Archive for category: Education

Information and stories on education.

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How Can Companies Improve Global Education?

Improve global education

Many CEOs don’t realize that helping improve global education is an investment in the future — not in an abstract future, but in their future. The more educated a country’s population is, the higher its gross domestic product (GDP) usually becomes.

With increased capital, more people can buy more products: someone living on less than a dollar a day will likely not buy Colgate toothpaste or Axe body wash, for example, because that money is reserved for food.

So how can companies help improve global education?

Justin W. van Fleet, director of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, lists five strategies businesses can use when helping improve global education. Two important approaches are discussed below.

Prioritize Global Education

Companies can’t make a difference if they don’t prioritize doing so. Recognizing that alleviating global poverty — whether through health concerns or through education concerns — is investing in businesses’ futures, companies like Coca Cola have already made global poverty concerns a priority.

Coca Cola decided to invest in Tanzania in 1952, and the company has reaped benefits ever since. Coca Cola now has a presence in a previously untapped community.

“Whatever has to do with improvement of the Tanzania community it also touches improvement of, and welfare of, our company,” said a Coca-Cola Kwanza manager.

Education is integral to a healthy community, so businesses that prioritize developing countries’ education prioritize their own futures.

Collaborate with Governments

Governments are the largest sources of funding for education in developing countries. If businesses partner with government programs, then businesses may receive money for improving global education. In addition, not all funding efforts have to be out of pocket for companies.

Businesses and governments can work together in other ways, too. In 2006, for example, the Hess oil company invested $20 million in an Equatorial Guinea national educational initiative. Equatorial Guinea’s government matched that investment.

According to Brookings, “It is estimated that the program has reached roughly half of the students enrolled in primary school in Equatorial Guinea.”

Hopefully, more companies will adopt these strategies and others to improve global education in the future.

– Tyler New

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About the Canadian Refugee System

Canadian Refugee System
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), refugees are “people fleeing conflict or persecution. They are defined and protected in international law, and must not be expelled or returned to situations where their life and freedom are at risk.” Below are 10 facts about the Canadian refugee system.

  1. The Canadian Refugee system has two primary sections: the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program and the In-Canada Asylum Program.
  2. The Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program deals with claims for asylum that come from outside of Canada.
  3. The In-Canada Asylum Program works to help people making refugee protection claims from within Canada.
  4. Initial assistance for refugees coming to Canada comes from the federal Canadian government, a private sponsor (such as an organization or wealthy person), or the Province of Quebec.
  5. Income support for refugees is provided for up to one year or until the refugee/refugee’s family becomes self-sufficient, whichever comes first.
  6. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) funds language training in English and French for incoming refugees who lack the language skills necessary to function successfully in Canada.
  7. Canada has a long history of accepting refugees, stretching back to 1770 when they allowed Quakers (who were being pushed out of America due to their religious practices) to settle in southern Ontario.
  8. Canada’s Immigration Act of 1976 required the government to establish targets for immigration and consult explicitly with provinces regarding Canadian immigration (including refugee immigration).
  9. In 1986, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees awarded the people of Canada the distinguished Nansen medal for their efforts during the Indochina refugee crisis of 1979-1980, wherein Canada helped settle over sixty thousand refugees.
  10. Currently, as part of the #WelcomeRefugees initiative, Canada has been resettling Syrian refugees across the country. As of June 2016, the government resettled upwards of 28,000 Syrian refugees.

– Bayley McComb

Photo: Migration Bureau Corp.

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Five Opportunities to Teach Abroad

Opportunities to teach abroad
Teaching abroad may seem like a daunting task made only for the most experienced teachers, but this is not always the case. Here are some volunteer opportunities in multiple countries with either summer or year-long commitments. These opportunities to teach abroad offer an increase in cultural awareness, teaching experience, the opportunity to travel and unforgettable memories.

1. Sudan Volunteer Program (SVP)

SVP’s mission is to raise the standard of English amongst the Sudanese. SVP is working to accomplish their mission by sending native or native-level English speakers to Sudan to teach English at public higher education institutions. SVP has placed hundreds of volunteer teachers at schools that do not have qualified English teachers, in schools that are understaffed and in schools that are under-financed. SVP requires volunteers to commit to a minimum of six months and their only academic requirement is that volunteers must be a graduate or near graduate in any field.

2. WorldTeach

WorldTeach is an organization working around the world with volunteer opportunities in Morocco, Namibia, South Africa, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Thailand, Poland, Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Guyana. WorldTeach envisions a world where all children have access to a quality education and is working on that vision by teaching approximately 60,000 students yearly, according to their website. It has had over 7,000 volunteers who, together, have contributed over 12 million hours of service for WorldTeach. WorldTeach offers both summer and year-long teaching opportunities with potential TEFL certification.

