Reino Unido

Page 57 of 84
1 … 55 56 57 58 59 … 84

Reino Unido: NUT backs strike action in English schools over funding crisis

Noticias

Reino Unido/Abril de 2017/Fuente: The Guardian

Resumen: Las escuelas en Inglaterra podrían ser cerradas por huelgas antes del final del período estival, después de que el Sindicato Nacional de Maestros apoyara la acción industrial sobre la crisis de financiamiento de la educación en su conferencia anual. El voto a la huelga se produjo después de que los delegados fueran informados de niños en una escuela que pasaron dos semanas usando sombreros y abrigos en su salón de clases este invierno debido a las presiones presupuestarias. La moción aprobada significa que el sindicato considerará la acción industrial en las partes del país más afectadas por los recortes de fondos. El secretario general de NUT, Kevin Courtney, dijo que cualquier movimiento del gobierno para reducir la financiación adicional podría conducir a la huelga nacional.

Schools in England could be closed by strikes before the end of the summer term, after the National Union of Teachers backed industrial action over the education funding crisis at its annual conference.

The vote to strike came after delegates were told of children at one school who spent two weeks wearing hats and coats in their classroom this winter because of budget pressures.

The motion passed means the union will consider industrial action in the parts of the country hardest hit by funding cuts. The NUT general secretary, Kevin Courtney, said that any government moves to reduce funding further could lead to national strike.

Joanna Yurky, the co-founder of Fair Funding for All, a parent campaigning group, told the delegates in Cardiff that many schools in England were being severely affected by the crisis, with parents asked for regular contributions to meet core running costs and cover deficits.

“Schools are asking parents for regular payments to plug the funding shortfall, schools with £100k, £200k, £300k deficits begging parents for help,” she said in her speech.

“In one secondary school near me, the children were taught for the first two weeks of January with their coats and hats on because they’ve had to become a bit more careful about when they’ll turn the heating on to save money.”

Yurky added of a school in Haringey, north London: “That school can’t afford to buy the textbooks the pupils need, but they also can’t afford to photocopy them because that budget’s been cut too.”

Jackie Baker, a member of the NUT’s executive, told the conference of a school where a teacher was made to teach Spanish despite not speaking the language.

The conference passed a motion protesting against the effects of funding cuts on rising class sizes, the sacking of teaching assistants and other cuts for children with special educational needs. It also overwhelmingly backed an amendment calling for strike action in the worst affected areas.

Courtney said the union’s analysis showed that schools in England would be worse off in real terms by £3bn over the next three years. “There are places where the cuts are so bad and the degree of concern so big that strike action is a real possibility,” he said after the motion and amendments were passed.

“We will consult with colleagues in the regions about the readiness of members to do this. If Justine Greening [the education secretary] announces the funding formula is changing to make things even worse in some areas, that would be very likely to raise the level of anger in those areas to a point where action will take place.

“Already class sizes are increasing, school staff levels are being cut or jobs not being replaced, subjects are disappearing from the curriculum and materials and resources are scarce. This clearly cannot go on.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said the core schools budget in England has been protected in real terms since 2010, and will rise along with pupil numbers to £42bn by 2020.

“We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, and we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in the most cost effective ways, so that every pound of the investment we make in education has the greatest impact,” the spokesperson said.

Delegates at the NUT conference also narrowly rejected a call to affiliate the union to the Labour party.

A motion to officially affiliate the NUT to Labour for the first time was overturned by a whisker when just 50.6% backed an amendment that blocked the move.

Delegates at the NASUWT conference in Manchester passed a motion calling for the union to consider telling teachers not to hold revision classes or tutoring outside the school day.

Louis Kavanagh of Solihull, who proposed the motion, blamed “lazy students, pitiable parenting, ineffectual school discipline measures and structures putting all the burden on the class teacher”.

Fuente: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/apr/15/nut-backs-strike-action-in-english-schools-over-funding-crisis

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Reino Unido: Hungary’s assault on academic freedom is a threat to European principles

Noticias

 Europa /Reino Unido/Abril del 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

Tens of thousands of people recently demonstrated in the Hungarian capital of Budapest against attempts by their government to close the Central European University (CEU).

