Sept./Oct. 2000 Volume 13, Issue 5 CONTENTS COVER PAGE Return to cover page PRACTICAL INFORMATION [Free Access] Malaysia's System of Education REGIONAL NEWS [Subscribers only] Africa The Americas Asia & Pacific Europe Middle East FEATURE [Subscribers only] Book Discusses the Pros and Cons of Distance Education NEWS YOU CAN USE [Subscribers only] Cyprus: Private Tertiary Education Programs Accredited by the Ministry Of Education And Culture INFO Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff. Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR. Workshops: See a listing of upcoming workshops sponsored by WES. Search or Browse WENR Archives: View back issues of this newsletter or search for specific words or terms. Useful Links: See a list of Web sites that may be helpful to eWENR readers. BREAKING NEWS WES opens new office in Toronto.

Regional News  Africa  KENYA The government plans to reduce the number of examinable subjects at the primary and secondary levels of education to streamline the curriculum. Hence, the minister of education announced that students would only be tested on five subjects for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education will offer at least seven subjects and a maximum of nine examinable subjects. However, the dropped courses will continue to be taught alongside the examinable subjects. Some of the courses that students will no longer be tested on include home economics, arts and crafts, music and agriculture. Reviews conducted last year revealed that the secondary and primary school curriculum taught too many subjects. The changes will go into effect starting next year. However, opposition leaders say the reforms are inadequate and are calling for the implementations of recommendations outlined in the Koech Report. The report recommends a complete overhaul of the system, which would include preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Proponents of the report claim the current education system suffers from low enrollment and poor graduation rates and that the system cannot be reformed merely by reducing the number of subjects that students are tested on. -- The Nation Sept. 27, 2000 LESOTHO Striking students recently returned to classes at Lesotho College, formerly known as National Teacher's Training College, three weeks after police expelled them from the campus. The school was closed when students went on strike to demand the dismissal of the acting director, who they claim failed to address their grievances and mismanaged the college. Student and teacher strikes have also crippled the National University of Lesotho in recent months. Government-sponsored students have not received the stipends they were promised by the National Manpower Development Secretariat and have had to fend for themselves. Members of the academic staff, organized by the Teachers and Researchers Union, came to the students' defense demanding the resignation of the university's vice-chancellor. Classes at the National University resumed Sept. 6. -- Mopheme/The Survivor Sept. 27, 2000 NIGERIA The federal government has proposed charging tuition as a way of cutting higher-education costs to the state. However, officials said they will not consider undertaking such a move until the economy improves, and that student loans would be introduced to fund needy students. In addition to the tuition proposal, the government recently announced plans to grant greater autonomy to Nigeria's 41 public universities. However, many faculty members have interpreted this as meaning that universities will be expected to support themselves financially and are opposing the plan. Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have threatened to go on strike, promising to resist all government attempts to "commercialize" the universities. -- The Chronicle of Higher Education Aug. 4, 2000 SIERRA LEONE Officials at the University of Sierra Leone recently exposed 86 fake degrees, which claimed to have been issued from Fourah Bay College. The fakes include 61 Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees, 15 master's degrees and 10 doctorates -- all awarded to people who had never attended the university. These degrees look authentic and bear virtually all the markings of the real thing. Although nobody has so far been arrested in connection with the scam, police said they have one suspect, who was found in possession of several incriminating pieces of evidence. These include 12 computerized degree certificates, official stamps and a stamping machine bearing the University of Sierra Leone seal. -- Concord Times Sept. 26, 2000 TOGO The latest results of the baccalaureate exams, administered Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, 2000, recorded only 4,181 passes out of a total of 16,000 candidates nationwide. The minister of education blamed the poor results on "wild strikes" by teachers. He said new teachers had been hired to reorganize the school year and to work out a new exam schedule for 1999-2000. Strikes were called on several occasions this year by the Togolese Teachers' Union Federation to press for payment of salary arrears and grants to students. -- Panafrican News Agency Sept. 18, 2000 ZIMBABWE The government has reopened two colleges -- Harare Polytechnic and Gweru Technical College -- three months after shutting them down. The colleges were closed due to student demonstrations that were set off when catering services at the schools were privatized. Officials said student hostels and catering services at both institutions would remain closed to prevent further unrest. Food prices at government colleges jumped significantly following the removal of state subsidies on student meals. Students nationwide responded to the decision by taking to the streets last June in an attempt to force the authorities to reverse their decision. But the government has refused to back down, and officials have warned that they would shut the colleges down again if the students resorted to violent demonstrations a second time. Harare Polytechnic and Gweru Technical College were the two institutions most affected by the student unrest. -- Panafrican News Agency Sept. 16, 2000 E-mail your comments to the editor The eWENR staff welcomes your feedback regarding this article or the newsletter in general.  RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS