Germany/ September 19, 2017/ Source: https://www.albawaba.com
The Qatari Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, hosted the WISE Prize for Education Jury for its final deliberations meeting at the Arab Culture House, Villa Cale, in Berlin recently.
The WISE Prize for Education Laureate will be publicly announced and introduced at the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017, which is taking place in Doha from November 14-16. The Prize is the premier recognition of an individual or team for outstanding, life-long achievement in any field of education. The Laureate(s) receive the specially designed WISE Prize for Education gold medal, and an award of US$500,000.
The WISE Prize for Education Jury deliberations in Berlin come within the context of the 2017 Germany-Qatar Year of Culture, which has featured a wide range of exchange programs focusing on the arts, education, culture, and sports. The goal of the initiative has been to strengthen ties between the two countries, providing opportunities for discussions on issues of concern to both countries.
H.E. the Qatari Ambassador, the WISE Prize Jury, members of the WISE team, and guests were also honored at a high-level roundtable discussion on today’s global education challenges at the Bundestag – Germany’s federal parliament. Mr. Jürgen Klimke, a member of the Bundestag representing Hamburg, hosted the gathering.
At the Bundestag, Mr. Klimke welcomed the guests and spoke briefly of his involvement in exchanges with the MENA region, particularly within the context of the 2017 Germany-Qatar Year of Culture. He noted his interest in education challenges facing his country, and Germany’s role in supporting education causes globally.
H.E. Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also addressed the roundtable, welcoming the WISE Prize Jury and noting the strong ties between Qatar and Germany as indicated by the several high-level visits and meaningful exchanges over recent years.
Mr. Stavros N. Yiannouka, CEO, WISE, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), outlined the work of WISE, including the WISE Prize for Education and other initiatives. He introduced the members of the WISE Prize for Education Jury, and launched the discussion on contemporary education priorities and challenges. The roundtable discussions ranged widely and included topics such as massive forced migration from conflict zones, uncertain labor markets, rapid technological change, and questions about the relevance of conventional education systems.
Commenting on the WISE Prize jury deliberations, Mr. Yiannouka remarked: “It’s a great honor to welcome the WISE Prize for Education Jury to Berlin for these important deliberations. Together they bring a deep understanding of education issues to the task of choosing the WISE Prize Laureate. Their collegial spirit of collaboration and consensus reflects the best values of the WISE Prize and for education leadership. Each one of our WISE Prize for Education Laureates are an inspiration for all who dedicate themselves to education as the best investment any society can make in its people.”
The members of the 2017 WISE Prize for Education Jury are: Dr. Jörg Dräger, Member of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany); Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani, Founder and Chairperson, Amwal (Qatar); Dr. Madhav Chavan, President, Pratham Education Foundation (India); and Ms. Vicky Colbert, Founder and Director, Fundación Escuela Nueva (Colombia). Mr. Yiannouka chaired the WISE Prize Jury deliberations.
Dr. Chavan and Ms. Colbert are themselves WISE Prize for Education Laureates.
Humanitarian agencies have confirmed that banditry has led to the closure of 500 schools, which represents a sharp increase from recent years.
Bamako — HUNDREDS of schools have closed in Mali as the insecurity battering the West African country persists.
Humanitarian agencies confirmed the banditry had led to the closure of 500 schools, which represents a sharp increase from recent years. Some 296 schools had been closed in areas affected by the security crisis at the end of the school year 2015/16.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said the reason for this increase, besides the persistent insecurity especially in the Mopti region, was the absence of qualified teachers as well as the lack of political and administrative authorities.
The security situation remains volatile in the northern and central regions of the country where crime and terrorism are real threats to populations. Robberies targeting humanitarian and political-administrative authorities also persist. There were 68 such incidents reported the whole of 2016 but for the first half of 2017, there are already 63 cases.
Food insecurity caused by the clashes blamed on rebel groups affects than 3,8 million people, which 20 percent of the Malian population. Armed groups are preventing access to populations in need. Turmoil has characterised Mali following a coup in 2012.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta’s government has struggled to bring stability. – CAJ News
Asia/Malasya, September 17, 2017, By: http://education.einnews.com /Christopher Lau
NOT long ago, a friend of mine was sharing her social work experience and one of her stories touched me deeply.
