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India, Russia increase collaboration in technology & education

Noticias
Asia/India/19 de Agosto de 2016/Autora: Olga Ustyuzhanova/Fuente: RBTH.com

RESUMEN: Rusia y la India tienen una larga historia de buenas relaciones, pero su potencial está lejos de agotarse, especialmente en el ámbito de la ciencia y la educación. Con el apoyo de los gobiernos de ambos países, existen buenas perspectivas para tomar la cooperación científica y educativa a un nuevo nivel, lo que garantiza no sólo el liderazgo mundial en sectores avanzados, sino también para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas en la India y en Rusia.«Sólo la ciencia puede resolver los problemas del hambre y la pobreza, la falta de saneamiento, y el analfabetismo … Tenemos que recurrir a la ciencia para que nos ayude a cada paso … El futuro pertenece a la ciencia ya los que simpaticen con ella» escribió Jawaharlal Nehru, el primer p Ministro de la India independiente. En esta área, la India se enfrenta a dos problemas agudos – formación de personal calificado para trabajar en las industrias intensivas en conocimiento, y la creación de una infraestructura de investigación. Sin embargo, en ese momento, había muchos problemas que requieren cantidades significativas de los gastos del gobierno – como el bajo nivel de educación y la pobreza de la población. El problema de la educación superior era la falta de personal, equipamiento y capacidad de investigación. Nehru pidió al gobierno soviético de asistencia para abrir el Instituto de Tecnología de Bombay, que fue inaugurado en 1958. Fue durante este período que nacieron las relaciones entre la India y la Unión Soviética. El 2015 fue un año importante para la cooperación entre las universidades rusas e indias. Nueve indio y 21 de los principales universidades rusas firmaron una declaración para establecer la Asociación de Universidades de Rusia-India el 8 de mayo de 2015, principalmente para crear una plataforma para programas científicos y educativos conjuntos. Esta Asociación se ha convertido en una plataforma para la movilidad académica de los científicos rusos y maestros dentro del programa del gobierno de la India llamada Global Initiative Red Académica (GIAN). Como parte de GIAN, estudiosos y profesores de las universidades rusas tienen la oportunidad de dar una conferencia en las universidades indias y organizaciones de investigación, con todos los gastos a cargo de la institución de la India.

“Only science can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, poor sanitation, and illiteracy… We have to resort to science to help us at every step… The future belongs to science and to those who are friendly with it,” wrote Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India’s first Prime Minister.

In this area, India was faced with two acute problems – training of qualified personnel to work in knowledge-intensive industries, and creation of a research infrastructure. However, at that time, there were many problems that required significant amounts of government spending – such as the low level of education and poverty among the population. The problem in higher education was a lack of staff, equipment and research capacities.

Nehru appealed to the Soviet government for assistance to open the Institute of Technology in Bombay, which was opened in 1958. It was during this period that relations between India and the Soviet Union were born.

The Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, signed in August 1971, was the first official document to identify common objectives and areas of cooperation in the field of economy, science, technology and culture. The Soviet Union was actively involved in the creation of manufacturing industries in India, providing soft loans and bringing its expertise to the construction of industrial facilities.

At the same time, the USSR transferred technologies to India, involved local experts in the transfer of experience. With the assistance of the USSR, around 120,000 Indian professionals were trained between 1950 and 1980. Scientific and technical cooperation was hived off into a separate priority area in 1987, within the framework of the Integrated Long Term Program of Scientific and Technical Cooperation, for which an agreement was signed by leaders of both countries.

The reforms which occurred in both countries in the 1990s did not change their commitment to the chosen path, and the Comprehensive Long-term Programme, for the years 2000 to 2010, was signed. This was the main mechanism to collaborate in the scientific and technical sphere, to develop joint fundamental and applied research, and to create new technologies and joint ventures. A total of 71 institutes in Russia and 55 institutes and laboratories in India were involved in the implementation of this programme.

