Stories about Education from August, 2010
Brazil: Gay Kiss Prejudice
Rafael Ximenes writes [pt] about the controversy in a university within the state of Minas Gerais, where the promotion poster for the 3rd Congress on Public Policy / Social Services depicts two women kissing. The teacher who decided to use the image has been fired and the case ended up...
Vietnam: TedxSaigon 2010
TEDxSaigon is the first ever TEDx event licensed by TED in Vietnam. Themed “Dream, Diversity and Development”, the conference took place on August 15 focusing on development issues in Vietnam
China: GDP rising, public spending too?
We keep hearing that China's economy is still booming; has public spending increased in step? Private savings are staying in the bank, writes one blogger: from hospitals to schools to pensions for senior folks, China just doesn't compete.
Mozambique: Discussing Culture of Work in Africa
The statement that was made by the billionaire Mo Ibrahim, during his recent visit to Mozambique, saying that “Africans don't have a culture of work”, drew a response from Rui Guerra at blog Prestigío [pt]. Blog ma-schamba [pt] goes even further with a deep reflection on the way Mozambican people...
Jordan: Honking Horns Mark School Result Announcement
Celebrations mark the announcement of secondary school results, known as Tawjihi in many Arab countries. Naseem Al Tarawnah tweets the scene from Amman: “11:20pm. Amman. Honking horns & kids, riding on car windows, screaming. Either Tawjihi results are out or #JO just put a man on the moon.”
Argentina: Distribution of XO Computers in La Rioja
OLPC News notes that Argentine President Cristina Kirchner recently distributed approximately 2,000 XO computers to children in the province of La Rioja.
Trinidad & Tobago: Rock On
B.C. Pires profiles Trinidadian rock guitarist Damon Homer.
Brazil: Online Sexting, Social Media and Parental Responsibility
A couple of Brazilian underage teenagers practicing "Sexting" were watched live by over 25,000 people. Together with the couple, between 3 and 10,000 internet users may have downloaded and distributed the video and are now being investigated.
Serbia: Digital School Project
Danica Radovanovic writes about Digital School, a state-funded project that would allow to set up digital classrooms in Serbia's primary schools, and discusses some of the challenges that need to be addressed for the project to succeed.
Dominican Republic: Long Lines at Santo Domingo University
In the Dominican Republic, students wanting to register and pay for their semester at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo must face long lines, as shown in a photo slideshow by Rull Fernández of Duarte 101 [es].
Open Video Conference at New York City in October
The Open Video Conference at New York City in October 1st and 2nd, 2010 will explore the future of online video in different areas such as technology, creativity, business, public policy/law, education and activism.
Bangladesh: Visitors Share Their Thoughts On Grameen Ventures
This summer, eight students and faculty members from the Master of Public Administration program of the Northern Kentucky University in Kentucky, USA are completing an internship at Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. They have made numerous field visits and are recording their experiences in their blogs using texts, pictures and videos.
Advocacy Video Toolkit Feedback
WITNESS is working on a Video Advocacy Toolkit and would like your input. With this information they would improve on the toolkits and make sure they cover most of the needs of people who work with or wish to work with video for advocacy purposes.
South Korea: Teenage Moms Quit Schools, Survey Shows
A survey shows most of teenage moms drop out of schools after got pregnant with babies, against their will to complete high school education. The Korean society started to address this largely ignored issue by taking a baby step forward by considering building state-run facilities and changing education law, South...
Uruguay: “Your Ideas Matter” Blog Competion for Schoolchildren
The 2010 version of the blog competition “Your Ideas Matter” is now open [es] and Uruguayan schoolchildren are eligible for the contest. There are special categories for blogs created by schoolchildren with the XO laptops that have been distributed to the country's children as part of the Ceibal Plan project.
Kazakhstan: Second grader sues Ministry of Education
KZBlog reports that a boy in second grade is suing the Ministry of Education of Kazakhstan for psychological damage because his textbook on road safety contains many grammatical and spelling mistakes as well as useless or confusing information.
Japan: JET Program in danger of being cut
Amidst cost-cutting pressure, the government-run JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Program is in danger of being cut. Many JET alumni are speaking up, such as Bahia, who explains how the program provides essential foreign exposure and helps improve English proficiency. The Jetwit site provides background details. The 23 year old...