She spent a lot of time as a volunteer, teaching children in Bukit Lanjan, Selangor.
My impression has always been that only aboriginals living inland need help. Never would I have expected an aboriginal community in a bustling metropolis to be struggling to keep up.
According to my friend, the literacy gap between the aboriginal children in Bukit Lanjan and their other urban counterparts is still significant.
This made me wonder how serious are the problems faced by those aboriginal children living inland when even those living in metropolitan areas are facing schooling problems?
Putting aside geographical concerns, how are they doing in terms of attendance, classroom equipment, teaching quality and the like?
Conversing with my friend reminded me of the case in which seven aboriginal primary students from a boarding school in Kelantan went missing two years ago.
The incident had the public questioning and guessing the students’ whereabouts and it also attracted the attention of the outside world.
Looking at this incident, coupled with what my friend has described, I must ask the question – does it reflect the lack of pertinent education policies in our country or is it just because the existing policies are out of sync with the difficulties encountered by aboriginal students?
According to the 2010-11 Report of the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (MHRC) on the rights of aboriginal children, the main reasons for their low enrolment and high dropout rates are firstly, the schools are too far away, secondly, the lack of commutes, thirdly, poverty and lastly, the lack of necessary documents.
Policies were implemented under the 2013-2025 Malaysian Education Development Blueprint” to tackle the problems of remote school locations and transportation. The government launched a boarding school programme aimed at boosting the enrolment rates of aboriginal children.
To enhance the literacy rate of especially aboriginal adults, the MHRC Report proposed the launching of an Aboriginal Adult Education Programme (Program Kelas Dewasa Asli Peribumi). Children from poor families will also receive grants to reduce their parents’ burden.
To ensure their qualifications do not stagnate at primary school levels, the government opened seven boarding schools with syllabi from kindergarten to Form 3 (Special Model School K9).
At first glance, the goals and solutions spelt out by the Educational Blueprint appeared to be strategically appropriate but then, why are problems such as low literacy rates, truancy, and high dropouts still present?
Was it due to poor considerations or poor implementation?
As regards the disappearance of the seven aboriginal primary school children, their parents said they bathed in the river even though they were not allowed to do so, and out of the fear of punishment, they went into hiding and were later found dead.
The incident opened the Pandora box. Students from the same school started to report all kinds of issues such as malicious punishments, teachers not doing their duty properly and the lack of lesson time, among others.
What enraged the public was that relevant authorities just left the situation as it was.
Although the decision to build the boarding schools was commendable, proper implementation to ensure the set goals were achieved was just as important. Our education system assigns aboriginal children grades based on their age, starting from seven years old.
However, my friend said based on her experience, these aboriginal children are assigned grades not suitable to their level of literacy, resulting in slow learning or difficulties in keeping up with the teachers.
For example, an 11-year-old aboriginal child with a literacy level of Primary Two was still placed in a Primary Five Class.
The 2016 Education Blueprint Report showed the low literacy and poor mathematical skills among aboriginal children have not only lowered their schools’ performance but also increased the dropout rate.
Appropriate adjustments for grade-assigning based on relevant literacy levels must be incorporated into the education policy for aboriginal children.
At the recent Freedom Film Festival 2017, aboriginal children featured in the documentaries revealed the obstacles they encountered in school.
One of the most serious problems was bullying and exclusion. An aboriginal student said if society could put aside the existing discrimination and encourage the other students to help – not exclude – their aboriginal classmates, it would be the best help society can give the aboriginal community.
In addition, society should also stop discriminating against aborigines who do not have high academic qualifications but instead help them find jobs with a “hire locals” policy.
Undeniably, low household income of indigenous people is one of the reasons why aboriginal children drop out of school. Their parents just cannot afford their school fees.
Another problem is that the remote schools for aboriginal children are facing a shortage of teachers. Due to the lack of equipment, coupled with bad roads and inadequate transport, many teachers choose not to teach in these schools.
Needless to say, dedicated teachers are key to lifting the education standards of aboriginal children. They can also encourage aboriginal parents to participate in the children’s learning activities.
The provision of transport and communication facilities should be considered and included in school building plans.
