Lithuania is a well-developed country in Europe that has one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union. Education in Lithuania does not fall behind either, with near-universal literacy and high school enrollment.
Literacy and Enrollment in Lithuania
Lithuania‘s overall literacy rate is 99.83%, and the youth literacy rate (for males and females aged 15-24) is even higher, at 99.95%. The country’s enrollment rates are also high. Enrollment rates for both primary and secondary school exceed 100% (due to enrollment of over- and underage students), sitting at 101.91% and 106.92%, respectively (as of 2022). Furthermore, enrollment in tertiary school was 76.92% in 2022, far greater than the global average (which barely exceeds 50%).
Lithuania’s Education System
In Lithuania, there is compulsory education for children ages 7 to 17. The first compulsory level of education is primary education, which students attend from ages 7 to 11. Primary education teaches children the basics of morality, language, mathematics and the arts, among other subjects necessary to children’s development.
The next level of education is lower secondary education, which is also compulsory. The first stage of lower secondary education lasts four years and teaches more basic skills. The second stage lasts two years and is focused on developing abstract thinking within students. Also, in the second stage, students have greater freedom to choose which subjects to study.
Upper secondary education lasts for two years and is optional. At the end of the two years, students must take leaving examinations. If they pass these exams, they earn a Maturity Certificate, allowing them to pursue higher education in Lithuania. Alternatively, students can attend 3-year vocational schools to obtain both a Maturity Certificate and a Vocational Education Diploma. Either path provides students with the opportunity to move on to higher education.
A Shortage in STEM
Lithuania does not have enough STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduates who are qualified to take on STEM jobs: almost half of Lithuanian graduates hold positions that do not align with the amount of education they have completed. Furthermore, the proportion of STEM students who are female was just 27.3% in 2023. It is vital that Lithuania address these problems and promote education in STEM to match the needs of the market.
Lithuania is doing so through its vocational education and training program and STEAM plan. Vocational education and training provide Lithuanians with the ability to acquire skills in STEM: although a high proportion of vocational students do pursue STEM fields, STEM vocational education is still underused by the population. However, Lithuania aims to increase interest in STEM through the STEAM plan: there are ten STEAM centers in Lithuania that allow Lithuanians to participate in engaging labs and projects. As of 2024, 20,000 students and 1,000 teachers have participated in these activities.
Overall, education in Lithuania is quite strong. Although the country does face a lack of interest in STEM, its programs are working to change that. Furthermore, Lithuania’s high literacy and enrollment rates indicate a highly educated and capable population.
– Téa Franco, Jackson Meyer
Photo: Flickr
Fighting the Marburg Virus in Uganda
The virus, which is frequently compared to Ebola because of its clinical similarity to it, causes viral hemorrhagic fever and is known to be fatal, with an average fatality rate of around 50 percent. The virus is transmitted by a species of bat, called Rousettus bats, that live in caves in Uganda and across parts of Africa.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons or wild animals (e.g. monkeys and fruit bats).
The first person believed to have had the Marburg virus in Uganda, during the most recent outbreak, was a man who lived near a cave with bats. After he passed away from Marburg-like symptoms, his sister became sick due to her involvement in nursing him and with his traditional burial. After she passed away, it was verified that she had suffered from the Marburg virus. Two days later, the outbreak was confirmed and within 24 hours of confirmation, the WHO had arrived in the affected areas of Uganda. Currently, contact tracing is taking place to find and monitor individuals who may have been in contact with those who are sick.
The WHO has already set up structures to monitor the disease and to work with the communities. In addition to the WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and African Field Epidemiology Network (AFNET) are also a part of the efforts to stop the spread of the virus in Uganda.
Containment is the first priority of the WHO. Because the Marburg virus currently has no treatment or vaccine, “supportive care” is needed for those who are infected. But, this also means that proper techniques and safety measures must be taken by healthcare workers treating the infected. Precautions have been taken with protective wear being given to healthcare workers and isolation units being created in order to treat possible Marburg patients in areas removed from the general hospital population.
The WHO and its partners have been educating communities in order to increase awareness about the virus and encourage reporting by community members. Because this virus is spread through fluids and close contact, people involved in traditional burials are at high risk of contracting the virus.
All of these precautions and procedures have been set in motion within the past two weeks, many happening just days after it was confirmed that a woman had passed away due to the virus. It is vital that international organizations respond quickly, to treat those with the virus and protect and educate the communities who are affected.
According to the WHO, the Ugandan government and its health officials have responded to the outbreak very quickly in order to keep it contained. With such a rare and fatal virus, it is important that all of these organizations and the government work together to fight it and protect the affected communities. If these procedures work, the fatal Marburg virus in Uganda will not spread and many people will be sheltered from its reach.
