Blog #12: UN Report Finds Africa Education Goals Stagnating

Today a report from the United Nations came out about African education. According to the article, education goals in Africa have been stagnating. This has become a problem because it’s leaving many young people deprived of quality schooling and a high-quality job. Pauline Rose, a director of the report, told VOA, “Progress in reaching the Education for All goals first set in 2000 has stagnated in recent years, as reaching those in need has become more challenging” (“UN Report Finds Africa Education Goals Stagnating”). She then further explains that the children who don’t get schooling are the hardest to reach to get back into schooling. Rose even explains further that in conventional schools that the quality of education is lacking and young people are only receiving a basic education. This makes them unprepared for the work force. Nowadays more young people are getting low paying jobs earning just enough to survive. However, these young people are still staying below the poverty line. The report also reports that 40% of young people with a secondary education are living in working poverty. The government has said they’re going to try to install technical programs and training.

The occurrence of young people not having adequate education and only receiving low-paying jobs is too frequent and a global social problem. This is a problem because young people are becoming poorer. They’re getting stuck in the poverty class and they’re not finding a way out. This can create bigger problems because they might not be able to afford nutritional food or even medicine when needed. This can create a problem because more people can sick or being malnourished which then the death rate goes up. Also, young people need a quality education not only for the workforce, but for life in general. African government need to stick to their promises and goals of finding technical training for young people so they can get decent jobs. If the young people could get a better education, they could have a better job and then work their way out of the working poverty. The young people now are the future generation if they’re stuck in the working poverty class and not getting a decent education, this can further into other countries. Young people might also get stuck in the working poverty and their future families will also be stuck in the working poverty.  

http://www.voanews.com/content/unesco-report-finds-africa-education-goals-stagnating/1545460.html

11/14/12 5:49 pm

Blog #11: In S. Korea, the Best Education Means a Sacrifice for Parents

In South Korea education is highly prioritized. However, in order for children to go to the most elite schools, they have to be sent away and usual their mom comes with. This means families have to be separated in order to get elite education. Usually the social class that can afford the elite schools and willing to have separated families is the higher class. Nowadays families separating for the sake of education have become a common practice and more people are partaking in it. In America in today’s society, we view people who can speak both English and Spanish an excellent tool. However, in Korea if you can speak English it shows you come from the “right” family and it’s a luxury. Education is highly valued in Korea even to the point where students overly study and this has become more of a trend. According to the article, most Koreans start learning in English in kindergarten and by the time they’re teenagers they’re deprived study-holics This is having an effect on kids because they’re not enjoying and free time and they’re studying hard constantly. According to the article, Korean students rank among the highest among the world’s unhappiest and suicide rates have increased. However, some parents do like the separation part because they say it helps their marriage. On the other hand, children will become distant with their fathers and can lose that relationship.

This is a social global issue because Korea is having students cram and study too much. Education is great to have and smart children are what we need, however, having children study to the point they want to commit suicide is unethical. The separation of families isn’t very wise either because families need one another. Having a strong family that supports you can get you through a lot of times in your life. However, if you’re away from some of your family and you’re studying all the time and cramming it only hurts you in the long run. The fact that suicide rates have gone up and Korea is now ranked as having the world’s unhappiest kids is not a good thing. If children are killing themselves because school is too much and it’s taking over their life the population is going down. We need the young people to balance out the economy, and with birth rates already falling we don’t need children to be dying; especially not purposely dying. Being smart and studying is excellent, but it shouldn’t be to the point where it controls your life and makes you unhappy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-s-korea-the-best-education-means-a-sacrifice-for-parents/2012/11/05/6adb0564-256f-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html

11/7/12 1:27 p.m.

Blog #10: As Aspirations Rise India's Burgeoning Youth Find Jobs are Hard to Get

India is country that is bustling with people and many of those are young people. However, even though the majority of people are young, they aren’t finding jobs and this is creating trouble. According to the article, in the next three to four decades, half of India’s population will be under the age 25.Even though India’s politicians like to brag about this saying it’ll propel the country into economic power, this is not the case. The article talks about a young adult, Vijay Kumar, who has been looking for a job for years. He moved to the India capital just to find work and still hasn’t been having any luck. When he does find a job he has to send back his earnings to help his parents out. Another major problem is young people don’t have the skills that are needed for some jobs. The article explains that the reason for this is India’s poor quality of education. India also has one of the largest illiterate people at 250 million according to the article. Employment analysts say that only 15% of working age Indians have the skills needed to find jobs. However, with more and younger people coming up into the world and not having the skills needed, they’re not finding jobs.

