United Nations asks Philippine government to reduce dropout rates, poverty

The United Nations (UN) has dared the Aquino administration to come up with a breakthrough Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Plan that will address high dropout rates and extreme poverty in the country, two of the goals that Manila is not on track to achieve come the 2015 deadline.

The UN was referring to the eight time-bound, concrete and specific goals that 189 world leaders committed to achieving for their nations by 2015 at the UN in September 2000 namely: (1) end extreme poverty and hunger; (2) achieve universal primary education; (3) promote gender equality and empower women; (4) reduce child mortality; (5) improve maternal health; (6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; (7) ensure environmental sustainability; and (8) develop a global partnership for development.

Dr. Jacqueline Badcock, UN resident coordinator in the Philippines, underscored that the bigger problem in the education situation is the increasing dropout rate in elementary levels as reported by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

Based on the 2006 to 2007 NSCB statistics, the dropout rate increased from 8.6 percent to 9 percent, far from the 2006 target of decreasing it to 5.5 percent and 2009 target of 4.3 percent.

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New CHED chairperson gets support of school organizations association
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MANILA (PNA)—The Philippine National Association of School Organization (PHILNASSO) on Tuesday expressed full support to the appointment of Dr. Patricia Benitez-Licuanan as chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

PHILNASSO president Jose Dino said that Dr. Licuanan will do a lot in reforming tertiary education in the country as well as getting rid of corruption in the agency.

“Coming from a family of educators and whose father was a general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who helped rid the organization of corruption, Dr. Licuanan will certainly clear the way for quality education which has been the dream of the late President Corazon Aquino,” Dino said.

At the same time, Dino also appealed to Licuanan to immediately revoke the “midnight policy” of outgoing CHED chair Emmanuel Angeles that requires all state universities and colleges (SUCs) to secure permits from the Commission for all their board programs, failing which the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) would not allow their graduates to take licensure exams.

“While we believe that Chairman Angeles meant well, the new requirement was illegal since state universities and colleges are not under the CHED,” he said.

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Public elementary teachers undergo 5-day English enhancement training

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela—A five-day training for Grades 1-3 elementary school teachers here are presently undergoing English Language and Enhancement Training aimed at arming and raising their skills and knowledge in delivering their task of molding the potentials of pupils in English language.

Teachers are being equipped with teaching strategies on the English language with the Division's thrust of providing public elementary school teachers the necessary knowledge and enhanced the knowledge they possess.

The city government is supporting the said program of the DepEd Santiago City.

Santiago City Division coordinator Ms Lawrence Maylem said over a local radio station that the division wants to improve the teaching English proficiency level of the teachers and enhance the reading ability of pupils as well.

She said aside from the Grade 1-3 teachers, the Grade 4-6 and high school teachers will also soon undergo the same training.

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Study presses need for sex education

DAVAO CITY (PIA)—Results of a study focusing on youth pregnancy in the Davao Region have highlighted the need for sex education among youths in the region.

Conducted by the National Statistics Office in its National and Demographic Surveys, youth pregnancy (young child-bearing women 15-24) has been on the increase from 2003 to 2008.

The percentage of pregnant young women posted a 3.6% increase from 2003 to 2008.
In 2003 about 25% of women ages 15-24 were already childbearing, these figures increase to 28.6 in 2008.

In its survey among young men and women engaging in sexual intercourse it was found out that about 12% of young women age 15-24 had higher-risk sexual intercourse in the past 12 months preceding the survey.

Higher-risk sexual intercourse refers to intercourse with non-marital, non-cohabiting partners.

It was also found out in the 2008 survey that condom-use among the surveyed young-women who had high-risk sexual intercourse was found to be almost zero.

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Cebu a natural hub for learning good English, says TESOL trainer
 
Cebu will host an international conference in August that seeks to establish the province as a destination for excellent English language instruction.

The First Cebu International TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Conference is an offshoot of efforts of a local coalition of businessmen, corporate executives, civic leaders and academe members called the Cebu Leads Foundation (CLF).

About 160 foreign and local institutions have confirmed their attendance in the August 12 to 15 conference, said Paul Robertson of The Asian EFL Journal, who has conducted many TESOL conferences around the world.

Three venues in Mandaue City have been set: the Cebu International Convention Center, Cebu Doctors University and Benedicto College.

“Cebu is already a hub for English learners in the world. There’s no doubt about that with many people wanting to come here. This is going to be the most spectacular, even the biggest, to happen so far aside from America. In fact this will even become bigger than America’s in three to four years,” Robertson said in a press forum.

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Seven modern heroes and how they lived
By Ruel S. De Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer

For many, heroism may sound like an antiquated word, synonymous with paper money and monuments. But beyond the revolutionaries of the 19th century and the soldiers of the 20th remain those who have the power to inspire. They are heroes for a new generation. While some may have sacrificed their lives, all of them have spent their lifetime working to effect a profound change in Philippine society.

