforts of state authorities and international organizations working to enhance sustainable development within Nepal, while concurrently creating space and guidance for further impact analyses. Among various methods of dissemination of the study’s findings, one key goal is to feed this information into writing a book on this topic.

Developing cities across the world have taken the lead in adopting local environmental regulation. Yet standard models of environmental governance begin with the assumption that local actors should have no incentives for protecting “the commons.” Given the benefits of climate change regulation are diffuse, individual local actors face a collective action problem. This project explores why some local governments bear the costs of environmental regulation while most choose to free-ride. The anticipated outputs of the project include qualitative data that illuminate case studies and the coding of quantitative spatial data sets for studying urban land-use. These different forms of data collection will allow me to develop and test a theoretical framework for understanding when and why city governments adopt environmental policy.

The proposed project will develop new insights on the issue of legislative solutions to the nurse staffing crisis, which will pertain to many U.S. states and U.K. countries. The PI will supervise the nurse survey data collection and to meet with government and nursing association stakeholders to plan the optimal preparation of reports and dissemination of results. The anticipated outputs of the project are a description of variation throughout Scotland in hospital nursing features, including nurse staffing, nurse work environments, extent of adherence to the Law’s required principles, duties, and method, and nurse intent to leave. The outcomes will be the development of capacity for sophisticated quantitative research by Scottish investigators, where such skills are greatly needed but lacking.  

The proposed project will engage multi-cohort, cross-national comparisons of educational-attainment and labor-market experiences of young adults in three countries that dramatically diverge in how they have developed college education over the last three decades: Finland, South Korea and the US. It will produce comparative knowledge regarding consequences of different pathways to higher education, which has significant policy implications for educational and economic inequality in Finland, Korea, the US, and beyond. The project also will lay the foundation for ongoing collaboration among the three country teams to seek external funding for sustained collaboration on educational analyses.

With matching funds from PLAC and CLALS, we will jointly fund four scholars from diverse LAC countries to participate in workshops to engage our community regarding successful practices of community-academic partnerships.

These four scholars and practitioners from Latin America, who are experts on community-engaged scholarship, will visit the Penn campus during the early fall of 2024. As part of their various engagements on campus, these scholars will participate after the workshops as key guest speakers in the 7th edition of the Penn in Latin America and the Caribbean (PLAC) Conference, held on October 11, 2024, at the Perry World House. The conference will focus on "Public and Community Engaged Scholarship in Latin America, the Caribbean, and their Diasporas."

Palermo, Sicily, has been a leading center of migrant rights advocacy and migrant civic participation in the twenty-first century. This project will engage an existing network of diverse migrant community associations and anti-mafia organizations in Palermo to take stock of migrant rights and support systems in the city. Our partner organizations, research assistants, and cultural mediators from different communities will design and conduct a survey and interviews documenting experiences, issues and opportunities related to various rights – to asylum, housing, work, health care, food, education, and more. Our web-based report will include recommendations for city and regional authorities and other actors in civil society. The last phase of our project will involve community outreach and organizing to advance these objectives. The web site we create will be designed as the network’s information center, with a directory of civil society and services, updating an inventory not current since 2014, which our partner Diaspore per la Pace will continue to update.

This interdisciplinary project has four objectives: 1) to investigate why some governments and non-state actors elevated cultural heritage exploitation (CHX) to the strategic level of warfare alongside nuclear weapons, cyberattacks, political influence operations and other “game changers”; 2) which state or non-state actors (e.g. weak actors) use heritage for leverage in conflict and why; and 3) to identify the mechanisms through which CHX coerces an adversary (e.g. catalyzing international involvement); and 4) to identify the best policy responses for non-state actors and states to address the challenge of CHX posed by their adversaries, based on the findings produced by the first three objectives.

Identify the capacity of dental schools, organizations training oral health professionals and conducting oral health research to contribute to oral health policies in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, identify the barriers and facilitators to engage in OHPs, and subsequently define research priority areas for the region in collaboration with the WHO, oral health academia, researchers, and other regional stakeholders.

3539 Locust Walk University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104

[email protected]

©2024 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104   

Footer Menu

• Report Accessibility Issues and Get Help
• Privacy Policy