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Los sindicatos de docentes del Pacífico trabajan para implementar el Programa 2030

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Oceania/Islas FIJI/PrensaIE

Los dirigentes de los sindicatos de docentes han iniciado el primer taller de consulta regional sobre el Programa de Educación 2030, con el fin de reflexionar sobre distintas maneras de lograr los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en el Pacífico.

El taller de consulta se celebra después de que los Estados miembros de las Naciones Unidas aprobaran en noviembre el Marco de Acción para la Educación 2030, un marco cuyo objetivo es respaldar a todos los países para realizar su propia visión y ambición de la educación, especialmente dentro del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) nº 4 y sus metas. El Council of Pacific Education (COPE) y la Internacional de la Educación (IE) organizaron el taller conjuntamente.

Garantizar una educación de calidad inclusiva y equitativa para todos en 2030 en la región del Pacífico

El taller, que tendrá lugar del 6 al 8 de septiembre en Nadi, Islas Fiyi, y en el que participan en torno a 40 dirigentes sindicales de la región del Pacífico, se centra en fomentar la comprensión y el conocimiento que poseen los docentes y los dirigentes sindicales sobre el ODS 4, con el fin de garantizar una educación de calidad inclusiva y equitativa y de promover oportunidades de aprendizaje permanente para todos hacia el año 2030. Su objetivo es desarrollar un entendimiento común acerca de los ODS 4, 5 y 8, así como diseñar una hoja de ruta y un plan de acción sindical para lograr la educación de calidad y las metas previstas para 2030.

En su discurso de apertura, el Asesor de Política Social de la Secretaría del Foro de las Islas del Pacífico, Filipe Jitoko, recordó a los asistentes la Iniciativa del Plan del Pacífico y el Marco de Desarrollo para la Educación del Pacífico. Asimismo, explicó a los delegados de qué forma está integrado el ODS 4 en los planes educativos regionales y nacionales, así como la colaboración que existe entre los socios regionales e internacionales en el Pacífico. Por otra parte, Jitoko puso de manifiesto que, a pesar de los muchos desafíos a los que se enfrenta la región, los gobiernos están comprometidos a superar los obstáculos y a responsabilizarse ante los ODS, especialmente en lo que respecta a prestar una educación de calidad para todos.

Proporcionando una perspectiva global sobre el Programa de Educación 2030, el Secretario General del Council of Pacific Education (COPE) y Coordinador Principal de la región de Asia Pacífico de la IE, Govind Singh, destacó el proceso consultivo de desarrollo de los ODS basado en las lecciones aprendidas de los anteriores Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM), los objetivos de la Educación para Todos (EPT), el viaje desde Jomtien a Incheon a través de Dakar, así como el papel fundamental que desempeñan los sindicatos a la hora de garantizar el cumplimiento de los objetivos educativos para el año 2030.

Lograr el Programa de Educación 2030 y los ODS, una responsabilidad de los gobiernos del Pacífico

La representante de la UNESCO en Bangkok, Malisa Santigul, ofreció una breve descripción del ODS 4 y aportó varias actualizaciones mundiales y regionales, presentando los progresos realizados por los países del Pacífico. En su intervención prosiguió informando a los delegados sobre los desafíos a los que se enfrenta la región, e hizo hincapié en cómo los sindicatos de docentes pueden participar en la implementación y el seguimiento del ODS 4 en los distintos países.

En el transcurso del taller, los participantes elaborarán planes de acción nacionales para implantar estrategias de incidencia efectivas, con el fin de influir en los gobiernos nacionales y garantizar la plena implementación de los ODS y sus metas.

Fuente: https://www.ei-ie.org/spa/detail/15344/los-sindicatos-de-docentes-del-pac%C3%ADfico-trabajan-para-implementar-el-programa-2030

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Nueva Zelanda: Four new charter schools announced by govt

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Nueva Zelanda/Septiembre de 2017/Fuente: RNZ

Resumen:  El Gobierno Nacional ha anunciado cuatro nuevas escuelas charter, incluyendo la primera en la Isla Sur y Gisborne. El subsecretario de Educación David Seymour dijo que abriría en 2019. Incluyen un puesto avanzado de Christchurch de la escuela militar de la vanguardia de Auckland y una High School secundaria para los niños desde los años nueve a 11 en Gisborne, Tūranga Tangata Rite. Este último sería dirigido por Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa, que representa los intereses de Rongowhakata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri y Te Aitanga a Māhaki. También habrá una escuela secundaria bilingüe maorí para ir con la escuela primaria dirigida por la Manukau Urban Māori Authority en South Auckland y City Senior School, una escuela de la ciudad de Auckland con un enfoque en ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería, matemáticas y artes.

