United Kingdom

United Kingdom: universities comply with China’s internet restrictions

Noticias

Europa/ United Kingdom/ 27.07.2020/ Source: www.bbc.com.

UK universities are testing a new online teaching link for students in China – which will require course materials to comply with Chinese restrictions on the internet.

It enables students in China to keep studying UK degrees online, despite China’s limits on internet access.

But it means students can only reach material on an «allowed» list.

Universities UK said it was «not aware of any instances when course content has been altered».

And the universities’ body rejected that this was accepting «censorship».

A spokeswoman said the project would allow students in China to have better access to UK courses «while complying with local regulations».

But in a separate essay published by the Higher Education Policy Institute, Professor Kerry Brown of King’s College London cautioned of the risk of universities adopting «self-censorship» when engaging with China.

MPs on the foreign affairs select committee have previously warned against universities avoiding «topics sensitive to China», such as pro-democracy protests or the treatment of Uighur Muslims.

Chinese students have become an important source of revenue for UK universities, representing almost a quarter of all overseas students – and Queen’s University Belfast is chartering a plane to bring students from China this autumn.

The number of Chinese students have risen 34% in the last five years

The pilot project involves four Russell Group universities – King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, York and Southampton – and is run by JISC, formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee, which provides digital services for UK universities.

China’s internet censorship means that some websites are filtered or blocked – and there have been concerns that students in China could not study online, such as clicking on an embedded link in a scholarly article.

The technical solution, provided free by the Chinese internet firm Alibaba Cloud, creates a virtual connection between the student in China and the online network of the UK university, where the course is being taught.

But a spokeswoman for JISC says Chinese students will not have free access to the internet, but will only be able to reach «resources that are controlled and specified» by the university in the UK.

Any online information used in these UK university courses will have to be on a «security ‘allow’ list, which will list all the links to the educational materials UK institutions include in their course materials», said JISC.

This raises questions about academic freedom and free speech – but when asked about whether these principles were being put at risk, the universities have so far referred back to JISC.

JISC, which is an online services provider, says such issues are for the universities – and that «all course materials have been within regulations. Nothing was altered or blocked».

Students attending a lectureImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionUniversities have feared that the pandemic could reduce overseas student numbers

Universities UK, which is a supporter of the project, said: «We do not endorse censorship. This scheme is intended to ensure that Chinese students, learning remotely during the pandemic, can access course materials and are able to continue their studies.»

The university body said a similar scheme was already operating for Australian universities.

As well as complying with Chinese regulations, this online link is intended to create a more reliable connection, so that students can more easily watch lectures and follow their courses.

JISC says online students in China face particular barriers with restrictions that «screen traffic between China and the rest of the world, filtering content from overseas used for delivering teaching and learning and blocking some platforms and applications».

The pilot will finish this month and it could be offered more widely from September.

Source of news: https://www.bbc.com/news/education-53341217

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England: Greta Thunberg to join school strike in Bristol

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Europe/England/23-02-2020/Author (a) and Source: www.bbc.com

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg is to join a school strike in Bristol.

She tweeted she was «heading for the UK» and was «looking forward» to joining strikers on College Green in the city centre on Friday morning.

Bristol Youth Strike for Climate (BYS4C) said it was «honoured to be welcoming» the 17-year-old.

Ms Thunberg, who is expected to travel by train, is due to make a speech before joining a samba band-accompanied march.

Izzy Smitheson, from BYS4C, said Ms Thunberg had contacted the group because she «wanted to strike with us».

School strike in BristolImage copyrightARCHIE RICHARDS
Image captionThe first school strike in Bristol took place in February last year

Ms Smitheson, 17, said: «We didn’t have a strike planned, so it’s a lot of last-minute organisation.

«The whole Bristol community has come together to make it happen. We think Greta’s presence will make it very big and bring a lot of energy to the strike.»

Greta Thunberg mural
Image captionArtist Jody Thomas painted a mural of Ms Thunberg in Bristol last year

Two years ago, Ms Thunberg started missing lessons most Fridays to protest outside the Swedish parliament building, in what turned out to be the beginning of a huge environmental movement.

She has become a leading voice for action on climate change, inspiring millions of students to join protests around the world.

Source and Image: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-51597922

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United Kingdom: The gender gap is on course to close…. in 99 years

BBC Mundo

Europe/United Kingdom/25-12-2019/Author and Source: www.bbc.com

The gap between men and women, measured in terms of political influence, economic gain and health and education, has narrowed over the last year, but will take another century to disappear, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said.

In the WEF’s latest report the UK has slipped from 15th to 21st place.

The Swiss-based organisation tracks global progress in gender equality.

It said that while more women were entering government in many places, the economic gap has widened.

The WEF predicted it would take 99.5 years for women to be on an equal footing with men, despite women taking high-profile leadership roles at the European Central Bank and the World Bank, and at the head of several countries including Finland, Germany and New Zealand.

