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Civil education academy upholds legal education of students in Bulgaria

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Bulgaria/January 30, 2018/Source: http://bnr.bg

Around two years ago a group of law students from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski decided to establish the first of its kind Civil Education Academy in Bulgaria. They aim at raising the legal culture of the students and want to encourage those to know and defend their rights and freedoms, as this is one of the steps for the creation of a fairer society. That is why they hold free and very understandable discussions for students from the 11th and 12th degrees on subjects, related to the state and the law. One of the Academy’s founders and now Ethics & Law teacher with the Miguel de Servantes Spanish Language High School in Sofia – Vasil Lozanov, a law graduate, gives us more details:

Снимка“We find it essential to carry out a bilateral process – hence the ‘discussions’ term and not ‘lectures’ or ‘lessons’. When we present the topics, we often ask the students a lot of questions with the purpose of provoking their thoughts and reactions. The method has already proven to be very efficient – they either know the answer already or discover it via a discussion. The majority of the students come very motivated. Whenever they get something wrong, we don’t remark, but explain the logics of the lawmaker. There is this phenomenon that we jokingly call ‘the avalanche’ – they find it hard to start participating over the first minutes of the talk, but whenever a student or two speak up, the rest rush to join in. We also receive a lot of questions during the breaks and right after the discussions and we also have lots of social media visits. We always pay personal attention at anyone’s request.”

The project includes the 300 Seconds of Law educational video series. Over 230 students from Sofia and Gotse Delchev have already taken part in the course with growing interest, Vasil Lozanov adds:

“Over the 2017/2018 school year the Academy will take place across seven Bulgarian cities and towns. In 2018 we would like to reach students from smaller settlements. The towns of Vidin, Velingrad, Haskovo, Gorna Malina, Dolna Malina and Kostenets have shown interest towards our initiative.”

Снимка

The second aspect of the Academy is aimed at civil education – students are encouraged to think and express their position. The discussions seize topics, important for each citizen, but mostly left outside the school curriculum – state institutions, separation of powers, basic human rights and freedoms, freedom of speech, also crime and justice. The Academy’s team upholds the idea of classes in civil and legal education at school:

“Legal education is not enough covered nowadays at school and this has been one of the engines of our activities. The respective topics are now covered in the 10th and 12th grades, and that leaves a gap of a whole school year in between. The 16-year-olds have totally different interests and many of them are not mature enough to show curiosity for legal subjects, as the educational system has so far shown in no way the importance of law in regard to its impact on our everyday life. On the other hand, in the 12th grade they are on the verge of a crucial choice of whether to go to college or not, and where; so the World & Personality subjects seem to only rush quickly somewhere aside. Legal literacy is far away from both students and more mature citizens. However, we should start somewhere and we do believe that the seeds of knowledge should be planted asap, in order for not only information, but a way of thinking to grow as a result.”

Anyone interested in the Academy’s activities may contact the team at www.ago-academy.org.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

Source:

http://bnr.bg/en/post/100925753/civil-education-academy-upholds-legal-education-of-students-in-bulgaria

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EEUU: Career education spotty around state. Students’ lack of opportunities in rural areas catch attention of legislators

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EEUU/January 30, 2018/By Hunter Field/Source: http://www.arkansasonline.com

In Arkansas, a K-12 student’s access to career and technical course work depends on where that student lives.

A high school student in Springdale, for example, has the choice of 24 programs of study split between on-campus offerings and off-campus Secondary Area Career Centers with larger, more-advanced equipment. A similar student at Hillcrest High School in Lawrence County has only three options and no career center.

Nowhere is the disparity clearer than in the cluster of 11 north Arkansas school districts — including Hillcrest — that has no career center. Across the state, students in 37 of Arkansas’ 238 districts don’t have access to such centers, according to Arkansas Department of Career Education data.

Those figures are alarming for educators in the primarily rural areas, said Gerald Cooper, executive director of the Northcentral Arkansas Educational Cooperatives.

«Kids in those areas aren’t just underserved, they’re unserved,» Cooper said.

Furthermore, funding for career centers — which has remained stagnant despite increases in demand — was formulated in a way that benefits districts that already have them, according to a Bureau of Legislative Research report. Districts receive their annual allotments from the state based on the previous year’s enrollment in career center courses.

The issue has caught the attention of some state lawmakers, who question whether Arkansas’ approach to career and technical education is working for all students.

Those legislators — a bipartisan group on the Senate and House education committees — are part of a committee in charge of generating an educational adequacy report every two years that recommends how school districts should spend state funds and whether there should be any increases to ensure that every student in Arkansas receives an equitable and adequate education.

The mandate comes from legislation passed in the early 2000s in response to a series of state Supreme Court decisions in the Lake View school funding lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the state’s K-12 education funding model.

While the legislation doesn’t explicitly require career and technical education to be analyzed in the adequacy studies, the legislative committee expanded its definition of adequacy in 2016 to include «opportunities for students to develop career readiness skills.» The Arkansas Department of Education requires public high schools to teach a minimum of nine career and technical education courses.

Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, worries that schools in rural areas too far from career centers are teaching only the most basic courses like home economics. Students in those districts, she said, are missing out on the more advanced courses that career centers offer.

