Stories about Education from September, 2011
Brazil: Citizens Blame Governor for Police Charge on Teachers
Brazilian citizens used the hashtag #CidEspancaProfessores (Cid beats teachers) in solidarity with public school teachers who were beaten by the police on September 29. That day, a proposal of the governor Cid Gomes for changes in the career development of teachers was passed in the Legislative Assembly of Ceará. After...
Taiwan: Polyglot teaches you Taiwanese indigenous languages
Mike Campbell, a polyglot who can already speak fluent Mandarin, Hakka, Fukien-major languages used in Taiwan, along with a dozen of other languages, is now teaching people how to speak Sediq, Truku, and other rarely spoken Taiwanese indigenous languages on Youtube that now even most indigenous people now cannot speak.
Philippines: Creative Protests During Campus Strikes
Last week's nationwide campus strikes in the Philippines against education budget cuts saw the lively and creative integration of online tools to mobilize thousands to fight for the right to education. From mass planking, freeze mob, blackboard campaign, fashion show, to Facebook campaigns, activists used various forms of protests to highlight their cause
Chile: Students Protest Mayor's Decision
Erwin at The Latin Americanist updates readers on the student movement: “Last week Cristian Labbe, mayor of Providencia, ordered the suspension of the school year and permitted police to remove student protesters who have been residing on local campuses.[…]” Labbe also declared that students who lived outside of Providencia would...
Chile: Twitter Trending Topics and #yomarchoel22
Students marched in favor of education reform on Thursday, September 22, but surprisingly, the hashtag netizens used on Twitter –#yomarchoel22– did not become a local Trending Topic. Enzo Abbagliati in his blog Cadaunadas [es] reminds his readers that Trending Topics are a legitimate but limited representation of reality.
Jamaica: Gratitude to Garvey
In his ongoing effort to petition President Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey, Geoffrey Philp says: “Marcus Garvey's cause was justice, plain and simple. And it is ironic that unjust methods were used to malign his good name and to bring about his eventual imprisonment on fraudulent charges.”
Philippines: Anti-Planking Bill Draws More Planks
A proposal in the Philippines to ban planking has drawn much criticism online and offline. Planking has been used by student activists as a creative form of protest, especially in last week's nationwide campus strikes against education budget cuts.
Sri Lanka: University Autonomy Under Threat
Groundviews posts an appeal of the academic community to the Sri Lankan government protesting a directive that all state universities (who enjoy autonomy) should hire the services of certain government owned company consisting of ex-servicemen for security.
Chile: Twitter Reports on March for Education Reform
El Dínamo has put together a Storify post [es] with reports, pictures, and reactions to today's march for education reform. You can read more tweets about the march by following the hashtags #yomarchoel22 (“I march on the 22nd”) and #yoapoyoalosestudiantes (“I support the students”).
Hungary: Higher Education and Tuition
Hungarian Spectrum writes about “higher education and the question of ‘tuition'” in Hungary.
Turkmenistan: Global Village or Village Behind the Globe?
Foreign presence in Turkmenistan is limited to a few diplomats and branch executives of a couple of large energy or construction companies. So the existence of Americans living and teaching in some rural villages has sparked debate online.
Chile: Netizens on Twitter Support Student Movement's Call for National Strike with #yomarchoel22
The student movement seeking to overhaul Chile's education system called for a national strike for September 22. Chilean netizens are using the hashtags #yoestoyconlosestudiantes (“I support the students”) and #yomarchoel22 (“I will march on the 22nd”) to show their support.
South Korea: The Diplomats Who Can't Speak English
It was revealed on September 13, 2011, that four out of ten South Korean diplomats find it nearly impossible to use proper diplomatic language in English, prompting the public to raise questions on the competency of Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials.
CIVICUS: Reflections on the Power of Civil Society
For three days several civil society representatives met in Montreal for the CIVICUS World Assembly. The subjects were diverse: from civil movements, social equality, and the effects of new technologies, to climate justice. Here are some blog posts that covered the assembly.
Brazil: Chained Teachers in the Freedom Square
Brazilian blogger Beto Mafra shared [pt] videos and pictures of a demonstration of public school teachers in the state of Minas Gerais who after 101 days of strike, have chained themselves in front of the Palace of Liberty during a visit of the President Rousseff. The police later charged on...
Brazil: University Campus Closed Due to a “Legalize” Party
The Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), Dirceu de Melo, ordered closing down the main campus on September 16, to prevent the First Festival of Cannabis Culture [pt] – a party seeking to discuss the legalization of marijuana among students, informs us [pt] Ivan de Sampaio,...
Philippines: The President's Zero Love Life
The bachelor Philippines President Noynoy Aquino's comparison of his love life to a soft drink in a five-day state visit to China not only drew laughter but also criticism online. Activists also used the metaphor to condemn the 'zero' performance of the government on human rights and social spending.
Trinidad & Tobago: Addiction Advice
“What every single one of us have found is that at some point…it stops being your decision. You lose control over it, and using becomes involuntary. Willpower has nothing to do with it at that point”: Plain Talk blogs about addiction and offers solid advice to families.
India: A Market For Class Notes
Youth Ki Awaaz highlights an online market for class notes in India where students are rewarded for their academic success by getting paid to share and sell their school notes and study materials.
Turkmenistan: Challenges for education
Annasoltan talks with a professional teacher in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, about education’s challenges in this country, from shifting generational and cultural values to corruption in the schools.
Bangladesh: The Facebook Status Controversy
Facebook is becoming a popular social media in Bangladesh like the rest of the world, but your Facebook status can sometime cause you trouble. Actions have been taken by a Bangladeshi court against a teacher living abroad, as a consequence of his Facebook status.
