· May, 2013

Stories about Education from May, 2013

Guinea: Special Guest at the 2013 Turin International Book Fair

The 26th International Book Fair took place in Turin, capital of the Italian Piedmont region, between May 16 and May 20, 2013. The Francophone West African country of Guinea was the sole representative of the African continent to be invited as a special guest country. This news did not pass unnoticed in Conakry and on the Guinean blogosphere - both at home and abroad.

31 May 2013

‘Illegal” Libraries in Myanmar

The Irrawaddy interviews Ye Htet Oo who has launched four mobile libraries in Myanmar. To avoid censorship and acquire license during the military regime, library owners pretended to operate bookstores....

27 May 2013

Chinese Social Web Defends US Vice President Biden

United States Vice President Joe Biden has faced a firestorm of criticism from Chinese international students after he referred to China as a nation that cannot "think different" or "breathe freely" during his commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania. But mainland Chinese Web users have hit back, reproaching the students abroad for their behavior and defending Biden's speech as worthy of reflection.

26 May 2013

Kindness Mascot Gives Up on Singapore

Singa, Singapore’s courtesy lion and then mascot for kindness since 1982 has resigned. Complaining against an “increasingly angry and disagreeable society” the lion felt it’s time to take a break. Apparently, Singa even submitted a resignation letter to the Singapore Kindness Movement which went viral online

25 May 2013

Chinese Government Bans Seven ‘Speak-Not’ Subjects

A prominent Chinese law professor recently revealed in his microblog on popular Twitter-like site Sina Weibo that the Chinese government has imposed a policy on university professors instructing them not to teach seven subjects, including freedom of the press, past mistakes of the communist party, and human rights.

16 May 2013

Yemen: Focus on Education!

In a country where the illiteracy rate of both sexes (15 years and above) is almost 40 per cent, education and the empowerment of the women and youth is an imperative necessity for any concrete development in Yemen. Activists argue why education should be a right and not a privilege.

14 May 2013

Japan's Pregnancy Handbook Plan Forgets Men

To counter the dropping birth rate, the Japanese government is proposing compiling a handbook with information on pregnancy and family planning to educate teenage girls on the subject. This plan...

13 May 2013

Avoid Mycetism, Mushroom Pickers!

“Never eat overripe, clammy, flabby, wormy or spoiled mushrooms,” writes Ian Claytor, translating advice from Kyrgyzstan's Department for Disease Prevention and Expertise in his blog, Postcard from Bishkek. With the mushroom picking season underway...

7 May 2013