– Emilia Beuger
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Kosovo: Story of Two Lakes
New Infrastructure
These abrupt climate changes have impacted the almost 200,000 people who live in Pristina, the capital and largest city of Kosovo. For instance, in 2012 severe snow and blizzards affected the area, a year after, flooding impacted Kosovars and the year following that brought with it a drought.
In 2014, Kosovo lived through the worst water shortage in three decades, according to public officials in the country. Around 400,000 people in Pristina faced reduced drinking water supplies thanks to the low water levels of the Badovac and Batlava, a problem that directly impacted the water quality in Kosovo.
However, last year the lakes reached their maximum level, making the extraction of water difficult. The Kosovar system is based on pipes that work in conjunction with a water processing plant, some of which don’t have the capacity to process water when the Badovac and Batlava are at their highest levels.
To resolve the problem, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) informed that, the European Commission and the German Development Bank granted Kosovar around 17 million euros in order for the country to make improvements to the infrastructure of their water processing plant system and to guarantee water for its citizens.
They Planned to Poison The Lake
Kosovo’s government cut off the water supply from the Badovac reservoir in 2014 after police arrested several suspects linked to the Islamic State (IS) who were allegedly planning to poison the lake.
This reservoir supplies half of Pristina with water. The Guardian informed that policemen found a suspicious substance in the lake. Over the last two years, officials have identified 314 Kosovars who have joined the Islamic State.
Water Quality
Water quality in Kosovo is not perfect. In bacterial and chemical testing of the water, the Water and Waste Regulatory Office reported a 90 percent rate of purity, while the international standard is above 99 percent. Citizens are recommended to buy water instead of to drink it directly from the tap.
– Dario Ledesma
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About the Polish Genocide
Even after its classification as genocide, the Volhynian massacres remain unknown to many Ukrainians. Awareness is spreading as Polish leadership seeks to edify the public about this historic tragedy. As politics change and new global leadership arises there is hope that this remembrance of history will encourage a more peaceful future.
– Rebekah Korn
Photo: Flickr
Education in Lithuania
Lithuania is a well-developed country in Europe that has one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union. Education in Lithuania does not fall behind either, with near-universal literacy and high school enrollment.
Literacy and Enrollment in Lithuania
Lithuania‘s overall literacy rate is 99.83%, and the youth literacy rate (for males and females aged 15-24) is even higher, at 99.95%. The country’s enrollment rates are also high. Enrollment rates for both primary and secondary school exceed 100% (due to enrollment of over- and underage students), sitting at 101.91% and 106.92%, respectively (as of 2022). Furthermore, enrollment in tertiary school was 76.92% in 2022, far greater than the global average (which barely exceeds 50%).
Lithuania’s Education System
In Lithuania, there is compulsory education for children ages 7 to 17. The first compulsory level of education is primary education, which students attend from ages 7 to 11. Primary education teaches children the basics of morality, language, mathematics and the arts, among other subjects necessary to children’s development.
The next level of education is lower secondary education, which is also compulsory. The first stage of lower secondary education lasts four years and teaches more basic skills. The second stage lasts two years and is focused on developing abstract thinking within students. Also, in the second stage, students have greater freedom to choose which subjects to study.
Upper secondary education lasts for two years and is optional. At the end of the two years, students must take leaving examinations. If they pass these exams, they earn a Maturity Certificate, allowing them to pursue higher education in Lithuania. Alternatively, students can attend 3-year vocational schools to obtain both a Maturity Certificate and a Vocational Education Diploma. Either path provides students with the opportunity to move on to higher education.
A Shortage in STEM
Lithuania does not have enough STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduates who are qualified to take on STEM jobs: almost half of Lithuanian graduates hold positions that do not align with the amount of education they have completed. Furthermore, the proportion of STEM students who are female was just 27.3% in 2023. It is vital that Lithuania address these problems and promote education in STEM to match the needs of the market.
Lithuania is doing so through its vocational education and training program and STEAM plan. Vocational education and training provide Lithuanians with the ability to acquire skills in STEM: although a high proportion of vocational students do pursue STEM fields, STEM vocational education is still underused by the population. However, Lithuania aims to increase interest in STEM through the STEAM plan: there are ten STEAM centers in Lithuania that allow Lithuanians to participate in engaging labs and projects. As of 2024, 20,000 students and 1,000 teachers have participated in these activities.
Overall, education in Lithuania is quite strong. Although the country does face a lack of interest in STEM, its programs are working to change that. Furthermore, Lithuania’s high literacy and enrollment rates indicate a highly educated and capable population.
– Téa Franco, Jackson Meyer
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Venezuela
Ex-president Hugo Chavez took hold of Venezuela in 1999 and handed over rule to Nicolas Maduro before his death, in 2013. The country has functioned under an authoritarian form of government for the past two decades.
