Stories about Education from May, 2011
Mexico: Blogger Interviews Teacher Who Sang to Students During Shooting
Martha Rivera Alanis, the teacher who sang to her students during a shooting in Monterrey, México was given an award for her bravery. In an interview with Regioblogs [es], Martha describes what happened before, during and after the shooting. She explains she decided to sing to the children to try...
Nigeria: Memories of attending a boarding school
Watch this YouTube video of Nigerians remembering their experience of attending a boarding secondary school.
Africa: African Diplomas and French Schools
Néo, on his blog Immigré choisi, answers questions often asked by his African readers [fr] about academic qualifications and African diplomas recognition in France, based on his personal experience.
South Korea: Students Protest Over High University Tuition
Thousands of students took to streets in protest last weekend, demanding the lawmakers and universities to lower high tuition. South Korea's one of the most influential citizen journalists, Media Mongu posted photos. University fees in South Korea have more than doubled over the past ten years, prompting more students to...
Mexico: Teacher Sings with Students During Shooting
The YouTube video showing a kindergarten teacher singing with her students to keep them calm during a shooting in Monterrey, Mexico has spread almost virally through the Spanish speaking countries.
Bangladesh: Wi-Fi And Digital Campus
Mahfuzur Rahman Manik writes about the present state of Wi-Fi networks in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and whether students can access them.
Mexico: Teacher Protests in Oaxaca Continue
“Fourteen thousand schools shut down in Oaxaca. 1.3 million students left without school, as their teachers are continuing their actions against the state government of Oaxaca, protests that appear increasingly radical,” Aguachile reports.
Cuba: Students Need Internet
“The more often I read about the internet from the Cuban government perspective the more I feel like we need to do a better job of explaining to them why the internet is necessary”: Graham Sowa, blogging at Havana Times, makes a case for why the Internet is a critical...
Philippines: K+12 education reform
Sarah Maramag discusses the new education program of the Philippine government. Two more years of schooling will be added to the basic education cycle.
Sri Lanka: Transparency Regarding ‘Boot Camp’ For Youth
Serendipity discusses about the issues surrounding the latest “Boot Camp” initiative for A level students in Sri Lanka, which is an in house 3 week course at an army camp. The actual program and plan has not been publicized leaving scope for speculations and rumors.
Russia: Moscow Schools and Migrants’ Children
Window on Eurasia writes that “an increasing number of Muscovite parents are doing whatever they can to ensure that their children go to those schools which have few or no migrant children.”
Barbados: Sir Hilary's Gaffe
Sir Hilary Beckles recently compared cricketer Chris Gayle to Jamaican drug don Christopher “Dudus” Coke, provoking action from WICB Expose and causing Barbados Underground to comment: “Sir Hilary has engineered a gaffe of colossal proportion…the decent thing to do is to press home his apology with a resignation letter from...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Women & HIV
Abeni writes a thoughtful post about HIV awareness, saying: “The judgmental stances do very little to help the issues at stake which is HIV transmission/infection. The reality is that women are the ones most affected by this disease and the onus is on them to protect themselves.”
Mexico: Teachers March on National Teachers Day
Aguachile reports: “During the National Teachers Day in Mexico this Sunday, more than 10,000 teachers, most of them from the dissident teacher union Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (CNTE), not to be confused with the SNTE, marched in Mexico City demanding that [Elba Esther] Gordillo resign.”
Nigeria: 15 year old Nigerian teenager gets admission to Harvard
Naija Feed reports that a 15 year old Nigerian girl who has been offered admission to 13 prestigious universitires in the United States has become the latest media sensation: “She is Saheela Ibraheem, 15 year old daughter of a Nigerian immigrant family living in New Jersey, United States.”
Philippines: New bar examination format
A Filipino lawyer revealed that the bar examination format would be modified next year. Aside from the traditional essay questions, examinees will also answer multiple choice examinations.
Colmbia: Video Shows Anti-Riot Police Agression Towards University of Antioquia Student
Carlavanessa1302 uploaded a video to YouTube which shows a clash between students from the University of Antioquia in Medellín and the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squardron (ESMAD, police riot control unit). The riots ocurred on Thursday, April 12 after students protested against the reforms the government seeks to make to Law 30...
Africa: Helsinki Africa Film Festival
Wanjiku wa Ngugi, the founder of the Helsinki African Film Festival talks to Beti Ellerson about the representation of Africa in Finland and this year’s theme “Women’s Voices and Visions”
China: Red Culture Fever
2011 is turning out to be a year for 'red culture' revival, mocked fiercely online but taken seriously by courts, prisons, universities, television stations and police departments in a growing number of areas throughout the country. Is it all for political show, or does it signal a pending culture war in China?
Hong Kong: Brainwashing Education
The Hong Kong Education Bureau is planning to make patriotic education compulsory for primary and secondary school children. The objective of the Moral and National Education Curriculum is to help the students to "develop a sense of belonging to the motherland", "support national sports teams" and "appreciate Chinese culture". The plan, however, has sparked fears in the society of political brainwashing.
Honduras: Teachers on Hunger Strike
Quotha posts pictures of a teachers’ hunger strike. Prensa Latina reports that on the day the pictures were taken, May 8, “Honduran teachers announced they would continue their hunger strike until the government reinstates the jobs of more than 300 suspended teachers.”