This is a social global problem because young people in India can’t find jobs. Not only can’t they find jobs, but they also don’t have the skills that are needed for some jobs. This isn’t’ good because the article even states how poor their education is. Poor education and not getting a job is bad for any person. Not only does it take an emotional toll on a person, but it also can affect your social status. Since young people are about to be the majority population, this is going to create an unevenness in the population. Also, with no jobs being available this can cause the economy to crash even more. Then this will develop into younger people being poor and creating a bigger poor population.  And if there is bigger poor populations this can create further problems since pooper people can’t afford good healthcare. Then this can create into more death rates and lead into a demographic transition. We have been talking about demographic transition in class and the effects of having a dominantly younger population. If India keeps going this route, things don’t look too good. Even Kapil Sibal, a minister for human resource development told the article it will be a disaster if they fail.

 http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/d0f271517202448ea5ad64fec5ff960a/AS--India-Employment--Dreams

10/31/12 9:29 pm

Blog 9: Europe's Lost Generation Costs €153bn a Year, Study Finds

In Europe young people ages 15-29 are struggling because they can’t find work or are unemployed. This is having a toll on the whole country. According to the article, this is costing member states a total of €153bn (£124bn a year). These young people are now being referred to as the “lost generation”. However, not only are these young people unemployed, but according to the article they’re also opting out of democratic participation in society. Even young people, who are in work, don’t work many hours or are in low security jobs. According to the EU report if just 10% of the young people could rejoin or find a job in the workplace then it would save €15bn a year. This doesn’t seem like much, however, each year it would add up and eventually would have an impact. Even the young people who are out of education for 15-19 year olds had no work experience at all. Stefano Scarpetta, the OECD’s head of employment analysis and policy is alarmed that young adult population is reaching dangerous levels.  He also stated that if we don’t address these issues soon social and political tensions will increase.

This is a global social problem because many young people are being affected. Nowadays it seems so many countries are being affected by this “loss of job”. This can also affect other countries because if the economy is bad it can make the worth of the dollar go down, which will change a lot of things. Also, since young people in Europe can’t find work, it will start to become a continuous cycle of the country and member states having to pay for these young people through welfare. The article had already stated that this has started to happen. This also isn’t good because this could affect these young people’s social status. Education today is far more advanced than it was years ago; therefore, we should excel in social status by having a better education. However, with the economic crisis jobs are slim and young people are getting hit hard. This also is affecting the country because the more young people that are on welfare the more the country is going to go down in economics. Stefano Scarpetta also made a good point that if Europe doesn’t do anything it will soon face social and political tensions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/22/europe-lost-generation-costs-study

1:18 pm 10/24/12

Blog #8 UNESCO Report: Over a Third of 15 to 19 Year Olds in India Have Less than Lower Secondary Education

The United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently sent out a report with shocking results. The report was sent out to stress the need to invest in skills for the youth. Many countries such as India, Pakistan, and south and west Asia to name a few have young people very behind on the school track. Most of these young people can’t read or write and don’t have any basic skills. Most of the Pakistani girls are really hit with this education shocker because most of the girls in Pakistan are without an education. According to the article, in South and West Asia millions of young people (15 to 24) need alternative pathways just to get the basic skills they need for employment and prosperity. The report also showed that young people need the skills taught in primary and lower secondary school in order to find decent jobs. This isn’t getting better because so many kids are missing out on primary and lower secondary schools. Even some who are in school don’t know how to read and write either. However, the article says a smart move for the countries would be to invest in young people’s skill to boost their economic economy. The article also says the only way countries can make the full use of young people is to have them have basic skills.