The National government has announced four new charter schools, including the first in the South Island and Gisborne. Under-secretary of education David Seymour said they would open in 2019.

They include a Christchurch outpost of Auckland’s Vanguard Military School, and an iwi-run junior high school for children in years nine to 11 in Gisborne, Tūranga Tangata Rite.

The latter would be run by Te Runanga o Turanganui a Kiwa, which represents the interests of Rongowhakata, Ngai Tāmanuhiri and Te Aitanga a Māhaki.

There will also be a Māori bilingual secondary school to go with the primary school run by the Manukau Urban Māori Authority in South Auckland, and City Senior School, an inner-city Auckland school with a focus on science, technology, engineering, maths and arts.

There are currently 10 charter or partnership schools, with two more scheduled to open next year.

Mr Seymour said the announcement could not be delayed until after the election because the schools needed time to set up.

«The number of applications that we have and the number of partnership schools that are now over-subscribed shows there is a need for this and why shouldn’t we get some more opened,» he said.

Asked if the schools were being set up in areas that needed more schools, Mr Seymour said that would be proven by parental demand.

«These schools get paid for the number of students that choose to attend them and whether or not there’s a need for them is up to those students and parents.»

He was confident the schools would survive any change of government that might follow this month’s general elections, noting strong Labour Party connections to two of the schools and general support for the schools among Māori.

«I think they would be mad to do anything to these schools because fundamentally, they are succeeding academically,» he said.

Teacher unions were critical of the announcement.

Post Primary Teachers Association president Jack Boyle said Ministry of Education figures showed only 59.7 percent of charter school leavers from charter schools left with NCEA level 2 or above last year, compared to a system-wide figure of 80.3 percent.

«Opening charter schools is not going to raise the achievement of our children. It’s not going to close any gaps. It’s not going to level any playing fields. The only thing charter schools do successfully is reward mediocrity by using scarce education money to prop up private owners,» he said.

Educational Institute president Lynda Stuart said the money spent on charter schools should be spent on support for children with special needs.

Fuente: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/338911/four-new-charter-schools-announced-by-govt

 

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Australia: Research shows the importance of parents reading with children – even after children can read

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Oceanía/Australia/Septiembre del 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

Many of us will be able to recall the enjoyment of shared reading: being read to and sharing reading with our parents. However, my research has found that of the 997 Year 4 and Year 6 respondents at 24 schools who took part in the 2016 Western Australian Study in Children’s Book Reading, nearly three-fifths reported that they were not being read to at home.

A sample of these children also participated in interviews, where I asked them how they felt about shared reading. While a few children did not mind no longer being read to, others were disappointed when it stopped. For example, when I asked Jason about his experience of being read to by his parents, he explained:

… they kind of stopped when I knew how to read. I knew how to read, but I just still liked my mum reading it to me.

His experience is common, with other recent research suggesting that more than one-third of Australian respondents aged six to 11 whose parents had stopped reading to them wanted it to continue.

But why is it so important for us to keep reading with our children for as long as possible?

Research has typically found that shared reading experiences are highly beneficial for young people. Benefits of shared reading include facilitating enriched language exposure, fostering the development of listening skills, spelling, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and establishing essential foundational literacy skills. They are also valued as a shared social opportunity between parents and their children to foster positive attitudes toward reading.

When we read aloud to children it is also beneficial for their cognitive development, with parent-child reading activating brain areas related to narrative comprehension and mental imagery. While most of the research in this area focuses on young children, this does not mean that these benefits somehow disappear as children age.

As young people’s attitudes towards reading reflect their experiences of reading at home and at school in childhood and beyond, providing an enjoyable shared reading experience at home can help to turn our children into life-long readers.

However, not all shared reading experiences are enjoyable. Some children described having poor quality experiences of being read to, and children did not typically enjoy reading to distracted or overly critical parents. In some cases, parents attempted to outsource this responsibility to older siblings, with mixed results.

While many children really enjoyed the social aspects of reading and being read to as valuable time with their parents, they also felt that they learned from these experiences. For example, listening was felt to provide an opportunity to extend vocabulary, and improve pronunciation. Gina recalled the advantage she lost when her parents stopped reading to her, as:

… when they did read to me when I was younger, I learnt the words; I would like to learn more words in the bigger books and know what they are so I could talk more about them.

Similarly, Craig explained how being read to enabled his academic advantage in literacy, as “they were teaching me how to say more words”, and “that’s why I’m ahead of everyone in spelling and reading and English”. When this stopped “just because my mum thought I was smart enough to read on my own and started to read chapter books”, Craig was disappointed.