With an oil revenue based economy, Venezuela was once considered one of the richest countries in Latin America. But in the year 2014, the country saw itself submerged in an economic crisis after oil prices fell in the economic market. As a result, resources of all types are now lacking in the country. Citizens struggle every day to get food and clean water for their families, electricity in their homes, medicine and other basic necessities to live. The lack of resources has lead to a humanitarian crisis caused, partly, by the government. In spite of the negative impact that Chavez had on Venezuela throughout his regime, one thing he managed to improve was water quality in the country. Investments towards social programs and sanitation helped improve the quality of water.
Chavez’s initiatives, though, failed in the long run. After Chavez’s death Maduro tried to solve the issue and has continued to try for three years now, but the government’s unresponsive officials have not helped to improve the situation.
Water quality in Venezuela has become an important issue that needs to be solved fast. The problem is to the point where not only is water not widely accessible to all citizens, but some of the water that is available has become contaminated and polluted. As awareness has increased so has the knowledge that Venezuela is in need of help to eradicate Maduro’s regime, secure human rights for all, and provide food and good water quality to its citizens. There is hope as Unicef, Chamos Charity, and more non-profit organizations are working every day with the citizens of Venezuela to help improve their way of life.
– Paula Gibson
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Sweden: An Effective Model
Quality
An OECD survey of average satisfaction with local water quality reports the world average is about 81 percent, yet Sweden’s satisfaction levels top that at 95 percent. Because half of Sweden’s water supply comes from lakes and running water, with the other half being groundwater, their water requires minimal purification.
In addition to their natural extraction methods, Sweden has also enacted programs to ensure adequate water quality. The 2007 to 2013 rural development program granted SEK 510 million to aid agriculture by minimizing nutrient leaching. A study of 65 streams shows a decrease in the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus in bodies of water that surround agricultural fields, due to restrictions on the use of these harmful fertilizers.
Water quality in Sweden relates not only to sanitary drinking water, but also to the health of crops and lifeforms in aquatic environments. Thus, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management allotted SEK 310 million for water management, fish conservation and the protection of threatened species. Sweden identifies that human-made substances are detrimental to the quality of water and has adopted the Non-Toxic Environment objective to ensure an environment free of all chemicals created by man that threaten the environment.
Supply
Sweden remains one of few countries with a vast number of large reservoirs, providing Swedes with a guaranteed resource for freshwater. Other countries are not as lucky to have such a reliable source of quality water, so a part of Sweden’s success lies with the country’s natural foundation.
However, reservoirs can be manmade, giving other less fortunate countries a valid option to gain more reliable access to water. All of Europe’s reservoirs combined grant its people with 20 percent of their overall water usage.
Even further, various parts of Sweden have suffered from droughts or flooding. The irregular weather causes farmers to relocate or to increase irrigation practices. Increases in precipitation have caused negative health effects. The excessive amount of water causes sewage overflow, leading to waterborne diseases. A study in the U.S. demonstrated that 51 percent of waterborne disease outbreaks occurred right after heavy rainfall.
Sweden has implemented programs to ensure the supply of water remains sustainable. The government focuses on protecting bodies of water, since these lakes and reservoirs make up a great percentage of the country’s water. In 2010, they enacted laws to restrict water usage and minimize the overall demand for water. The EU Water Framework Directive incorporated water efficiency plans and water resource management. Although Sweden’s percentage of water gained is on the rise, they are still working to conserve it and lower their demand for quality water.
Perhaps other countries, developing and developed alike, can take Sweden’s lifestyle regarding water into account as the nation works to conserve its suitable water.
– Brianna White
Photo: Flickr
Saving Bees in India and Lifting Farmers Out of Poverty
Further, a whopping 34.4 percent of the nation’s cultivated hectares of land depend on bees for pollination. This dependency is especially significant for certain plant species in particular, some of whom see productivity decline 80 percent in the absence of pollinators. For an agricultural system that cycles 99 percent of its fruit harvest back into domestic consumption, such a massive decline in productivity does not just mean economic degradation; it means a rise in food insecurity as well.
Seeing as the farmers depend on the crops, and the crops depend on the bees, the decline in bees is quite explicitly linked to the capacity of farmers to survive, and possibly thrive. In essence, then, bees in India are a crucial component to lifting individuals out of the cycle of poverty. Save the bees, save farmers, save lives.
Such is the mantra of Under the Mango Tree, a social enterprise that trains Indian farmers to become beekeepers and purchases the farmers’ organic honey through fair-trade farm cooperatives. By cultivating bees on their property, farmers have the capacity to increase their crop productions anywhere from 50 to 100 percent (depending on the plant and bee species). This increase in yield, plus the extra revenue from fair-trade honey sales, has the capacity to increase farmer incomes by more than 50 percent, a figure that can and does change lives. The strategy also, of course, augments India’s bee population by providing hives places to flourish, all of which aids agricultural production on the whole.