The most successful area of cooperation was biotechnology. India’s first polio vaccine was jointly developed, producing 100 million doses of the vaccine annually. BIBCOL Corporation (Bharat Immunological and Biologicals Corporation Limited) was created to produce these vaccines.

Cooperation in the field of laser technology helped to open a specialized TB facility in India, where the disease is treated with lasers provided by Russia. Active cooperation in the aviation sphere includes not only joint development, but also the training of Indian specialists. This made it possible to build the National Aerospace Laboratory, the first experimental aviation design bureau in the history of India.

The Indo-Russian Centre for geophysical instrument manufacturing was built in the city of Chandigarh. Russian sensors with Indian digital recording devices allowed organizing an observation network to forecast earthquakes, consistent with the global network. The Institute of Nuclear Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Centre for Advanced Technology in Indore, with the participation of the Atomic Research Center in Bombay, set up an industrial electron accelerator – the ILU-6. In Indore, a unique radiochemical research centre is being built.

Financial support provided for scientific cooperation is also expanding, from both governments. An annual programme of joint tenders and projects has been functional since 2007, realized by the Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, with funding of up to $20,000 for each project being provided by both countries. Over the years, this programme has supported 133 joint research projects, of which 88 have been successfully completed.

2015 was an important year for cooperation between Russian and Indian universities. Nine Indian and 21 leading Russian universities signed a declaration to establish the Russian-Indian Universities Association on May 8, 2015, primarily to create a platform for joint scientific and educational programmes. This Association has become a platform for academic mobility of Russian scientists and teachers within the Indian government’s programme called Global Initiative Academic Network (GIAN). As part of GIAN, scholars and teachers of Russian universities have the opportunity to lecture at Indian universities and research organizations, with all expenses borne the Indian institution.

Russia and India have a long history of good relations, but their potential is far from exhausted, particularly in the sphere of science and education. With the support of the governments of both countries, good prospects exist to take scientific and educational cooperation to a new level, ensuring not only world leadership in advanced sectors, but also for improving the quality of life of the people in India, and in Russia.

Fuente: https://in.rbth.com/economics/cooperation/2016/08/18/india-russia-increase-collaboration-in-technology-education_621987

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Estados Unidos: A textbook debate over minorities and civic education

Noticias

América del Norte/Estados Unidos/19 de Agosto de 2016/Autor: Durba Ghosh/Fuente: San Francisco Chronicle

RESUMEN: Cuando se reanuden las clases, los estudiantes de los Estados Unidos van a recibir los libros de texto de estudios sociales que se han debatido, reescritos y actualizados con los nuevos conocimientos. En California, los debates sobre lo que debe incluirse y cómo debe ser presentado ha sido objeto de un intenso debate en los últimos 20 años, y más reciente acaba de resolverse. ¿Cuáles son realmente estos debates, y por qué  escribir la historia es tan importante? La primavera pasada, los padres y los estudiantes de la India, con el apoyo de las bases Uberoi e hindúes americanos revisaron  los libros de texto de estudios sociales de secundaria. Ellos abogaron por el uso de «India» sobre «el sur de Asia» para referirse a los territorios del subcontinente indio, con el argumento de que el sur de Asia no reflejaba su identidad como indios. Asia del Sur incluye a las naciones de la India, Afganistán, Pakistán, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka y las Maldivas. Además, el grupo instó a que los libros de texto borran toda mención de castas en la India, representan el Islam y el sijismo como ajeno al sur de Asia, y muestran que el tratamiento de las mujeres ha sido históricamente una alta prioridad para las personas que viven en el subcontinente indio.  Quienes se oponen a los cambios incluyen una amplia coalición de académicos, padres, maestros y miembros de otras diásporas del sur de Asia (Sri Lanka, Afganistán, Nepal, Dalit). Ellos argumentaron que los hechos acerca de la casta y la situación de la India como una sociedad secular que había sido receptivo a la aparición del budismo, el sijismo y el Islam debe recibir prioridad históricamente establecida.Después de varias audiencias públicas y reuniones, la Comisión de Calidad de Instrucción de California acordó mantener todas las referencias a la naturaleza jerárquica del sistema de castas, pero accedió a cambiar el sur de Asia hasta la India, salvo en unos pocos lugares.Estos debates sobre qué términos a utilizar en un libro de historia puede parecer poco importante. Sin embargo, se obtienen de las preguntas que son fundamentales en cualquier democracia, preguntas acerca de la participación ciudadana y cómo las minorías deben ser tratadas por las comunidades mayoritarias. Por un lado, activistas ciudadanos que tienen un interés en el proceso cívico que lleva a los libros de texto que se adoptan en un programa de estudios es el tipo de activismo cívico positivo que las democracias liberales deben apoyar; por el contrario, estas formas de activismo pueden introducir al pensamiento mayoritario en la educación, empujando a los estudiantes a excluir a las minorías y a los que son diferentes.

