Blog 13: Most Schools “Have Reduced Careers Advice”

Most Schools “Have Reduced Careers Advice”

After much research done in the past year, eight of ten schools in England now have reduced careers advice available to students.  A survey of over 1,500 secondary schools revealed dramatic reductions from the 2011-2012 to the 2012-2013 school years.  Schools are now taking responsibility for administering career guidance to their students due to the Education Act 2011.  The survey revealed that the level of career advice was maintained in only 16.5% of the 1,568 schools participating. The Chairman of the Careers England board, Steve Stewart expressed that “Schools have been let down by the Department for Education, poorly prepared for the transition to their new role.  And to expect more and better careers guidance for students, when schools have not a penny more for the new duty is not delegation of the duty to schools - it is abdication of by the Department for Education. This survey tells us bluntly that too much has been left to chance.”  Stewart’s remarks explain England’s struggle with careers advice well.  He brings attention to the fact that students need guidance and without the proper resources, individuals will be less informed to make good decisions when it comes to careers choices.  Karen Buck, a shadow education minister confirmed issues by stating that "Many are struggling to maintain a quality offer of careers advice and guidance because of the changes brought in by this government, with reduced financial support from September.  Students and employers will be the losers as young people face being left with reduced ability to choose the best options for qualifications, training and work." It is clear that budget is an issue for education throughout the world and currently, for England, students will suffer in the career department, which will have a profound effect on the rest of their lives.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20452398

Blog 12- Arts Must Be Secure In Curriculum, Argues Leading Head

                Bernice McCabe, Co-Director of the Prince’s Teaching Institute (PTI) at North London Collegiate School, shows much concern for the arts subject being eliminated from the English baccalaureate for 16-year-olds.  McCabe states to an audience at PTI: "I am convinced that education in art and music is a crucial element in the curricular entitlement of every child."  As she continues to speak McCabe goes on to say that it is crucial for everyone to give their opinions on the matter at hand, for their opinions may be influential to keeping the arts in the curriculum for the benefit of students.  Important individuals involved in the arts have concern that Britain’s creative economy will suffer greatly within only one generation’s time if this subject matter is not involved in the new curriculum plans.  Bernice voices that "We teachers have a prime role as champions of this country's cultural heritage and I see it as our moral duty to pass this on to younger generations."  She sees that culture is very much so a part of the arts and is determined to keep the arts in curricula by “spending £15m over the next three years to ensure that every child has access to the arts."

                Arts Must Be Secure in Curriculum, Argues Leading Head relates to Ken Robinson’s Changing Education Paradigms in that McCabe and Robinson both express the need for education and creativity to be intertwined in any curriculum.  I can never say this enough; Students are the future of this planet and what adults do now to change the way their futures will develop is only making it harder for individuals to step up and exhibit the abilities and skills needed to fix global issues that we all encounter.  Why make education so difficult to achieve?  It does absolutely no good for this world that we must all reside in.  Creativity is the future.  My generation… we are the creators.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20356662

Blog 11: London Metropolitan University: Student Numbers Fall

Losing the right to recruit students from outside of the European Union, London Metropolitan University is deemed the first school in the United Kingdom to undergo such “punishment.”  The UK Board Agency claims to have revoked these rights from the university because rules for keeping the license allowing overseas students to attend were not followed correctly.  “London Met” educates less than half the amount of new students that attended the university this past year with a fallen number from 11,000 to 6,000 EU recruits.  The number of overseas students present has gone from 2,000 to about 300, who will be forced to transfer when this academic year comes to an end.  The vice chancellor, Professor Malcolm Gillies states that the university is losing students not only because of the license loss but due to previous budget cuts, over-enrollment, and current application evaluations.  He also states that the university reached 84% of the target recruitment goal and has been one of the schools that have not been given the funding to raise their student intake for the year.  Gillies ends his commentary on London Metropolitans issue by defending his university in saying that the license will be earned back and that there will be a rise in demand for a London Met cap, gown, and diploma in the coming future. 