The successful implementation of this program is working to truly save the bees in India. Yet, it is important to note that the bee population needs help beyond the Indian borders. If the world wants to maintain its traditional agricultural systems and sectors, it needs to support its smallest workers.
– Kailee Nardi
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Guatemala: Battling Drought and Disease
Approximately 43 percent of Guatemalan children under the age of five are fatally malnourished, and among rural Guatemalan children this number rises to around 80 percent. It is in rural areas that the drought has the strongest effect, as there is less access to clean water and there are more stagnant bodies of water that increase the spread of disease.
Due to the drought, Guatemala’s disposal of solid and liquid waste in local bodies of water is having a larger impact than ever. With limited quantities of clean water, the waste that is deposited in rivers makes the spread of disease and infection in the population even more rampant. Access to clean water is a major issue facing the country, but there have been some strides in resolving it.
Guatemala was able to reduce the percentage of citizens without access to drinking water to 50 percent, which met the 2015 Millennium Development Goal for access to clean water. In 2016, 93 percent of Guatemalans had access to non-polluted water, which is an impressive statistic.
There are also nonprofit organizations working to improve water quality in Guatemala. Water for People is an organization that focuses on providing clean water to certain communities in impoverished nations. They currently have a number of projects running in Guatemala, one of which is the Everyone Forever program. The program pledges to provide water and sanitation to every single person in those communities, forever. This is a very ambitious project, but it is also incredibly important.
In addition to simply providing clean water to those in Santa Cruz Del Quiche, or San Bartolome Jocotenago, Water for People creates a model that can be replicated by governments to provide water and sanitation for all parts of the nation. The organization also has programs for watershed management and school programming related to water sanitation.
There are also, of course, programs set in place by United Nations agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization, UNDP, and UNICEF. These organizations put in place measures that will raise the living conditions of people in poor communities, primarily through improving water sanitation systems.
Ultimately, water quality in Guatemala is a major issue, but there are improvements being made. Through collaboration between NGOs, the Guatemalan government and United Nations agencies, the issue of water quality and access in the country will hopefully be resolved soon, improving the quality of life for all of its residents.
– Liyanga De Silva
Photo: Flickr
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Eradicating Poverty
In a speech delivered at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2015, Kim proposed that efforts be refocused on improving health in developing nations. If we want to end poverty and stimulate the global economy, redirecting efforts to improve healthcare systems is the best way to accomplish these goals. Kim wants to capitalize on the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing the number of stunted children in the world by 40 percent by 2025. Kim proposes to completely rid the world of cognitive impairments brought on by malnourishment and understimulation by 2030 as well.
The secretary is well on his way to achieving the goals he put in place at the start of his term. In a press conference held in October 2017, Kim revealed that over 800 million people have escaped the grip of poverty as a result of China’s poverty reduction efforts. The World Bank’s involvement with China will continue in the form of improving its healthcare system, promoting access to social services in rural regions and supporting China’s focus on increasing domestic consumption. Similarly, multicomponent efforts have reduced the world’s population who live on less than $1.90 a day from 1.86 billion to 767 million people. This means that nearly 1.1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty since 1990.
In addition to these accomplishments, the World Bank also reached its target goal of disbursing $518 million to support countries affected by the Ebola outbreak in 2016. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim’s career has been dedicated to global health, education and ameliorating the conditions of the world’s poor. With these goals in motion, the year 2030 should be a beautiful one.
– Sloan Bousselaire
Photo: Flickr
Proposal Aims to Improve Water Quality in Malaysia
The proposal centers on improving and coordinating laws and enforcement related to water quality in Malaysia. At present, the laws do not set the same standards to determine when water is polluted. State Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Ir Hasni Mohammad expressed frustration with current laws, stating that the laws do not reflect the importance of monitoring threats from water pollution. Hasni also expressed the frustration from citizens at the disruptions related to ammonia content in the water.
Different bodies in Malaysia have different standards for determining and acting on water pollution. For example, Johor’s water regulatory body, Bakaj, holds that a pollutant present at 1.5 parts per million (ppm) represents polluted discharge, while the Malaysian Department of Environment has set that number at 10 ppm. These differing standards lead not only to confusion regarding what is considered polluted, but also who is responsible for addressing and enforcing pollution laws.
Apart from the contamination incidents, the state of Johor has another vested interest in improved water quality in Malaysia. Reports indicate that the state will see an increase in water consumption of 80 percent by 2028. Mohamed Khaled Nordin, the Chief Minister of Johor, has indicated that the projected rise in water consumption has made it imperative for the state government to sit down with all parties to find a solution to water supply issues. Improving water pollution standards appears to be a first step in this process.
– Erik Beck
Photo: Flickr