Author: Noticias

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Thompson hosts northernmost March For Our Lives event in Canada

Noticias

Por: thompsoncitizen.net/Kyle Darbyson-Thompson Citizen/28-03-2018

While the crowd size didn’t compare to the hundreds of thousands who converged on Washington, D.C., Thompson’s March For Our Lives event still managed to attract a small but dedicated group of participants.

Just like the other 845 sibling marchers that took place throughout the globe March 24, this local walk, which began at R.D. Parker Collegiate, was designed to stand in solidarity with victims of gun violence in the United States.

Given that this was the northernmost March For Our Lives event to take place in Canada, the three-kilometre loop around Thompson Drive and Cree Road was littered with ice and snow.

Thankfully, the over 50 students, parents, teachers and volunteers who showed up for this event all dressed appropriately for the weather and completed the route without any traffic-related incidents.

Of course, this worldwide movement against gun violence in the U.S. largely kicked off in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, which left 17 dead.

Much like the how the Stoneman Douglas students spearheaded the central rally in the American capital, a local high school group from RDPC was responsible for organizing the only March For Our Lives event to take place in Manitoba.

Even though this group, Students Offering Support (SOS), normally focus their mental health awareness campaigns on their own school, on Saturday they shone a light on the struggles of students south of the border.

“The students in the U.S. are exhausted, and they do not want one more child to be shot at school,” said SOS member Hayley Jenkins just before the start of Saturday’s march.

“They do not one more teacher to make the choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students … they are taking charge and we are supporting them because we must stop letting this become the normal.”

While some have been quick to dismiss a movement that is largely lead by teenagers, SOS member Rishwan Dherdi reminded everybody at the March 24 rally that this campaign has already managed to garner some results.

Not only did the Florida State Senate recently raise the legal age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21, but they’ve also banned the sale or possession of bump stocks, attachments that allow a semi-automatic rifle to fire at a quicker rate.

Fellow SOS member Lala Rukh also mentioned that these students who are marching in the U.S. will be able to transform all this rhetoric into votes in a very short time.

“Those students, who will be 18 as of November of this year, are registering right now to be able to vote for the mid-term election and select their members of Congress,” said Rukh. ”These students are also reminding President Trump and his government that they will be the ones selecting the new [president] in 2020 in the new election.”

After finishing the march on Saturday, School District of Mystery Lake trustee Leslie Tucker echoed her comments from a March 13 school board meeting by saying that she was immensely proud of the youth activism on display here in Thompson and around the world.

In fact, Tucker said that the last time she witnessed student-led activism on this scale was during the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement.

“I remember being much younger, because that was a long time ago, and just fighting and fighting and fighting and eventually it changed,” she said. “So that’s what we do here. It might not change overnight for Americans with respect to gun control, but the pressure has to be put on.”

*Fuente: http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/thompson/thompson-hosts-northernmost-march-for-our-lives-event-in-canada-1.23214050

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New Study: Less Expensive Competency-Based Education Programs Just As Good As Traditional Programs

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Por: Forbes.com/Tom Lindsay/28-03-2018

College students and their parents find it increasingly difficult to cope with tuition hyperinflation and historically high student-loan debt. Over the last 30 years, the average tuition for a U.S. bachelor’s degree at a traditional four-year college increased more than 15 times faster than the average household income in the United States. Students who borrow graduate with an average of $27,000 in student loans. Student loan defaults slow economic growth by limiting access to credit, stifling entrepreneurship, and reducing long-term buying power.

In an effort to address this crisis, we at the Texas Public Policy Foundation commissioned Goldman Insights (Joseph Goldman, Phoebe Long, and Lillian Leone) to study of the possibilities of an alternative to traditional higher education—competency-based education (CBE). Under CBE, students earn their degrees by demonstrating their skills and knowledge in required subjects through a series of assessments. As with traditional education, they take tests and write papers; unlike traditional education, CBE degrees do not focus on “seat time” or credit hours. Rather, CBE degrees aim to certify that all its graduates are competent in their fields at or beyond a specific standard. Competency-based bachelor’s degree programs offer an alternative for nontraditional students who may not have the time or resources to complete a four-year program yet still desire a rigorous, meaningful education.

In order to develop a robust understanding of different fields within CBE, we analyzed graduates of three different competency-based programs in teaching, nursing, and organizational leadership.

What we found bodes well for students, especially those from lower-income backgrounds.