In addition, the Education Ministry should also incorporate aboriginal skills into aboriginal school curricula to not only prevent the loss of these skills but also foster the children’s interests in learning.
Before drawing up an education programme for the aboriginal community, the relevant authority should take into account their views and concerns to achieve the best results.
Government officials should also visit aboriginal communities to get feedback on their requirements vis-à-vis the teaching methods, boarding schools and equipment.
Aboriginal people lack education allocations and as such, their children are deprived of a conducive learning environment to upgrade their academic standards.
The construction of boarding schools is also aimed at resolving geographical issues. At the age of seven, when a child still needs family care, aboriginal children are forced to leave home to attend boarding school. This poses a challenge any young primary school pupil will find near impossible to handle.
Our education goal is to achieve 100 per cent primary and secondary school enrolment rates by 2020 but the prospects appear remote if the voice of the aboriginal communities for better schooling facilities to raise enrolment rates continues to fall on deaf ears.
Kenia / 13 de septiembre de 2017 / Por: WINNIE ATIENO / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke
The government has ordered school boards to acquire fire-fighting equipment as Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) demanded more funds for the purchase of the equipment.
Coast regional education coordinator Abdikadir Kike said all school boards in both public and private schools should avail firefighting equipment as a precautionary measure.
Mr Kike said according to the Ministry of Education, it is a requirement that the boards install the equipment.
The coast education boss said they had increased monitoring and surveillance in schools after unrest witnessed in other learning institutions.
INSPECTION
“We are very alert and we have enhanced school inspections. We are also collaborating with the six county governments at the coast to ensure safety of our children in both day and boarding public and private schools,” he said.
Speaking to the Nation by phone, Mr Kike urged school heads to be vigilant and report any indiscipline cases to relevant bodies.
However, Knut Coast regional member of the executive council Dan Aloo said the government must remit more funds for the purchase of the equipment.
“Most schools have not been equipped with firefighting tools because it is not in the budget. School maintenance and expenditure is something very important that must be looked into by the government,” he said.
MONITORING
Mr Aloo added:” That is an additional cost, where do schools get the money to buy the equipment? Stakeholders should join in and offer support.” He added that parents should not incur the cost of purchasing the equipment.
Mr Aloo said schools should have perimeter walls and surveillance cameras to monitor everything.
“Schools should have funds for maintenance and paying watchmen. We need surveillance cameras and two police officers stationed in all boarding schools. Let us be alert to ensure schools are free from danger,” he said.
He called on private stakeholders, unions and the government to form a combined effort with different stakeholders to secure children in boarding schools.
“In Mombasa, we have Bububu, Likoni for the Blind, Jomvu Girls, Mama Ngina and Shimo la Tewa secondary schools which can be provided with security for instance two police officers in each school,” he said.
The march in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this summer by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and other right-wing extremists illuminated the growing danger of authoritarian movements both in the United States and across the globe.
It’s signalling a danger that mimics the increasingly forgotten horrors of the 1930s.
Neo-Nazis in the United States, and possibly those worldwide, appear especially emboldened because they’ve found a comfortable, if not supportive, place at the highest levels of the U.S. government.
President Donald Trump’s administration has included white supremacist sympathizers like Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions and Stephen Miller. All three embrace elements of the nefarious racist ideology that was on full display in Charlottesville.
Trump’s refusal to denounce their Nazi slogans and violence in strong political and ethical terms has suggested his own complicity with such movements.
It should surprise no one that David Duke, a former imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, told the media in the midst of the violence in Charlottesville that white supremacists were “going to fulfil the promises of Donald Trump … to take our country back.”
‘God bless him’
Nor should it surprise anyone that Trump’s silence delighted the far right.
The Daily Stormer, a white supremacist website, even had this to say: “No condemnation at all. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him.”
It appears that the presence of Nazi and Confederate flags celebrating a horrendous history of millions lost to the Holocaust and slavery, of lynchings and church bombings, and the assassinations of Black civil rights leaders like Medgar Evans and Martin Luther King, Jr., did little to move Trump.
Charlottesville has resurrected elements of a past that resulted in some of the worst crimes in human history. The ideology, values and institutions of a liberal democracy are once again under assault by those who don’t believe in equality, justice and democracy.
All of these alarming developments raise serious questions about the role of higher education in a democracy.