The state, Elliott added, may need to step in to ensure that every district has equitable access to career centers. Elliott, a retired teacher, sits on the Senate Education Committee.

«The final responsibility is with the state,» she said. «We can’t just step back and say, ‘Well, you shouldn’t have been born there.'»

Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, agreed with Elliott, saying that in future years the committee may need to consider technical education and career centers as part of its per-student funding formula for school districts.

English pointed to the fact that only about 22 percent of Arkansans attain bachelor’s degrees, making career education at the secondary level even more important. Additionally, many of the most «in-demand» occupations, according to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, have training aspects that can be offered at the high school level.

However, those courses, like automotive repair and medical services, require advanced facilities and equipment that most school districts can’t afford on their own.

Career centers draw from students across multiple districts, which receive state funding to pay those centers on a per-student basis. Study programs include computer engineering, aviation technology, banking, culinary arts, criminal justice and biomedical science. High schools have 601 different courses they may offer.

The state provides about $20.1 million annually for career centers, according to the Bureau of Legislative Research. That money is distributed to the school districts at a rate of $3,250 per full-time student. That rate has remained unchanged since it was established in 2003.

The centers were created by a 1985 law that called for 16 to be located strategically around Arkansas to maximize access.

There are currently 27 centers (two are pilots) with 29 satellite locations, according to the Arkansas Department of Career Education.

Despite there being more than the law requires, districts like Melbourne still don’t have a vocational learning facility within an hour’s drive, said Superintendent Dennis Sublett. For these smaller districts, it all comes down to a lack of funding.

«We’d love some help,» he said. «We’d love our kids to have the same opportunities as the rest of the kids in the state.»

Some districts have addressed the shortage by raising millages or partnering with nearby private industry, but those options aren’t available to poor, rural districts, as Rep. Michael John Gray, D-Augusta, noted in a joint education committee meeting Tuesday. In Augusta, which doesn’t have access to a career center, there’s simply not industry there anymore to partner with, Gray said.

Elliott pointed to the Lake View case during Tuesday’s meeting, saying that it’s great for school districts to partner with private businesses when they’re nearby, but that won’t work for the entire state.

«The bottom line, the Supreme Court did not say businesses have to do this,» Elliott said. «They said that we do.»

A few minutes later, Rep. Stephen Meeks, R-Greenbrier, caught several members off guard with a comment about the Lake View case.

«Just want to start off with a quick reminder since it was brought up this morning about having to follow adequacy, that while we definitely value the opinion of the Supreme Court, this body is not bound to do anything the Supreme Court tells us to do,» he said. «We do it because we think it is the right thing for the kids of Arkansas.»

Elliott said the comment «astounded» her.

«I think the thing that needs to be clear about what we say … we are bound by the constitution and we are bound by what we put on paper and what we say we’re going to do,» she said. «Well, that needs to be clear with us … if we think that we don’t have three equal branches of government and one won’t hold us accountable for what we say we’re going to do.»

Source:

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/jan/28/career-education-spotty-around-state-20/

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Brisbane is Australia’s most expensive city for faith-based education

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Australia/January 16, 2018/By: Felicity Caldwell/Source: http://www.watoday.com.au

Brisbane is Australia’s most expensive city for a faith-based education, according to research released on Tuesday.

The ASG Planning for Education Index predicts it will cost $251,866 to put a child born in 2018 through a Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, Buddhist, Islamic or Hindu school in Brisbane.

The cost jumped $7902 from 2017, unlike Melbourne, Perth and Hobart, where the forecast cost fell.

The Brisbane figure was $11,187 above the national metropolitan average ($240,679) and $63,124 more expensive than Hobart, Australia’s most affordable capital for a faith-based education.

But there was some good news for parents considering the private school system, with Brisbane predicted to be the most affordable capital city in the nation.

The forecast cost of a private education for a 2018 baby in Brisbane fell $3464 compared with last year, to $368,573 over the course of their schooling.

This was $106,769 below the national metropolitan average and $178,841 cheaper than Sydney ($547,414), Australia’s most expensive city for a private school education.

The index also discovered the forecast cost of a government education in Brisbane ($58,352) had dropped $1783 in the past year.

Brisbane was now significantly cheaper than Melbourne ($75,263), Australia’s most expensive government school system.

The forecast cost of a government education in Brisbane was $7968 below the national metropolitan average.

The fall in the forecast cost of education across Brisbane’s private and government schools was heavily influenced by slower price rises within secondary education.

But while school fees were a major education expense, there were other hits to the hip pocket, including extracurricular activities, computers, travel expenses, uniforms, school excursions and camps.

Based on more than 13,500 responses, the index predicted Brisbane parents who educated a child in the private school system for 13 years could fork out $49,365 for other non-fee education costs.

At faith-based schools it would cost $44,971 and $38,661 at government schools.

Brisbane mum Zhiqin (Grace) Cao, whose daughter, Emily, is in Year 2 at a Lutheran school, says she has already underestimated the costs of education.

«I calculated the costs of tuition, uniforms and textbooks but forgot to calculate other activities including ballet lessons, ice-skating and intensive school holiday classes, so I’ve had to budget for an extra $3000 a year,» she said.

