Education

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Future Trends That Will Shape Primary Education In India

Amrita Vohra

By: Dr. Amrita Vohra.

According to the Census of India, the rural literacy rate still stands at just 69 percent, which is far below the world average of 86 percent

 

With the ever-growing population of the country, the future of India promises to be exciting. Youth has the largest share in the demographics of India, and that makes education the most vital sector for India.

When we talk about education, one can’t help but think and bemoan at the current state of primary education in the country. Primary education forms the most basic stage of formal education that is preceded by preschool. It gives children a basic understanding of various subjects.

It is at this stage that India lags behind, especially in rural areas, where the level of literacy among adults is poor. According to the Census of India, the rural literacy rate still stands at just 69 percent, which is far below the world average of 86 percent.

However, all of these promises to change in the coming years. With the advent of technology, the process of teaching, as well as learning, is bound to become more interesting and practical. Of course, there are cons to it as well, but use technology the right way and there’s nothing that one cannot achieve.

The future isn’t just limited to technology, though. Yes, it will revolve somewhere around technology, but there’s more to it than just that. Let’s take a look at some of the future trends that will shape the primary education in India –

Use Of Technology At Teaching Level

Generation Z is so much into technology these days that education can’t help but involve technology in some form or the other. Global Indian International School, Chinchwad, is one of the top schools that work in tandem with the latest and innovative practices introduced through technology.

Smart classes are one of the latest developments taking place in primary school, especially in urban areas. Google Classroom is an extremely popular tool that is used in Global Indian International School, Chinchwad from class 5th onwards.

3D printing is another technology that is expected to take earning to a new level. It helps to give shape and form to the imagination of young, creative minds. Creating real-life models gives influx to creativity.

Virtual reality (VR) is another aspect of technology that we cannot overlook. Just like 3D printing, it gives a more real-life experience to students. Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” VR thus helps in enhancing the classroom experience of a child.

Revival Of Indian Languages

India is a land of ‘linguistic pluralism’ or in simple words, a large number of languages are spoken in India. A few years back, Sanskrit was a part of the Indian education system, alongside Hindi or other similar local languages.

In recent years, we’ve seen Indian schools aspiring to compete on an international level. Competing at the international level requires knowledge of a language that goes across geographical borders to bring people on a common platform. In this race to become internationally acclaimed, Indian languages have been compromised upon.

However, Indian languages will continue to play a role in primary education of the country. Hindi still remains the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world and one cannot overlook its importance.

At Global Indian International School, Chinchwad, there is a usage of Hindi even in their flagship events. An entire show is compeered with impeccable articulation in Hindi and I take great pride in sharing that my students are well trained in the language and have won accolades in competitions at inter-school, state and national level.

Ed-Tech Startups

India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world. Not all of them succeed, of course. In fact, according to a study by IBM Institute for Business Value, 90 percent of Indian startups fail within the first five years and the most common reason is lack of innovation.

That being said, there are many edu-tech startups in the country currently that are changing the landscape of the education sector. By offering online courses and other means of e-learning, starting right from pre-school, these startups will play a dominating role in the industry’s future.

Khan Academy, even though not Indian, is a popular e-learning startup that offers a variety of online tools to educate students. Udemy is another foreign startup that offers similar services.

Keeping in mind the fascination of kids towards technology, edu-tech startups are here to stay.

One-To-One Mentoring

While the number of students is constantly increasing, the number of teachers aren’t increasing at the same rate. What this means is that the student to teacher ratio is falling constantly.

However, mentoring is a concept that is going to play a major role in primary education in the future. Mentorship may not necessarily be a relationship between a teacher and a student. It may exist between a senior and a junior as well. Whatever may be the form, mentorship concept is something that will shape primary education in the future, especially when the teacher may be short in number.

Multiple research studies document the social and emotional benefits that school students receive through mentoring programs (Komosa-Hawkins, 2012).

