Kenya’s decision to make maths optional in high school is a bad idea – what should happen instead: Kenya’s education ministry announced in March 2025 that mathematics would be an optional subject in senior secondary school, which begins in grade 10. Most students in this grade are aged 15 years. The education minister said the …
Lagos bans single-use plastics – why I think Nigeria should have taxed them instead: Waste pollution is a huge problem in Nigeria, with serious impacts on the environment. In response, the Lagos state government has banned styrofoam (a type of plastic widely used as food containers) and other single-use products. Following a three-week moratorium for …
Education should look to the way artists are embracing AI, instead of turning its back on the technology: Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make a major impact on many sectors of society over the coming decades. Some of these effects may be positive, others less so. When ChatGPT was released, education, a profession …
West Africa’s plastic waste could be fuelling the economy instead of polluting the ocean: experts: A beach littered with plastic and other waste in the fishing village of Kayar, north of Dakar, Senegal. Bara Deme, Author provided Plastic pollution is an urgent environmental issue, globally. Every year, about eight million tonnes of plastic end up …
Rehab for South Africa’s female inmates focuses on domestic chores – instead of finding good work: Patriarchal norms influence the design of rehabilitation programmes for women in jail. Shutterstock Corrections facilities are supposed to help rehabilitate offenders. However, during apartheid, South Africa’s correctional system was a pillar of the repressive, discriminatory laws. It was used …
Ezekiel Guti: revered Zimbabwean church leader who preached hard work and morals instead of miracles: Guti touring the Middle East in 2022 at the age of 99. Screengrab/YouTube/FIFMI Capetown TV Ezekiel Guti, who has died at the age of 100, was one of the founders of Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (Zaoga). He also established …
Twitter drops ‘government-funded’ label for media organisations – here’s what it should use instead: Andrei_Diachenko/Shutterstock After objections from a number of major media organisations, Twitter appears to have dropped its media account labels. The labels drove at least two media organisations from the platform, and enraged followers of many others. The BBC pushed back against …
AI could make more work for us, instead of simplifying our lives: Demands associated with automation can create more work for humans. Shutterstock / metamorworks There’s a common perception that artificial intelligence (AI) will help streamline our work. There are even fears that it could wipe out the need for some jobs altogether. But in …
New year resolutions: why your brain isn’t wired to stick to them – and what to do instead: You still going? New Africa/Shutterstock New year, new resolutions. It is that time once again. A recent survey shows that almost 58% of the UK population intended to make a new year’s resolution in 2023, which is …
Mikhail Gorbachev wanted to save communism, but he buried it instead: h The death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, under whose leadership the communist bloc was brought to an end, was met in the west with tributes and personal reminiscences by leaders who had met him and enjoyed his company. …
Three reasons to eat pumpkins instead of carving them this Halloween: Pumpkins are regularly consumed as part of many diets around the world. Zulfiska/ Shutterstock Pumpkins are synonymous with autumn. But while most of us associate them with Halloween, pie and pumpkin spice lattes, these fruits are in fact extremely versatile. And depending on how …
Security buzzwords to avoid and what to say instead: Security buzzwords to avoid and what to say instead Seth Kenlon Tue, 09/20/2022 – 03:00 Technology is a little famous for coming up with “buzzwords.” Other industries do it, too, of course. “Story-driven” and “rules light” tabletop games are a big thing right now, “deconstructed” burgers …
Thinking about quiet quitting? Here’s why – and how – you should talk to your boss instead: Nattakorn_Maneerat / Shutterstock Quiet quitting is a catchy name, popularised on social media, for something we’ve all probably done. Its popularity is probably down to the inevitable and much-needed pushback against “hustle culture”, where younger workers are encouraged …
COVID: masks and free tests may not curb omicron spread – here’s what we should focus on instead: Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock As we face continued waves of COVID-19, there have been various calls for the reintroduction of measures like mask mandates and free tests in the UK. But how much of a difference would these sorts …
Try Asciidoc instead of Markdown: Try Asciidoc instead of Markdown Seth Kenlon Mon, 08/15/2022 – 03:00 Register or Login to like Register or Login to like I’m a happy user of the XML-based Docbook markup language. To me, it’s a precise, explicit, and detailed system that allows me to have contextual and domain-specific metadata in …
Corporations want to profit from the world’s problems – here’s how they can solve them instead: Shutterstock/seisler There’s a good chance that you would like to see COVID disappear for good. And you may also wish for an end to the war in Ukraine – or any other war for that matter. But would you …
The UK’s cost of living support won’t protect the poorest – here’s what the government should do instead: Household bills have spiked in 2022. Cast of Thousands / Shutterstock UK households have faced unprecedented blows to their living standards in 2022. Home energy costs have more than doubled and are threatening to triple, the price …
Facebook Dating was set to take over the market – instead it was dead in the water: rafapress/Shutterstock Facebook Inc, now called Meta, announced its dating application, Facebook Dating, in May 2018. There was real excitement, with people expecting a revolutionary dating app that would soon beat Tinder. And it is no wonder, when you …