«Emily also started gymnastics in the second half of last year because of the influence of her friends, and coding camps cost $150 a day and can last a week during the holidays.»

Ms Cao, an ASG member, said she valued a quality education despite the cost.

«As long as I can see Emily is benefiting, I will continue to support and encourage her,» she said.

Outside the capital cities, regional Queensland was Australia’s most expensive region for a faith-based education, with parents spending $198,012 for a child born in 2018.

Acting ASG COO Bruce Hawkins said the cost of education had risen at more than double the rate of inflation over the past 10 years and outstripped the growth in wages over the same period.

The overall cost of education had skyrocketed 61 per cent in the past decade, dwarfing the 34 per cent rise in wage growth in the same period.

«This means that education costs are demanding a far greater share of the family wallet than in the past, placing more burden on the average family, already challenged by the rising cost of living,» Mr Hawkins said.

«If you have three children, the cost of education at a Brisbane private school could top $1 million.

«That’s significantly more than the purchase price of the average family home.»

Originally published on brisbanetimes.com.au as ‘Brisbane is Australia’s most expensive city for faith-based education‘.

Source:

http://www.watoday.com.au/national/education/brisbane-is-australia-s-most-expensive-city-for-faith-based-education-20180115-p4yyi9.html

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Malaysia’s International Education by 2020 and Beyond

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Malaysia/January 16, 2018/By: Kris Olds/ Source: http://www.insidehighered.com

Editor’s note: This guest entry has been kindly contributed by Professor Dato’ Dr Morshidi Sirat. Morshidi was the former Director-General of Higher Education Malaysia, and is now Director of the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Facility (CTEF) based at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. Morshidi is also a Senior Research Fellow at the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), Universiti Sains Malaysia. Given Morshidi’s expertise and experience in higher education policy, he is often engaged in consultancy work on higher education policy in Malaysia, then Association of Southeast Asian Region (ASEAN) and the South Pacific Island States.

This entry is based on recent work in ASEAN and South Pacific Island States, specifically to address confusion between international education and the internationalisation of education in many emerging and developing higher education systems. In many systems, these terms are used interchangeably. This entry is an attempt to re-examine international education as a concept and a strategy for both international understanding and economic development as implemented in Malaysia. Arguably, lessons learnt should provide guidance for Malaysia’s international education beyond 2020, especially with respect to the manner in which Malaysia’s citizens “engage with others in this globalised and yet highly divisive world.” Kris Olds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Malaysia’s International Education by 2020 and Beyond:

Re-examining Concept, Targets and Outcome

Morshidi Sirat

Preamble

It is important to address international education in this era of globalisation and unsettling geopolitical issues, in particular on Malaysia’s response to preparing Malaysians for future global and regional scenarios. Anyone that studies international development dynamics from the ‘people perspective’ as opposed to the ‘economic and neo-liberalism perspective’ will almost immediately agree that we are in dire need of international and intercultural understanding as we try to deal with longstanding and more importantly, emerging geopolitical issues. As such, international education is not merely about the dynamics of flows in terms of the numbers of students, scholars, and/or programs between countries. More importantly, it is about qualitative impact, in particular about the content of international education and related programs. It must be emphasized that “in any educational program, of any educational system, for any educational process and under any educational material”, the aims and objectives of international education must be communicated in order to realise international understanding among nations (Juan Ignacio Martínez de Morentin de Goñi, 2004: 94).

With this as a preamble and context, we can then proceed to re-examine international education as a concept and as a strategy for both international understanding and economic development as implemented in Malaysia.

Introduction

With globalisation, many terms connected with the “international” are loosely defined and liberally adopted in policy circles particularly in the formulation of strategic planning directions on education and higher education. These policy documents and the people behind these policy documents are equally guilty of adopting terms and terminologies without proper definition, contextualisation and correct usage of these terms. Thus, in our attempt to trace and assess the progress of international education in Malaysia to-date it is important at the outset to provide a working definition of ‘international education’. But more importantly, it is pertinent for us to establish whether, at the time of target setting for the so-called international education in 2007 (for the National Higher Education Strategic Plan Phase 1), the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP)and in 2013 (in the case of the Malaysia Education Blueprint), did we conceptualise and operationalise the term ‘international education’ as it should be conceptualised and operationalised? Moving on from issues and questions which I have raised earlier, this entry will begin with a deliberation on the term ‘international education’, detailing the aims and objectives of international education. Subsequently, a working definition is adopted in order to assess where Malaysia is in terms of international education. Following that, the ‘international education’ element in the Malaysia Education Blueprint and the National Higher Education Strategic Plan (NHESP) will be highlighted and the implementation of international education rated. A statement of “where we are” and “where we should be heading” will be offered for further consideration and deliberation based on the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2015-2025 (Higher Education).

What is International Education?

Admittedly, the term ‘international education’ has yet to acquire a single, consistent meaning. The reason for the uncertainty, confusion and disagreement lies partly in the many interpretations of the term ‘international education’. As James (2005:314) notes, further confusion arises because the word ‘international’ itself is equally ambiguous as not all things regarded as international are in essence international. To understand the meaning of international education, we need to explicate the term in terms of aims and objectives.

