Stories about Education from October, 2013
Council of Europe Condemns Deterioration of Human Rights in Spain
The Council of Europe denounces the serious situation of human rights in Spain, largely as a result of social spending cuts, and disproportionate police violence.
Hungarian Student Bloggers Win Lawsuit Against University
Bloggers of Átlátszó Oktatás (Transparent Education) sued the largest Hungarian university ELTE's Law Faculty in winter 2012, in order to obtain documents on how state scholarships and bonus payments were distributed by the members of the faculty's student union. Because the university is entirely state-funded, the students demanded through a...
Wearing Putin's Insult as the Badge of Honor
The Greenpeace activists locked up in Murmansk may be suffering the worst luck of anyone in the ongoing scandal surrounding Russia's Arctic drilling, but they aren't the only ones hurting.
Tajik Official Plagiarizes Story Extolling President
Social media users in Tajikistan have caught an education official-cum-ardent supporter of the incumbent president plagiarizing. In his recent article “Why I Am Voting for [President] Emomali Rahmon” [ru] Ilkhomjon Khamidov extolled the country's veteran president who is seeking to secure a re-election in the November 6 vote. After the article...
Slovakia's Roma Communities Significantly Bypassed by Development
Despite Slovakia's economic growth and integration into the European Union, the majority of the country's Roma population continues to live in abject poverty, receiving little to no education.
China: School Forces Students To Participate in Forced Demolition
Joe from ChinaSMACK translated a news story about a middle school in Guiyang city, Guizhou province, that forced students to wear SWAT police uniforms and participate in the demolition of illegal structures. In China, demolition armies are as notorious as Chengguan on account of their violent actions against rural villagers who...
Chilean Students March to Demand Education Reform One Month Before Elections
The protests are part of ongoing mobilizations calling for an overhaul in the country's education system. This time students are pushing candidates to share specific proposals for education reform.
Léonarda, 15, Arrested During a School Trip and Deported
Léonarda Dibrani, 15, was on field trip with her schoolmates when she was detained by the french police, near Levier, France. She was later deported with the rest of her family [fr] to Kosovo as illegal immigrants. The Dibrani family fled Kosovo about five years ago because they are Roma. Léonarda...
Brunei Launches Digital Learning Hub
The government of Brunei has launched a digital learning hub called Media and In-Service Centre “to innovate interactive fresh learning media and empower teacher capacity development. It will usher in a new era of digital learning based on OUR digital values! Brunei Darussalam aspires to build a strong community that...
Documentary Libido Challenges Egyptians to Talk About Sex
Libido is a short documentary discussing sexuality in Egypt. Following the internet sensation, Global Voices Online's Ahmed Awadalla probes further and talks to the filmmaker Youssef Alimam.
Only Six of 250 Student Lawyers in Zambia Passed the Bar This Year
Some online users argued for reforming the system.
Suicide Shines Light on Harsh Reality Faced by China's Rural Teachers
Cheng Xinggui jumped into a river, killing himself on July 17, 2013 after bureacracy prevented him from receiving his due wages after two decades of teaching.
Too Many Universities in Singapore?
Limpeh noted the proliferation of higher education institutions in Singapore. Is this good or bad for Singapore? …has this expansion in choices been at the wrong end of the market? So whilst this expansion may have generation jobs for some people (which is a good thing), how many parents want...
Teachers Strike and Protest on Spanish Balearic Islands to Defend the Catalan Language
An indefinite teachers' strike and protests in the streets are clamoring against a new regional education law which displaces Catalan in schools.
Singapore’s Tuition Craze
Private tuition or tutoring centers are proliferating in Singapore as parents continue to spend more money to improve the education of their children. Is this good or bad?
Should Brunei Punish its ‘Runaway’ Scholars?
The Brunei government is running after scholars who have failed to return home after completing their studies abroad. The issue has sparked a debate about the country's scholarship system.
One-Third of the World's Babies Don't Have Birth Certificates
No birth certificate can mean children cannot enroll in school or receive medical care. An interview with Evelina Martelli, project manager for BRAVO!, a programme pushing for birth registration.
Trinidad & Tobago: Crime Fighting – There's an App for That!
Gerard Best blogs about a new open data initiative aimed at stemming the tide of crime in the country.
Should Japan's Children Be Reading This Comic About a Hiroshima A-Bomb Survivor?
One city's attempt to restrict children from reading "Barefoot Gen", a comic series about the Hiroshima bombings, has started a debate in Japan about how the tragedy should be interpreted.
Tajik Children in Russia “Should Go to School”
A Russian lawmaker and member of the ruling party recently suggested [ru] that the children of labor migrants should be barred from Russian schools and kindergartens. LJ user prosto_vova explains [ru] why this is a bad idea. His list of reasons for not barring migrants’ children from Russian schools includes the...