This was the second large-scale demonstration in Budapest in as many weeks – with protesters turning out en masse to challenge recent amendments to the national law on higher education that have been adopted by the Hungarian parliament.

As a university, CEU has a dual identity, and offers degrees accredited in both the US and Hungary. But the latest amendments make the university’s continued operation in Hungary virtually impossible. This is because the bill would require CEU to operate under a binding international agreement and to provide higher education programmes in its country of origin – the US – all within a very short time-frame.

At the time of writing, the legislation is on the desk of the Hungarian president for signature or referral to the Constitutional Court. Signature of the law would mean that the legislative changes would come into force, requiring a binding international agreement to be signed within six months of the publication of the law.

Referral to the Constitutional Court – a move which many of the protesters were calling for at the demonstration in Budapest – would mean that the law could be scrutinised for its legality and constitutionality.

Campaign against liberalism

CEU is a privately funded university with more than 1,400 students from more than 100 countries, that offers degrees accredited in both the US and Hungary. It is ranked among the top 200 universities in the world in eight disciplines. It excels in political science and international studies.

It has had its home in Budapest for more than 25 years, and is part of the life of the city. That CEU was founded after the fall of communism to promote democracy makes the current move against it all the more reprehensible.

The university, ably led by the rector Michael Ignatieff – a former Canadian politician and internationally renowned academic – has mobilised an impressive campaign for supporteSTADO DE dERECHO.

Michael Ignatieff, rector of the Central European University. Reuters.

The response has been huge – with leading academic institutions in Hungary and around the world, as well as governments, politicians and individuals condemning the moves by the Hungarian government. The hash-tag #IStandWithCEU has also been trending on Twitter.

Freedom to teach

This outpouring of support underscores the importance placed in institutions that promote education and critical thinking.

Academic freedom is also a prized European value, and countries across Europe rightfully take pride in the quality of their universities and support their development.

The freedom of universities to teach, research, and publish is fundamental to a free and open society. Article 13 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union provides that:

The arts and scientific research shall be free of constraint. Academic freedom shall be respected.

The need for such explicit protection of academic freedom is clear: universities and academics have long been targeted by autocrats because of the threat that free and critical thinking poses to their continued existence. And for an attack of this nature to take place within the EU should be cause for concern across Europe.

This is because the precedent it would set puts all academic freedom at risk. It is also a stark reminder of the need for constant vigilance to safeguard European democracies.

Targeting European values

While CEU has said that it will take all legal steps available to it to challenge the Hungarian law, this is not just a legal fight.

This move to shut an independent university poses a fundamental question as to the extent to which European values can be ignored by an EU member state. Rule of law is supposed to be central to the operation of member states – and targeting freedom of expression through the closure of academic institutions runs directly counter to this.

Threat to academic freedom and European values. Reuters

This is not the only recent move by the Hungarian Government that potentially contradicts the rule of law. In October, a major national newspaper – Népszabadság – closed alleging government pressure. And the government has also recently targeted civil society with the proposed introduction of restrictive legislation justified by national security concerns and the need for additional transparency.

There also doesn’t seem to be much understanding within Hungary as to why the threatened closure of CEU is causing such outrage. Just a few days ago, in response to the protests and influx of letters in support of CEU, the Hungarian government spokesman called the situation a “storm of political hype” that was part of a “political circus”.

The European Commission has said it will discuss the situation in Hungary – and this is an important opportunity to reinforce fundamental EU principles.

But for now, individuals, institutions and governments in the UK, and across Europe, need to take note of what is happening in Hungary, and take action to make the closure of CEU a red line that cannot be crossed.

Fuente:

https://theconversation.com/hungarys-assault-on-academic-freedom-is-a-threat-to-european-principles-76042

Fuente Imagen :

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wWKNk55We2vyg0VNd8fe-ZZ_bKh-4_P8fLqNZioV2Pb3EHaESUiIku13-f6ZjYMOtGKf6Q=s85

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Reino Unido: The contradiction at the heart of Rachel Dolezal’s ‘transracialism’

Noticias

Europa/Reino Unido/Abri

l del 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

Rachel Dolezal, the former branch president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who gained global notoriety in 2015 after being “outed” as a white woman pretending to be black, is back with a new book on race. Dolezal, who is ethnically German, now claims that she is “transracial”, a condition she compares to transgenderism. By this she means that although she was born white, she identifies with being black, arguing that race is a social construct.

