This article assumes that pedagogical renewal and teacher development are two sides of the same coin, and that the achievement of a universal primary education that is equitable and of acceptable quality in Sub-Saharan Africa will depend to a large extent on both. The need for pedagogical renewal stems from the evidence that (i) teaching is arguably the strongest school-level determinant of student achievement; (ii) teaching effect on student learning is reportedly higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than it is in high-income countries; (iii) learning achievement is considerably lower in the subcontinent's schools; and (iv) the kind of teaching that takes place in these schools confines students to a passive role and only fosters lower order skills. An overview of experiences with pedagogical renewal highlights the challenges involved in adopting open-ended instructional practices on the sub-continent. It further points to bilingual education as one of the most promising strategies. Regardless of the route taken for renewing pedagogy, the professional development of teacher educators/trainers must be considered a critical enabling condition.Re´sume´-RENOUVELER LES PRATIQUES PÉ DAGOGIQUES POUR UNE É DUCATION PRIMAIRE UNIVERSELLE DE QUALITÉ : TENDANCES RÉ CENTES EN AFRIQUE SUBSAHARIENNE-Cet article postule que le renouveau pe´dagogique et le de´veloppement professionnel des enseignants constituent les deux faces d'une pie`ce d'argent, et que la re´alisation d'un enseignement primaire accessible a`tous et de qualite´acceptable dependra en grande partie des deux. Le besoin du renouveau pe´dagogique s'appuie sur plusieurs re´sultats de recherche: (i) l'enseignement est probablement le plus important determinant scolaire de la re´ussite des e´le`ves; (ii) l'effet de l'enseignement sur les apprentissages est plus e´leve´en Afrique subsaharienne que dans les pays riches; (iii) les re´sultats d'apprentissage sont conside´rablement faible dans les e´coles du sous-continent; et (iv) le type de pratique pe´dagogique observed ans ces e´coles place les e´le`ves dans un roˆle passif et permet seulement le de´veloppement d'habilete´s de bas niveaux taxonomiques. Une revue d'expe´riences subsahariennes en matie`re de renouveau pe´dagogique met en relief les de´fis que pose l'adoption des pedagogies par de´couverte, et met de l'avant l'e´ducation bilingue comme une des strate´gies prometteuses. Ne´anmoins, quelle que soit la voie prise pour renouveler les pratiques pe´dagogiques, le de´veloppement professionnel des formateurs/encadreurs d'enseignants doit eˆtre considere´comme une condition critique.Zusammenfassung -PÄ DAGOGISCHE ERNEUERUNG UND UNTERRICHT-SENTWICKLUNG IM ZUGE QUALITÄ TSORIENTIERTER GRUNDSCHUL-BILDUNG: NEUE TRENDS IN AFRIKA SÜ DLICH DER SAHARA-Dieser Artikel basiert auf der Voraussetzung, dass pa¨dagogische Erneuerung und Unterrichtsentwicklung zwei Seiten derselben Medaille sind. Weiterhin wird vorausgesetzt, dass in Afrika su¨dlich der Sahara eine universale Grundschulbildung, die fair und von

This study aimed to characterize the best predictors for unmet dental treatment needs and patterns of dental service utilization by adolescents in the Kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. A self-reported 40-item oral health survey was administered, and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from August 10 to August 25, 2016. Associations between psychosocial factors with oral health status and dental service utilization were evaluated using simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions. Five hundred and twenty-six survey responses and examinations were gathered. The mean age of student participants was 16.4 years of age, with a range between 12 and 19 years of age. More than two thirds (68%; n = 355) of participants were female. The majority reported their quality of life (84%) and general health to be good/excellent (81%). While 95% reported that oral health was very important, only 11% reported their personal dental health as excellent. Three percent reported having a regular family dentist, with the majority (85%) receiving dental care in a hospital or medical clinic setting; only 14% had seen a dental professional within the previous two years. The majority of participants did not have dental insurance (78%). Clinical examination revealed tooth decay on 30% of mandibular and maxillary molars; 65% had some form of gingivitis. In multivariate analysis, not having dental education and access to a regular dentist were the strongest predictors of not visiting a dentist within the last year. Our results suggest that access to oral health care is limited in Lesotho. Further patient oral health education and regular dental care may make an impact on this population.

This article draws its content from a study that investigated the prevalence of and factors contributing to assessment malpractice by students at the National University of Lesotho (NUL) during assessment activities. The study was carried out in response to a general outcry regarding malpractices that abound in all forms of assessments. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the following: the extent to which examination malpractice during assessment activities was a problem at the NUL. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative data were captured and analysed using computer programmes. The study has revealed that assessment malpractice is prevalent at the National University of Lesotho and that a number of factors are contributory to the situation.

Background: Adolescents’ quality of life is reported to be significantly associated with physical and social wellbeing. Although adolescents are 30% of the Southern African population, no previous studies have focused on this group in relation to oral health and quality of life. Methods: A 40-item survey and clinical oral examinations were conducted in public schools in Maseru from 10 to 25 August 2016. Simple, bivariate, and multivariate regressions were used to evaluate the associations of oral health and psychosocial factors with self-reported general health status and quality of life. Results: A total of 526 participants, aged 12–19 years old, responded to the survey and participated in the clinical examinations. The majority reported a good (good/very good/excellent) quality of life (84%) and general health (81%). Bivariate results showed that self-reported general health in this population was significantly influenced by age. The presence of toothache and sensitivity in the adolescents were significantly associated with poor (fair/poor) self-reported general health and were found to be the best predictors for self-general health and quality of life. Conclusions: The absence of dental conditions such as toothache and tooth sensitivity can lead to a better perception of general health and Quality of Life in adolescents.

Recent developments in the Lesotho higher education landscape necessitated a change in this subsector. In particular, the Ministry of Education and Training established the Lesotho Council on Higher Education (CHE) as a regulatory body. Among its achievements, the council legislated that academics teaching in institutions of higher learning undergo professional development. This development coincided with the completion of Lefoka’s PhD thesis. One of the findings of the PhD research is that most higher education teachers do not have professional qualifications for teaching in the subsector. The thesis recommended that higher education teachers should be capacitated for a teaching role. This recommendation motivated the National University of Lesotho to comply with one of the council’s policies by introducing a Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGD-HE) program. In this chapter, the author uses reflective practice literature to guide the presentation on the implementation of the PGD-HE program. The chapter articulates lessons emerging from the change of initial plan due to disruption by the COVID-19 pandemic. The major change involved the reduction of academic duration and a move from blended teaching to online teaching mode. Based on the lessons learned, this chapter recommends the use of the lessons to improve the offering of the program.