As schools reopen, students across the United States will be receiving social studies textbooks that have been debated, rewritten and updated with new knowledge and research. In California, debates over what should be included and how it should be presented has been the subject of fierce debate over the past 20 years, with the most recent just resolved.

What are these debates really about, and why is writing history so important?

This past spring, Indian parents and students, supported by the Uberoi and Hindu American foundations, mobilized over middle-school social studies textbooks. They advocated for the use of “India” over “South Asia” to denote the territories of the Indian subcontinent, arguing that South Asia did not reflect their identities as Indians. South Asia includes the nations of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

In addition, the group urged that textbooks erase all mention of caste in India, represent Islam and Sikhism as alien to South Asia, and show that the treatment of women was historically a high priority for those living on the Indian subcontinent. Many of those proposing changes argued from a position of injury and suggested that they were harmed or were at risk for being bullied because of Americans misunderstanding Hindu cultures.

Notably, the historical perspective that the Hindu American and Uberoi foundations supported led to a particular kind of history for India (not South Asia) that came at the expense of diversity.

Opponents to the changes included a broad-based coalition of scholars, parents, teachers and members of South Asia’s other diasporas (Sri Lankan, Afghan, Nepali, Dalit). They argued that historically established facts about caste and India’s status as a secular society that had been receptive to the emergence of Buddhism, Sikhism and Islam should receive priority.

After several public hearings and meetings, the California Instructional Quality Commission agreed to keep all references to the hierarchical nature of the caste system, but agreed to change South Asia to India in all but a few places.

These debates about what terms to use in a history textbook may seem unimportant. But they draw from questions that are central to any democracy, questions about civic participation and how minorities should be treated by majority communities. On the one hand, citizen activists taking an interest in the civic process that leads to textbooks being adopted in a school curriculum is the kind of positive civic activism that liberal democracies should support; on the other hand, these forms of activism can introduce majoritarian thinking into education, prodding students to exclude minorities and those who are different.

Common to these debates in India and the United States is a tension between majorities and minorities and the question of how to create a culture of diversity and inclusion when one group challenges another over what counts as historical knowledge about “their” communities.

If we can agree that social studies is intended to inform civic education, with the hope that young students will be engaged and involved citizens in the future, we should teach children a history that is complex and sensitive to what is positive about a given society or culture, as well as what is problematic (such as a caste system in which some members of communities were seen to be inauspicious or polluted).

In California, a process of public debate was intended to be inclusive and sensitive to a broadly conceived public, but it pitted several minority groups against one another. In the compromise forged by the commission, the textbooks ended up excluding any mention of “South Asians,” thus further marginalizing populations whose existence has been relegated to a time and space outside history. They should be working toward the goal of inclusion.

Schoolchildren should receive the kind of education that clarifies that the United States of America was built on a diversity that honors the unique histories of all minority groups.