This is a global social problem because if the young people aren’t getting the right education this affects them getting a job. This can also lead to more unemployment. Irina Bokova, the director general of UNESCO, had stated in the article, “The best answer to the economic downturn and youth unemployment is to ensure that young people acquire the basic skills and relevant training they need to enter the world of work with confidence” (“Unesco report: Over a third of 15 to 19 year olds in India have less than lower secondary education”). Therefore, if the young people of these countries are not getting the required basic skills then they can‘t get a decent job. The article had also mentioned that in richer countries the lack of investing in young people’s skills had added to the downward spiral of unemployment rates. In poorer countries young people who have the lack of skills end up getting jobs with bad conditions. This is all a global social problem because young people need the basic skills in order to obtain valuable jobs. This can affect other countries because this could put the world behind in the job market. It also can affect the young people’s social status because if they don’t have the skills for a decent job they’ll have to obtain a bad conditioned job with low pay. Therefore, this would make their income and social class status go down.

 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-16/india/34498338_1_basic-skills-youth-skills-vital-skills

10/17/12 2:39 pm

Blog #7: Taliban Shoot Pakistani Tenager for Advocating Girl's Education

In America people protest and speak their voice about any topic they want and most of the time people just listen and pass on by. However, in Peshawar, Pakistan a 14 year old girl named Malala Yousafzai was shot for speaking her mind. She was shot for speaking out for girls denied education under the Taliban according to the article. Malala was shot in the neck; however, doctors say she’s expected to survive. According to the article, this is all started in 2009 when Malala wrote a diary about Taliban killings under a pen name. Malala’s diary that she started was when the Taliban banned girl’s education and bombed schools that were mostly for girls. Also in her diary she would write about her fears and growing Taliban influences. In 2011 the Pakistani government awarded her for her brave voice speaking out for children’s rights and girl’s education. She was also nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize. However, some people were upset with Malala about this since she was shot. Not only was Malala affected, but a seventh grade that was walking with her also got shot in the leg.

This is a global social problem because Malala spoke her mind and got physically punished for it. People should be able to have opinion without getting shot. However, what the Taliban’s are doing is also wrong because girls need education too. Other countries, don’t have as many rights as we do especially women, however, Malala was a child describing her fears in a diary under a pen name. She shouldn’t have been shot because she was a child expressing her feelings. Malala was also trying to stand up for education and girl’s right, therefore, she was taking a chance for everyone. Also, since Malala wasn’t the only one affected that creates a bigger problem. Since a younger child who was just walking with Malala got shot that makes the shooting even worse. Luckily, both girls were ok and going to survive, however, the issue of them getting shot is unethical.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/55051557-68/yousafzai-taliban-pakistani-swat.html.csp?page=1

7:49 pm 10/10/12

Blog #6: On the Trail of South Africa's Missing Textbooks

This week South Africa’s Basic Education Department has been in court. According to the article, they have been accused of failing to deliver textbooks to the schools in northern Limpopo province. The schools have had no textbooks the whole year and are trying to cope. Mrs. Manaka, a teacher, stated in the article that she has ordered textbook many times, but the department never delivered them. Mrs. Manaka is scared that the students aren’t going to good on the end of the year test because they don’t have textbooks to look at or study from. Parents are also upset that they’re students don’t have textbooks because the schools are studying a new curriculum this year. Parents along with members of the community are asking where the money went. According to the article, “Two years ago Limpopo’s education department decided to contract out the procurement and distribution of textbooks” (“On the Trial of South Africa’s Missing Textbooks”). They did this with a company call EduSolutions. However, it was clear that the textbooks would cost the state a lot more money. Solly Tshitangano stated that the politicians and officials decided to outsource textbook supply in order to find a new way to defraud the taxpayer. By the end of last year Limpopo had run out of textbook money before the school year even started for 2012. However, the government has cancelled their contract with EduSolutions and already saved a lot of money in the process. There still aren’t any textbooks as end of year exams approach. Parents are still furious and blame politicians for just “eating” the money.

