Stories about Education from August, 2010
Training In India: Change Needed
Supriyo Chaudhuri opines that the training business in India needs fresh outlook and a change of gears.
Thailand: Tweet Yourself Thai
Tweet Yourself Thai is a blog of “short, timely, thematic lessons for intermediate learners of Thai.”
Taiwan: Students ask for more rights
A team of university student representatives from various universities and colleges established their official blog[zht] and published the 2010 evaluation result of students’ right in universities. They criticize some universities for opening courses just to ask students to do what employees should do, enforcing students to go to military courses, and...
Costa Rica: University Students Protest Budget Agreements
Some University of Costa Rica students took hold of the social sciences building in protest of the budgetary agreement that was reached between the government and university officials where a 7% budget increase was agreed upon after negotiating the original 4% the government proposed.
Thailand: Elitist education and politics
Ladprao 64 asks why many university students and graduates of Thailand are supporting political groups with “fascist” tendencies.
Thailand: Learn Thai language through Skype
Catherine Wentworth discusses the procedure and her experience of learning the Thai language through Skype.
Trinidad & Tobago: Educating the Ministry
“Somebody needs to go to the Ministry of Education…and screech loudly to the folks in there: ‘MoE, we have a problem!'”: KnowTnT.com explains, here and here.
Brazil: Scholar Blog on Citizen Media
Brazilian blog Mídia Cidadã [Citizen Media, pt] is the support platform for an academic research on “citizen communication and socio-cultural transformations” which intends to foster “the role of networked virtual media in the construction of a new paradigm of sociability”.
Puerto Rico: Live Blogging About Teacher Strike
Michael Castro announces in his blog Poder 5 [es] that he will be live blogging from a teacher strike in San Juan. He is also tweeting about the strike at @MichaelDCC.
Pakistan: Field Notes From Doctors Of A Relief Team
“If there is anything the government should learn from this flood, it is to take education and women empowerment more seriously,” reports Dr. Syed Nabeel Zafar in a medical field note from Sukkur in Sindh province of Pakistan.
Haiti: Shifting Focus
The Haitian Blogger suggests that the mainstream media is focusing on the wrong thing: “Attention should focus less on the distraction of WyClef Jean’s failed presidential bid…and more on the desperate humanitarian situation on the ground…”
Trinidad & Tobago: The Game
Underground Trini Artiste posts a video that has been all the rage on Facebook and YouTube, about “people who are stuck in a university for years and just can't leave the lifestyle of girls, parties and liming behind and go into the real world.”
Taiwan: Who Needs A Founding Father?
Does Dr. Sun Yat-sen deserve the title of “the Founding Father of Republic of China (R.O.C)”? Is he really a flawless idealistic political leader and the hero behind the revolution that overthrew Qing Dynasty? The myth around Dr. Sun has been under scrutiny in Taiwan where people largely do not identify themselves as “Chinese” anymore.
Ghana: A plea for music education
Graham's plea for music education in Ghana: “Bedsides football, music is perhaps one of the most loved things in Ghana yet considered to be the most trivial when it comes to education or career choices.”
Global: The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
August 23rd is The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. A series of events are organized around the world by various organisations to help inscribe the tragic memory of the slave trade promote human rights.
South Korea: Civil Service Exams Removed, Years of Studies Wasted?
Many South Koreans are angry over a government's decision to replace the civil service exam with open recruitment. The exam has been praised for giving equal opportunities to applicants regardless of their education and family background. The online space is exploding with enraged bloggers' condemnations of the reform as a way of stalling the nation’s already flatlining social mobility.
Haiti: Student Visas
The Caribbean Camera reports that the Haitian community is concerned about the relatively low number of Canadian student visas being granted since the January 12 earthquake, saying: “This problem comes just as Haiti needs international education as much as investment to get back on its feet.”
Cuba: Youth in Prison
Iván's File Cabinet blogs about the majority of “common (non-political) prisoners in Cuba [being] black or mestizo”, saying: “The environment in which these youths grow up is fertile ground for delinquency. The worst part [is] that the Cuban State doesn’t have a solution for the problem of a society that...
U.S.A.: Russophone Students Blog About Work and Travel Program
Every summer thousands of college students from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries come to the United States to take part in the Work and Travel USA program. Many blog about their experiences and impressions.
Jordan: Reema, We Refuse to Let You Die in Vain
A 35-year old mother of three was shot by her husband during her sleep in Jordan. The reason for this murder? Her husband believes that his wife was a "victim of sorcery" and that she would kill him first. A heartfelt obituary has been written online by her nephew, a blogger, and appeals are being sent so that her death may not be in vain.
Haiti: Education Challenges
“Following the Jan. 12 earthquake, 1,263…schools in western Haiti were destroyed; 376,000 students were out of school and an unknown number of teachers and students were dead or wounded”: HAITI, Land of Freedom takes a look at the country's education struggle.