Fuente: http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/A-textbook-debate-over-minorities-and-civic-9171711.php

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México: Banco Mundial financia proyectos de educación en Chihuahua

Noticias

América del Norte/México/19 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: Terra

El Consejo Nacional de Fomento Educativo (Conafe) en Chihuahua recibió 22 millones de pesos del programa de financiamiento del Banco Mundial que destinará a actividades de sus programas educativos.

En un comunicado el Consejo destacó que el Programa de Educación Inicial y Apoyo Pedagógico Itinerante, ejes rectores del nuevo modelo académico de la institución, fueron los beneficiarios del apoyo económico, producto del convenio nacional de financiamiento del organismo internacional y Conafe.

El subdirector de Cooperación con Organismos Financieros Internacionales Conafe, Arturo Rodríguez Marmolejo, señaló que este convenio se estableció para desarrollar el «Proyecto para la reducción de la desigualdad de las oportunidades educativas», el cual se aplicó desde septiembre de 2015 hasta junio pasado.

Destacó que a nivel nacional existe el respaldo del Banco Mundial por 150 millones de dólares; de ellos, el 77 por ciento es para financiar toda la educación inicial de Fomento Educativo en territorio mexicano, 20 por ciento en apoyo pedagógico itinerante y tres por ciento para servicios de consultoría y asistencia técnica.

Recordó que el organismo, en un lapso de 23 años, ha ejecutado un total de 10 programas con el financiamiento internacional, de los cuales siete fueron en conjunto con el Banco Mundial y siete con el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.

Rodríguez Marmolejo explicó que este tipo de apoyos económicos a la cadena educativa del Programa de Educación Inicial ayudan en el fortalecimiento de estrategias formativas que aplica Conafe en 940 comunidades de Chihuahua para el desarrollo integral de la población, a través del combate del rezago educativo y marginación.

Fuente: https://noticias.terra.com/mundo/latinoamerica/banco-mundial-financia-proyectos-de-educacion-en-chihuahua,397a4720b88a4864a15e1ec207b7cb4143wo5j5l.html

Fuente de la imagen: https://prepanetnl.wordpress.com/category/la-situacion-de-la-educacion-en-mexico/

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El Salvador: Equipo de robótica crea sistema de cultivo hidropónico

Noticias

Centroamérica/El Salvador/19 de Agosto de 2016/Autora: Alma Hernández/Fuente: La Prensa Gráfica

Cinco estudiantes de bachillerato del Instituto Nacional de El Coyolito, en Chalatenango, participaron en la 3.ª Feria de Robótica departamental. Con el objetivo de presentar un proyecto autosustentable y de beneficio para la comunidad, los alumnos de segundo y tercer año desarrollaron un sistema de cultivo hidropónico y crianza de peces, a partir de agua reutilizada. “Nuestra comunidad se mantiene de la pesca y agricultura. Estos sectores son nuestra principal fuente de sustento económico, por lo que quisimos crear un sistema que facilitara el trabajo y ayudara a la producción”, comentó Bryan González, de 17 años.

Si bien, dentro de la feria escolar obtuvieron el quinto lugar, actualmente los jóvenes se encuentran mejorando el prototipo para en un futuro ofrecer su propuesta a la alcaldía local y echar a andar el proyecto a mayor escala.

Son tres años los que el programa escolar de robótica lleva funcionando en la institución educativa; sin embargo, gracias a su esfuerzo e interés por el conocimiento los estudiantes han logrado destacar con sus ideas y propuestas tecnológicas. Hace un año los jóvenes crearon un semáforo programado con cámara de seguridad, el cual alertó a las autoridades sobre accidentes en la zona.

Además de preocuparse por su comunidad, los estudiantes también mantienen conciencia ecológica y es por ello que muchas de las herramientas y materiales que utilizan son reciclados. “La tecnología verde es el futuro. Hoy todos debemos ser responsables con nuestro planeta al momento de crear cualquier cosa y crear conciencia sobre el uso de objetos reciclados”, aseguró el alumno Érving Emir Chicas, de segundo año de bachillerato.

