· August, 2012

Stories about Education from August, 2012

Brazil: 13 Year-Old Exposes School Problems on Facebook

  30 August 2012

Diário de Classe [pt], a Facebook page created by Isadora Faber, a 13 year-old from Santa Catarina, Brazil, has already gathered more than 176,000 “likes”. Aiming to “show the truth about public schools”, Isadora shares photos that show the repairs needed in her own school and reports on other general problems.

Argentina: Blogging in Welsh from Patagonia

  23 August 2012

The Argentine Patagonia was the first home of the Welsh migration that arrived in 1865 on the Mimosa steamboat. People from Wales and their descendants living in Argentina keep their culture and language alive through blogs and social networks.

Colombia: Students’ National Mobilization Call

  23 August 2012

On Twitter [es], Facebook [es] and other [es] media, the National Student Board (Mane) [es] is calling for a national mobilization on September 5 to protest President Santos’ failure to keep his commitments to higher education. Image from their facebook page.

Africa: Time for a Male Circumcision-Driven HIV Policy in Africa?

  21 August 2012

After overcoming much skepticism, the idea that circumcision is an effective measure in reducing HIV transmission is now globally accepted by the health professionals community and the general public. Experts and bloggers weigh in on the practicality and the effectiveness of a circumcision-driven HIV public health policy in Africa.

India: Bullying in Educational Institutions

  19 August 2012

Mahitha Kasireddi at Youth Ki Awaaz writes about a perennial social problem in Indian higher secondary education and beyond. Ragging or abuse/bullying of the freshers has become a culture in many educational institutions which has even led to death of a newcomer.

Malaysia: History of Islamic Education

  17 August 2012

Azmil Tayeb gives a brief overview of the history of Islamic schools in Malaysia. The author also discussed the role of the state in providing Islamic education in the country.

The Nazi Past of the Father of Colombian Anthropology

  16 August 2012

Cristina Vélez posts [es] her thoughts about “Nazi intellectuals” in her blog after it was revealed [es], at an academic Congress in Vienna, that Austrian-born Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff (1912-1994), considered the “father of Colombian anthropology,” had been a member of the Nazi party and the SS in Germany before World War...

Russia: Yekaterinburg University Begins Masters Program in Blogging & Political Journalism

RuNet Echo  14 August 2012

Yekaterinburg's Ural Federal University is for the first time offering a Masters Degree [ru] in “political journalism” with specific training in blogging and “image-making.” In February 2011, UFU hosted [ru] journalist and blogger Oleg Kashin for a discussion with students, where Kashin emphasized the growing importance of blogging. The new program [ru] lasts two...

Russia: Moscow's Intelligentsia on Trial in Tver?

RuNet Echo  14 August 2012

While this summer's 'hooliganism' charges against Pussy Riot have enjoyed the spotlight at home and abroad, there is another trial that perhaps reveals even more about tensions in modern Russian society. That is the case against Ilya Farber, a schoolteacher and eccentric recently sentenced to 8 years in prison and fined 3.2 million rubles for exhorting bribes from a building contractor.

Africa: Innovation, Education and Nature

  12 August 2012

Mutua discusses education and innovation in Africa: “In today’s world it is imperative to create a differentiated and sophisticated economy in order to truly be competitive, so for African states to become significant players in the global economy, we have to find ways to move up the ladder to innovation-driven...

Egypt: The President's Son Fails Admission Test

The GUC Insider is the independent student-led media outlet of the German University in Cairo (GUC). In a short article [ar], it announces that the son of the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has failed one of the admission tests and will not be accepted as a regular student in this...

Côte d'Ivoire: Debate Rages over University Fees

  11 August 2012

The universities of Côte d'Ivoire are getting ready to re-open their doors on September 3, 2012, bringing to an end long months of closure, controversially ordered by the Ivorian president. Joy at this announcement was swiftly replaced by a wave of indignant reactions following the decision of university heads to increase registration fees. Debate continues to rage in the Ivorian media as well as various social networks.