 The first paper published from the Competency-Based Education: Graduate Outcomes Study (CBE GO, I) is titled, “Career and Financial Outcomes of Graduates of Competency-based Higher Education Programs.” In it, we surveyed graduates from two leading competency-based courses of study, the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from an anonymous university (Institution X) and the Bachelor of Arts degree from the Teachers College at Western Governors University (WGU). We measured the career and financial outcomes of these graduates with those from other comparable traditional nursing and teaching programs. In addition, we interviewed graduates of South Texas College’s (STC) CBE degree in Organizational Leadership to gauge their experiences and career outcomes.

The findings of the first part of our CBE study suggest that CBE degree programs such as the Associate Degree of Nursing at Institution X and the BA degree at WGU’s Teachers College may be financially more attainable for students from a lower socio-economic background, thus opening the door for more Americans to pursue registered nurse (RN) and teaching credentials.

With regard to the CBE program in nursing (Associate Degree of Nursing), Institution X graduates were assessed using a modified version of the Work Readiness Scale, developed by Arlene Walker of Deakin University. They were also asked grit-related questions developed by Dr. Angela Duckworth as a part of her Short Grit Scale. Institution X graduates scored significantly higher in all areas, including social intelligence, organizational acumen, work competence, personal management, grit, and work readiness overall. Non-Institution X graduates surveyed who borrowed money accumulated 2.3 times more debt during their nursing education than Institution X graduates.

Interestingly, although fewer graduates from Institution X received financial assistance toward their tuition, more graduated debt-free than non-Institution X graduates.

*Fuente: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomlindsay/2018/03/27/new-study-less-expensive-competency-based-education-programs-just-as-good-as-traditional-programs/#50a8c557674d

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UNICEF: Children’s education latest victim of Yemen conflict

Noticias

Por: news.un.org/ 28-03-2018

Yemen’s education system has been devastated by the country’s brutal conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday, reporting that at least half a million children have dropped out of school since the 2015 escalation of the war.

“An entire generation of children in Yemen faces a bleak future because of limited or no access to education,” said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. “Even those who remain in school are not getting the quality education they need.”

According to “If Not In School,” the total number of out-of-school children now stands at 2 million, and almost three quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk.

An entire generation of children in Yemen faces a bleak future because of limited or no access to education.

More than 2,500 schools are out of use, with two thirds damaged by attacks, 27 per cent closed and 7 per cent used for military purposes or as shelters for displaced people.

Children risk being killed on their way to school. Fearing for their children’s safety, many parents choose to keep their children at home.

The lack of access to education has pushed children and families to dangerous alternatives, including early marriage, child labour and recruitment into the fighting.

UNICEF appeals to the warring parties, those who have influence on them, government authorities and donors to put an end to the war, pay teachers, protect children’s education unconditionally, and increase funding for education.

On 26 March 2015, a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia intervened militarily at the request of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to secure the return of the Government to Sana’a, which had been seized by Houthi militias and allied units of the armed forces when the conflict initially erupted in 2014.

Three years on, the fighting is still raging and the ensuing humanitarian crisis has only deepened in a country that was already one of the region’s poorest.

The UN, through its envoy, has been engaged in helping Yemenis to find a peaceful solution.  UN agencies and partners are also on the ground to deliver life-saving aid.

Learn more about the findings of If Not In School here.

*Fuente: https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/03/1006051

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Argentina: Aceiteros “A partir de las 22h iniciamos un paro nacional por 24 horas”

Noticias

Por: izquierdadiario.com/28-03-2018

La Izquierda Diario habló con Marco Pozzi, secretario de Salud Laboral de la Federación Aceitera. Desde las 22 h de este martes lanzaron un paro nacional de la actividad contra despidos y por aumento salarial.

Miles de docentes y estatales se movilizaron en la mañana de este martes en Rosario. Lo hicieron en rechazo de la oferta salarial del gobernador Miguel Lisfchitz. Los trabajadores aceiteros se sumaron a la marcha.

En el acto de cierre La Izquierda Diario habló con Marco Pozzi, secretario de la Salud Laboral de la Federación Aceitera, quien anunció la huelga nacional que comienza a las 22 h del mismo martes.

También se solidarizó con los trabajadores estatales y de la educación. Además repudió el discurso oficial que busca estigmatizar a los docentes por «vagos».