Dolezal complains of further victimisation because “transracialism” is not recognised in the same way as transgenderism. And Dolezal sees herself as triply stigmatised; because of her race, because of her trans status and also because of the perceived illegitimacy of this status.

For someone like me, concerned both with race and with the role of narrative in culture, the narrative spun by Dolezal is both confounding and uniquely fascinating. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, she announced – not incorrectly, in my view – that “race is a lie”. At the same time, she laid claim to the transracialism that she demands to be accepted as a truth.

But while Dolezal has been roundly – to borrow from the old slave spiritual – rebuked and scorned by many, her claim deserves to be considered seriously. Is there really such a thing as transracialism, or is Dolezal correct in her simultaneous – if contradictory – assertion that “race is a lie”? Because in a binary universe, the two statements cannot both be true.

I’d like to tell you a story. I found it in a book of folklore collected from real folk in the American Deep South at around the turn of the last century. The story is about a black girl who is magically transformed into a white girl. While she’s the white girl she lives a charmed life, like Cinderella at the ball. But when she becomes a black girl again, she not only loses all her privileges but worse, is accused of having murdered the now-vanished white girl, and is sentenced to hang.

Now, I won’t tell you the whole story. But “passing” – when a person with mixed African and European ancestry is sufficiently light-skinned to “pass” for a white person – has a long history in the United States. This was no small matter, since during slavery, those who “passed” successfully may have been able to escape and remain undetected, living free within the white community.

Of course, this meant that, unlike the black girl in the story, any person who “passed” would need to have a substantial amount of European ancestry. Dolezal, who cosmetically modifies her skin-tone and hair-texture to assume some characteristics associated with African descent, appears to all intents and purposes as a person of mixed European and African ancestry.

‘Black’ and ‘white’

Patti Smith’s 1978 track, Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger, plays with the construction of black identity, arguing in her song for a positive re-appropriation of blackness and that “nigger” applies to anyone excluded from mainstream society: “Jimi Hendrix was a nigger, Jesus Christ and Grandma too, Jackson Pollock was a nigger, nigger, nigger, nigger”. The idea that identities are constructed and performed has gained credence in recent decades, not least associated with the academic Judith Butler’s ideas around “performativity” (Pdf) – the idea that gender roles, in particular, are largely performed as a result of acculturation and expectation rather than representing innate characteristics.

But racial identities – and race as we understand it – were constructed in support of a political caste system in a way that gendered identities were largely not, and are wholly bound up in recent legacies of slavery and colonialism.

Alexandre Dumas, author of the Three Musketeers, had a grandmother who was an African slave. Google Cultural Institute/Wikipedia

Blanket categories of “black” and “white” are an entirely modern phenomenon. In the 17th and 18th centuries, those Europeans who were actively involved in the slave trade made a point of distinguishing between different African ethnic groups; some were considered to be better house slaves, others better field slaves. The Igbo people, for instance, were considered prone to suicidal ideation, which posed problems for the incipient slaver. In the early days of “race” as we know it, there really was no sense of the generic catch-all blackness to which Dolezal lays claim.

As generations passed, ideas of “black” and “white” were further complicated by the complex striations of racial coding that were implemented both during and after slavery, across the Americas, as a consequence of voluntary and involuntary coupling between Europeans and Africans.

This led to a dizzying taxonomy of racial mixes, including (but not confined to) so-called mulattoes, quadroons, octoroons, tercerons, quintroons and beyond, depending on how many generations back a person’s African ancestry was traced. A person might be able to pass as white if their direct African ancestry was three or four generations removed – although if their relative “blackness” was discovered, it was a source not only of shame but was a precondition of legal slavery.

The reason why any of this is important is because we must recognise that the history of race is two things. It’s both a fallacy, created in support of a master-slave caste system; and it’s a complex taxonomy based on continental and ethnic inheritance.

At no level beyond metaphor is it an identity that can be selected, because the whole point of any caste system is to create fixed separations of power that cannot be changed or chosen. If they could, then everyone would choose to belong to the privileged caste – which would render the whole caste system meaningless. At the same time, inheritance is not an accident of birth. It is not a Y chromosome rather than an X, but based on real people in one’s familial line and whose histories cannot be erased retroactively.