Perfectly distilling that idea is Bookmark’s line of children’s book called Modern Heroes for the Filipino Youth, a series conceived by company president Amb. Bienvenido Tan Jr.

“The idea is to give proper role models to our youth and to teach English,” Tan says of the series and of Bookmark’s collaboration with the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation on another series called the Great Men and Women of ASIA.

Tan gathered a group of writers and artists at the Manila Polo Club in January 2008, who drew up a list of new role models for the Filipino youth. A panel led by Tan and editorial head Eddie Yabut vetted the manuscripts and later that year, the books started coming out. The most recent title was released in April.

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Community college math professor rewrites English learning
 
BANGOR, Maine—Maine is not exactly the place one might expect to find a Korean-born professor determined to rewrite the rulebook for foreign college students learning the English language.

But Changsu Lee, a mathematics professor at Eastern Maine Community College, is the creator of the school’s 3-year-old Integrative English Training Program, which places international students in classes with native English speakers in hopes they will pick up the language faster than through traditional study.

“I didn’t want to go to Los Angeles or New York, one of the bigger cities,” said Lee, who cites the high percentage of Korean-speakers in those areas as a barrier to learning English.

Traditionally, college-level students who do not speak English but want to study in the United States must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, exam before they can begin classes. Those who do not pass are sequestered into English as a Second Language, or ESL, courses until they can prove their proficiency in the language, at which time they may matriculate into regular college courses.

Lee sees a fundamental flaw in this system…

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Japanese e-tail site switches to English
By Rick Wallace, The Australian

“No English, no job.” That’s how the chief executive of Japan’s top e-shopping site explained switching the in-house language from Japanese.

Hiroshi Mikitani is one of a handful of Japanese corporate chiefs who have decided, despite some internal and external resistance, that mandatory English in the workplace is imperative for their firm’s expansion.

Rakuten, which has become one of the world’s top Internet companies, is an online shopping and auction site and has sidelines providing travel, consumer credit and financial services.

The firm recently acquired France’s largest e-commerce site, PriceMinister, and the popular US shopping site Buy.com. It is also in a joint venture with China’s Baidu to build a large online shopping mall for Chinese customers.

In an interview published in Japan’s Asahi newspaper this week, Mikitani explained why Rakuten, which has plans to expand to more than 27 countries, needed to embrace English.

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China adds new voice to global lineup of English-language TV news channels

BEIJING—The crowded market for English-language foreign news is making room for a surprising new player: CNC World, a 24-hour television news channel launched by the New China News Agency, or Xinhua, China’s main news service.

In launching a “new source of information for global audiences,” CNC apparently wants to be an English-language alternative to the dominant narratives of Western media, such as the BBC, CNN and certainly Fox. CNC will be broadcast in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America and Africa.

“An international vision with a China perspective” is how Li Congjun, the news service's president, described the channel in an article carried by the news agency Thursday, the official date of the launch.

Critics are skeptical that CNC World will be taken seriously by international audiences.

However, CNC World does stand to make inroads in the developing world, where freedom of speech and democracy have not been as strongly established and where Western news media do not hold the same dominance, Anti said.

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Walt Disney to expand English language training schools in China

The Walt Disney Company announced that it is going ahead with plans to expand their English language training programs in China. The company, which currently operates 11 schools throughout the country, hopes to open 140 more over the next five years.

Russell Hampton, the president of Disney Publishing Worldwide, said that the language schools are part of a broader initiative to expand the company’s presence in one of the world’s most rapidly growing economies, a plan that will also include the opening of the first Disney theme park in mainland China. He estimates that by 2015 the program will generate over $100 million in revenue while teaching English to 150,000 students.

However, he also recognized that the nature of the schools present a unique opportunity to help the company gain exposure with Chinese consumers. In a recent interview he was quoted as saying that, “We wouldn’t enter this business just to use it as a marketing tool…But there’s no doubt that a side benefit is broader exposure (for) the rich heritage of Disney story-telling.”

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English: Merit for job-seeking Naga youths

KOHIMA—The Naga youths’ ability to speak fluent English is assumed as an advantage for them to serve outside the state and elsewhere. This is evident as a large number of Naga youths are engaging themselves in various private firms today in different parts of the country and even abroad. 

In one way, the development can be attributed to declaration of the past years as “Year of Youth Empowerment” or “Capacity Building” and so on by the state government where many educated unemployed youths got opportunity to upgrade their skills by attending trainings and got job-placements with various firms.

Nagaland’s literacy rate now stands at 67. 11 %. English is the official language of Nagaland, which is accepted by all sections of the people of Nagaland. “The youth of Nagaland are also gradually catching up with the process of globalization and liberalization,” Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was quoted as saying in an official programme in Kohima.