What role, if not responsibility, do universities have in the face of a new wave of authoritarianism?
What purpose should education serve when rigorous knowledge is replaced by opinions, the truth is labelled “fake news” by the president of the United States and his devotees, unbridled self-interest replaces the social good and language operates in the service of fear, violence and a culture of cruelty?
Universities must hold up democratic ideals
Surely, institutions of higher education cannot limit their role to training at a time when democracy is under assault around the world.
Colleges and universities must define themselves anew as a public good, a protective space for the promotion of democratic ideals, of the social imagination, civic values and a critically engaged citizenship.
Renowned education professor Jon Nixon argues that education must be developed as “a protected space within which to think against the grain of received opinion: a space to question and challenge, to imagine the world from different standpoints and perspectives, to reflect upon ourselves in relation to others and, in so doing, to understand what it means to assume responsibility.”
Given the ongoing attack on civic literacy, truth, historical memory and justice, surely it’s all the more imperative for colleges and universities to teach students to do more than master work-based skills.
Instead, we must educate them to become intelligent, compassionate, critically engaged adults fully aware of the fact that without informed citizens, there is no democracy.
There’s much more at stake here than protecting and opening the boundaries of free speech. There is the more crucial necessity to deepen and expand the formative cultures and public spheres that make democracy possible.
Educators cannot forget that the struggle over democracy is about much more than the struggle over economic resources and power. It’s also about language, agency, desire, identity and imagining a future without injustice.
Return to authoritarianism not far-fetched
As the historian Timothy Snyder has observed, it’s crucial to remember that the success of authoritarian regimes in Germany and other places succeeded, in part, because they were not stopped in the early stages of their development.
The events in Charlottesville provide a glimpse of authoritarianism on the rise and shine a spotlight upon the forces that are trying usher in a new and dangerous era, both in the United States and worldwide.
While it may seem far-fetched to assume American-style totalitarianism will soon become the norm in the United States, a return to authoritarianism is clearly no longer the stuff of fantasy or hysterical paranoia.
That’s especially since its core elements of hatred, exclusion, racism and white supremacy have been incorporated into both the highest echelons of political power and throughout the mainstream right-wing media, especially Fox News and Breitbart.
The authoritarian drama unfolding in the United States includes the use of state force against immigrants, right-wing populist violence against mosques and synagogues and attacks on Muslims, young Blacks and others who do not fit into the vile script of white nationalism.
Charlottesville was just part of a larger trend of domestic terrorism and homegrown fascism that is on the upswing in the United States.
Trump’s administration, after all, has announced it will no longer “investigate white nationalists, who have been responsible for a large share of violent hate crimes in the Unites States.”
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the lobby of the Trump Tower in New York in the days following the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Trump has also lifted restrictions imposed by the Obama administration in order to provide local police departments with military surplus equipment such as armed vehicles, bullet-proof vests and grenade launchers.
These actions accelerate Trump’s law-and-order agenda, escalate racial tensions in cities that are often treated like combat zones and reinforce a warrior mentality among police officers.
Equally telling is Trump’s presidential pardon of Joe Arpaio, the notorious white supremacist and disgraced former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Not only did Arpaio engage in racial profiling, despite being ordered by the court to desist, he also had a notorious reputation for abusing prisoners in his Tent City, which he once called “a concentration camp.”
A nod to domestic terrorism
There is more at work here than Trump’s endorsement of white nationalism; he’s also sending a clear message of support for a culture of violence that both legitimizes and gives meaning to acts of domestic terrorism.
What’s more, there’s a clear contempt for the rule of law. And there’s also an endorsement not just for racist ideology, but for institutional racism and consequently the primacy of the race-based incarceration state.
In his various comments, tweets and policies, Trump has made clear that he does not see himself as the leader of the country, but as the head of a right-wing movement fuelled by rage, isolation, social atomization and communal disintegration, galvanized by a culture of fear and bigotry. He preys upon a populist hatred of democracy.
At the moment we’re seeing a looming collapse of civic culture.
A healthy democracy always struggles to preserve its ideals, values and practices. When taken for granted, justice dies, social responsibility becomes a burden and the seeds of authoritarianism flourish.
We may be in the midst of dark times, but resistance is no longer an option but a necessity.