Epstein (1994: 918) describes ‘international education’ as fostering «an international orientation in knowledge and attitudes and, among other initiatives, brings together students, teachers, and scholars from different nations to learn about and from each other. In other words, “All educative efforts that aim at fostering an international orientation in knowledge and attitudes” (Huse´n and Postlethwaite, 1985: 260) and seek “to build bridges between countries” (McKenzie, 1998: 244) fit this idea of international education. Arum (1987) divides international education into three parts: (1) international studies (including all studies involving the teaching or research of foreign areas and their languages); (2) international educational exchange (involving American students and faculty studying, teaching, and doing research abroad and foreign faculty and students studying, teaching, and doing research in the United States); and (3) technical assistance (involving American faculty and staff working to develop institutions and human resources abroad, primarily in Third World countries).

The justification for international education can be approached from two directions: a ‘top-down’ approach considers addressing global and national needs, and a ‘bottom-up’ approach, that is the development of the individual. These approaches are not mutually exclusive (James, 2005: 315). Thomas (1996: 24), writing on the development of an International Education System, asserts that ‘education is uniquely placed to provide lasting solutions to the major problems facing world society’, problems which transcend political borders (Gellar, 1996).

The Mission and Aims of International Education

Belle-Isle (1986) states that the “mission of international education is to respond to the intellectual and emotional needs of the children of the world, bearing in mind the intellectual and cultural mobility not only of the individual but . . . most of all, of thought”.

The aims of international education are related to developing ‘international understanding’ for ‘global citizenship’, and the knowledge, attitudes and skills of ‘international-mindedness’ and ‘world-mindedness’ (Hayden and Thompson, 1995a, 1995b; Schwindt, 2003; YAIDA, 2007). Admittedly, none of the aims of modern ‘international education’ are exclusively international (James, 2005: 324). Therefore, and in a post-9/11 world, the term ‘internationalist’ may no longer be sufficient to describe the values espoused by the movement; it might be time to transcend ideas based on nation-states (Sarup, 1996; in Gunesch, 2004). Gunesch (2004) proposes ‘cosmopolitanism’ as an alternative name for the outcome intended of ‘international education’ (Mattern, 1991). While the aims of international education are laudable, it is misleading to relate them to internationalism, for they extend beyond differences in nationality (James, 2005: 323). Peterson (1987) asserts that international education seeks instead to produce what might be termed ‘cosmopolitan locals’, who have a national identity, understand others better, seek to co-operate and have friends across frontiers. That cosmopolitan is “familiar with many different countries and cultures” and “free from national prejudices”. OED (2004) indicates the potential limitations of the cosmopolitanism, in associating prejudices with nations. But, it is preferable as a term to ‘international’ in the sense that it does transcend purely nation-based associations.

Towards a Working Definition

Any working definition for international education should appropriately address the issue of “global interconnectedness that characterizes the contemporary world, and point to a form of international understanding required by the citizen of the future that must comprise some understanding of the world perceived as a whole.”

UNESCO experts have developed conceptual approaches to international education that resulted in an operational definition being adopted by UNESCO (1974). I must emphasize here that we are more interested in a working definition and not an academic definition. UNESCO’s effort may be considered as the only large-scale effort to provide a working definition of the term “international education” by a widely recognized international educational body. The definition, agreed at UNESCO General Conference level, combined the elements of international understanding, cooperation and peace with the range of focal points of international education under the overall rubric of “education for international understanding”. UNESCO (1974: 2) outlines the following relevant educational objectives for international education:

  • a curriculum with a global perspective
  • understanding and respect for other peoples and cultures
  • human rights and obligations
  • communication skills
  • awareness of human interdependence
  • necessity for international solidarity
  • engagement by the individual in the local, national and global scale

Malaysia’s International Education

At this juncture, let us pose some pertinent questions: To what extent is international education important in the educational process and the education system in Malaysia? Personally, I like to think it should be important as “There is nothing that is more effective than having nations-states and people break down barriers between themselves.” In fact, in this highly globalised and inter-connected world it is imperative that we understand other cultures, languages, institutions, and traditions. More so, in today’s globalized world, Malaysian students and in fact students of ASEAN need more international experience. For Malaysia, foreign students enrich our campuses and our culture, and they return home with new ideas and ways to strengthen the relationship between countries. But interestingly, since the early 1990s, the market place and international education have become intertwined and international education has and continues to be seen as an engine for growth (see http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/IIEB/IIEB0114/index.php – /38). Let us not mention the contribution of international students to the Malaysia economy at this juncture as I want to focus on aspects or issues that are beyond the monetary in this entry. That is, I want to focus on to what extent Malaysia has been successful in leveraging international education as a vital part of 21st century diplomacy. Admittedly, we send undergraduates, graduate students, administrators, faculty, and researchers on short and long-term programs abroad but what is more important and pertinent question to ask is: what are the impacts of our programs on students and scholars from abroad in Malaysian education system? Another question that beg some answers: Malaysia education institutions are implementing internationalisation-related activities such as international student mobility, but are these institutions themselves internationalised in its leadership, governance and management arrangement, curriculum content and pedagogy?