Progress in the political sphere remained slow, the WEF said, with women still holding only 21% of ministerial positions worldwide. But it hoped the «role model effect» would encourage faster change.

The organisation said the economic gender gap had grown compared to last year, partly because women are under-represented in almost all of the fastest-growing job sectors, such as cloud computing and AI. Women are more likely to be displaced by automation, it added.

UK slips

Britain’s new ranking leaves it behind a few developing countries and most rich ones, although it is ahead of the United States.

The WEF said the fall in 2019 in the UK’s position partly reflected a decline in the number of women in ministerial positions.

But the UK also has a persistent economic gender gap, putting the country at 58th in the rankings, due to big differences between men and women’s earned income. In the UK men dominate sectors such as AI, engineering and computing and many more women than men work part-time.

There are several specific areas where Britain is in joint first place, including literacy, enrolment in tertiary education and the proportion of professional and technical workers who are women, WEF found.

Finland's new government with new prime minister Sanna Marin centreImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionFinland’s new government, led by prime minister Sanna Marin (centre), could provide role models

Iceland came in top place in the world ranking in 2019 as it did last year. Bottom of the list were Pakistan, Iraq and Yemen.

Top ten countries for gender equality

  1. Iceland
  2. Norway
  3. Finland
  4. Sweden
  5. Nicaragua
  6. New Zealand
  7. Ireland
  8. Spain
  9. Rwanda
  10. Germany

Last year the WEF’s report suggested it would take 108 years to close the inequality gap.

Klaus Schwab, founder of WEF, said the report highlighted the growing urgency for action.

«At the present rate of change, it will take nearly a century to achieve parity, a timeline we simply cannot accept in today’s globalised world, especially among younger generations who hold increasingly progressive views of gender equality,» he said.

Source and Image: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-50814765

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United Kingdom: Measures to deliver quality education across all settings

Noticias

United Kingdom / April 15, 2018 / Author: Editorial Staff / Source: Government of the United Kingdom

A package of measures to help make sure children receive the best possible education either at home or outside of school have been announced today (10 April).

A package of measures to help make sure children receive the best possible education either at home or outside of school have been announced by School Systems Minister Lord Agnew today.

The announcement will support the families of the estimated 45,500 children that are educated at home, providing parents and local councils with strengthened guidance so both understand their rights and responsibilities.

A Call for Evidence has been launched to ask for the views of parents and local authorities on how to ensure children receive the expected standard of education at home, including:

  • How local authorities can monitor the quality of home education to make sure children are taught the knowledge and skills they need;
  • How effective registration schemes are for children who are educated at home; and
  • How government can better support those families who choose to educate their children at home.

The Education Minister also announced £3 million to support the joint working of local authorities, the police, Ofsted, the government and other agencies in tackling the minority of out of school settings that seek to undermine British values or expose children to other harmful practices. This work will help to share best practice across the country.

Today’s announcement builds on the recently launched Integrated Communities Strategy, which had education at its core. It is part of the drive to ensure all children receive the best possible education, with 1.9 million more pupils in good or outstanding schools than in 2010 thanks to the government’s reforms and the hard work of teachers.

Minister for School Systems Lord Agnew said:

Across the country there are thousands of dedicated parents who are doing an excellent job of educating their children at home, and many selfless volunteers working for clubs and organisations that help to enrich children’s education outside of school.

It is right that we should build on the high standards we’ve set in our schools so that every child receives a suitable and safe education – no matter where they are being taught – and that we can act quickly in the rare instances when this is not the case. This support for families and local communities will help ensure all children get the education they deserve.

The Call for Evidence will run for 12 weeks and will ask for views from families that choose to educate their children at home, local authorities and home education support groups. The issues raised include the registration of children who are home educated and the monitoring of home education provision by local authorities. It will build on the existing requirements for local authorities to identify children they believe are not receiving a suitable education and their powers, which can ultimately include serving a School Attendance Order.

The government is also consulting on revised guidance for parents and local authorities to support them in making sure home education provision is of the highest possible standard. This guidance will set out the processes by which local authorities should identify children who are being educated at home and how best to intervene if they are not receiving a suitable education. For parents, it will offer support and advice on whether or not home education is the right decision for them and their child, while also making clear the powers that local authorities have and the steps parents should take if concerns arise.

The Department for Education has also published its response to the consultation on regulation for out of school settings – environments that enrich children’s education. The department has carefully considered over 18,000 responses and has already taken action by establishing a £3 million targeted fund which will go to selected areas to support work between local authorities and relevant agencies. It will be used to show how existing legal powers can be most effective in addressing safeguarding and welfare concerns, alongside community engagement and outreach. This work will inform the need for any future regulation.

A consultation on a voluntary code of practice for out of school settings will be published later this year to set out what is expected of providers, and the Department will work with local authorities to provide guidance to parents on out of school settings.

Source of the News:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/measures-to-deliver-quality-education-across-all-settings

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