3. CIEE

CIEE is an organization that offers a multitude of abroad experiences, one being volunteer teaching. CIEE has stations in Chile, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Peru, Senegal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam that volunteers can choose from. CIEE encourages individuals to volunteer teach so they can see the world, gain real-world experience and make a difference in the lives of their students. They offer month-long, semester-long, and two-semester-long programs for individuals with the minimum of two years of a college education complete.

4. Projects Abroad

With 31 countries to choose from, Projects Abroad offers volunteer teaching opportunities to both professional teachers and individuals with little college education. Volunteers at Projects Abroad may teach full time, part time or simply be a teacher’s assistant. Program lengths differ between countries but typically can be anywhere from one month to two years. Projects Abroad gives its volunteers freedom to choose many aspects of their volunteer experience and make it unique to their aspirations.

5. United Planet

The mission of United Planet is to offer volunteers unique opportunities to live, learn and volunteer abroad while working alongside members of their destination’s local community. United Planet currently has volunteer teaching opportunities in Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Nepal, Peru, South Africa and Tanzania. Dependent upon the country, little to no teaching experience and college education is required. Volunteers have the option to choose programs anywhere from one week to three months, giving individuals with only a small window of time to volunteer a chance. United Planet’s programs strive to be immersive and authentic while providing their teaching volunteers with everything they may need to succeed.

– Bella Chaffey

Photo: Pixabay

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Children in Crisis Areas Struggling with Education

Children in Crisis AreasAccording to a recent UNICEF report, approximately one in four children of school age resides in countries affected by war and humanitarian crises. There are around 462 million children in crisis areas whose education suffers, particularly areas in Syria and Eastern Ukraine.

Of this number, 75 million children are out-of-school, and the situation worsens for school-aged girls. UNICEF reports that over 63 million girls do not attend school and the numbers continue to rise. School-aged girls are in desperate need of a support system to improve their access to education and their chances at a successful future.

An education system not only provides basic instruction but also incorporates a daily schedule, food access and safe shelter for children during times of conflict. Conflicts in Eastern Ukraine have destroyed one out of every five schools and conflicts in Syria have rendered 6,000 schools unusable for education. The sites that can no longer be used as schools are now used as shelters for families or bases for armed forces.

As a result of the humanitarian crises in these areas, many children often receive no chance at an education. However, a recent emergency education fund will help to provide better education for the students facing difficulty, improving their family life and reactions to local conflicts as a result.

The World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul in late May, where an emergency education fund called ‘Education Cannot Wait’ was proposed. The fund will provide for the educational needs of children who are suffering as a result of living in conflict zones.

Education Cannot Wait will attempt to raise $4 billion in the next five years for children in crisis areas struggling with education access and quality. This will support the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals which include a proposal for all school-aged children to have access to free and quality primary and secondary education by 2030. Improving the education systems for children in conflict zones will minimize or mitigate the issues of poverty on a larger scale.

– Amanda Panella

Photo: Flickr

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Refugees in Lebanon Benefit from Double-Shift Schools

Refugees In Lebanon
In the past years, Lebanon has accrued approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees, aside from the large population of Palestinian refugees already present. While the country has provided a hospitable environment for those restarting their lives, there are many issues with access to food, shelter and education for refugees in Lebanon.

Recently, Lebanon has created an education system called “double-shift” schools located primarily in Beirut. The double-shift model has two shifts of students attending class each day, allowing Lebanese schools to reach beyond the already-enrolled students. The new afternoon shift gives Syrian refugees, who are not yet at the same education level as their Lebanese peers, an opportunity to receive quality education.

Education has been made free for both Lebanese and Syrian students to eliminate any discrimination against refugee students. Lebanon is able to thank international aid for allowing them the ability to provide education to all students. These international donors have paid up to $600 for each student to attend a double-shift school.

Some schools are able to accommodate up to 700 refugee students in the afternoons. Among the 259 schools offering double-shift education, there are now 85,000 children enrolled.

The increase in provided education for refugees in Lebanon also increases the access to food that many children are often without. The U.N. World Food Program has begun providing food access in schools for up to 10,000 children. The refugee children are provided with a snack, fruit and a box of either milk or juice when attending class. With access to regular meals and education, refugee students are able to pursue many of the same opportunities as their peers.

Though Syrian refugees have been unable to pursue sufficient education after being displaced, efforts are being taken to improve these issues largely through international aid. Providing basics such as food and education for refugees improves the ability to live normal lives for many of the children.

– Amanda Panella

Photo: Flickr

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Project-Based Learning Successful in India

Project-based learningThe concept of project-based learning is powerful: actively working through a project allows students to show creativity and adaptability that may be lacking in students who are exposed only to a traditional classroom setting.

In India, project-based learning places students’ focus on solving issues of personal interest and mitigates the high pressure of traditional education.