The National Higher Education Strategic Plan, 2020 (NHESP), while adopting UNESCO’s operational definition for international education, could not be regarded as intending to progress the comprehensive aims and objectives of international education. This strategic planning document addresses the internationalisation of higher education and not international education. The NHESP fleetingly touched on the aims and objectives of international education by way of the benefits of international exposure and experience. For instance, while a “curriculum with a global perspective” is embedded in many courses offered by Malaysian universities, this is targeted at international student enrolment and recruitment or providing exposure to local students with limited global citizenship or international understanding objective. At best, these are offered at the “exposure level”. Promoting the establishment of Malaysian branches of foreign universities in Malaysia is widely regarded by policy makers as one element of international education. However, the introduction of the Malaysia’s Global Reach component in phase two of the implementation of the NHESP, 2011-2015 is an attempt to insert amendment to what is incomplete from the perspective of international education. Malaysia’s Global Reach was introduced with international education for 21st century diplomacy in mind.

If we examined international education from more recent government documents, in particular the recently launched Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025, it is stated that:

“…it is …imperative that Malaysia compares its education system

against international benchmarks. This is to ensure that

Malaysia is keeping pace with international educational

development.” (Ministry of Education, 2013: 3-5).

Our reading of this important document is that the emphasis is on “international educational development” and not “development in international education.” The international education element of the Blueprint is the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, which is designed to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect (international education), are offered only in two Fully Residential Schools in Malaysia) (Ministry of Education, 2013:4-6).

At another level, the International Schools, which use international curriculum such as the British, American, Australian, Canadian, or International Baccalaureate programmes, sourced their teachers from abroad. In terms of enrolment, data as of 30 June 2011 shows that 18% of Malaysian students in private education options are enrolled in international schools nationwide (Ministry of Education, 2013:7-11).

With a very restricted notion or definition of international education, based on the NHESP and re-emphasized in the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025, the Performance Management Delivery Unit, and Prime Minister’s Department (PEMANDU) subsequently identified prioritised segments of the education system to drive the economic growth of the nation, namely:

  • Basic Education (primary and secondary), with Entry Point Project (EPP) identifying the private sector as playing an important role in improving basic education in terms of the provision of international education, as well as in the training and upskilling of teachers.
  • Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), with EPP 12: Championing Malaysia’s International Education Brand aims to position Malaysia as a regional hub of choice in the global education network. This will include marketing vocational training to international students. This EPP’s goal is to transform a foreign student’s experience in Malaysia into one that is comparable to that in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Thus, targets are set as Gross National Income (GNI) by 2020 (mil) RM2, 787.7 and 152,672 -projected jobs by 2020.

The prioritised segments identified above complement the regional education hub, which is the thrust for the NHESP. For the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2015-2025 (Higher Education), the notion of international education was not conceptualised in the context of achieving UNESCO’s aims and objectives of international education as opposed to internationalisation of higher education and its monetary aspect to the Malaysian economy. In this Blueprint, the shifts on “Holistic, Entrepreneurial and Balanced Graduates’ and ‘Global prominence’ are conceived primarily in terms of monetary return and institutional reputation. There is no direct and clear statement in the Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2015-2025 (Higher Education), with respect to UNESCO (1974) guidelines on international education and the outcome for the students in a highly interconnected but at the same time highly divisive world. What can we improve upon in the next 15 years, is to present the idea of international education beyond the notion that international education is about “engine of growth for the national economy”. Arguably, we need to re-orientate our efforts towards international understanding, citizenship and (mutual rather than soft power) diplomacy (Knight, 2014).

Conclusion

The term international education has yet to acquire a single, consistent meaning. But the manner in which Malaysia interprets and uses this concept/term in the context of economic development need some reflection and re-examination. We may achieve the targets set for 2020 in terms of international student enrolment in our education system, but what about the real aims and objectives of international education, which is to realise international understanding among nations. We need to seriously examine whether the aims and objectives of international education are effectively embedded in Malaysia’s (i) educational program, (ii) educational system, (ii) educational process and (iv) educational material.” There is a need to reassess Malaysia’s commitment towards creating the goals of international mindedness and ‘international understanding’ beyond 2020 and in the context of the Transformasi Nasional 2050 or National Transformation 2050 (TN50). In the case of Malaysia, where economic development is of top priority, we need to seriously think in terms of the economic impetus for better intercultural understanding. Nothing much could move forward in the Malaysian context unless and until there are clear economic impetus for any initiatives coming out of the higher education institutions. We need to re-look at this economic premise if we are to emerge as a nation of ‘global prominence” with respect to the manner our citizen engage with others in this globalised and yet highly divisive world.

References

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BELLE-ISLE, R. (1986) ‘Learning for a new humanism’. International Schools Journal 11 Springs: 27–30.

EPSTEIN, E.H. (1994). Comparative and International Education: Overview and Historical Development. In: Torsten Husén and T. Neville Postlethwaite, eds., International Encyclopaedia of Education (p.918–923). Oxford: Pergamon Press.

GELLAR, C.A. (1996) ‘Educating for world citizenship’ International Schools Journal 16(1): 5–7.

GUNESCH, K. (2004) ‘Education for cosmopolitism? Cosmopolitanism as a personal cultural identity model for and within international education’. Journal of Research in International Education 3: 251–75.