The fact that students need to learn their material with the help of a textbook, but don’t have any textbooks is a problem. Textbooks are a way to show and explain material better. Students also can learn a lot more from textbooks. Therefore, the education department is stealing away from these students’ education. A lot of schools are poor; however, they should be able to have some type of access to textbooks. In Limpopo’s case they should have gotten textbooks because the education department told them they would. As citizens we trust the people who are over us, however, in Limpopo their education department failed them. It’s also a problem that a company like EduSolutions would just take money. Students need textbooks to gain a better understanding of knowledge; it’s not fair to have them suffer. This situation is also causing uproar among parents. In the article it stated many parents are furious. It also stated that one parent said the education department promised the schools books, but still no books. The schools have even tried to get books by requesting them and ordering them multiple times, but no change. Limpopo is still waiting for books which is a problem because end of year tests are approaching and students need to do well.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19802372

12:50 pm 10/4/12

Blog #5: Beware Benchmarking Education Against India

China and India education has always been more advanced than the United States. However, this might not be the case. In a recent report called The Competition That Really Matters joined with Center for American Progress and the Center for the Next Generation, they claim America’s competition is being washed-out by the appearance of skilled labor forces in India and China. India and China are producing more bachelor’s degrees than the United States are and they’re doing it faster. However, the issue is India and China are more focused on quantity rather than quality. Vivek Wadhwa and his colleagues from Duke University were shocked when they saw a report from Rising Above The Gathering Storm. They were shocked because the engineering numbers cited for India and China were significantly exaggerated.  Therefore, the quality of student’s education that China and India are teaching lag behind the United States quality of student education. A survey also went out by Pratham, a non-government group that works to improve educational outcomes for improvised children, found that fifth graders were only reading at a second grade level. Even though most schools are like this in India and China, there are still very bright students.

This is a global social issue because students aren’t getting the right education to be able to perform their jobs. These schools are passing too many children that don’t know information at the level they should. Since India and China are having more students graduate than us, it makes us Americans give up because we think we can’t keep up with them. However, most of these students coming out of India and China aren’t as smart as the ones graduating here in the United States. According to the article, the 2012-2013 Global Competitiveness Index placed India 81^st out of 144 nations. Indian eight grade students also scored second to last in a 75 nation ranking of writing and math skills. This isn’t’ good because students from these countries come over to the United States or telecommunicate for United States job, but they’re not being educated adequately. Instead of passing lots of students who don’t have the adequate skills and education they need, these countries should take the time for these students to learn the suitable education.

 

http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4847&Itemid=404

(Have to scroll down to see article)

4:10 pm 9/26/12

Blog #4 Education Cuts, Higher Costs Spark Protests in Spain

Lately in Seville, Spain students are returning to schools, but faced against an economic hardship. Since items are more expensive and costs are higher, teachers and parents are having a harder time paying for things. The school systems have had a 21% percent budget cutting putting many teachers out of jobs. According to the article, teacher’s hours have increased and the number of students in each classroom h is has grown. All of this is concerning Unions. One labor leader named Manuel a Martinez is concerned that the government is using this economic crisis as an excuse so they can do what they want to do. This isn’t the only problem either, since schools had such a drastic budget cut textbooks are scarce and meals in the cafeteria are more. Therefore, this makes families have to pay more money. The economic crisis hasn’t just hit primary and secondary school, but also universities. According to the article, scholarships have been reduced while tuition has gone up almost 50%. Even if students get a higher education most graduates are unemployed.  It’s a gloomy situation for Spain and doesn’t seem to be getting better.

The economic crisis has been affecting around the globe, however, Spain and the surrounding European countries are suffering. Unions are not happy and have been starting to protest. However, this economic crisis is not only affecting the teachers, but it’s also affecting families and students. It’s affecting families because now they have to buy more items for school; therefore, they have to spend more money. The crisis is affecting students by having more students in the classroom which can hinder the learning. As for students in college, since costs are going up and there’s less tuition then more students will drop out. This makes their chance of getting a job even lower than if they had a degree. Another way the crisis is affecting college students is when they graduate there are fewer jobs for them. Therefore, this makes them go down on social mobility because they’re not making any money or have a job that has a low-income. In the future, it’s not looking good for Spain because of their budget cuts and graduates not being able to find a job.

11:39 p.m. 9/19/12

                http://www.voanews.com/content/education_cuts_and_higher_costs_spark_protests_in_spain/1509614.html

Blog #3: South Africa Committee Unhappy with Department of Basic Education's Lack of Progress

In South Africa, The Select Committee on Education and Recreation is disappointed with the Department of Basic Education because they haven’t made progress on getting rid of mud or inappropriate schools.  According to the article, there are 496 inappropriate schools, and nothing is being done about them. These schools are inappropriate because they lack water, electricity, and sanitation. Therefore they’re referred to as “mud schools”.  However, the Department Deputy is planning on getting rid of 50 mud schools. With the other mud schools they are planning to electrify 164 and supply water to 188. Then they are planning on delivering sanitation infrastructure to 354 during 2011/2012 year.  However, none of this has happened yet and the Committee is not happy. Ms. Makgate is Committee Chairperson and she is not happy that no progress has been made. According to the article, she has said that the committee is disappointed and this reflects off of the Department that education is not taken seriously.