                London Metropolitan University’s battle to gain students has become an issue due to the loss of its license that allows the attendance of overseas students.  Given that the school suffers as result of lack to follow specific rules, there is much more to this problem than what has been written above. International students are losing opportunities.  Granted the difference that one school can make may seem like very little but with how important education is in today’s time, a few hundred opportunities can make a huge difference.  London Met is being given the chance to realize that their decision to neglect rules has lessened a number of individuals chances to learn and create; a chance that they may never get again.  Education is vital to individuals in many ways today and should never be taken away.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-20256192

Blog 10 - Black Country College Loses UK Border Agency Licence

 

                Bilston Community College has been stripped of its “Tier 4 Visa” license by the UK Border Agency for “not fulfilling duties” in qualifying for what the Agency calls a “Highly Trusted Status.” This required “status” is needed for international students to be allowed admittance and attendance rights to colleges in the UK.  An appeal has been submitted to regain the school’s visa license and will be reviewed on December 20^th of 2012.  In the mean time, the 200 students have been informed of this predicament and must be active participants in gaining the schools “highly-trusted” status back.  The college-goers are responsible for regular and consistent classroom attendance, while the teaching staff must be sure to disperse quality education during the scheduled lecture times.  These are only two of the many factors that a college must perform to attain such a status with the UK Border Agency.  The schools website attracts prospective students through its expression of having a “healthy mix of international visa ones and local-based students” and states that more than 60% of the student population deem “home” as somewhere overseas.  Phil Page, a director of Bilston Community College, is now making the protection of students his “primary concern,” and with following the Border Agency’s requirements for obtaining a new Tier 4  Visa, I am sure Bilston’s international students will see their graduation day, as intended.  It is very important that this particular community college update its status because as a college, students should achieve the best educational experience possible. The UK Border Agency’s standards for being deemed a “highly-trusted” educational facility are along the lines of what any college should offer.  With higher education being as costly and crucial as it is, students should be subject to the most professionally developed environment possible. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-20178483

Blog 9: Malala is face of global attacks on schools

Blog 9: Malala is face of global attacks on schools

                One young 15 year-old girl has become the face for “ensuring that children, no matter where they live, can enjoy an education in safety and security.”  Malala Yousufzai, an education and women’s rights activist, was shot on October 9, 2012 in the back of her neck as result of an attempted assassination.  This shot was administered by a Taliban gunman and though Malala is suffering for her beliefs, she has made history that will never be forgotten.

            The former British Prime Minister and now United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, has begun to petition with intended results of having all children around the world in schools by the end of 2015. Malala will forever hold the honor of being the cause of this worldwide petition and this is represented by Gordon’s slogan “I am Malala”, used to promote the issue at hand. 

            Bede Sheppard writes of war zones that are highly endangering students, teachers, and school buildings ranging from Afghanistan to Yemen.  During a visit to Thailand he encountered a school still undergoing smolder days after an arson attack by Separatist insurgents who do not agree with what is being taught to students.  Since the 2004 begin to these violent acts of destruction, 152 teachers have been assassinated and schools within 25 countries, during the past 5 years, have been overtaken or attacked.  Sheppard speaks of the updated curriculum taught by the new al Qaeda-linked extremist teachers that include learning how to use various weapons. 

            Interviewed children comment on their schools being military bases and speak of how badly each institution is damaged due to the militia occupying each building.  The schools are targets, not safe learning environments for children to develop, as they should be.  Taking away a child’s right to education is a mistake that any country will regret in its future.  Not only is a child’s right to knowledge important but their safety should be a priority and not doing so reflects unethical behavior that has to be stopped immediately.  Gordon Brown is doing an undoubtedly amazing thing by starting his “I am Malala” petition and I, as I am sure many do, hope that he has success in his wishes to globalize education as mandatory to all children, as well as concern for safety within schooling systems.

           

           

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/25/opinion/sheppard-malala-schools/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai

Blog 8: School Cutbacks Will Sacrifice the Future

Alexus Gordon 

October 19, 2012

SOC 202-01

                The European Student Union’s latest biannual convention discussed a topic that seems to be well known in the United States: cutbacks in education.  “We want governments and the E.U. to invest more in higher education, in training and in young people in general.”  This statement was given by the union’s vice chairman, Rok Primozic, as he like many others worry of being able to sustain growth when the E.U. economy recovers.  He follows his statement with another: “But the point we really want to make is that if European governments continue to cut back on education, they are also cutting back on skills. Don’t governments see that, because of the cutbacks, we will not emerge from the financial crisis stronger and more competitive?” 