La comunidad educativa dice sentirse satisfecha con el programa de robótica, ya que además de desarrollar habilidades en los estudiantes les permite abrir horizontes y establecer metas. “Gracias a estos proyectos los jóvenes tienen la oportunidad de salir adelante y destacar en áreas técnicas”, finalizó el docente Julio Morán.

Fuente: http://www.laprensagrafica.com/2016/08/18/equipo-de-robotica-crea-sistema-de-cultivo-hidroponico

Fuente de la imagen: http://ntrzacatecas.com/2016/03/28/mexico-una-potencia-mundial-en-robotica-gracias-a-sus-jovenes/

 

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Sudáfrica: Little Progress for Youth With Disabilities

Noticias

África/Sudáfrica/19 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: HRW.org

RESUMEN: Sudáfrica ha avanzado poco en hacer frente a la discriminación y la exclusión que sufren los niños con discapacidades cuando se accede a las escuelas, Human Rights Watch y la Sección 27, dijo hoy. El Gobierno Nacional de Sudáfrica tiene que tomar medidas urgentes para demostrar su compromiso con la educación inclusiva.   Mientras que altos funcionarios del gobierno han hecho declaraciones alentadoras acerca de la inclusión de todos los niños en la educación, el gobierno no se ha traducido su compromiso en acción. LaSección 27, un centro de abogados líder sudafricano de interés público, llevó a cabo una nueva investigación que demuestra violaciónes generalizadas y graves de los derechos de los niños con discapacidades, incluyendo la actual discriminación y la falta de medidas concretas para abordar áreas de alta exclusión en el Distrito Umkhanyakude de KwaZulu -Natal. Basado en entrevistas con 100 cuidadores de niños con discapacidades y las visitas a las escuelas especiales y 14 de servicio completo,  describe la situación allí como un «apartheid racial y discapacidad dual en el sistema educativo de Sudáfrica.»

South Africa has made little progress in addressing the discrimination and exclusion faced by children with disabilities when accessing schools, Human Rights Watch and Section 27 said today. South Africa’s national government needs to take urgent action to demonstrate its commitment to inclusive education.

Section 27, a leading South African public interest law center, conducted new research demonstrating widespread and severe violations of the rights of children with disabilities, including the ongoing discrimination and the lack of concrete action to address areas of high exclusion in the Umkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Based on interviews with 100 caregivers of children with disabilities and visits to 14 special and full-service schools, it described the situation there as a “dual racial and disability apartheid in South Africa’s education system.”

“While senior government officials have made encouraging statements about inclusion of all children in education, the government has not translated its commitment into action,” said Elin Martínez, children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The government is failing thousands of children and young people with disabilities who are being denied their right to inclusive education.”

Nongovernmental organizations have repeatedly called for clarity on the numbers of children with disabilities who remain out of school, as well as for explicit budget lines for inclusive education in national and provincial budgets. Human Rights Watch has also said the government should stop segregating children with disabilities, and ensure that they are accommodated and guaranteed quality education in mainstream schools.

The government has not yet presented accurate data to show how many children with disabilities are out of school and continues to rely on estimates and outdated data.

In November 2015, the minister of basic education, Angelina Motshekga, announced that the Department of Basic Education would take major steps to strengthen the implementation of its inclusive education policy. In March 2016, President Jacob Zuma announced his commitment that “all government institutions must ring fence a budget for participation by and empowerment of young persons with disabilities, and must report annually on the impact of these programmes.”

Yet, the government’s 2016-2017 budget does not have a dedicated budget line for inclusive education, and does not stipulate financial support for full service schools, which would be adapted or built to accommodate children with disabilities and provide specialized services and attention in a mainstream environment. The Department of Basic Education stated that it has budgeted R6.3 billion (US$450 million) for special schools in 2016, and allocated funds for workbooks for visually impaired learners.