In addition, children were sometimes terrified of reading aloud in the classroom, and this fear could potentially be alleviated through greater opportunities to practice at home.

Hayden’s anxiety around reading aloud at school related to his lack of confidence, and his tendency to compare his skills with those of his peers. He described himself as “always standing up there shivering, my hands are shivering, I just don’t want to read, so I just start reading. And I sound pretty weird”. No-one read with him at home, so he had limited opportunity to build his confidence and skills.

This research suggests that we should not stop reading with our children just because they have learned to read independently.

We should continue reading with our children until they no longer wish to share reading with us, ensuring that these experiences are enjoyable, as they can influence children’s future attitudes toward reading, as well as building their confidence and competence as readers. It is worth the effort to find time to share this experience with our children in the early years and beyond.

Fuente: https://theconversation.com/research-shows-the-importance-of-parents-reading-with-children-even-after-children-can-read-82756

Imagen: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/HJvBgzyBnur4OIJFzg7YAmbScb_R41EWLo4__PVbFfhzA5iFnR-UxUM3DW2fuvgVyhVgPQ=s85

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Revealed: who supports marriage equality in Australia – and who doesn’t

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Oceanía/Australia/Septiembre 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

 

Ahead of the postal plebiscite on marriage equality, much is being written about the relative chances of a “Yes” or “No” outcome, and the strategies both sides need to influence public opinion.

However, the bulk of the public debate seems to be based on intuitive or speculative perceptions of the traits of people who are likely to oppose or support marriage equality, or on anecdotal evidence.

We used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) to assess trends in the degree of support for marriage equality, and to ascertain the characteristics of those Australians who do, or don’t, support it.

Further reading: Finding balance on marriage equality debate a particular challenge for the media

The data

In 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2015, the HILDA Survey asked its national panel to rate their degree of agreement with the statement “Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples do” on a scale from one (strongly disagree) to seven (strongly agree).

The HILDA data have strengths and weaknesses compared to recent poll data. The drawbacks are that they are relatively old (July 2015-February 2016), and do not collect information about views on same-sex marriage specifically.

However, they are collected with much more statistical rigour (probability sampling, population representativeness), feature sample sizes that dwarf those of opinion polls (>15,000 respondents), and encompass rich demographic information.

Degree of support

We find a pronounced trend between 2005 and 2015 in the degree to which Australians agree with the notion of same-sex couples having the same rights as different-sex couples.

As seen below, the percentage of people who “strongly agree” (the highest point in the scale) rose from 19.2% in 2005 to 46.3% in 2015. In contrast, the percentage of people who “strongly disagree” (the lowest point) fell markedly from 26.7% in 2005 to 12.9% in 2015.

The percentage of people who chose any of the five intermediate responses either remained stable, or decreased slightly.

Defining agreement as response points five to seven on the “agree side” of the aforementioned question, the 2015 HILDA Survey reveals agreement rates of 66%, up from 39.8% in 2005.

When agreement is defined as response options four to seven, the 2015 agreement rate grows to 78%.

Who supports equal rights?

Examination of the 2015 HILDA Survey data revealed marked differences in the degree of support for equal rights for same-sex couples across population subgroups.

Such support was significantly greater among:

  • women;
  • non-heterosexual (gay/lesbian, bisexual) people;
  • younger people;
  • people with degree-level or year 12 as their highest educational qualifications (compared to lower than year 12, or a professional qualification);
  • non-religious people;
  • people born in Australia or an English-speaking country (compared to people born in a non-English-speaking country);
  • people with higher incomes; and
  • people living in major cities (compared to those living in regional/remote areas).

Once these factors were accounted for, there were few and small differences across Australia’s states and territories.

Who sits on the fence?

About 12.4% of the 2015 HILDA Survey respondents selected the mid-point of the seven-category response scale when reporting on their agreement with the rights of same-sex couples.

This is an important portion of the Australian population. They represent those who may be swayed in either direction.

Examining their traits reveals these respondents were more likely to be men, heterosexual, older than 40, religious, to have below-year-12 education or professional qualifications, from a non-English-speaking background, in the bottom quartile of the income distribution, and from regional/remote areas of Australia.

Social change

The longitudinal nature of the HILDA Survey data enabled us to compare trends over time in support for the rights of same-sex couples between population segments.

Between 2005 and 2015, support rates increased across all of the population subgroups under scrutiny. This was even the case among groups that expressed the lowest levels of support.

For the most part, the group differences in support rates reported before remain reasonably constant over time. Interesting exceptions included a reduced “support premium” associated with holding university-level qualifications, and increasing religious disparities.