This would be considered a global social issue because many kids in Southern Africa have to go to schools that are not sanitary. These schools also don’t have water or electricity so the conditions of the school are not acceptable for students to learn at. Sometimes it can be harder to learn in bad conditions especially if the conditions are unsanitary. These schools are poor, however, the Department said they were going to fix them and they haven’t. Since Ms. Makgate told the Department that this shows an impression that they don’t take education seriously; this makes the department look bad and untrustworthy since they haven’t kept to their word about fixing the schools.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201209130930.html

9/13/12 1:07 p.m.

Blog #2: Big Protests Arise in Hong Kong over Chinese 'National Education''

Recently in Hong Kong there have been many protests about the new classes soon to be required by China. The protesters are calling these classes, brainwashing classes. These new classes called “Moral and National Education” are supposed to boost national identity and pride. However, Hong Kong education officials are fighting back saying that these classes aren’t a big part of the student’s classes. And these classes are just supposed to promote positive attitudes and values. The education officials also are saying these classes won’t be brainwashing because there isn’t any learning or teaching materials enforced by the government. On the other hand, the protesters are fighting back saying these classes are “government propaganda to whitewash history under Communist Party rule” (Alpert, Los Angeles Time). According to the article, “Though education officials say the handbook is not part of the curriculum and no topics are off-limits, critics see it as a sign of an overly rosy picture of China under the new classes” (Alpert, Los Angeles Times).  The conflict between education officials and the protestors lies between the government trying to propaganda and just trying to promote positive values. Also according to the article, the protestors are not giving up and threatening to go on hunger strikes and they are not giving up.

I see this as a global social issue because if other countries start brainwashing their students, other countries including America might one day try to do that to. Brainwashing in itself is a problem because people should be able to have a free will, and not have to be brainwashed to believe a certain way. Another reason why this is a problem is because if people know that their country is trying to brainwash them that can cause riots and maybe even massacres. People don’t want to be controlled by other people and if they know that they are they will revolt. That’s exactly what is happening in Hong Kong now because of certain allegations about brainwashing.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/09/protests-hong-kong-national-education-classes.html

Rebekah Malizia 12:47 pm 9/6/12

Blog #1: Questioning Kristof on Chinese Education; Rebekah Malizia

Alex Lew (writer or article) went to China to find out why Chinese schools have such high scores on tests what he found out was shocking. Alex was put with a host family to live with while he was in China. Edward, Alex’s host brother, showed Alex how much work they had to do. Edward explained that he spent hours a day on problems and compared to his classmates he was a slacker! At the school, Alex noticed that all the students were very engaged into what the teacher was saying and how much knowledge the teacher had. One day Edward came to Alex about how to analyze his family tree for genetic disease. Come to find out, in the biology book was a brief conceptual overview and a list. The reason why the book was this way was because there were just problems in the book about what might be on the exam at the end of the year. It was easy to understand, but there is a lot of work to study because you have to memorize so many systems. Alex found out that the purpose of the Chinese high school is to prepare for the gaokao (test offered once a year but very important) the score determines if you go to college or not. The test scores also determine the teachers’ salaries! Teachers also study past exams and come up with the teachings that might be on the test. The classes they have are mainly about knowing how to take the test and pass it. This test puts so much stress on the students that they work through summer and weekends. Their free time is used preparing for this test.

I think this is a global social problem because many Chinese students are suffering under the work load! Most students are very smart, but they don’t have a life! This can result in poor communication skills and basic skills people need to survive. Also, the fact that teachers salaries and jobs relies on the students’ scores is completely immoral. A teacher should be able to keep her job regardless of how the student does.  The students also don’t seem to mind the hard work; however, in the long run it is hurting them because their whole life is studying for this one test.

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/questioning-kristof-on-chinese-education/

Rebekah Malizia; 8/30/12 3:12 pm