Majority of survey respondents oppose September school opening

MANILA—Most of the stakeholders in the public school system are opposed to moving the opening of the Philippine school year from June to September.

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), a survey it conducted from August to September in 2009 indicated that 66 percent of the respondents disagreed with the proposal to move the opening of the school year to September to avoid the onset of the rainy season.

“Filipinos still prefer that schools open in June rather than moving it to September,” the department said in a statement.

The survey respondents were teachers, parents, local government officials, and other stakeholders came from schools in various divisions all over the country. A total of 145 or 74 percent of the 197 school divisions participated in the survey.

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DepEd to pursue programs despite smaller education budget for 2010

MANILA (PNA)—The Department of Education (DepEd) has indicated that it would sustain the momentum in implementing quality public education programs in the Philippines despite the agency’s smaller budget allocation for 2010.

"We will just spend more prudently to ensure the maximization of resources," Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said, adding they are on track to meeting all the goals under the Education For All (EFA) by 2015.

The DepEd had requested a budget of more than P190 billion for 2010 to plug shortages in classrooms, teachers’ items, textbooks and other school equipment. But it was granted only P172.84 billion compared to the P174 billion allocated for 2008.

Lapus said that among the programs they would vigorously pursue program is to get over 50 percent of all five-year olds into school. “We believe that a good pre-elementary preparation is necessary for children to acquire sound learning skills,” he said.

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Spanish language to be included in Philippine high school curriculum

MANILA (PNA)—The Department of Education (DepEd) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the University of Alcala in Spain to allow the inclusion of Spanish language in the high school curriculum as well as to strengthen educational and cultural ties between the Philippines and Spain.

The agreement was signed by DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus, together with University of Alcala Rector Professor D. Virgilio Zapatero Gomez. It seeks to develop students’ skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and viewing, which are fundamental to acquiring communicative competence in a second foreign language.

“Bringing back the Spanish language in the school curriculum would help us understand and connect with our past,” Lapus said. “Many of the works of our forefathers, including our national hero Jose Rizal, which were written in Spanish, remain significant up to this day.”

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Fast-track degrees proposed to cut higher education costs

The age of the traditional three-year degree could come to an end after universities were ordered yesterday to devise two-year fast-track courses to cut the cost of higher education to students and the public purse.

Lord Mandelson, the business secretary who is also responsible for universities, wrote to the funding council for universities asking them to develop proposals for more flexible degrees. “Over the next spending review period, we will want some shift away from full-time three year places and towards a wider variety of provision," he said.

His letter also announces new multimillion-pound cuts next year, including nearly £60m in fines for universities that over-recruited students this year, after record numbers applied to sit out the recession's tough jobs market by doing a degree. It comes after the chancellor ordered a further £600m in cuts in the higher education budget to be made by 2013, prompting warnings that universities are rapidly approaching a funding crisis.

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Scottish education secretary backs 'brain training'

Education Secretary Michael Russell of Scotland has said that educational computer games can play a key role in encouraging children’s learning, explaining that “they can be a great way of motivating young people to learn in a way that is relevant and enjoyable for them.”

“We need to embrace new technologies and tap in to all the resources available to us to ensure that our young people develop successfully in a modern society, within which computers are so important,” he said.

There has been disagreement among academics about the benefits of the computer games, but Mr. Russell is being backed by Dundee University's David Miller, who said research was starting to point towards some “real and tangible” benefits.

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Controlling a classroom isn't as easy as ABC

Educators, administrators and experts say classroom management—the ability to calmly control student behavior so learning can flourish—can make or break a teacher's ability to be successful. Indeed, experts say that mong the top reasons why teachers are deemed unsuccessful or leave the profession is their inability to effectively manage student behavior.

Take the case of Chris Cox's dim classroom at Daniel Webster Middle School in Los Angeles' Sawtelle neighborhood. Students filed in and took their seats, then immediately began working on a language arts warmup exercise. While Cox took roll, the eighth-graders silently worked. When they went over the answers, students raised their hands and waited to be called on.

Down the corridor, seventh-graders streamed into Brent Walmsley's classroom and took over. Some sat on table tops; others wandered around the room, pausing to grab foamy handfuls of hand sanitizer that sloshed on the floor. As Walmsley took attendance, one boy brushed his hair, three girls sucked on lollipops while one sang Pink Dollaz's "Lap Dance," and a boy in the last row unleashed a barrage of spitballs. The day's warm-up was quickly forgotten.

Same school, same day, similar students, similar teachers—yet profoundly different behavior.

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English department offers modern Greek class

For many students and community members the Greek language seems difficult and out of reach, reflecting the cliché “It’s Greek to me.” However, learning the language is no longer a dream but an obtainable goal.

For those interested in learning to read, write and speak the Greek language, the English department at Shawnee State University will offer a Modern Greek class for the spring semester 2010.

“Many students want to take the class to learn how to read the Bible in it’s original language, Greek, while others are interested in learning the language to gain a competitive edge in their careers," said Dr. Stylianos Hadjiyannis, the professor who will be teaching the course.

According to Hadjiyannis, a native of Greece, thousands of words in the English language have been borrowed from Greek. The language is based on phonetics and the English alphabet, making it easier to learn.

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Mobile phone English lessons a hit in Bangladesh

DHAKA (AFP)—Every morning, Ahmed Shariar Sarwar makes it his daily ritual to call number 3000 on his mobile phone to get lessons in English—his passport to a better life in impoverished Bangladesh.

The mobile tutorial lasts only three minutes, but Rahman, 21, who is studying the textile trade says it is already helping him learn the language, which is key to getting a lucrative job in foreign firms based in Dhaka.

He is among hundreds of thousands of young men who have turned to the novel English teaching service since it was launched last month by a charity arm of the BBC. The aim is to teach the language to six million people by 2011.

"It’s simple and good. It costs three taka (four US cents) per lesson—the cheapest way to learn English in Bangladesh,” Rahman said. “There are a lot of English courses available here, but most rip you off and the quality isn’t so good.”

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Iranian student writes of hope, fear over protest

BEIRUT (AP)—On Dec. 7, tens of thousands of students marched at universities across Iran, in the most significant anti-government protests in the country for months.

The Associated Press asked a 20-year-old philosophy undergraduate at Tehran’s Allameh Tabatabei University to record his thoughts and experiences in a diary before, during and after the protests. He provided the AP the diary on condition of anonymity, because some of his friends have been arrested or suspended for contacting the foreign media.

The student has been suspended this semester for taking part in protests. More than 100 other students, including friends of the diarist, have been arrested in recent weeks, some sentenced to long prison terms.

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