Research conducted from 2013 to 2015 by Section 27 in Umkhanyakude District, in northeast KwaZulu-Natal, found that schools are not provided with sufficient and consistent funding to accommodate students with disabilities. Both special and full service schools in the district report serious problems with infrastructure and access to basic services.

While some full service schools receive as much as R273,000 (US$20,000) for this purpose, one school reported receiving as little as R22,000 (US$1,600) from the province’s Department of Education as recently as 2014/15. Full service schools report that they have too few classrooms, with multi-grade classrooms shared by as many as 89 children.

Chronic underfunding also affects special schools around the country, particularly those in rural areas like the Umkhanyakude District. Although the district’s three special schools have been built recently and appear impressive at first sight, they lack furniture and facilities needed by children with disabilities.

Human Rights Watch and Section 27 acknowledged the government’s attempts to carry out its screening, identification, assessment, and support policy, to ensure that all children are screened for learning barriers. Where the policy has been carried out correctly and understood by local education officials, it is increasing support for children with disabilities who are adequately assessed. However, the policy is not being uniformly rolled out in many rural areas, in many cases due to a lack of resources and the absence of qualified education personnel.

Beyond assessments, the government should ensure that adequate support and reasonable accommodations are provided in mainstream schools, to ensure that more children with disabilities can get quality education in inclusive environments.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will review South Africa’s record on September 19-20, 2016. Nongovernmental organizations have submitted evidence on the discrimination faced by children with disabilities in education. They urged the committee to recommend that South Africa should adopt adequate legislation to protect the right to education of children with disabilities, and allocate adequate resources to guarantee more children with disabilities access inclusive schools.

“We acknowledge the department’s intent to make a budget available to strengthen special schools for an inclusive education system,” said Silomo Khumalo, legal researcher at Section 27. “However, intent is not good enough. It must be supported with action. Funds from the Treasury must be allocated. We measure the department’s success by the standard set by the constitutionally entrenched right to basic education and children with disabilities’ right to equality. This right applies to all children, including children with disabilities, right now.”

New Evidence of Exclusion of Children with Disabilities
Section 27’s August 2016 report, “‘Too Many Left Behind’: Exclusion in the South African Inclusive Education System,” documents widespread violations of the rights of children with disabilities in the Umkhanyakude District of KwaZulu-Natal. Section 27 found violations against poor black children with disabilities so severe that it described the situation as a “dual racial and disability apartheid in South Africa’s education system” that amounts to systemic violations of children’s constitutional rights to basic education, equality, and dignity.

Based on interviews with 100 caregivers of children with disabilities, and visits to three special schools and 11 full service schools in the district, Section 27 found that a large number of children with disabilities in the district do not have – and may never have had – access to school. A study in Manguzi in 2001 estimated that 53 percent of children with disabilities “did not attend school,” and of those who did, 53 percent “reported having difficulties at school.”

At special schools, teachers struggle to teach the curriculum – both because they don’t have the requisite skills to teach children with varying barriers to learning, and because their classes are too big to give children individual attention and support.

Out of the 11 full service schools in the district, only two have any transportation provided by the province’s Department of Education. One of the schools, with an enrollment of 1,000 learners, has a bus that transports 120 children on a specific route. The second school shares a single bus with seven other schools in its area, and the principal must provide a list of only the children with the greatest need to receive the service. Many children on the list refuse to use the bus, saying they are bullied by high school students who also use the bus.

The nine remaining schools have no transportation or budget to help children with transportation. The schools say that the provincial Department of Education has been made well aware of their desperate need for transportation.

Ten of the 11 full service schools in the district are primary schools. Only one of the 14 schools in the district that serves children with disabilities – Somfula Secondary School – is a high school. This school has such limited space that it largely only accepts students from its primary school. Most children with intellectual, sensory, or severe physical disabilities cannot go beyond grade seven or attain a National Senior Certificate in their own district.

A government report released in November 2015 estimates that Kwazulu-Natal has as many as 182,153 children ages 5 to 18 with disabilities, but that as many as 137,889 – 76 percent – may not be receiving any schooling.