Rio asserted that a number of Naga youths are finding gainful employment, not only in the metropolitan cities of India but even abroad. A good number of English-speaking people in Nagaland are also another advantage for the state to flourish in the tourism industry. There is no denying fact that tourists are comfortable in communicating with the people here.

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Police control room staff take lessons in Queen’s language  

The staff at the Pune police control room, located on the first floor of the police commissionerate, will now be trained to effectively communicate in English. Preparing themselves for the increasing number of complaints and enquiry calls in English, especially those from foreign nationals, 35 out of 116 staffers have been taking English lessons for the last three months.

S G Thombare, assistant police commissioner, in-charge, control room, says, “We had recently undergone modernisation drive. We wanted to increase the efficiency of the staff and reduce response time to the calls that we get. Training our staff for better communication skills was the first step towards it.”

“We wanted to bring in attitudinal change among the staff members. How they respond to irate citizens in trouble, asking for police help. The police commissioner had urged various agencies in a statement to come forward and train control room staffers. Vishwakarma Institute responded to our request and offered help in this regard,” Thombare explains.

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Minister calls English language learning key

JAKARTA—Countries in the Asia-Pacific region must promote English proficiency as a way to deal with globalization, Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono said on Tuesday.

Agung said that to keep pace with the rest of the world, educators in developing Asia-Pacific countries were faced with the challenge to shape graduates to be competent citizens of an inter­national community.

“Schools and universities are expected to produce graduates who are familiar with other cultural values and histories, languages and institutions,” he said.

Agung was speaking at the opening of the first general assembly of the Forum of Asia Pacific Parliamentarians for Education (FASPPED) in Jakarta.

Indonesia, Agung said, had been facing a debate concerning English as one of the main requirements for students.

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Education summit to tackle challenges in Africa
    
JOHANNESBURG—FIFA hopes to use an education summit organized by President Jacob Zuma next week to gather support for its “1 Goal education for all” campaign.

Zuma has called the global education summit to tackle education challenges in Africa at the time the attention of the entire world is on South Africa. “1 Goal” is a coalition of 100 organizations from 100 countries established last year to raise awareness about the millions of children who are not in school. The initiative, chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and FIFA President Sepp Blatter, aims to get all children across the world to school by 2015.

Director of the campaign Owain James says “1 Goal” had already attracted more than 12 million signatories and has the support of many international players. “We are delighted that president Zuma has shown his support for this and called this summit, we see this as a strong opportunity to bring together politicians and the soccer family to tackle this very important issue of education,” James said.

“The summit will afford the world’s leaders a critical opportunity to highlight challenges and accelerate achievements in the global education sector and we are delighted it taking place at the time South Africa is organizing its first FIFA World Cup,” he said.

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Never a dull moment
By Kang Soon Chen, TheStar.com.my

The teaching of the English language can be challenging but it does not mean there should be no fun.

This is what was discussed at the 19th Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) International Conference 2010.

Themed “Transformations in English Language Education: Vision, Innovation, Implementation,” the conference drew academics and teachers alike to a roundtable on ways to bring English Language Teaching (ELT) to a whole new level.

The conference brought together around 300 educators from around the world.
Officiated by Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah, the conference was set to the right precedent with the Johor Ruler’s consort putting her faith in teachers to increase students’ proficiency in the language.

“When I studied English at pre-school and primary school, my English teachers were all Malaysians. “They taught me well, because even before I went to secondary school in England, I could speak, read and write in English quite fluently,” said Raja Zarith, who is also the patron of Melta, in her royal lecture.

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Pakistan struggles to reverse falling university language skills

As Pakistan renews a teacher training project to restore dwindling English language ability among students, some fear that the linguistic key to global academia is already lost

A project launched in 2004 to halt declining English language skills among students at Pakistan’s public universities has entered a second three-year phase amid concern that low language proficiency continues to hamper higher-education reforms and is putting the latest international research out of reach for academics.

To date, the English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR) project has provided English language teaching training to 1,540 staff and updated teaching resources at 64 state-funded campuses at a cost of $600,000. In May the government body responsible for tertiary-level reform, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), launched the second phase of the program, with a budget of $650,000 and a target to train a further 1,400 teachers by 2013.

But the size of the problem and slow pace of improvement have left some observers questioning the ELTR strategy.

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Uruguay pioneers mobile phone English language teaching

Uruguay may not be the most obvious source of English language tuition, but one entrepreneur is convinced that it will be the location of his new venture to teach English via mobile phone to the rest of the continent and beyond

Uruguay can already claim to have one of South America’s most highly active English-language learning populations and now it is set to pioneer the latest mobile-phone technology in its pursuit of communication skills. Soloingles is an English language teaching website that already offers online courses, a translation service and an education social networking site. Its most recent product is an English learning service via mobile phone.

"Everything is possible thanks to the technology," says Rodolfo Llanos, cofounder of Soloingles, and an entrepreneur who began his involvement with English language teaching because of the Argentinian financial crisis of 2002.

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