HAYDEN, M.C. AND THOMP SON, J. J. (1995a) ‘International Education: The crossing of frontiers’. International Schools Journal 15(1): 13–20.

HAYDEN, M.C. AND THOMP SON, J. J. (1995b) ‘International Schools and International Education: A relationship reviewed’. Oxford Review of Education 21(3): 327–45

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JAMES, KIERAN. (2005). ‘International education: The concept, and its relationship to intercultural education Journal of Research in International Education’, December 2005; vol. 4, 3: pp. 313-332. Available at: http://jri.sagepub.com/content/4/3/313.full.pdf+html

JUAN IGNACIO MARTÍNEZ DE MORENTIN DE GOÑI. (2004). What is International Education? UNESCO Answers. San Sebastian: UNESCO Centre. Available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001385/138578e.pdf

KNIGHT, JANE. (2014). ‘The limits of soft power in higher education’. University World News, 31 January 2014 Issue No:305.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (2013.) Malaysia Education Blueprint, 2013-2025. Putrajaya: Ministry of Education.

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PETERSON, A.D.C. (1987). Schools across Frontiers: the Story of the International Baccalaureate and the United World Colleges. Chicago, IL: Open Court.

MATTERN, W.G. (1991). ‘Random ruminations on the curriculum of the international school’, in P.L. Jonietz and D. Harris (eds) World Yearbook of Education 1991: International Schools and International Education, pp. 209–16. London: Kogan Page.

McKENZI E , M. (1998). ‘Going, going, gone . . . global!’, in M.C. Hayden and J.J. Thompson (eds) International Education: Principles and Practice, pp. 242–52. London: Kogan Page.

SARUP, M. (1996). Identity, Culture and the Postmodern World. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

SCHWINDT, E . (2003). ‘The development of a model for international education with special reference to the role of host country nationals’. Journal of Research in International Education 2(1): 67–81.

THOMAS , P. (1998). ‘Education for peace: The cornerstone of international education’, in M.C. Hayden and J.J. Thompson (eds) International Education: Principles and Practice, pp. 103–18. London: Kogan Page.

UNESCO (1974). Recommendations Concerning Education for International Understanding, Co-operation and Peace and Education Relating to Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: adopted by the General Conference at its eighteenth session in Paris, November, 1974. UNESCO, Paris.

YAIDA PUSUSILTHORN (2007). International Mindedness among Expatriate Teachers in Bangkok Patana School. MA Thesis. Language Institute, Thammasat University, Bangkok. Feb. available at: http://digi.library.tu.ac.th/thesis/lg/0262/01TITLE.pdf

Source:
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/globalhighered/malaysia%E2%80%99s-international-education-2020-and-beyond
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South Africa: Basic Education results show that the failing educational system is stuck in a rut

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South Africa/ January 9, 2018/By: Freedom Front Plus/Source: https://southafricatoday.net

South Africa’s Basic Education system, with its lowered standards, is too inadequate to properly prepare learners for training after school and that puts a damper on the 2017 matric results that have just been announced, says adv Anton Alberts, FF Plus chairperson, and Dr Wynand Boshoff, FF Plus spokesperson on Basic Education.

Adv Alberts and Dr Boshoff would like to congratulate the successful learners on their results on behalf of the FF Plus and they urge those learners that did not succeed not to give up hope, but to do everything in their power to pass the matric exam.

According to adv Alberts and Dr Boshoff, there are three gaps in the system that are particularly disadvantageous to learners at present. They are:

The majority of learners enter the labour force with matric being their highest qualification, but career skills are not a priority.
Education is also increasingly being centralised to serve the ANC’s ideologies and that marginalises everyone that strive for better.
As opposed to the Gauteng Education Minister’s suggestion to centralise matric exams even more, the FF Plus proposes greater freedom of choice. It is recommended that schools receive a monetary grant from the state that they can use to either register with the Department of Basic Education or with one of the independent examinations boards (IEB of SACAI).

The Higher Education system is also failing Afrikaans-speaking matriculants, particularly from the Northern and Western Cape provinces, all the more. Instead of expanding Higher Education to include instruction in other indigenous languages, misdirected attempts at redress have seen Afrikaans being replaced by English.

• In 2011, Boshoff obtained a PhD in Curriculum Studies and Instructional Design.

Read the original article by Adv. Anton Alberts on Freedom Front Plus

Source:

Basic Education results show that the failing educational system is stuck in a rut

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India: Fund allocation for school education could increase by up to 14% in Budget 2018-19

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India/January, 03, 2018/ By : Himadri Ghosh/Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.in

The government’s financial constraints will make it difficult for them to spend aggressively or increase budgetary allocation in a large way.

The Budget for the fiscal year 2019 will be the last full budget that will be announced by the government before going in to poll in 2019. Hence it is highly likely that the budget will be more on populism and less on pragmatism.

Fund allocation for school education is likely to rise by up to 14 percent for the financial year 2019, with Centre planning to prove extra top-ups on the existing schemes, Mint reported.

Schemes such as mid-day meals and right to education are expected to receive higher budgetary allocations from the previous year.