Often, students are lectured by teachers for the sole purpose of learning information to perform well on standardized board exams. These tests have the potential to determine whether a student can attend top colleges, receive the best jobs and have an overall successful future.

This method of testing puts intense pressure on students to the point where cheating scandals occur every year. Numerous gadgets are marketed and sold, one example being small in-ear microphones that allow someone to remotely feed students test answers. According to the Los Angeles Times, there have even been reports of principals allowing students to cheat for a fee.

Students who perform well on these tests often go on to top colleges and careers. For everyone else, dropping out is a likely alternative. In India, 99 percent of kids are enrolled in primary schools, however, only 37 percent continue on to college.

To help change the status quo, the American School of Bombay (ASB) provides an alternative to traditional education in India. ASB believes that students learn and perform better when guided by internal motivation.

This international school located in Mumbai strives to be forward-thinking in terms of its less traditional teaching methods and strong ties to technology. The school believes that “teachers are most effective when they facilitate collaborative student learning through a wide variety of media-rich, interactive, and authentic learning experiences.”

In most schools across India, teachers provide lectures that do not deviate from a set curriculum. However at ASB, teachers are willing to let students take the lead on getting involved in projects that suit their personal interests and skills. One example of such a project is Plugged In, where tech-savvy students decided that they wanted to impart their knowledge to other children in Mumbai who did not have the same access to technology.

The ASB students did not know until arriving that the less fortunate school where they volunteered had no access to a computer, and they were forced to work around this obstacle.

At the end of the program, the volunteers were able to donate a computer to one student who had excelled, only to discover that his family could not afford electricity. This discovery, however, led the ASB students to embark on a new project of developing a power source that can be fueled by burning trash.

Receiving an education is an important hallmark of ascension out of poverty to the middle class. Project-based learning offers an alternative to students who drop out of school if they do not perform well on board exams.

Furthermore, many projects that students engage in offer new and inventive methods of reducing poverty. Project-based learning gives hands-on practice for improving the quality of life for people living in poverty.

It allows students to take a role of leadership and find what works for them to make use of their natural drive. When it comes to her students, one ASB teacher felt that it is important to “be their partner in learning and mentor them to a place where they can take off.”

– Nathaniel Siegel

Photo: Pixabay

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COTVET: The Rise of Vocational Education in Ghana

Education_women

Vocational education in Ghana is on the rise thanks to efforts by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET).

Since its inception by an act of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana in 2008, COTVET  been a key voice in advocating the importance of technical and vocational education in Ghana. Because of COTVET, there is a growing confidence and appreciation for these job areas that were previously seen as inferior in Ghanaian society.

The major objective of the organization is to formulate policies for skills development across the broad spectrum of pre-tertiary and tertiary education and covers both the formal and informal education sectors.

Another aim of COTVET is to establish the Technical Vocational Education and Training System (TVET) to improve the productivity and competitiveness of Ghana’s skilled workforce and raise their income generation capabilities, especially those of women in low-income communities.

Additional COTVET projects include the Skills Development Fund (SDF), which aims to “improve [the] efficiency and effectiveness of the TVET system and ensure sustainable sources of funding for TVET.”

There is also the Development of Skills for Industry Projects (DSIP), which focuses on supporting key reform areas in the TVET sub-sector such as improving equitable access, quality and relevance and efficient management of TVET delivery in the formal and informal sector.

COTVET is also working to employ a Competency Based Training (CBT) policy. The CBT policy is meant to establish clear, measurable standards, developing competent individuals with transferable skills, linking education and training to skills needed by employers, promoting the concept of life-long learning and optimize each individual’s potential.

COTVET is building capacity to cope with technological development in Ghana, supporting the informal sector for growth, equipping Ghana’s next generation for the world of work and assisting females to enter male-dominated trade areas.

– Vanessa Awanyo

Photo: Flickr

 

10 Facts About Education in Switzerland

Switzerland_ Education
Education in Switzerland is not only unconventional compared to many other nations but also compulsory. With a wide variety of schools ranging from local Swiss schools to private schools to bilingual schools to international schools, the education standards are extremely high and, much like Switzerland itself, anything but boring.