                Teachers and students, otherwise known as the future of their country, are suffering immensely from the educational cutbacks.  In order to make savings, teachers in 16 E.U. countries have had their salaries either frozen or reduced, some by as much as 30 percent.  Countries are potentially causing a brain drain by taking instead of dispensing money into the education system.  Skilled and educated individuals will be in great need to sustain a recovered economy but while the few motivated and creative seek opportunity elsewhere all that remains is the resultant uneducated and unskilled majority of young cohorts. 

                How a population lacking in knowledge will not only sustain a recovered economy but also make it grow, is beyond my personal comprehension.   The fact that the European Union is only looking at short term solutions to their economic issues seems to have been part of a poorly thought out plan.  Education is one of the most important elements of human development and as future generations will be in charge of economic growth, this decision will have consequences that may turn out to be quite major.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/world/europe/16iht-letter16.html?ref=internationaleducation

Blog 7: Women in China Face Rising University Entr Barriers

Alexus Gordon
October 16, 2012
SOC 202-01

Women in China Face Rising University Entry Barriers

Prospective female university goers in China are currently undergoing pressure resulting from the need to obtain higher scores than that of the male counterpart for university admissions. In honor of the protest against the rise in female scoring standards, young women and men are shaving their heads to show the Education Ministry the unfairness that is being executed through gender discrimination. One of the young women participating in this protest has stated that the Education Law prohibits acts of gender discrimination, yet there is much confusion as to why the Ministry is able to allow such action to take place in university admission processes.

Chinese news reports have revealed that university specific gender discrimination practices have been undergo since at least 2005 as a response to the number of women becoming higher than that of men in specific areas of study. Statistics show a rise in the number of women obtaining undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees when comparing 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2012 data obtained from The 21st Century Business Herald. The Education Ministry responds to concerned individuals with unclear wording on reasoning for the gender differentiation in current play. ‘“In view of considerations of national interest,” to meet personnel training needs in some job areas or specialties, “a few colleges may appropriately adjust the enrollment ratios of men and women.”’ What constitutes as national interest and these mentioned job areas or specialties? Media Monitor Lu Pin and lawyer Huang Yizhi write this question in response to the Ministry’s aforementioned message.

Pin and Yizhi bring to notice such great points that the Education Ministry will undoubtedly have a hard time responding to with material that makes this issue a matter of right over its current wrong. The gender discrimination exhibited throughout university admissions in China is a problem in that it is keeping young women who have worked very hard to earn such honorable grades from pursuing their dreams. How can gender define what one is capable of in the Information Age? These young women deserve to be treated with equal respects and acknowledged for their work and dedication to the Chinese world of academia.

Blog 5 A Patchwork of Financing Complicated Foreign Study

                                    A Patchwork of Financing Complicates Foreign Study


         Many countries in the European Union only offer financial assistance to students studying within a country that administered the loan. Though there are cases in which a loan may be transferred to another country, very strict guidelines are in place for those few to keep funding. Therefore, financing has become an issue for students residing in pan-European areas seeking higher education in other European nations. In taking action to reduce this particular problem, the European Association for International Education has very recently adopted a charter that would enable national student loans and grants to be portable and protected with safeguards against withdrawal of funding.

         A European Union student loan program has been proposed, which if approved, will provide support to students wanting to study for a master's degree in member states. The private banks associated with this program, combined with government aid will supply a total of €700 million per year or enough funding for about 44,000 students. A one-year grace period will be available along side repayment periods ranging from 5 to 15 years.

         When evaluating the new E.U. proposal, member states and student organizations have expressed concern. A chairman of the European Student's Union, Karina Ufert, has worry that the program may cause social exclusion through "brain drain" or stress from having trouble paying back loans with salaries from a students poorer home country.

