Friday, August 26, 2005
Rural Education in the News
From my Google News alerts...
EDITORIAL: Sizing up the numbers
New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
Paradoxically, the astounding success of a policy designed to provide access to schooling to virtually anyone who needed it has produced a real conundrum in the form of very small primary schools with retarded educational development. Many of these under-sized rural schools have no electricity, water or telephones, let alone computers or well-stocked libraries and labs. The hardship allowance that teachers are paid for serving in the ulu does not seem to be much of an incentive since many can hardly wait to return to "civilisation" once their three-year term ends. While they are respectful and dutiful in class, many of their pupils do not have the drive to succeed. Attendance nosedives in tandem with rainy spells and the changing rhythms of village life. This truancy is encouraged by parents who would rather have them helping out at home and in the fields although they can’t give a helping hand when their children get stuck in their schoolwork. With inadequate facilities, high teacher turnover, and scant parental support, it is not surprising that these sparsely populated rural schools also suffer from academic under-achievement and a high drop-out rate.
Brad Lager, ed. chief to tour schools
Maryville Daily Forum - Maryville, MO, USA
Maryville's state representative and the state's commissioner of education will take a tour of local schools next week to learn about the challenges facing northwest Missouri teachers and administrators. Brad Lager, 4th District State Rep. and the House Budget Committee chairman, and Dr. Kent King will be touring some of northwest Missouri's schools on Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1.
Education policy Q&A: Brian Donnelly
New Zealand Herald - New Zealand
The Herald invited politicians to answer questions at a range of policy forums - yesterday the focus was on transport. Today we examine education.Below are edited highlights of the 45-minute question and answer session with NZ First spokesman Brian Donnelly.
Launch of OKN raises hopes among rural women in Nepal
For more than a decade, READ - Rural Education And Development, Nepal - has been building community libraries. These libraries are run with the active participation of the community and have their own income generating scheme for meeting operating costs and financial sustainability. Over time they have organically expanded into community centres, dynamically involved in the overall development activities of the community. The community libraries are contributing in diverse fields, such as education, health, empowerment, childhood development and cultural promotion. They provide knowledge, information, inspiration, support and above all motivation to drive the community into shaping its own future.
Indigenous to sign education contracts
Ninemsn - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The Northern Territory government is hoping to improve "appalling" education outcomes by introducing individual contracts with remote Aboriginal communities. NT Education Minister Syd Stirling unveiled a four-year blueprint to improve education in communities - including the contracts, a revamp of bilingual education and making the school year flexible to allow for cultural ceremonies. "We've had appalling outcomes for the last 30 years in indigenous education in remote and rural communities," he said.
Push up eco reforms by cutting unwanted subsidies: PM
Hindustan Times - India
Sounding alarm bells on the high combined fiscal deficit of the centre and states, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday minced no words on the need to push up the economic reforms by cutting unwanted subsidies and improving the health of state electricity boards and oil Navratnas.
Tags: aera, rural, education
EDITORIAL: Sizing up the numbers
New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia
Paradoxically, the astounding success of a policy designed to provide access to schooling to virtually anyone who needed it has produced a real conundrum in the form of very small primary schools with retarded educational development. Many of these under-sized rural schools have no electricity, water or telephones, let alone computers or well-stocked libraries and labs. The hardship allowance that teachers are paid for serving in the ulu does not seem to be much of an incentive since many can hardly wait to return to "civilisation" once their three-year term ends. While they are respectful and dutiful in class, many of their pupils do not have the drive to succeed. Attendance nosedives in tandem with rainy spells and the changing rhythms of village life. This truancy is encouraged by parents who would rather have them helping out at home and in the fields although they can’t give a helping hand when their children get stuck in their schoolwork. With inadequate facilities, high teacher turnover, and scant parental support, it is not surprising that these sparsely populated rural schools also suffer from academic under-achievement and a high drop-out rate.
Brad Lager, ed. chief to tour schools
Maryville Daily Forum - Maryville, MO, USA
Maryville's state representative and the state's commissioner of education will take a tour of local schools next week to learn about the challenges facing northwest Missouri teachers and administrators. Brad Lager, 4th District State Rep. and the House Budget Committee chairman, and Dr. Kent King will be touring some of northwest Missouri's schools on Wednesday, Aug. 31 and Thursday, Sept. 1.
Education policy Q&A: Brian Donnelly
New Zealand Herald - New Zealand
The Herald invited politicians to answer questions at a range of policy forums - yesterday the focus was on transport. Today we examine education.Below are edited highlights of the 45-minute question and answer session with NZ First spokesman Brian Donnelly.
Launch of OKN raises hopes among rural women in Nepal
For more than a decade, READ - Rural Education And Development, Nepal - has been building community libraries. These libraries are run with the active participation of the community and have their own income generating scheme for meeting operating costs and financial sustainability. Over time they have organically expanded into community centres, dynamically involved in the overall development activities of the community. The community libraries are contributing in diverse fields, such as education, health, empowerment, childhood development and cultural promotion. They provide knowledge, information, inspiration, support and above all motivation to drive the community into shaping its own future.
Indigenous to sign education contracts
Ninemsn - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The Northern Territory government is hoping to improve "appalling" education outcomes by introducing individual contracts with remote Aboriginal communities. NT Education Minister Syd Stirling unveiled a four-year blueprint to improve education in communities - including the contracts, a revamp of bilingual education and making the school year flexible to allow for cultural ceremonies. "We've had appalling outcomes for the last 30 years in indigenous education in remote and rural communities," he said.
Push up eco reforms by cutting unwanted subsidies: PM
Hindustan Times - India
Sounding alarm bells on the high combined fiscal deficit of the centre and states, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday minced no words on the need to push up the economic reforms by cutting unwanted subsidies and improving the health of state electricity boards and oil Navratnas.
Tags: aera, rural, education