Further reading: To Christians arguing ‘no’ on marriage equality: the Bible is not decisive

What does all this mean?

The figures reveal an overwhelming tide of support toward the rights of same-sex couples within Australian society.

However, certain population groups are clearly lagging behind in their support. This includes male, older, and religious Australians, and those from non-English-speaking backgrounds. These same traits are also predictive of being undecided on the issue. This implies campaigners for a Yes vote should redouble efforts in putting forward arguments that appeal to these groups.

Even with a favourable outcome, the moral scrutiny to which the LGBT community is being subjected will likely have long-term negative consequences. Social friction and debates about the rights of same-sex couples are unlikely to disappear after the plebiscite. Our results point toward population groups that will need further convincing.

Fuente: https://theconversation.com/revealed-who-supports-marriage-equality-in-australia-and-who-doesnt-82988

Imagen: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/eTGYR2xSmdtdAvRcfQXPCRdXHVwRhFbUdVnj23zp8XYOy23UogfzUWQK0LcioJ9rVQbXnA=s170

 

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The UK is rethinking university degrees and Australia should too

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Oceanía/Australia/Septiembre 2017/Noticias/https://theconversation.com/

There are growing calls for a debate about the role of post-school in society, both in Australia and overseas.

After 30 years of constant expansion, some complain that universities have become too vocational in nature – too focused on jobs, not enough on the art of inquiry.

At the same time, the vocational education sector is reeling from 15 years of funding cuts and the aftershocks of failed free-market experiments. Numbers in trade apprenticeships and traineeships are plummeting. Less than 30% of vocational students in Australia work in the areas in which they studied.

The same is true of higher education. An annual survey of university graduates from 2014 shows that 54% of all bachelor’s degree holders said their qualification was a formal requirement for their job. But the proportion ranged from one in four humanities graduates to 96% of medical graduates. The more regulated the profession, the more degree and career path are likely to be correlated.

The British higher education system is rolling out an alternative education route. Degree apprenticeships were launched in the UK in 2015. These are designed to bridge the gap between technical skills, employment and higher education.

They’re part of a larger scheme intended to reinvigorate apprenticeships more broadly. A 0.5% levy on corporations with an income of more than £3 million (A$4.8 million) funds the system.

Supporters say the initiative is good for employers and good for students, especially for disadvantaged students. They not only struggle to get into higher education (despite an uncapped system) but are also much more likely to drop out of it.

Degree apprenticeships work a lot like traditional trade apprenticeships: students work in a related job with their education strapped on around their employment.

Traditional degrees are steeped in theory and deliver practical experience through internships, practicums or other work-based experiences. In contrast, degree apprenticeships deliver a skill and a qualification simultaneously. Students work four days a week and study for one.

Crucially, the apprenticeship levy covers tuition fees, so students don’t graduate with a debt. If adopted here, this could enable Australia to avoid the distress over rising debts seen in the UK, where it is expected 80% of students will never fully repay their loans.

In the last UK election, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn rode a rising tide of anger among younger voters over student debt with his promise of a return to free higher education.

Even Andrew Adonis, Tony Blair’s former adviser and architect of the current loans scheme, has switched camps. He described the income-contingent loans scheme that resulted in a tripling of fees in 2012 as a Frankenstein’s monster and “a Ponzi scheme”.

While Australia doesn’t have the same immediate crisis, several factors suggest higher education could be heading slowly towards a tipping point. Government plans to increase university fees and introduce more rigorous parameters for the Higher Education Loans Program (formerly HECS) have sparked furious debate.

Meanwhile, graduates face a declining employment market. Just 69% of graduates in 2014 held a full-time job four months after graduation, compared to 81% a decade earlier.

Part-time work, casualisation and under-employment are widespread. Graduate salaries have been more or less static for years. Increasingly, students, particularly the most advantaged, turn to postgraduate education to boost their chances in an overcrowded jobs market, raising questions over credentialism.

Having larger numbers of people with a higher degree produces public benefits, including better health, better parenting, higher rates of volunteering and lower rates of incarceration. But all of this comes at a cost to the taxpayer and does little to correct an imbalance in skills entering the jobs market. Too many lawyers does not balance out a shortage in IT experts or agricultural scientists.

The question is whether new pathways need to be created to help young people straddle the gap between education and work.

Work is under way on this issue in Australia. The University of Tasmania, for example, is adding associate degrees, which are shorter, cheaper and more vocationally focused on local industries than full bachelor degrees.

Perhaps other institutions, particularly those in regional and outer-metropolitan areas, should consider the possibilities offered by the UK-style degree apprenticeship model. These are the universities, after all, that educate by far the greatest proportion of disadvantaged students.

