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"If it is believed that these elementary schools will be better managed by the governor and council, the commissioners of the literary fund, or any other general authority of the government, than by the parents within each ward, it is a belief against all experience." The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Memorial Edition, 1904, Volume 14, pages 420-421.
Latest student loan figures online The latest quarterly figures from the New Zealand student loan scheme are now online at the Inland Revenue website and show that the average loan is $14,500. The new figures look at financial data and borrower profiles, repayments broken-down by type, figures for repayments one year or more overdue, interest write-off and interest reduction data, bankruptcy and deceased statistics, as well as historical information, including interest rates, repayment thresholds and interest write-off thresholds. The information is at this web page.
Apprenticeships for British 14-year-olds Apprenticeships are to be available to 14-year-olds in England while they are still at school. The scheme will see them able to work in industry for up to two days a week. A pilot for 1000 students starts in September. More information is at this BBC story.
British govt to invest more money in state and independent school partnerships The British government is investing more money in new projects to forge links between state and independent schools. Forty new partnership schemes worth £1.4 million will be created. Groups of schools are linked together with the aim of raising standards and sharing best practice. The scheme, which has been running for seven years, could soon involve pupils from the state sector having lessons in private schools and vice versa. Education secretary Charles Clarke last month called for a move away from the old policies of offering scholarships to independent schools to a "few, very able pupils" from the state system in order to "break down the old-fashioned barriers between independent and state schools". In total, the scheme has already funded 280 partnerships over the past six years, helping around 1100 schools in both sectors to forge closer links with one another. "The principles of collaboration and partnership promoted by this scheme are at the heart of the vision for a new specialist system to transform secondary schools. By working together, all schools can provide more opportunities for pupils and staff, share best practice and provide more choice for parents," a British government statement says. A BBC story is at this web page.
More US public universities going private A number of public US universities are considering going private to save taxpayer funds and retain highly qualified professors, researchers say. According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the University of Michigan is considering going private, South Carolina has given all 13 of its public universities permission to go private and Colorado is planning to privatise its four public universities by 2009. Privatising the University of Michigan would save taxpayers $320 million per year, plus millions more in construction costs, the Mackinac Center writes. Moreover, privatisation would likely enable the university to attract more professionals and prestigious research. The University of Michigan, ranked eighth by US News and World Report in 1987, currently ranks twenty-fifth. "Cuts in state support are pushing public universities toward more private models of operation whether they like it or not. It would show true leadership and practical savvy if Michigan lawmakers were to come up with a plan for making the University of Michigan a private institution, for the benefit of students, professors and taxpayers alike," Mackinac Center researchers argue. More information is at this web page.
Japanese education's 'biggest shake-up in 100 years' As of April and the start of the new academic term, Japanese public universities have been given increased independence in what has been billed as the biggest higher-education reform project in more than 100 years. After decades of micromanagement from the Education Ministry, the reforms have given university presidents the power to set budgets, academic standards and programmes, and hire and fire employees, including lecturers. Educators' salaries and tenure are now performance-based, in contrast to the traditional job-for-life approach. In return, the government is demanding universities improve their academic programmes, particularly at the graduate level; cooperate in more research with private industry; and file six-year plans describing goals and targets, to which future government funding will be attached. More information is at this web page.
Canada surveys graduates student debt About half of Canadian college graduates and university bachelor graduates from the class of 2000 left school owing money for their education, mostly in the form of government student loans, a Canadian Statistics Department survey shows. One-in-five graduates who did owe money was debt free two years after graduation. On average, graduates who still owed money for student loans had paid off about one-quarter of their debt, the survey shows. More information is at this web page.
Sylvan Learning Systems caps change into higher education with new name The company formerly known as Sylvan Learning Systems began trading last month under a new name, Laureate Education Inc. The name change is the final step in the company's 14-month transformation from its roots as a business focused primarily on tutoring centres into an international higher-education company, The Chronicle of Higher Education reported last month. Through its nine universities and institutes in Europe and Latin America, along with its two online institutions in the United States, Laureate now enrols 130,000 students worldwide.
Paper suggests models for public/private partnerships A World Bank paper suggesting models for public/private partnerships (PPP) says countries may benefit from adopting a systems-based approach as opposed to the "one-off treatment of individual transactions or a sector-by-sector focus". The paper presents recent experiences of using building blocks provided by the private sector through PPP contract structures for good governance of public services. It focuses on the variety of mechanisms that have been used to achieve better service delivery at lower cost in many sectors including education, as well as power, transport, water and sanitation, solid waste management and health services. The paper is downloadable as a pdf document.
Wide use of technology in education in Asia and the Pacific From local projects using broadcast media in Nepal, to using mobile phones to access interactive learning materials in the Philippines, and mobile learning labs targeting remote communities in Australia - communities around Asia and the Pacific are making wide use of information and computer technologies (ICT) in education, a new UNESCO survey shows. The survey paints a broad picture
of how far countries have progressed in using ICT in education policies,
and to what extent they have developed national ICT infrastructures in
education.
The survey is part of UNESCO's Asia-Pacific
programme on ICT in education. The programme focuses on how to use ICT to help reduce disparities in both educational access and quality and, ultimately, to bridge the 'digital divide'.
More information on the programme is at this web page.
Single mothers shown to be highly responsive to childcare subsidies In a new report, single mothers are shown to be highly responsive to childcare subsidies by increasing their employment while moving from parental- and relative-care to centre-care in the process. The paper concludes that childcare subsidies are instrumental in helping welfare reform reach its goal of increased employment. The Georgia State University report, 'Childcare subsidy receipt, employment and childcare choices of single mothers', is at this web page. |
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