Fewer Dropouts As Literacy Rate Among Parents Increases

Literacy is an enormous tool that decides the fate of not just the individual but of the nation and the world at large. Primary Indian schools in rural areas have been facing dropout problems for years. The main cause of this problem is the poor literacy rate among parents. They don’t value their child’s education as much as they value their daily income, which is why they prefer sending their children to farms rather than schools.

It is extremely important to keep elevating the rate of literacy. Global Indian International School, Chinchwad believes that parents are the ambassadors who will create awareness about literacy. It has a program called ‘Individual Development Plan’ that is charted for each child in partnership with the parents. It sets a goal which is not just restricted to academics but touches the horizons of extra-curricular as well.

As the literacy rate continues to elevate, we will produce well-educated individuals and see lesser number of children dropping out of primary education.

Skill-Based Education or Vocational Education

According to a recent study, 65 percent of today’s grade school kids will end up at a job that hasn’t been invented yet. These jobs are primarily going to be focusing on the skill set which will be the need of the hour. It has been stated in various talks that academic prowess is losing its magnitude in comparison with human virtues. People management, teamwork, compassion are now being looked upon as important skills.

Thus, skill-based education is going to be the way to go in the future. At Global Indian International School, Chinchwad, there is a wide array of 21 hobby clubs for students to choose from, which helps them to enhance their intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Such clubs are important in helping the children learn new skills and discover within themselves the hidden talents that they may possess.

As mentioned earlier, education is an exciting space that promises to deliver in the future. Technology is going to bring a revolution in the education sector and thus produce more employable youngsters in the future.

Source of the article: http://www.businessworld.in/article/Future-Trends-That-Will-Shape-Primary-Education-In-India/09-03-2019-167796/

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Fighting oppression with education

Reseñas

North America/ Canada/ 03.04.2019/ Source: www.winnipegfreepress.com.

Museum explores plight of Baha’i believers studying underground in Iran

When university-age Baha’i believers in Iran want to protest how that country oppresses members of their religion, they go to school.

They don’t go to regular state-supported universities and colleges — they are banned from those by the government because of their beliefs. They attend «underground» classes run by Baha’i professors, where they study a variety of subjects.

When Clint Curle, a senior adviser at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, heard about the issue, «I became immediately interested in the story, and how the Baha’i community in Iran is responding.»

For Curle, the issue touches on two fundamental human rights of interest to the Winnipeg museum: education and freedom of religion and conscience. It also shows how oppressed communities can creatively respond to having their rights denied.

«It’s a brilliant, non-violent response to oppression, an inspiring story deeply rooted in the Baha’i faith,» he said.

On March 26, the museum will focus on the issue with a public event titled: Persecution, Protection and Resilience: Canada and the Baha’is of Iran.

The free event, co-sponsored by the Baha’i Community of Canada and the local Baha’i assembly, will feature a presentation by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was working for Newsweek in 2009, when he was accused of being a spy and imprisoned by the Iranian government.

Following his release, Bahari wrote the memoir Then They Came for Me: a Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival, which was adapted for the big screen (Rosewater) in 2014 by former Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

In an interview from his home in London, England, Bahari, 52, said he is «dedicated to pursuing freedom of conscience in Iran.»

This includes speaking up on behalf of Baha’is, even though he is not a member of the religion — he calls himself a «non-practising Muslim.»

Bahari said opposition to the religion in Iran is rooted in «hatred by the clergy» in that country, where they are considered heretics. As a result, he said, «they are treated as second-class citizens.»

He spoke admiringly of the Baha’i Institute for Higher Education, the «underground» school that offers 38 university-level programs in science, engineering, business and management, the humanities and the social sciences. Students meet in homes, offices and other clandestine locations.

The institute’s courses are recognized by almost 100 universities around the world, including the University of Manitoba.

«It shows the best kind of peaceful response,» Bahari said of how the institute continues to offer programs despite periodic raids, confiscation of equipment, general harassment and imprisonment of faculty members.

