Stories about Education from September, 2009
USA: Immigrant Students in National Day of Action
The National Dream Act Day of Action was initiated by the United We DREAM Coalition and was supported by dozens of organizations across university campuses in the USA last week.
Bahrain: Life Changing Decisions
Bahraini Mariam had to plan her next three years in a matter of hours. Find out why in this post.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Price of Progress is High
“As if the stink of the uselessness of the building weren’t enough…here comes talk that toxic fumes from the Performing Arts Academy are making people in the neighbouring buildings fall sick. Yes, this is progress at its best”: Trinidadian Attillah Springer says the whole thing “is a tragic kind of...
Syrian Students Banned From Using Supercomputer at KAUST
Wael Alwani said on his blog [ar] that Syrian Students at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) are forbidden from using Shaheen, a US made supercomputer, due to technology export sanctions imposed by the US against Syria.
Japan: Training for disaster prevention
The first week of September in Japan is the Disaster Prevention Week [ja]. During this week schools, organizations, offices and so on come together to organize disaster prevention training.
Saudi Arabia: KAUST To Inspire Scientific Achievement – And More?
On September 23 the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology was inaugurated. It is a graduate-level research university, and the first coeducational university in the country. In this post we hear reactions to the inauguration of KAUST by bloggers in Saudi Arabia, including some KAUST students.
Global Voices Mentors Update: Warming up to Climate Change
A team of 31 Global Voices Blogger Mentors have each been paired with one Danish or African student in order to help them become more familiar with both the technical and human aspects of blogging.
Video Contest: Citizen Embassadors for the 64th UN Day
Actor George Clooney explains how you can participate and be one of the 5 winners who get a chance to be a part of the 64th UN Day in the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
Harvard Forum – What do we need to know?
Today's conversation starts with discussions of “knowledge gaps”, open questions we need to answer through research so we can understand what's succeeding and failing in our field.
South Korea: Foreign English teachers and AIDS
Matt from Gusts of popular feelings writes a post on the anti foreigners sentiment and how such sentiment has turned English teachers into an AIDS threat.
Harvard Forum: ICT4D and, and, and
Ethan brings the live-blog from day one to a close after questions and lively discussion with conclusion from Mike Best who suggests there's no way to summarize these discussions… with anything but an observation that the field is filled with “ands”.
Harvard Forum: Are we satisfied with what we've got?
The live-blogging continues, as Michael Spence helps identify questions that are top research priorities for the ICT for development field with input from Yochai Benkler, Rohan Samarajiva, Hernan Galperin, Alison Gillwald, and Bill Melody.
Macedonia: Freedom Not Fear 2009
Information Policy cites an item on privacy-related citizen education activities that took place in Macedonia during this year's Freedom Not Fear action. The item was published on the website of Metamorphosis Foundation, a Macedonian NGO that was one of the event's organizers.
Harvard Forum: the complex world of ICT and gender
The live-blog continues with panel presentations on ICT for development by Clotilde Fonseca, Sabri Saidam, Ineke Buskens, Nancy Spence, and Ethan Zuckerman.
Harvard Forum: Markets, Mobiles and the ability to make culture
The live-blog continues with panel presentations on ICT for development by Ronaldo Lemos, Anita Gurumurthy, Ophelia Mascarenhas, and Lawrence Liang.
Africa: Will technophobia crash the ICT party?
With the growing influence of ICT for development, can fear of technology and misunderstanding of its uses disproportionally affect the developing world? Here are a few examples of initiatives to combat technophobia in Africa.
Japan: Lecture on Manga, Anime and Otaku
Jean Snow points us to Patrick Macias's lecture at California State University, made available as a podcast episode: ‘Theoretical Perspectives on Manga, Anime and Otaku‘.
Puerto Rico: Debate on Censorship
The Department of Education of the government of Puerto Rico recently eliminated five books from the eleventh grade curriculum of the public school system. Numerous writers and artists in Puerto Rico publicly voiced their concerns and described the government's action as censorship. The Puerto Rican blogosphere reacts to the controversy.
Japan: Plans to Accept More Foreign Students
The Guyjin blog is positive about the long term benefits of the plan to increase the number of foreign students studying in Japan to around 300,000 by 2020, a 250% increase.
India: Welcoming Foreign Universities
Supriyo Chaudhuri at Sunday Posts discusses about a proposed bill, which will pave the way for Foreign Education providers to offer degree programmes independently in India.
India: Commercialization Of Professional Education
Ram Bansal at India In Peril criticizes the commercialization of professional education in India and the mushroom growth of institutions offering such education. The blogger comments: “The setting up of such institutions is not related to the demand of professionals in the country, but purely with a purpose exploiting en-masse...