«It will be much less than what the ministry demanded, but higher than the previous year’s allocations in the range of 11-14 percent,» two government officials told Mint.

The Union Budget is scheduled to be tabled on February 1. The country currently spends around four percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on education, both school and higher education. In last year’s budget, Rs 46,356 crore was allocated for school education.

The government’s financial constraints will make it difficult for them to spend aggressively or increase budgetary allocation in a large way.

The central government has breached its full-year fiscal deficit target for the financial year 2018 in November itself. Data revealed that during the April-to-November period, the government’s fiscal deficit was 112 percent of its Rs 5.5 trillion budgetary targets.

This prompted the government to announce that it would borrow additional Rs 50,000 crore from the market for the ongoing fiscal.

«Given the financial constraints of the government, one cannot complain about the expected size of the increase in allocation,» the second official said.

Officials also told the business daily that as Goods and Services Tax (GST) continue to slide on a month-on-month basis, it would be tough for the government to spend more.

Source:

http://education.einnews.com/article/424386335/hHVo6DOcY4kvDNKz?lcf=eG8zt30RHq4WcGF5PkFdHg%3D%3D

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EEUU: We’ve failed our children by neglecting sex education. Here’s what we must do

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EEUU/December 12, 2017/ By: The Editorial Board/Source: http://www.fresnobee.com

“It’s complicated.”

That headline in The Bee’s “Too Young?” series on sex education and teen pregnancy this fall says it simply. There is no easy map for navigating the roiling seas around sex education and teen pregnancy in the Valley. We all want the best for our children, but boy, what we are doing now clearly isn’t working for us.

Half of California’s 10 counties with the highest teenage birth rates are in the Valley, despite statewide and nationwide record lows in teen births. Fresno County has the second-highest rate of syphilis in California and the third-highest rate of chlamydia.

Process that: The same teens too embarrassed to walk into class late are spreading two noxious sexually transmitted infections to their classmates at epidemic levels.

How do we help them get a healthier, stronger start in life?

A state law that went into effect last year mandates comprehensive sex education aiming to curb those rates and requires schools to have trained instructors to teach about contraception, abortion, sexual consent and more.

That’s a good thing for Fresno because in 2011, Fresno school administrators cut sex ed classes to save money. The babies born to that group without sex ed since then are now entering our kindergartens. Small wonder we see the statistics we do.

Still, despite all that, The Bee’s series was met with unprecedented push back on a health education story. Despite an impeccable academic process, with assistance from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Health Journalism fellowship, a conservative organization threatened legal action against The Bee for asking questions of the teen students.

In a story published Aug. 4 in The Bee, Fresno Unified School District President Brooke Ashjian said the district has to follow the law, “but you have kids who are extremely moldable at this stage and if you start telling them that LGBT is OK and that it’s a way of life, well maybe you just swayed the kid to go that way.” And he said, “it’s so important for parents to teach these Judeo-Christian philosophies.”

That set off a firestorm. Ashjian later lashed out with false accusations that The Bee did not have permission from the district to conduct a survey of teen attitudes on sex education. We did, and Supt. Bob Nelson confirmed the district’s approval of the survey and voiced his support for the project.

There has perhaps never been a time when children so desperately needed guidance, given our sex-saturated culture. It is a time when even our most admired adults are confessing to unspeakable abuse. Their victims describe behavior that essentially weaponized sex.

This is not the way we want to introduce our young people to one of life’s great gifts, a healthy, loving expression of intimacy that makes it possible to bring new life into the world.

When it comes to getting the facts of life, teens today might seem to have no excuses, given the access to the latest science via the internet and TV programming. Go on YouTube and key in “sex education” and see what you get: More than 4.2 million results.

There are the Hogwarts guide, the 1980s Irish Catholic guide, Hindi, Pakistani, the comedy video, the scary video. The sources are probably unknown to them, but there is the Mayo Clinic and there is pornography. Do we just throw them in the open sea and let them figure it out themselves? Sadly, that’s where they usually land. Too many people are pretending it’s not even there.

In a survey conducted by The Bee, 38 percent of about 160 teens said they learned the most about sex from TV and the internet. That was second only to what they learned from friends, at 43 percent. School lessons were far behind at 13 percent and parents ranked dead last at 8 percent.

That is not to say we don’t have a lot of wise people who know what we need to do. There are excellent programs doing great work in both prevention and guiding teen parents to achieve their dreams. We just need to do more of it.

Preparing young people to delay pregnancies beyond their teens has a huge payoff for them and their children. Children born beyond the teens are more likely to be born full-term and healthy, more likely to do well in school, to acquire careers that can support a family, less likely to divorce or be incarcerated.

We can help our community get there with constant vigilance, adequate funding and a compassionate, kind, empathetic intention to succeed.

Here are some clues we gleaned from the teens and experts in our series. Let’s give respect where it is due and start with the teens themselves.

GIVING TEENS A GREAT START

▪  Do get involved in extra-curricular activities, sports, youth groups and personal development programs. Consider getting an after-school job or try for an on-campus position like tutoring.

▪  Don’t be ashamed to grow up. Recognize that your interest, curiosity and experimentation with sexuality is a normal part of maturity. In most families, parents are expecting these questions and will be happy that you are comfortable in coming to them with your concerns.