It’s also «an educational miracle. They are fighting a brutal regime with education and creativity. It is instructive for the world.»

For Payam Towfigh, a Winnipeg Baha’i who came to Canada 30 years ago from Iran as a refugee, the event is a chance to «shine a light» on persecution in that country, and to explore ways Winnipeggers can collaborate with local Baha’is and others «to end this injustice.»

Source of the review: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/fighting-oppression-with-education-507503292.html

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Angola: A growing church making a mark in education

Entrevistas

By: lutheranworld.org.

Interview with Bishop Antonio Alfredo Barros

(LWI) – Bishop Antonio Alfredo Barros heads the Western Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Angola (IELA) in the northwestern part of the country. He spoke with Lutheran World Information (LWI) about growing up in the Catholic Church, and his enthusiasm to see every church member experience the freedom of discovering the Bible and knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for “each and every one of us.”

Growing up, what led you to the church?

I was born in 1958 in Angola’s capital Luanda, in a devout Catholic family. I was baptized and confirmed in the church, and got married there in 1979. Since Angola was a Portuguese colony and Catholicism was the favored Christian denomination, I was influenced by the Catholic faith.

After independence in 1975, civil war broke out, and like many others my age I was conscripted into the military where I served for about three years. At around the age of 20, I met Lutheran evangelists for the first time. The evangelical nature of Lutheranism opened my eyes, and I was drawn to the exceptional way of explaining the relationship with God, about salvation as God’s free gift for each and every one of us. I started attending the local Lutheran church, and was confirmed as a member in 1985. I studied theology at the Lutheran Seminary in Kunene. I was ordained as a pastor in 1990, and I have also been an evangelist. When the church was divided into two dioceses in 2016, I was consecrated as bishop to lead the Luanda region.

How has your faith journey influenced the way you lead the church?

Although the war ended in 2002, the effect of more than 30 years of conflict is still very painful. So many people died in the fighting and several years later more were still dying or being maimed by landmines that had been planted by the army and guerrillas. In this situation, the church became a tool to facilitate healing, reconciliation, and peace. We also educate people on how they can empower their lives, and use the Bible to teach about restoring people’s dignity. Things are changing now, but we still need to remind people that Christian life is not about coming to church on Sundays and saying “Amen” to everything. Our faith must question the way we experience God’s kingdom here on earth.

Is there a particular Bible verse that inspires you?

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. [Luke 10:2]” I have been a congregational pastor for 25 years, and a bishop for only three years. I enjoy teaching the Bible, and having conversations with people about how the Word of God relates to their daily lives. I am happy that God has called me to be a laborer in God’s vineyard. In Angola Lutherans are only 59,000 members, not many compared to other Christians. But our church is growing, and we also make important contributions in terms of education and health.

Can you elaborate?

We are an open church with 57 congregations throughout the country. We have 58 pastors including eight women currently, and nine retired women pastors. We have 11 evangelists, 39 deacons and deaconesses. Until three years ago, we had only one national bishop, Bishop Tomás Ndawanapo, and now we are two.

Our contribution to education and health includes two secondary schools in Kunene, two in Huambo and two in Luanda although one of them has not yet been completed. Our schools have around 5,000 students in total, and our goal is to ensure that they are self-sustaining. And, we have one health clinic in Kunene.

Where do your church workers train?

All our church workers train at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Kunene, where we run different types of courses ranging from five years for pastors to short-term training for diaconal workers. The head of the church, Bishop Tomás Ndawanapo is one of the lecturers there, and we have up to 30 students each year.

Given the history of repression the Lutheran church faced during colonialism and the devastation of civil war, we need to work very hard, and have well trained church workers to grow and sustain the church. We are grateful for the support from the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), and also from the LWF.

What are some of the major challenges the church faces?