Dolezals’s problem is this: to choose one’s racial identity irrespective of inheritance is tantamount to an admission that race does not exist. It would be one thing to adopt a black identity as a show of political resistance and solidarity, but Dolezal is instead in danger of laying claim to what is arguably a racist fantasy of “blackness”. If we fail to take her seriously, we run the risk both of ignoring the critical issues at stake and, worse, accepting uncritically Dolezal’s repurposing of racial ideology. If we are to accept that there is any such thing as “transracial” then it should be as an opportunity for all of us to transcend the politically expedient but specious categories of race.

Instead, by claiming race as some kind of mysterious inner state divorced either from its political, historical or ethnic specificity, Dolezal could do the opposite of transcending race; rather, she runs the risk of reinforcing racial and racist models by insisting that race is an innate, inner experience rather than something imposed from without.

If Dolezal is genuine in her claim that “race is a lie”, then she must recognise that her claims to transracialism are also lies. She simply cannot have it both ways; because race either is, or it isn’t.

Fuente :

https://theconversation.com/the-contradiction-at-the-heart-of-rachel-dolezals-transracialism-75820

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

United Kingdom: Scrambler bike zones and better sex education – the teen manifesto for Liverpool

Noticias

United Kingdom/April 11, 2017/ By: Tom Belger/Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Young people also call for votes at 16 and more mental health support

Teenagers in Liverpool want areas to ride scrambler bikes legally and better sex education, according to the council’s youth advisors.

More cash for mental health and youth services, cheaper public transport and compulsory political education in schools were also highlighted in the youth manifesto draft.

Teenagers in youth centres and alternative education across the city were surveyed in a bid to get a wider range of voices than just mainstream school pupils and their elected reps.

Other priorities included more support finding work in chosen industries, life skills like financial education and the right-to-vote for 16-year-olds.

Some young people said they were struggling because of benefit cuts, and said bullying, racism and homophobia should not be taboo and deserved more open discussion in schools.

Only 14% of people interviewed said they felt listened to about politics, but 79% said they would vote if they were old enough.

One young person claimed it was “extremely hard to get any support from an over-diluted service” when struggling with mental health problems and the NHS.

Several participants said having an area to use scrambler bikes safely would help reduce public or antisocial use of the controversial bikes.

The survey was carried out by a paid team aged 15-19 from the Liverpool Safeguarding Children Board Young Advisors.

Councillor Lynnie Hinnigan, mayoral lead for youth and citizen engagement, said: “This was about getting the voice of all young people.

“We have a Schools Parliament who have a manifesto, but that only reflects people engaged in school. So the young advisors went to alternative providers and youth clubs.

“Some things I obviously won’t be able to do, like votes at 16, but next year I’ll do what I can to make the 10 priorities my priorities.”

The findings will be used to help shape the annual Schools Parliament manifesto, created by elected students from schools across the city.

A council report said the survey could help shape future local authority policy, support funding applications for services and educate councillors and pupil reps on young people’s concerns.

Source:

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/scrambler-bike-zones-better-sex-12862642

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

United Kingdom: Outdoor education centre closure postponed

Noticias

United Kingdom/ April 11, 2017/Source: http://www.bbc.com/news

The proposed closure of Delamont Outdoor Education Centre in County Down has been postponed.

An Education Authority (EA) review of the centre, published last year, recommended it close on 31 March 2017.

However, the EA have now said that it will not close until responses to a consultation on the proposals are fully considered.

In November 2016, the EA announced plans to close half of its eight large outdoor residential activity centres.

It was hoped the move could save around £1.5m.

As part of the EA review, three other centres were also earmarked for closure in August 2017.

They are Bushmills Outdoor Education Centre in County Antrim, Ardnabannon Outdoor Education Centre in County Down and Killowen Outdoor Education Centre, also in County Down.

Local opposition

However, the plans met with some local opposition and 1,850 responses to the consultation on them have been received.

In a statement, the EA said that it was considering those responses.

«The review recommendations will not be implemented until this process is complete,» it said.

Delamont Outdoor Education Centre opened in 1987 and is situated within the 300-acre Delamont Country Park.