▪  Don’t be ashamed to be shy. If your parents come with a little too much and you’re overwhelmed, tell them to slow it down.

▪  Do be considerate. Before you ask adults, even your parents, for information about sex, it’s polite to get their permission to get into the conversation. They might need to set up the right time and place.

▪  Do establish a good rapport with a doctor, nurse, school counselor or other medical professional who can give you reliable factual advice. Sometimes it’s easier to ask questions of an aunt or a friend’s parent. If you are sexually active, you should know exactly where to go in case of suspected pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection. Act quickly.

▪  Do know your rights. Pastors, physicians and counselors are honor bound to keep your information private. Here is a website for the American Civil Liberties Union guide: http://bit.ly/2kwHOSD

▪  Don’t perpetuate bad teaching. If your school sex-education classes are not helpful or if you think the teacher is miscast in the assignment, give your feedback to your parents or to a school counselor. If you are concerned about repercussions, ask that the source be kept confidential.

HEALTHY TEENS NEED ALL OF US

▪  Don’t pretend teen sexuality doesn’t exist, that it will go away.

▪  Don’t imagine mistakes with sex are only going to happen to “other” kids, that families are immune who go to temples, Mass or mosques. For teens, sex is new, mysterious and exciting. They will experiment.

▪  Do check the language. Careless, degrading name calling and thoughtless comments are not helpful. They create a culture that sends a message that sexually active teens who seek birth control, condoms for safe sex or reproductive information lack morals, have no worth and no future. Using insulting terms like “sperm donor” or “deadbeat dad” routinely for teen fathers sends a message that they are expected to desert their responsibilities as parents. If they hear it often enough, it will manifest itself in reality.

▪  Do congratulate new parents and welcome them into the “club” of helpful allies, no matter how that came about.

▪  Do support young parents’ professional goals and encourage them to continue their education. Don’t consider them or their children throw-aways.

▪  Don’t let up the fight when elected officials want to slash funding for after-school programs, sex education or health clinics that contribute to your teen-agers’ health. President Donald Trump proposed to do exactly that earlier this year. Fresno Unified reacted in the right way, vowing to use its own money to keep these valuable programs going.

▪  Don’t let scientists or journalists be starved of funding or silenced by people who say knowledge about sex is harmful.

COMMUNITIES SET THE TONE

▪  Do offer and publicize community resources where parents can learn how to talk to their teens, because evidence shows most parents are not comfortable with these conversations. Recruit trusted medical professionals with charitable spirits and good communication skills to help out.

▪  Do make sure low-income areas of town get their share of public assets like clinics with reproduction services, recreation centers, public transit, counselors and nonprofit services.

▪  Do publicize where people can go for low- or no-cost condoms and reproductive health care.

▪  Don’t ignore low-income neighborhoods and their needs just because they are “not safe” or unfamiliar. Statistics show that in a 15-minute drive from north Clovis to central Fresno, the teen birth rate goes up by 10 times. Nothing is a bigger determinant on teen pregnancy than the neighborhood a child lives in. It doesn’t have to be that way. Allocate resources appropriate to the needs in the neighborhoods. In many ways, Fresno and Clovis do the exact opposite.

▪  Do provide structure in needy communities with recreation, education and jobs to strengthen the family structure.

▪  Do provide a trusting atmosphere in health clinics where teens feel welcomed and respected. Don’t talk down to them or diminish them. They won’t come back.

FAMILIES LAY THE FOUNDATION

▪  Do prepare to talk to children and teens about sexuality. When parents refuse to answer questions about sex at home, it’s often because their own parents didn’t feel comfortable with the topic so they have no model.

▪  Do encourage children to ask questions and express their thoughts and fears.

▪  Do accept the truth that this is a decision teens make on their own.

▪  Do explain your family’s expectations and moral beliefs about sex.

▪  Don’t be discouraged if your teens cannot get over the “ick” factor of talking to mom and dad about sex.

SCHOOLS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

▪  Do train teachers to deliver sex education classes effectively. Just because teachers have attended professional development sessions doesn’t mean they are comfortable and effective with the students. Monitor performance constantly for effectiveness.

▪  Don’t settle for mediocrity, strive to be champion sex ed teachers, just as other divisions strive for excellence.

▪  Do support the establishment of health clinics in schools where health care, transportation and access to information and birth control are an issue. Make sure they are responding to the needs of the people they serve and not a prescribed standard agenda with no connection to the community.

HELPING TEEN PARENTS SUCCEED

▪  Do establish programs with good track records to encourage and support teen dads. Expand and replicate the programs already getting results.

▪  Do respect teen fathers and mothers. Address their questions, include both parents in child development education, reassure their capabilities. Praise their attempts while learning.

▪  Break the cycle when young dads or moms haven’t had a two-parent family role model of their own to learn from. Invite them to hang out with strong families.

▪  Teach young men their rights and responsibilities as fathers, 50-50 parenting, healthy masculinity.

▪  Do fund-raise for good programs and awareness campaigns, recognizing that most grants and funding are geared to the mothers, since they have the bulk of the responsibilities.

Source:

http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/editorials/article188918834.html

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