  1. The education system of Switzerland is largely decentralized. There exists 26 cantons, which are overseen by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). However, each canton creates and implements its own standards, which can be detrimental for families moving from one region of the nation to another.
  2. Switzerland is ranked number nine out of 65 nations and economies in a recent OECD/PISA survey of educational standards among 15-year-olds.
  3. Most of the local and international schools are free but still exist at the cost of parents’ paying extremely high taxes. Education in Switzerland is compulsory, so there really is no way for parents to sidestep paying such taxes.
  4. Compulsory education lasts for 9–11 years, with some children beginning compulsory education when they are four years old and others at six years, until about 15 years old.
  5. Since most students are educated in state schools, they will be learning in an environment that is rich in a variety of cultures, including variations in linguistic backgrounds.
  6. Like many universities in the U.S., Switzerland’s school year conventionally begins between August and September and will carry on for two periods of 12 weeks at a time.
  7. However, the times in which schools operate may be a bit stressful for working parents. Younger students will normally attend school in the morning with a break in the afternoon, which can be potentially problematic for many parents. Many schools do offer supervised lunches and after school care to alleviate such inconveniences.
  8. The structure of Switzerland’s system begins with primary education (a sort of kindergarten), then a lower secondary education followed by an upper secondary education, which may even include vocational training. The highest level, tertiary level education, is university level or higher education.
  9. Home schooling is uncommon in Switzerland. In fact, laws addressing it vary from canton to canton, and in some cantons, it is considered illegal.
  10. Most notably, children and young adolescents with special educational needs have a right to education and support from specialists from birth up until their 20th birthday. Children are assessed by specialized agencies of their canton and are given support through their school, which is also mainly free, though some special cases may vary.

Education in Switzerland ultimately exists to provide schooling for all, regardless of background or disability, a vision that embodies Global Goal number four established by the U.N. to eliminate extreme poverty.

– Veronica Ung-Kono

Photo: Flickr

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Organizations Improving Education in the Developing World

Improving Education
Education is essential to achieving a higher quality of life. Many individuals in developing countries find it difficult to access quality education due to poverty, violent conflict and a myriad of other issues.

Global access to education may seem like a daunting problem, but there are numerous organizations you can support to increase a child’s access to education in the developing world.

The African Children’s Educational Trust (A-CET)

A-CET focuses on developing education in Ethiopia. It provides long-term scholarships to at-risk children that are funded by individual donations. The charity also works to improve and build schools within the country.

The BOMA Project

The BOMA Project is based in the U.S. and strives to better the lives of women in drought-prone areas. The organization gives grants to women within various communities as well as provides a two-year “poverty graduation program” which teaches these women how to run a small business.

By educating vulnerable women about business, the BOMA Project helps to create self-sustainable communities. The NGO is only operating in Kenya currently, but it hopes to expand its reach in the near future.

She’s the First

She’s the First is another organization focused on impoverished women within developing countries. The NGO provides girls throughout the world with the resources and connections essential to a quality education and future.

UNICEF

UNICEF is a well-known UN program dedicated to providing aid to developing countries. Access to education in these countries is among the numerous humanitarian issues UNICEF aims to address through collaboration with governments and NGOs.

Save the Children

Save the Children was originally founded in London in 1919 to address hunger caused by World War I. Today, the organization fights for vulnerable children throughout the world. Through teacher training and empowering parents and their children, Save the Children helps improve the quality of education in developing countries.

All of these organizations strive to increase education in the developing world. While some work on a smaller level, they are all making a difference. Donating or even volunteering for these and similar organizations are just a few ways you can help a child in need access a quality education and escape the cycle of poverty.

– Saroja Koneru

Photo: Flickr

Ending the South African Education Crisis

Public Education_Africa
Although it invests more money into its education system than any other African country, South Africa is currently facing a public education crisis. One-quarter of students failed their final examinations this past school year. The dropout rate has also increased, resulting in less than half of current students completing their secondary education, which greatly contributes to the South African education crisis.

Students in South Africa often face challenges in the areas of mathematics and science. One explanation for this issue is that 25 percent of secondary schools do not offer math classes for grades 10 through 12. In 2014 and 2015, South Africa’s math and science programs ranked last out of 140 countries in the Global Competitiveness Report.

Language barriers between teachers and students are also a major dilemma, as South Africa is a very linguistically diverse country with 11 official languages. According to Professor John Volmink, in order to bridge the gap, teachers must be better equipped to teach English to their students.

Multiple leaders also point out the negative consequences of education stemming from apartheid. Schools of better quality are mostly located in predominately white areas, meaning that black students must travel to these schools or settle for sub-par schools in their neighborhoods. Though apartheid is over, the South African education system is still working to reduce its residual negative consequences.

South African Minister of Education Angie Motshekga recognizes the weaknesses in the South African education system and continues to work to overcome the legacy of apartheid. She also plans to work with unions to increase teacher attendance, allowing students more time in the classroom.

However, while these factors do play a part in the reality of the education system in South Africa, there is hope. Business Tech is quick to point out that the South African education crisis, and specifically the country’s rankings, do not “reflect the ability of the country’s learners but is indicative of an education system that needs urgent intervention.”

Some schools that lack even basic educational resources still excel academically. South Africa also has many high-quality private institutions, although not all families are able to afford these schools. With help from the international community, more South African students can reach their full academic potential.

– Carrie Robinson

Photo: Flickr