Ironically, degree apprenticeships are a modern, more work-intensive version of the associate degrees that colleges of advanced education offered before the higher education system was unified under the Hawke government in 1989.

Perhaps part of the emerging discussion should include a return to a tripartite public education and training system, which includes TAFE, teaching-only polytechnics and research-intensive universities.

The post-secondary education sector may have a limited appetite for more structural reform. However, as a society, we do need to tackle the question of whether a higher education system devised 30 years ago, onto which uncapped student places have been glued, is still fit for purpose. Times have changed and education systems must surely move with them.

Fuente: https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-rethinking-university-degrees-and-australia-should-too-82973

Imagen:

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Successful Australian Education Fair in Hyderabad

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Australia/Agosto de 2017/Fuente: The Hans India

Resumen: IDP Education India, el proveedor líder de servicios de colocación de estudiantes organizó la feria de educación australiana en Hyderabad en Taj Krishna recientemente para estudiantes que aspiran a obtener una educación superior en Australia. La feria distribuida en 15 ciudades reunió a universidades prominentes e institutos educativos de Australia bajo un mismo techo. Más de 650 estudiantes visitaron la feria.

IDP Education India, the leading student placement service provider organised the Australian education fair in Hyderabad at Taj Krishna recently for students aspiring to pursue higher education in Australia. The fair spread across 15 cities brought together prominent universities and educational institutes from Australia under one roof. Over 650 students visited the fair.

Piyush Kumar, Country Director, India – IDP Education said, “IDP seeks to provide a platform to aspiring students to come and have a face-to-face interaction with the university representatives and get answers to all their queries related to studying in Australia. 34 Australian institutions have participated in the fair. It is a FREE platform for all students to gauge their prospects, apply directly to the institution of their choice and get first hand information on courses, scholarships etc.”

“Australian education has always attracted Indian students for its quality and the availability of post study work opportunities make it even more attractive. Also 20 out of 34 Australian universities feature in world’s Top 400 Times Higher Education Rankings” added Kumar.

In addition to meeting the institutions, the qualified students also got application fee waivers and scholarships. The scholarships can range from a fee bursary to a 50% scholarship of tuition fee for select students. Students were advised to bring along their educational certificates in original along with photocopies. One can also visit the IDP office to pre-register for priority processing and detailed counseling with trained & experienced Australia counselors.

Fuente: http://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Hans/2017-08-31/Successful-Australian-Education-Fair-in-Hyderabad/323186

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New Zealand: How Free Tertiary Education Robs Today’s Poor

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New Zealand/August 30, 2017/ Source: http://business.scoop.co.nz

Robin Hood Reversed: How Free Tertiary Education Robs Today’s Poor For Tomorrow’s Rich
29 AUGUST 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The implementation of a zero fees policy for tertiary education would reach into the pockets of the disadvantaged, to line the wallets of the future’s wealthy, according to a briefing paper just published by the Taxpayers’ Union.

‘Robin Hood Reversed: How Free Tertiary Education Robs Today’s Poor for Tomorrow’s Rich’ assesses the impacts of free tertiary education policies, like that announced today by the Labour Party.

Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union said, “We found that similar policies overseas have led to job shortages in crucial areas, and poorer quality courses.”

“Contrary to claims that zero tertiary education fees help the poor, in Scottland, which introduced zero fees in the early 2000’s, students from low socio-economic groups were the first to be shut out. This contradicts the political ideology of those who advocate for it, because the policy hampers social mobility, and actually increases barriers to reducing inequality.”

“The costs of such a policy are borne by low and middle-income earners, to help tomorrow’s rich get a free ride.”

The briefing paper, Robin Hood Reversed: How Free Tertiary Education Robs Today’s Poor for Tomorrow’s Rich, is available for download at: www.taxpayers.org.nz/robin_hood_reversed.

Hard copies are also available on request.

Key findings:
• Taxpayers already cover 84 percent of the cost of obtaining a tertiary degree.
• The average household currently pays $2,456 in tax per year to fund tertiary education.
• Fully implemented, Labour’s proposal would increase that cost by $852.57 per year.
• Low and middle-income earners will pay more to subsidise tomorrow’s rich.
• Likely effects of the policy, based on the experience in Scottland with its zero fees policy, include:
o more job shortages in crucial skills-based areas;
o lower quality tertiary education;
o less access to education for students from disadvantaged or low socioeconomic backgrounds; and
o less social mobility and entrenched income inequality.

Source:

http://business.scoop.co.nz/2017/08/29/how-free-tertiary-education-robs-todays-poor/

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