In Angola we have many denominations, and the Lutheran church is still small. The new Pentecostal churches which promote material wealth as a condition for salvation pose a major challenge. We evangelize about God’s grace and free gift of salvation, and encourage people to stay connected to God’s word.

Many people in the country, especially in the rural areas are still very poor, yet Angola has vast oil and other natural resources. The new government is trying to bring development but a lot still needs to be done. The church does not have enough income to pay all its pastors and other workers, but we are trying to empower our members to support the church more.

You participated in the last annual LWF retreat for newly-elected church leaders in Geneva and in Wittenberg in November 2018. What did you take away from the meeting?

It was a very important experience for me. I got to know the Lutheran World Federation better, and how it works. I met fellow bishop colleagues from other parts of the world, and I learnt that we all have very similar challenges. We need such bonds of fellowship in the communion. In Wittenberg, I got to see firsthand where Martin Luther started his work, and I felt inspired about the Lutheran confession.

Source of the review: https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/angola-growing-church-making-mark-education

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Thousands march in Morocco to defend free education

Noticias

Asia/ China/ 01.04.2019/ Source: /www.china.org.cn.

Thousands of people marched on Sunday in the Moroccan capital Rabat to defend free education and show solidarity with protesting teachers.

Organized by the Moroccan Coalition for the Defense of Public Education, the march criticizes the government’s «scheme to terminate all public services.»

The march, joined by several leaders of leftist opposition parties, denounced a bill under discussion in parliament which calls for the gradual introduction of registration fees in public institutions of higher education and then in high schools.

Proposed by the government, the bill faces objection from many opposition parties, trade unions, NGOs and even parliamentarians from the ruling Justice and Development Party.

The demonstrators also showed their support to the demands of protesting teachers, including abolishment of regional contracts and full benefits and pensions like public servants.

Thousands of teachers, who have been protesting for months, also participated in the march.

The teachers, who marched earlier on Saturday in the main streets of the capital, tried to set up makeshift camp for the night ahead of Sunday’s march.

Notably, the police started using water cannons to disperse the teachers after several warnings.

In 2016, the Moroccan government granted the regional educational and training academies the right to hire teachers as part of a larger «regionalization reform.»

Many trade unions claimed that this move means submission to international lenders, who demanded the cut in the civil service paycheck.

So far, 70,000 teachers have been hired under the new contract system, including 15,000 at the training centers.

Source of the notice: http://www.china.org.cn/world/2019-03/25/content_74608636.htm

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Japan to support education for 4 mil women in developing countries

Noticias

Asia/ Japan/ 25.03.2019/ Source: japantoday.com.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told an international women’s conference in Tokyo on Saturday that Japan will support developing countries in providing «high-quality» education to 4 million women by 2020.

Abe said improving access to education is important for sustainable economic development and that he will propose accelerated efforts to provide better education opportunities to women at the meeting of the Group of 20 major countries which Japan will host in June.

«As the G-20 president, I would like to confirm with other G-20 leaders our determination to create a world where all can have access to at least 12 years of high-quality education,» he told the meeting of Women20, a G-20 engagement group which makes policy recommendations to the major economies.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai also attended the conference and called for investments in women’s education.

To create a world where «all women and girls can shine, where women are driving innovation» and taking seats in governments and businesses, leaders must invest in girls’ education, Malala said.

«If we invest in girls today, a future beyond our imagining is possible,» she said.

In the event, W20’s Japanese representatives handed Abe a communique demanding that G-20 member countries take action to close the gender gap for the sake of economic growth and fair and sustainable development.

The communique requested G-20 member countries to present a mid-term report at the next G-20 summit in Osaka on a commitment made at the 2014 G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia to reduce the gender gap in labor force participation by 25 percent by 2025.

The recommendation also urged use of new technologies including artificial intelligence to «ensure no women is left behind,» while calling on G-20 leaders to take measures to promote participation of women in the field of digital technologies, science, engineering, arts and mathematics.

