标签： Africa

Government schools in the UAE have implemented a new policy requiring parents to sign the Parent-School Partnership Charter before releasing term exam results. This mandatory agreement, applicable to both citizens and residents, aims to foster collaboration between schools and families in addressing academic and behavioral matters. School administrations have confirmed that exam grades will not be accessible on online platforms until the charter is signed and approved through the designated system. The Ministry of Education, which issues and updates the charter annually, emphasizes its role in defining responsibilities that support student well-being and create a positive learning environment. Key provisions of the charter include ensuring a safe and inclusive school atmosphere, maintaining regular communication with parents, enforcing attendance policies, and promoting positive citizenship. Additionally, it outlines parental responsibilities such as supporting academic progress, monitoring health and behavior, and encouraging participation in extracurricular activities. Parents can sign the charter using their digital ID, review the terms, and receive an official copy via email. Schools have reiterated that results will remain withheld until the process is completed, underscoring the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening the partnership between schools and families for the benefit of students.

Amnesty International has revealed that Kenyan authorities allegedly funded a network of trolls to threaten and intimidate young protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations. The human rights organization’s report highlights the use of surveillance, disinformation, and digital abuse to target organizers of mass protests that swept Kenya in 2024 and 2025. These demonstrations, largely driven by Gen Z activists, utilized social media platforms for mobilization. The report also disclosed that young women and LGBT+ activists faced disproportionate targeting, including misogynistic and homophobic comments, as well as AI-generated pornographic images. One activist shared harrowing experiences of receiving death threats and being forced to relocate their child due to targeted intimidation. Additionally, a man claimed he was part of a team paid between 25,000 and 50,000 Kenyan shillings daily to amplify government messaging and suppress protest hashtags on social media platform X. Beyond digital abuse, authorities were accused of a brutal crackdown on protests, resulting in over 100 deaths, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the use of lethal force. While the government acknowledged some cases of excessive police force, it defended its security forces in other instances. Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard emphasized the report’s findings as evidence of state-sponsored efforts to silence dissent. Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen denied government involvement in harassment or violence, stating that any implicated officers would face investigation. Amnesty also raised concerns about unlawful state surveillance, including allegations of mobile data misuse, which Kenya’s largest telecom provider, Safaricom, has denied.

The city of Al Ain in the UAE has once again made headlines for its extreme weather conditions, recording the nation’s lowest temperature of 9.2°C on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) confirmed that the temperature was recorded in Raknah at 6:45 AM local time. This marks the second time in ten days that Raknah has experienced the coldest temperature in the country, following a previous low of 9.8°C on November 9. Interestingly, Al Ain also claimed the highest temperature in the UAE on Tuesday, November 18, with Sweihan reaching 34.7°C at 2:15 PM. As the UAE transitions into winter, residents are welcoming the cooler weather, which offers a refreshing break from the intense summer heat and encourages outdoor activities and travel.

In a distressing incident that has shaken the nation, 24 schoolgirls were abducted by armed gunmen from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, Nigeria. The attack occurred in the early hours of Monday, when the assailants scaled the school’s fence, engaged in a gunfight with security personnel, and forcibly took the girls after killing a staff member. While no group has claimed responsibility, local analysts attribute the kidnapping to criminal gangs, often former herders, who target schools and communities for ransom amid ongoing resource conflicts in the region.

Among the abducted, 15-year-old Hawau Usman managed to escape during the chaos. She recounted her harrowing experience, stating that she fled when the gunmen were distracted and sought refuge at a teacher’s house after finding no response at the principal’s residence. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has since directed security agencies to act swiftly to rescue the remaining girls, emphasizing the disruption of education by what he termed ‘heartless terrorists.’

This incident is part of a broader pattern of school abductions in Nigeria, with over 1,500 students seized since the infamous Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram in 2014. Analysts and residents have criticized the government for its failure to prosecute known attackers and address corruption, which has hampered security efforts. Usman Muhammad, whose daughter narrowly escaped, expressed his lack of trust in authorities until all the girls are safely returned and security measures are strengthened.

Security experts, including Abuja-based analyst Senator Iroegbu, have called for intelligence-driven operations to locate the abductors while ensuring the safety of the girls. Negotiations, potentially involving ransom, may be necessary if contact is established. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has mobilized military and vigilante groups to conduct relentless search operations in the region. Local residents, however, lament the insufficient number of vigilantes, who are more familiar with the terrain, and criticized security forces for ignoring prior warnings about suspicious activities in the area.

The abduction has reignited concerns about the safety of educational institutions in Nigeria, with calls for immediate action to prevent future tragedies.