· January, 2012

Stories about Education from January, 2012

Trinidad & Tobago: Abuse of Trust

  30 January 2012

The TnT River says of an incident in which a teacher allegedly stuck a student's head in a toilet bowl: “This is another case of child abuse which comes in a different form and from an institution entrusted with the education and all-round development of this child.”

Trinidad & Tobago: Reviving Capital Punishment?

  30 January 2012

Plain Talk comments on the issue of capital punishment: “The sad reality is that this pantomime only continues because the people are starved for choice, so every now and then these tired discussions are pulled out, dusted off and begun again in ernest to no benefit to anybody.”

Colombia: Rector of University of Tolima Resigns

  27 January 2012

Jesus Ramon Rivera Bulla, rector of the University of Tolima, resigned after 11 years holding his position just days after journalist Daniel Condell [es] accused him [es] of nepotism in an article for magazine Semana. Carlos Arturo Gamboa [es] refers to the issue in his blog, while netizens on social...

Trinidad & Tobago: Indigenous Portrayal in History

  26 January 2012

Review of the Indigenous Caribbean republishes a paper on “the dominant, almost doctrinal assertions made about the history of Trinidad and Tobago–with some attention paid to the ways historiographers diminished and extinguished the Indigenous presence.”

Guyana: Protest at University

  26 January 2012

Bloggers report on protests against the firing of journalist and lecturer Freddie Kissoon from the national university, here and here.

South Korea: Kids Become Outcasts for Not Having Branded Bags

  25 January 2012

Blogger Hangukdrama wrote on South Korean elementary children's craze over expensive and branded school bags and how this behavior has been encouraged by parents, who concerned that their kids would become outcasts if they are seen with ‘cheaper bags’, kept buying the bags.

Puerto Rico: Vigilance over SOPA & PIPA

  25 January 2012

Dondequiera says of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA): “Mark my word, this issue is not dead. More like the living dead, a zombie issue, if you like. Many companies…believe that the only way to kill the intellectual property rights legislation is to...

Guyana: Kissoon Firing as “Rodney Redux”

  25 January 2012

“The government and its sycophantic outliers may argue from now until the cows come home that the days of Burnham are over, but this is essentially Walter Rodney redux…”: The Minority Report adds its voice to the outcry over the firing of Freddie Kissoon from the University of Guyana.

Venezuela: Soledad Ramírez, One of Caracas’ Heroes

  19 January 2012

Ten years ago, Soledad Ramírez created the Rincón Infantil San Edmundo [es], a center that today helps 200 at-risk children from Minas de Baruta in Caracas. Journalist and blogger Mirelis Morales highlights Soledad's work in a video in her blog about Caracas [es].

Spain: Electricity Cut Off for one School in Alicante

  18 January 2012

Power was cut off [ca] for 800 pupils in a secondary school in Alicante due to outstanding payments. The Valencian Community is currently mired in financial difficulties after years of extravagant spending. MPs Esther López Barceló [ca] from the United and Alternative Left and Mireia Mollà [ca] from the Coalicío...

Cuba: Tackling Racism

  16 January 2012

Iván's File Cabinet profiles “two of the most lucid and coherent voices on the map of Cuban opposition”, who are fighting for democracy and “racial integration for the those of African origin in all social strata in Cuba.”

Caribbean: Thank You, Dr. King

  16 January 2012

Today, the United States marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day - a floating holiday which celebrates the birthday of the late civil right leader. The occasion resonates with Caribbean bloggers, both at home and throughout the diaspora and a few of them share their thoughts…

Brazil: Student Protests Against Bus Fare Increases in Piaui

  14 January 2012

Since the beginning of the year, thousands of students have been protesting against the increase in bus fares in the capital of the state of Piaui. The demonstrators are forcefully kept down by the Military Police. They have reacted by setting fire to at least one bus, and dozens of students have been arrested.

Hungary: President Accused of Plagiarism

  13 January 2012

Vastagbőr blog collected [hu] some internet memes about the President of Hungary Pál Schmitt, the newest of which appeared after hvg.hu news site published an article titled ‘Serious Suspicion of Plagiarism in Pál Schmitt's Ph.D. Dissertation‘ [hu]. According to hvg.hu, the President had allegedly plagiarized his dissertation (‘Analysis of the...

CEE: A Roundup on the Roma Issues

  11 January 2012

An anti-discrimination Roma flash mob/dance duel in Bucharest (video – here), and a report by Bulgarian Roma students on media coverage of Roma-related issues – at TOL's Roma Transitions blog. Education for the Roma children in the UK, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – at the Economist's Eastern Approaches blog....