Por otro lado, reivindicó la tarea que cumplen los docentes en la formación de los alumnos. «A mi hijo no lo tiene de rehén ningún docente, lo tiene de rehén el Estado. Mi hijo piensa de manera libre porque tiene a un docente en frente que le enseñó que cada 24 de marzo hay que decir 30 mil veces presente», dijo. Su discurso fue muy aplaudido.

¿Por qué se movilizaron junto a los docentes y los estatales?

MP: Nos movilizamos, en principio acompañando con la propuesta de empezar a participar de sus luchas también, porque creemos que a la hora de «venir a buscarnos» no hay diferencias entre lo que estatal y lo que es privado. Las políticas son las mismas, traemos el mensaje de unir el poder de fuego tanto de los docentes estatales, los docentes privados y nosotros.

¿Cómo ves la propuesta salarial del gobierno a los trabajadores estatales?

Es un risa que a una persona antes de que cobre el aumento sabe que a ese aumento ya se lo comió la inflación, es un poco gracioso y sigue siendo la tomada de pelo que empezó hace un tiempo con ellos y esto lo profundiza.

Anunciaste en tu discurso una huelga nacional aceitera

Sí, a partir de hoy, porque nosotros ademas del conflicto en Cargill y en Huanguelén en provincia de Buenos Aires, tenemos el conflicto paritario y hoy a partir de las 22 iniciamos un paro nacional por 24 horas. Así que este es el planteo que también vinimos a contar acá y sumamos nuestra lucha a la lucha de los gremios estatales. El reclamo salarial de los aceiteros en esta etapa es del 22% que seria el salario mínimo vital y móvil que nosotros defendemos, estamos hablando de $31400.

*Fuente: http://laizquierdadiario.com/Aceiteros-A-partir-de-las-22-iniciamos-un-paro-nacional-por-24-horas

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EEUU: Apple to launch low-cost iPad for education next week

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EEUU/March 27, 2018/BY JAMES WALKER/Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com

Apple is said to be preparing a low-cost iPad for launch at a rare education-focused event next week. The company will make a revived push into classroom devices after losing ground to strong competition from Microsoft and Google.

Education software

According to a report from Bloomberg today, Apple will launch a «lost-cost iPad» for teachers and students during its event at the Lane Technical College Prep High School in Chicago next week. It comes as Apple recommits to education devices with its first dedicated event since 2012.

The device will be a new lower-cost version of Apple’s entry-level 9.7-inch iPad. Apple is also developing specialised classroom software to improve the iPad’s usability in schools. Further details on the as-yet unannounced device are currently scarce. Insiders who spoke to Bloomberg said they could not disclose more information because of the private nature of the plans.

9.7-inch iPad Pro

9.7-inch iPad Pro
Apple

The launch will see Apple make a bold re-entry into the education market. Over the past couple of years, education PC makers have become highly competitive. The industry is currently led by Microsoft’s Windows 10 and Google’s Chrome OS platforms, both of which have recently launched new education software experiences and upgraded school-oriented hardware.

Throughout the increasingly fierce battle between Microsoft and Google, Apple has so far remained on the sidelines. The rising dominance of Chrome OS, coupled with Microsoft’s renewed efforts to promote Windows 10, now seems to have prompted Apple to take action. The cheaper iPad may help it to regain its lost ground in the classroom, particularly in the U.S. market where it has struggled to compete with low-cost Chrome OS products.

Tablet convenience

It’s of note that Apple seems to be choosing the iPad as the device to spearhead its new education strategy. For years, the company has promoted the iPad as a more modern alternative to traditional PCs. Apple frequently cites advantages including the device’s portability, light weight and responsiveness as key reasons for consumers to choose one over a regular PC.

Apple may now be taking this message into classrooms. With Microsoft and Google still predominantly focused on laptops and convertibles, Apple could try to sell schools on the promise of touchscreen tablets. iPads might be simpler to distribute to students and easier to carry during the day.

Apple MacBook Pro (2016)

Apple MacBook Pro (2016)
Apple

With Apple also expected to unveil a new entry-level MacBook, the company seems to be waking up to the computing needs of schools. While MacBooks are still popular with college students, Apple’s failure to launch more low-end devices has made them uncommon in the classroom.

 Next week’s event could debut a renewed focus on education PCs, which can only be positive for teachers and students. With Microsoft, Google and now Apple now aggressively competing for classroom dominance, schools have more hardware to choose from and increasingly sophisticated software platforms. Soon, all three major ecosystems may have compelling hardware options and dedicated learning experiences, helping to digitally transform the education sector.

