Stories about Education from November, 2011
Jamaica: First Afro Chess Grandmaster
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp republishes an interview with Maurice Ashley, “the Jamaica-born Grandmaster of Chess”.
Trinidad & Tobago: Online Safety
Mark Lyndersay writes an enlightening post about online child safety, here.
East Timor: Building One Country Out of Many Languages
When East Timor became an independent country in 2002, both the Tetum and Portuguese languages were chosen as official for the newborn country. Nevertheless, the number of national languages is up to 16 and dozens of other dialects are used on a daily basis by Timorese citizens.
China, Macedonia: Chinese Netizens Outraged by School Bus Donation
The news of a Chinese government donation of 23 school buses to the Republic of Macedonia on 25 November, has outraged Chinese netizens, who are mourning for the death of 19 preschool kids in a car accident in Gansu province on 16 November.
“Let Us Dream”: Demonstrating Against Unified Job Hunting in Japan
On Labor Day, students gathered in Tokyo and Kyoto to rally against the practices of job hunting for fresh graduates.
Cuba: News, 24/7
Cuba will apparently soon have a 24-hour news channel; Regina Coyula says: “Despite so much supposed information, we are the most disinformed people in the world.”
Greece: 2 Wheels, 610 Kilometres
Spyros Karatzoulis from Florina, Northern Greece, intends to start a bike marathon from Florina to Athens, in order to reach the Ministry of Education; his goal is to protest the lack of special school infrastructure in Florina for 33 disabled children (aged 14-28 years). On his blog [gr], he describes...
Latin American Students March for Education
Inspired by the student movements in Colombia and Chile, students across the continent marched on November 24, 2011 to demand free, high-quality education. El Ciudadano [es] links to the Facebook events organized in each country; Kena Lorenzini posts pictures of the Chilean protests in her blog, and Mike shares pictures...
Cambodia: Reading Campaign
Students of Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia have launched a campaign to promote reading in Cambodian schools. The country's literacy rate is one of the lowest in the region
Puerto Rico: Who's Running the Medical School?
Gil the Jenius is calling for the firing of those who were allegedly responsible for the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine's recent loss of accreditation (which has since been reversed, pending probation), saying that leaving those involved in charge “would be very much like locking the door after the...
Brazil: Students’ Eviction Strengthens Movement Against Militarization of University
In the morning of November 8, the Brazilian Military Police evicted the University of Sao Paulo's Dean building, which had been occupied by around 70 students in the end of October.
Philippines: Anti-budget Cut Campaign
A round-up of the 2011 anti-social services budget cut campaign in the Philippines.
Thailand: Impact of Flooding on Colleges
Suluck Lamubol writes about the impact of the Thailand flooding disaster to the country's higher education system. Aside from damages in facilities, many schools are postponing the start of the new school semester.
Peru: ‘Sugar Camp Lima’ Aims to Give Children a Learning Platform in Their Native Language
“Inventors, artists, educators and citizens” are invited to participate in Sugar Camp Lima 2011 [es] on November 18 and 19 in Lima, Peru. Participants will work on the ‘Sugar’ learning platform for XO Laptops by translating content [es] into Quechua and Aymara and participating in a ‘Hacker's Space’ [es]. Registration [es]...
Gabon's UNESCO Bailout: International Solidarity at What Price?
Ali Bongo, President of Gabon, has agreed to offer $2 million USD to UNESCO, following the launch of an emergency fund to compensate for the loss of funding from the United States and Israel. Activists in this oil-rich Central African nation urge the public to look beyond the announcement.
Colombia: Students Suspend Strike in Public Universities
Starting November 17, 2011 students from public universities [es] are gradually returning to class, after the strike that had started last October 11, 2011. This decision was announced on November 16 by the National Student Board (MANE) [es] -and published in their blog- in response to the government fulfilling its...
Russia: Hidden Camera Reveals Illegal Electioneering in School
A scandal caused by a hidden camera recording at a school in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, has highlighted a serious problem in Russian schools: teachers campaigning for the ruling United Russia party.
Trinidad & Tobago: Bull S**t Artists
Plain Talk explains why he thinks that Trinidad and Tobago needs a National Bullshit Council.
Chile: Changes in University Student Leadership
Robert L. Funk blogs about the recently elected president of the Catholic University Student Federation (FEUC), Noam Titelman. Titelman belongs to “the same political faction as the outgoing president, Giorgio Jackson”, Robert explains.
China: Photo Captures Plight of 58 Million ‘Left Behind Children’
A photo showing a little girl caring for her baby brother in a classroom in rural China has caused an online stir. It reflects the country's long-standing social problem of children who are left behind by their parents going to work in the cities.
Malawi: Meet Global Voices Author Steve Sharra
Linda Annan talks to Malawian Global Voices Author Steve Sharra. Sharra is a blogger, freelance journalist, lecturer and educational editor. In this interview, Steve Sharra talks about the Malawian social media space, his professional background and his interest in education, teaching and writing.