         Students feeling the need to better themselves through education should be able to obtain funding when necessary, in a world that has been introduced to globalization.  Studying in foreign countries will allow students to learn different cultures and how to better interact with people from these different backgrounds. Obtaining effective  communication skills with those from other cultures will essentially help anyone that is looking to be an active participant in globalization and opens opportunities that those lacking such skills would never encounter. There is chance to educate ones family and friends of such skills and therefore would create a wider range of individuals possessing knowledge that can open doors leading to great experiences. This being said, financial assistance needs to become more easily available to those residing in poorer countries and should be student friendly because gaining knowledge is the path to gaining wealth.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/24/world/europe/24iht-educlede24.html?ref=internationaleducation

Blog 3: University Ranking Shows Boom in Global Student Mobility

Blog 3: University Ranking Shows Boom in Global Student Mobility

A rise in international students attending universities around the globe has caught the attention of those assembling the annual QS World Universities Ranking, a table containing the top 100 universities of the year based on a number of factors such as opinions of perspective employers, academics, and an international student and faculty count.  John O’ Leary, an academic advisor for Quacquarelli Symonds, stated that 2012s latest rankings have shown almost a 10 percent rise in international student numbers.  QS believes that the most successful universities compete to attract the world’s best students and faculty.  As this is said, a rising number of ranking systems has become available to prospective students and upon this rise, controversy has presented itself.  Many are asking, how objective and scientific are these rankings?  With the current number of international students reaching 3.4 million, QS has expressed that their ranking system is produced annually to help international students make informed choices on picking a university that can be deemed their own.

 As a student of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I have, on numerous accounts, been informed of the international program offered here. This program seems to be amazing in the fact that students are allowed to spend a semester abroad for the equivalent cost of one semester at UNCG. So as it seems, we Spartans are contributing to the ongoing rise associated with the QS university ranking system and therefore could possibly benefit from this resource when selecting where to study abroad. From a personal perspective, there is much benefit associated with world travel if a student, or anyone at that matter, takes on the new environment with an open mind and a will to learn. Understanding cultures other than ones own has become a significant factor in what seems to be all fields.  Business, academics, science, mathematics, social work, and human resources, along with many others, are examples of fields that have come to involve, depending on the situation at hand, work in diverse environmental settings.  Knowledge of multiple cultures can enable one to effectively communicate to a copious assortment of people without confusion during an exchange of words and/or non-verbal connections as well.

In conclusion, globalization of education when used to ones advantage, has ability to increase the amount of knowledge one will learn in a foreign country by "killing 2 birds with one stone." A student is learning a culture through submersion and can adopt communicate skills used when conversing with those representing the particular culture, as well as learning course material through lectures, textbooks, and assignments taught and given by possible foreign instructors. For those looking to advance in any given career dealing with diversity, studying abroad may be the best way to gain the necessary skills to do so.

            

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/university-ranking-shows-boom-in-global-student-mobility/?ref=internationaleducation

Blog #1 As Singapore Globalizes Its Schools, Locals Worry

Globalization of higher education in Singapore has shown to be of much concern for local university students. Through online expression, scholars and their parents have felt the need to share their thoughts on the rise of international students attending universities in the area. One local student attending the National University of Singapore feels cheated out of available scholarships through competition with international equals.  The increased amount of international university goers has left concern regarding future employment for graduating locals; many of which come from East Asia with goals of creating better lives for themselves.  Devoted to helping Singaporeans reach their potentials, Lawrence Wong, chairman of The Committee of Education Pathways Beyond 2015, has spoken of the committee's plan to expand the higher education sector by adding to universities with more teaching and practice-oriented programs as to work towards solving this current issue.

                The ongoing problem that Singaporean undergraduate students are facing is very relevant and should be a topic brought to as much attention possible.  Being faced with worry of the effect that international competition may have on one’s future is a subject that, with ignorance, could become more than an education based struggle.  If one country is voicing such feelings about globalization limiting education, then there is chance that others are having the same thought process.  With knowledge being a main key to living a better life, those who want to achieve it will compete, and to compete means to battle.  There needs to be resolution to this issue before it gains more hold on the feelings of the native residents in Singapore. And if there is no change that extends benefit to these human beings, well, a dozen bloggers may not be able to make much difference in the system of higher education, but many might be surprised at how much a large, newly multicultural group of individuals could do. Things could get ugly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/27iht-educside27.html?ref=internationaleducation#h[]