Selected Accounts
A parent of an 8-year-old boy with physical and intellectual disabilities in Manguzi, said:

The doctors [at Manguzi Hospital] referred my son to Sisizakele [special school], and I was told that he would be placed on a waiting list and I would receive a call. I have still not received a call. He was delayed in learning to walk and talk, though he will laugh sometimes. Now he can even bathe himself. But he can’t read or write and is very slow at school, and still struggles to speak properly. The local school indicated that they couldn’t cope with him after he had been there for a year.

He is eight years old. He has been out of school for more than two years. Both my son and I are hurt that he is not in school. It means that the teachers think my son is nothing compared to other people.

The head of department at a special school said:

Some learners leave the school, and then find somewhere to do grade seven, and then receive further education. Others cannot, because they are fully dependent and would require another special school to do so, even if they could cope with the content of higher grades. [There are] three children currently at the school who have the potential to go to grade seven after being educated at [our special school]; but because they are in wheelchairs, they cannot be taken to another school.

A principal at a full-service school said:

It is more important to have transport, because there are learners with disabilities at the school. There is a grade four learner who is epileptic, and he does not want to walk so far and so will fight with his parents. There is another learner in the school who has a physical disability who walks far to school, and sometimes when she arrives she will complain that she feels sick and so she can’t learn. This child has a limp, and must walk 10 kilometers to school. One side of her body does not work properly.

Fuente: https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/08/19/south-africa-little-progress-youth-disabilities

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Kenia: Future of innovation in varsities lies in cooperation with business

Noticias

Kenia / 17 de agosto de 2016 / Por: Beatrice Muganda / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke/

The increasing demand for university education in Africa and the huge intersecting challenges remain unparalleled, giving new impetus to the search for solutions.

First, enrolment is rising without universities increasing their capacities to deliver quality education aligned to the continent’s needs.

Second, raising revenue through fees clearly is not the answer to funding shortfalls, particularly in public universities.

This policy has continued to lock out poor students who cannot pay.

Universities would be better able to make meaningful contributions to society if they worked with the private sector to develop innovations that people need.

One trick that policy makers are missing is involving the informal business, which is growing across the continent.

According to the African Development Bank, the sector employs around 80 per cent of the workforce and accounts for 40 per cent of the overall gross domestic product.

A more imaginative and engaged approach to informal business would spur its growth, position universities as socially relevant, and help galvanise new sources of funding.

For example, many African countries have embraced the use of motorcycle taxis, or boda boda in Kenya.

With enough support for engineering departments, African states can produce motorcycles and their spare parts locally rather than rely on expensive imports.

The booming music industry is another space where university art studios can establish commercial units that support the digital distribution of music products.

HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH

In fact, universities should have originated ideas for the M-Pesa money transfer system, an innovation that has become a game changer in technology and business.

Universities are failing to engage properly with businesses in the formal sector and indeed, African academics and international organisations have expressed concern about this.

They cite factors such as businesses’ lack of confidence in the universities to undertake sophisticated research and innovation, small size of industry and business, and the mismatch between university research strength and regional industry.

To reverse this trend, a large proportion of public financing for universities should go to high quality research to attract private investment in science parks along with technology and business incubators in academic institutions.

These initiatives may be modest, only involving small- and medium-sized enterprises, but they could expand and become business enterprises that generate revenue for universities.

An example is the Taifa laptop, developed by a joint project of the government and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology for primary schools.

The returns from commercialised research can make additional resources available to fund other university programmes such as scholarships, basic research infrastructure, and researchers’ allowances.

However, for universities to move into the innovation sector, governments should provide seed funds.

And yet few African countries have honoured their commitment to invest at least one per cent of their GDP in research by 2010.

Another challenge is that university researchers and innovators rarely meet with entrepreneurs and their counterparts in the private sector.

Universities can change this by establishing or revamping offices that foster partnerships and increasing the number of joint activities with partners.