And educators have a particular responsibility to address this growing assault on democracy. Any other option is an act of complicity, and a negation of what it means for education to matter in a democratic society.
EEUU/ September 12, 2017/Source: http://www.sfgate.com
Representatives of the Baldy View Chapter join forces with San Bernardino County superintendent of schools to identify opportunities for collaboration and economic prosperity.
Recognizing that quality education is the cornerstone of any thriving community, the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Baldy View Chapter (BIA) this week continued its regional dialogue with representatives of local school districts and institutions of higher learning, government and industry to discuss opportunities for collaboration to help raise the overall quality of life in the Inland Empire.
The 2017 Education Summit, co-hosted by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, featured a day of prominent speakers addressing everything from the impact of home ownership on education to building new career pathways for students.
“Countless studies draw a clear association between homeownership, education and quality of life in a community,” BIA Baldy View President Ali Sahabi of Optimum Group LLC, said in his opening remarks at the conference. “We are all here today to identify ways we can work together to provide better opportunities for students facing graduation in the next 5 to 10 years.”
The summit, held Thursday at Chaffey College/Chino Community Center in Chino, featured BIA Baldy View Chapter Chief Executive Officer, Carlos Rodriguez; San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, Ted Alejandre; Chaffey College District President, D. Henry Shannon, Ph.D.; San Bernardino County Supervisor, Robert Lovingood; Fontana Mayor, Aquanetta Warren; San Bernardino County Economic Development Agency Deputy Executive Officer, Reg Javier; FBI Special Agent in Cyber Security and Education, Bryan Willett; and several other speakers representing educational, professional and social organizations and programs.
“This summit creates a meaningful countywide dialogue to fuel collective impact initiatives that will improve academic achievement and economic prosperity for the region,” Rodriguez said. “Clearly, our future will be determined by the educational opportunities afforded to our emerging workforce. Construction is a critical component of that emerging workforce.»
BIA is pleased to announce that in 2017 Upland Unified School District and Chaffey Joint High School District will start first-year students on a career pathway into the homebuilding industry through BITA (Building Industry Technology Academy). BITA is a four-year high school construction trades training program aimed at producing skilled professionals who will be qualified and confident to enter the workforce.
ABOUT BIA BALDY VIEW CHAPTER
The mission of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Baldy View Chapter is to promote, advocate for and grow the homebuilding industry through member representation and community education at the local level. In addition, the Baldy View Chapter maintains a presence and influence on industry-related issues at regional, state and national levels. Visit http://www.BIAbuild.com.
With so many options for teens to choose from when it comes to picking an education provider after GCSEs, it makes it harder to decide which is best. Everyone wants their teen to be happy, as well as making sure they’ve made the right choice educationally. From the teen’s perspective, high on the priority list is where their friends are and having independence.
Having experienced education at both a grammar school sixth form and college myself, I am able to tell the vast difference between them both; from not wearing uniform anymore or calling the tutors by their first name to managing my own time and gaining independence and freedom in an adult environment. All of the above contribute to the experience, success and the enjoyment of your education. Finding the best combination for you is what’s difficult.
One of the main differences between a school sixth form and college is the timetable. At school, every moment is usually accounted for with the occasional free period. At college, the scheduled hours in class are much lower but you are, of course, expected to continue with your work outside of the contact hours.
A college will offer you a different learning environment to that offered at a sixth form which is one of the reasons why many students choose college after finishing their GCSEs. Colleges usually offer more vocational subjects, have a wider range of courses and have other paths to take such as BTECs, apprenticeships and distance learning.
At school, every class has students of similar age, whereas at college, you could be studying with anyone from age 16+ and your classmates may have come from different parts of the county or even the country. All will have different stories to tell and different backgrounds and life experiences which makes the new beginning even more exciting.
Perhaps an old-fashioned, but nevertheless still useful, way of deciding for or against something is writing a pros and cons list. What are the benefits of studying at college over a local sixth form? To make your decision easier, ask questions at any opportunity you get; at your interview or at open days. Ask friends and family what their experiences and views are, speak to a careers advisor and ask current students what they think as they will give you the most honest answers. By finding out about student life, pass rates and more detailed course information, it will help you make the right decision about your future in education post-GCSEs.
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