The first W20 summit was held in Istanbul in 2015 to promote social advancement of women in the G-20 member states and to strengthen their economic power.

The W20 Japan event was concurrently held with the fifth World Assembly for Women, hosted by the Japanese government with the aim of realizing «a society where every woman can shine.»

Despite the Abe government’s push for female empowerment, Japan lags behind many other advanced economies in the social and economic advancement of women.

In 2013, Abe requested all listed companies to have at least one woman on their board as part of an effort to achieve the goal of having at least 30 percent of leadership positions in every sector of society occupied by women by 2020.

After the request, the number of female board members more than doubled from 630 in 2012 to around 1,700 in 2018. But the rate of female occupation of board seats remains low at around 4 percent, according to the Cabinet Office.

Source of the notice: https://japantoday.com/category/politics/japan-to-support-education-for-4-mil.-women-in-developing-countries

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More school choice strengthens public education

Ron Matus

By: Ron Matus.

 

Over the past 20 years, Florida public schools have improved as much as any in America. At the same time, educational choice here revved from fringe to mainstream. That’s a point worth noting to those who keep insisting, with zero evidence, that expanding choice hurts public schools.

In his South Florida Sun Sentinel column, Randy Schultz wrote that lawmakers who’ve proposed a new private school voucher are trying to “undermine public education” and “turbocharge the privatization of Florida’s public schools.” They’re trying to make education profitable instead of better, he wrote. They’re ignoring questions and contrary evidence.

They’re not alone. Florida’s high school graduation rate now stands at 86 percent, up from 52 percent in the 1990s. We now rank third (behind Massachusetts and Connecticut) in the percentage of graduating seniors who’ve passed college-caliber Advanced Placement exams.

We now rank No. 1, No. 1, No.3 and No. 8 on the four core tests that make up the National Assessment of Educational Progress, once adjusted for demographics. Education Week just ranked us No. 4 in K-12 achievement, after a decade in which we ranked no lower than No. 12.

Schultz mentioned none of this.

Clearly, expansion of choice didn’t “undermine public education.” We have one of the biggest charter school sectors in America, one of the biggest private school voucher programs, the biggest tax credit scholarship, the biggest education savings account.

We also have, not coincidentally, some of the biggest and best district choice programs, from magnets and career academies to IB and dual enrollment. All in all, 47 percent of Florida students in PreK-12 — 1.7 million children — now attend something other than zoned neighborhood schools. And guess what? No apocalypse. Just more students getting the increasingly customized education their parents want for them.

Schultz also wrote, “No one knows how well the state’s voucher students are doing.” How odd. Just last month, the respected and left-leaning Urban Institute released a report that found students using the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income students are up to 43 percent more likely to attend four-year colleges than like students in public schools, and up to 20 percent more likely to earn bachelor’s degrees. Schultz didn’t mention this. Clearly, it didn’t fit the narrative about “unaccountable” schools.

Accountability is different for public and private schools. But it’s hard to argue that private schools don’t have enough when dissatisfied parents can, unlike parents in public schools, leave at any time. Balancing regulatory accountability with parental choice is a work in progress, but the Urban Institute findings suggest that when given discretion to determine quality, parents choose wisely.

It’s true, too, there are shysters and scandals in the private school space. More is being done to keep them out or exit them sooner. But private schools hardly corner the market on rotten apples. If somebody pieced together all the maddening headlines generated by districts and district schools, they could paint the most damning portrait. But nobody with a fair mind would do that.

Schultz seems most torqued by the possibility the new voucher may extend eligibility into the middle class. That, too, is odd. None of Florida’s other “vouchers” — which provide state support for private school tuition — are means tested. We don’t tell millionaires they can’t get state money for VPK, or a Bright Futures scholarship for college, or a McKay Scholarship for students with disabilities, because they’re too wealthy. Does Schultz’s outrage extend to those programs as well?