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Indonesia: Jakarta to improve education in Christian-majority regions

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Indonesia/March 27, 2018/By: Ryan Dagur/Source: https://www.ucanews.com

Government has increased budget for three eastern provinces where levels are among lowest in nation.

Indonesia will focus on improving the quality of education provided in three eastern, Christian-led provinces in cooperation with local churches, Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy said.

Papua, West Papua and East Nusa Tenggara consistently rank at the bottom of the table in terms of education among the country’s 34 provinces.

«We still face huge challenges, especially in [improving] public schools. But I am optimistic that working more closely with the church will make the government’s job in this area easier,» Effendy said on March 21 during a meeting with the National Council of Catholic Education (MNPK).

The MNPK, a work unit of the Bishops’ Conference, is responsible for 5,000 Catholic schools across the country.

Effendy lavished praise on the quality of education at Catholic schools, adding he wants to see what can be taken and applied in public schools.

«There are many best practices in Catholic schools that can be adopted by other schools,» he said.

The three provinces have much work to do before they can compete with other parts of the country in education quality, but Catholic schools including seminaries are generally considered a cut above.

Effendy said he visited the three provinces to discuss ways of effecting change with local government officials. They cited problems related to facilities, teachers and school management, he added.

The government raised the education budget for the three provinces this year and is likely to continue doing so to improve school facilities and install better-qualified teachers and principals, the minister said.

For East Nusa Tenggara, the government has set aside US$66 million this year, a more than fivefold increase from the US$10.9 million granted in 2017 to give students a more comprehensive education.

Effendy said the MNPK will help to organize teacher training programs and the government will support funding.

«I came to the conclusion the government cannot walk alone, so we decided to invite the private sector to participate, especially the church,» he said.

Father Vinsensius Darmin Mbula, chairman of the MNPK, welcomed the plan.

«Our commitment is to help the government with its programs,» he said.

These efforts will be bolstered by the establishment of teacher-training centers in some areas in eastern Indonesia, he added.

«We will select the teachers who will become facilitators,» he said, adding the government must continue to work with the church in order to maximize results.

«Funding for public schools is quite high but the results have been minimal,» he said.

Robertus Ombe, a resident of Benteng Jawa in East Manggarai district, East Nusa Tenggara said he hoped the government would pour in the necessary resources to make the scheme a success.

He cited the case of a junior high school that was established in his village five years ago but which local people had to donate one hectare of land to as the government did not provide it.

«Hopefully, the government will fully realize its commitments this time,» he said.

Source:

https://www.ucanews.com/news/jakarta-to-improve-education-in-christian-majority-regions/81875

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India: Education loans the newest asset class in securitisation mart

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India/ March 27, 2018/By: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com

MUMBAI: The Rs 75,000-crore education loan market, growing at over 15 per cent on a compounded annual basis since in the past decade, has become the latest asset class for securitisation.

Though banks dominate the education loan segment as it is eligible for priority sector lending, non-banking finance companies have also been steadily scaling up their loan book over the last few years.

«Well-underwritten education loan portfolios lend themselves to securitisation given the long-term nature of assets and attractive yields on the pass through certificates (PTCs). For originators, securitisation provides the much- needed capital relief and liquidity,» says Crisil in a report.

But the report is quick to add that selection of underlying pools recognising the unique characteristics of the asset class, adequate credit enhancement levels, and adequate level of liability-side structuring to ensure the right risk- return profile are essential to draw investors to this segment on a sustained basis.

Securitisation of education loans is driven by two key developments, widening of the investor base and growing demand for non-priority sector loan securitisation.

In February this year, Crisil had rated the country’s first personal loan/cash loan securitisation transaction in almost a decade and early this month it rated the PTCs backed by receivables from consumer durable loans.

Earlier this month, Crisil also rated on the country’s first education PTC by Vivriti Victor Trust originated by Avanse Financial Services.

According to Crisil, «appetite for non-priority sector asset classes will remain elevated given the increasing participation of mutual funds and NBFC treasuries in the securitisation market, and banks’ continued focus on retail asset growth.»

«Healthy demand growth for non-priority sector securitisation augurs well for the long-term growth of the securitisation market, which is facing headwinds from the wide adoption of priority sector lending certificates by banks,» concludes the report.

Source:

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