It is obvious that industry players can only work with universities if they are sure that their interests are protected and a return on their investment is guaranteed.

Effective university leadership is, therefore, critical to honour commitments in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect so as to manage partnerships effectively.

The leadership wrangles in a number of Kenyan universities should be resolved to allow the focus to turn to reforms and initiatives that promote the growth of the institutions.

Dr Muganda is director of higher education at the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, Nairobi. Kenya@pasgr.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Future-of-innovation-lies-with-varsity-business-cooperation/440808-3348268-ws026f/index.html

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Nueva Zelanda: New online education tool launched

Noticias

Oveanía/Nueva Zelanda/19 de Agosto de 2016/Fuente: Indian News Link

RESUMEN: Educación de Nueva Zelanda (ENZ) ha lanzado hoy una nueva herramienta en línea para ayudar a los proveedores internacionales de educación reclutar y apoyar a los estudiantes internacionales. «El Laboratorio de Habilidades es un gran nuevo recurso para las instituciones más pequeñas que no tienen mucha experiencia en este sector complejo y será particularmente útil para los recién llegados a la industria», dice Grant McPherson, presidente ejecutivo de ENZ. «En el corazón del Laboratorio de Habilidades son proyectos prácticos que caminan a través de los proveedores de pasos que deben tomar para lograr un crecimiento sostenible. «Este enfoque basado en proyectos significa que los proveedores pueden elegir las áreas en las que más necesitan apoyo y se aplican las nuevas habilidades y procesos de inmediato a sus operaciones del día a día a medida que trabajan a través de un proyecto». Actualmente hay 55 proyectos en el Laboratorio de Habilidades, con más previstos para el desarrollo en el futuro. Los proyectos incluyen una amplia gama de temas tales como la investigación de mercado, la realización de análisis de la competencia, el manejo de quejas en las redes sociales y el uso de intérpretes.«Educación Nueva Zelanda se compromete a aumentar la capacidad de los proveedores internacionales de educación en este país, y para apoyar el crecimiento continuado en la industria.»El Laboratorio de Habilidades se puso en marcha en la Conferencia Internacional de Educación de Nueva Zelanda 2016, que se celebra hoy y mañana (18 – 19 Agosto) en Auckland.

Education New Zealand (ENZ) has today launched a new online tool to help international education providers recruit and support international students.

“The Skills Lab is a great new resource for smaller institutions who don’t have a lot of experience in this complex sector and will be particularly useful to newcomers to the industry,” says Grant McPherson, ENZ Chief Executive.

“At the heart of the Skills Lab are practical projects which walk providers through the steps they need to take to achieve sustainable growth.

“This project-based approach means that providers can choose the areas where they most need support and apply the new skills and processes immediately to their day-to-day operations as they work through a project.”

Currently there are 55 projects on the Skills Lab, with more planned for development in the future. Projects include a wide range of topics such as researching a market, undertaking competitor analysis, handling complaints on social media and using interpreters.

Strategic partnership

The Skills Lab has been designed in partnership with experienced international education providers. It responds to a need for comprehensive online support services to industry available anytime, anywhere in the world.

The Skills Lab sits alongside Education New Zealand’s Brand Lab, which provides institutions with downloadable branding and marketing collateral and resources to support their international marketing efforts.

“Initial feedback on the Skills Lab has been extremely positive, with providers indicating that it will be a valuable resource for training and upskilling the industry,” says Mr McPherson.

“Today’s launch is a starting point and we expect to add more specialised content to the project list, in partnership with industry.

“Education New Zealand is committed to increasing the capability of international education providers in this country, and to supporting continued growth in the industry.”

The Skills Lab was launched at the New Zealand International Education Conference 2016, being held today and tomorrow (18 – 19 August) in Auckland.

Fuente: http://www.indiannewslink.co.nz/new-online-education-tool-launched/

Fuente de la imagen: https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/view/122054-nueva-zelanda-cambiar-bandera

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