Stories about Education from March, 2014
Why Learning Italian Still Makes Sense
As Italian publishing company Alma Edizioni was busy organizing an event about the Italian language in Rome, they received an unexpected letter [it] from someone who defined himself as a “disappointed student”: Why? What's the point of studying Italian today? […] No one wants to study a language that no...
Putin Brings Back Soviet-era Civil Defense Certification
Bringing back "Readiness to Labor and Defense" would "pay homage to [Russia's] national historical traditions."
How Police Have Turned Rio de Janeiro's Maré Favela Into a Battlefield
Thirteen residents of Maré, the largest favela complex in Rio de Janeiro, died during a police operation there in June 2013.
The Spanish Newspaper ABC Takes a Beating on Twitter after Publishing an Article against Masturbation
The article was published by a group of experts from the University of Navarra, which belongs to Opus Dei.
Russia's Media Crackdown Spills into Academia
Three days ago, MGIMO University fired Professor Andrei Zubov for so-called academic misconduct. His supposed crime was writing an antiwar op-ed criticizing Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
750 Million People Expected to Speak French by 2050
Countering the assertion by John McWhorter at the New republic that learning French is pointless, Pascal Emmanuel Gobry writes on his Forbes blog that French might just be the language of the future: French isn’t mostly spoken by French people, and hasn’t been for a long time now. The language is...
In Defence of Malawian Languages
Following Malawi's government decision to introduce English as a medium of instruction from grade one, Steve Sharra defends local languages and makes the case for multilingualism: Teachers and lecturers in our secondary schools and universities are observing a trend in which students from private schools speak perfect English, but their...
Sifting Through Conflicting Versions of India and Pakistan's Shared Past
The History Project compiles narratives from Pakistani and Indian history books to expose biases in the treatment of the 1947 Partition of India.
The Utopia that We Are All Sudanese
Dalia Haj Omar discusses ‘The Utopia that We Are All Sudanese’: Following the sad events of March 11, at the University of Khartoum, GIRIFNA did what it usually does. It issued a brief statement based on eyewitness accounts of its members about the death of student Ali Abbaker Musa. And...
Macedonian Students Demanding Better Living Conditions Called ‘Unpatriotic’
While most have supported Macedonian university students' online campaign to raise awareness about the unlivable conditions of dormitories in Skopje, one columnist called their efforts "unpatriotic".
Zapatista Textbook Now Available in English
Put on your thinking caps because the first of four Zapatista textbooks from last year’s widely popular escuelita (little school) have been translated to English. For those who are not yet familiar, the Zapatista Escuelita (Zapatista little school), brought 1630 students from around the world to learn what it really...
2,715 schools to be Connected With Internet in Nairobi
2,715 schools in Nairobi, Kenya will soon be connected with free internet: Wanachi Group has signed a $3 million (approx. 270m) deal with the Nairobi county, to connect 2,715 schools in Nairobi with internet. The project was launched today and by June this year (yes, in 3 months), the pilot...
Barefoot Lawyers Empowering Rural Bangladeshi Women
In Bangladesh, around 6,000 “barefoot lawyers” have been trained by the country's biggest NGO under its human rights and legal services (HRLS) program, reports Scott Macmillan at BRAC blog. These women act as one-woman mobile legal services clinics for the poor, especially women in rural areas where the traditional justice...
Less “Experts”, More Thinkers Needed in Jamaica
Annie Paul publishes on her blog a tribute to the late Stuart Hall by “three of the younger members of the Faculty of Social Sciences” at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, saying: We ought to use the moment of his passing and the local apathy to it...
State Stops the Opening of Free Clitoral Repair Hospital for FGM Victims in Burkina Faso
The first hospital to offer free clitoral repair for victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) was open to the public its doors in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso on March 7 but the government refused to allow doctors to treat the 80 patients scheduled for surgery [fr] because of incompletion to fill in the...
Academics and Experts to Discuss Digital Discrimination in Barcelona
The ICUD International Conference: Digital Discrimination and Social Networks takes place on March 13 and 14, 2014 in Barcelona, Spain. It will be a discussion space for academics, researchers, Internet and sns experts, NGOs, knowledge providers, and anyone interested in the issues surrounding discrimination on the Internet, especially in regards...
Macedonian Students Campaign Against Unlivable Conditions in Dormitories
Macedonian students demanding better life conditions in public university dormitories published a blog entitled “Operacija studentski” [mk] (“Operation Dorm”) displaying photos of everyday life in the facilities and urging students to contribute. Many of the photos show highly inadequate living conditions in the student dormitories. The blog and photos have...
Reducing the Gap Between Africa's Rich and Poor
"Some take a plane to get treated for hay fever, while others are pushing up daisies because they can’t afford basic malaria treatment."
Our Berlin Wall in Syria
"Syrian Students for a better future" is a blog by Syrian scholarship students, who share their homesickness, hopes, doubts, worries, optimism and wishes for a better Syria.
Fathers in the Caribbean Have to Fight to See the Birth of Their Kids
Fathers are still routinely denied the right to witness the birth of their children in Trinidad and Tobago and many other Caribbean territories.
The 2014 Forum for Francophone Women Opens in Kinshasa, DRC
The 2014 Forum for Francophone Women [fr] Opens today in Kinshasa, DRC. This is the second installment of the forum following the initial one in Paris in 2013. While the first forum focused on reducing violence against women in conflict areas, The objective of the 2014 forum will be dedicated to...