I’m encouraged lawmakers want to ensure low-income parents get priority for the proposed voucher. I also don’t see a mass exodus. The vast majority of middle-class parents, like me, like their public schools a lot. If some want options, for whatever reason, they should have that freedom.

One last point: The lion’s share of private schools participating in Florida scholarship programs are tiny nonprofits. The value of the tax credit scholarship, and the proposed new scholarships, is about 60 percent of total per-pupil spending for Florida district schools, which are among the lowest-funded in America. Yet Schultz concludes that what lawmakers really want to do is to make education “profitable.” That just doesn’t add up.

Source of the article: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-com-more-school-choice-20190321-story.html

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Islamic leaders: Education the key to ending intolerance

Noticias

Oceania/ New Zealand/ 25.03.2019/ Source: www.journalnow.com.

Guests and members stand to observe a moment of silence on Sunday at Annoor Islamic Center in Clemmons. More than 350 people attended the gathering.

Guests and members gather outside the Annoor Islamic Center in Clemmons on Sunday. Speakers at the event discussed ways to end intolerance in the wake of two deadly attacks on mosques in New Zealand that left 50 people dead. Imam Khalid Griggs said Islamophobia is present, and the best way to get rid of it is through education.

Nine days after a man fatally shot 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand, the greater Forsyth community gathered at a Clemmons mosque and discussed what could be done to squelch intolerance.

For some, the discussion was intensely personal.

Noor Shehata, now a freshman in college, recalls when she was a seventh-grader in social studies learning about Sept. 11.

“The teacher said he’d hate to be a brown Muslim who owned a restaurant the next day (after 9/11),” Shehata recounted. “I was a brown Muslim, and my dad owned a restaurant. All eyes in the class went to me.”

She said it was difficult to experience that from someone in a leadership position as a 13-year-old.

“Muslims are forced to grow up much earlier, they know what a terrorist is earlier,” Shehata said.

She learned to develop a filter of herself, looking at how she might appear through others’ eyes.

Imam Khalid Griggs said Islamophobia is present, and the best way to get rid of it is through education. He urged the approximately 350 people in attendance to take a stand against racism in all forms and come together as one against it.

“If we don’t come together as brothers and sisters, we will die as fools,” he said in a reference to a Martin Luther King Jr. quote.

Juana Rhili, an educator, challenged everyone in attendance to share knowledge of the Muslim religion with five other people within the next week.

“We are all, ‘One person, under God,’ and one person can make a change,” she said, referencing the Pledge of Allegiance. “We know these (shootings) will continue to happen unless we change the mindset.”

Others provided additional knowledge of Islam, including that the true message of the religion is peace, people of all nationalities are Muslim, and Muslims are against suicide.

The North Carolina division of the FBI recognized how important connections with the Muslim community are, working for more than four years to strengthen them, said Timothy Stranahan, assistant special agent in charge. Today, there’s a network of about 45 imams across the state the FBI keeps in contact with in the event something happens.

Aladin Ebraheem, with the Annoor Islamic Center in Clemmons where the gathering was held, said that trust is valuable.

He teared up discussing the mass shooting in New Zealand, but knew the community would get through it.

“That individual might have been successful in taking lives, but he failed miserably in intimidating, and the biggest proof is all of you being here,” Ebraheem told the crowd.

“This is not foreign to any of us. Just a few months ago, we were at a Jewish temple, showing support for almost the same thing,” he said, referencing the Tree of Life shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018, in which 11 people were killed.

Hana Hariri, who has a young daughter, said more discussions like this need to occur in the community. She said last year, her daughter was called a terrorist because of her faith. She’s also called, “the others.”

“We need to educate more about Islam,” Hariri said. “Education, even in school, and tell kids that Islam is a religion, not terrorism like ISIS. We’re relieved that the FBI is helping.”

Source of the notice: https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/islamic-leaders-education-the-key-to-ending-intolerance/article_86ebe7a3-0664-50a0-8382-ca1cc9f0931a.html#1

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