It has the capacity to accommodate up to 30 students, as well as accompanying staff on both weekdays and weekends.

However, it is only two miles away from Killyleagh Outdoor Education Centre, which is also operated by the EA.

The EA review recommended that the Killyleagh centre remain open.

Source:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-39530401

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »

Reino Unido: We asked children why they don’t get enough exercise – here’s what they said

Noticias

Europa /Reino Unido/Abril 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

Getting children off the sofa, away from the TV and outside can be a challenging task for any parent, particularly in the age of increasingly sedentary and screen-focused lives.

To stay healthy, it is currently recommended that children do at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. But this has been in decline in recent years. And now only 21% of boys and 16% of girls in England are meeting current recommendations.

This lack of activity has major implications for the health of children, including an increased risk of obesity and diabetes. Research has also shown that this can impact children’s mental health and well-being, along with their academic performance.

Children’s physical activity levels are of course influenced by a whole array of factors, including friends and family, schools and teachers, and the area they live in.

Free outdoor fun. Pexels.

To help better understand the factors that can help or hinder the physical activity levels of children today, my colleagues and I recently conducted a study to explore the barriers UK children face when it comes to being physically active.

As part of the research, we spoke to 133 children between the ages of seven and 11 in various schools in England and Wales. And discovered two main barriers for children when it comes to exercise: screen time and hectic family lifestyles. Two things that I’m sure many parents can relate to.

With this in mind, I’ve outlined below some ways you can overcome these obstacles and help get your children more active in the process.

1. Change the way children use screen time

Many of the children in the study reported having access to a wide range of screen options such as computers, tablets and mobile phones. And many of them talked about the addictive nature of being on screens – saying that they can often while away hours at a time.

One child told us how his normal weekend usually involves a high amount of screen time:

Normally, at weekends, I just wake up, watch TV. Then at nine in the morning I start playing video games, and when I have to come off, I just watch TV.

Then, a little while later I ask and they say “yes”, and so I go back on the video games. And then when I have to come off I normally watch a movie off Netflix, off my tablet.

And then straight after that I play video games. And that’s what I do. And sometimes I go to the park.

Screen time is a significant barrier for children being active, and can be addictive – but it doesn’t all have to be bad news. Setting screen time limits can help regulate children’s usage.

You can also encourage children to use their screens, apps and gadgets in a positive way, to help to get them moving.

This can include the use of pedometers or activity trackers, which can help to monitor and increase activity levels and track progress along the way.

2. Be a role model

Support and encouragement from family members is a really important factor in increasing children’s activity levels.

Our research showed that this isn’t just about being able to buy expensive equipment or driving children to after-school activities and sports clubs – it’s about setting a good example of how to live an active life.

This includes reinforcing the benefits of being active, and getting children into active habits from a young age.

Family walks can be a great weekend activity. Pexels.

Getting outdoors and in nature can be a great way to get children to see the benefits of being fit and healthy. This can include visits to green spaces, parks, playgrounds, walks and cycle tracks as part of your everyday family life.

Don’t let bad weather stop you either – take a raincoat and wellies and show the kids come rain or shine the outdoors is always an option.

3. Make the time

Modern-day family life can be pretty hectic, and it can often feel like a challenge to find the time and energy to be active. Our research revealed that many families could do with a bit of help and support to find ways to build activity into their lives. One child we spoke to told us how:

I want to be more active because me and my mum used to go for three-mile runs, but for some reason she keeps forgetting, and I keep trying to remind her but she’s always busy.

A few small changes to daily routines and a bit of forward planning can make all the difference.

Things like stopping off at the park on the way home from school for 15 minutes – or children walking or cycling whenever possible. Families can also find ways to be active indoors, including dancing and active video games. These might sound like small changes, but taken together they can have a big impact on children’s health and well-being.

Fuente :

https://theconversation.com/we-asked-children-why-they-dont-get-enough-exercise-heres-what-they-said-74272

Fuente Imagen:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/3cKoEa-MtrrwA7TbkSnbOGbWEd5zGBDN42GfSZa0ei-jMQEXpTy0vh5I6rFK7hfoUZkc_A=s85

Comparte este contenido:
Leer más »
Page 57 of 84
1 … 55 56 57 58 59 … 84