Parents are risking fines of up to £2,500 or a three-month jail sentence by taking their children on holiday during term time. The amount of fines paid rose from £24m to £27m between 2016-17 and 2017-18 due to this trend. Until 2013, headteachers could grant up to 10 days' absence for family holidays in "special circumstances". Now, parents can be fined £120 for taking their child out of school without permission and receive a criminal record if they fail to pay. The number of fines has also risen 93% in the five years to 2017. Some argue that taking a child out of school is unfair or unethical, while others emphasise that travel can be enriching for young people. James Bowen, of the National Association of Headteachers, said absence could limit learning and pose challenges for catching up, although he stressed sympathy for families unable to afford holidays in peak periods.
Parents and teachers have raised concerns over the complexity of this year’s Sats reading test for primary school pupils aged 10 and 11. Candidates are required to read three texts in a 12-page booklet and answer 38 questions based on them. The marks will inform the children’s grades, assessments and sets at secondary school from September. Teachers from across the country claim the test left some pupils in tears. The National Association of Head Teachers will raise the issue with exam regulator Ofqual and the Standards and Testing Agency.
The test includes words such as “eradicated”, “vulnerable” and “hotspot”. The Department for Education (DfE) argues this year’s tests are designed to be “challenging” and have been rigorously trialled, although schools minister Nick Gibb has said he will consider concerns. Sample questions include: in which American state is the Congress Avenue Bridge found?; and what does the word “pressing on” mean in the text?
The Sats are a series of national curriculum assessments in England produced by the DfE in order to evaluate children’s educational performance from ages 7-11. Several unions have called for a boycott of the Sats as part of a protest against testing and league tables, although government has said the tests are essential for ensuring children’s progress and for maintaining high standards of education.
Developed nations are struggling with a shortage of workers which is hitting every sector of the economy. The UK, the US and EU are all grappling with the challenge, which has hit skilled jobs in the technology sector particularly hard. The skills gap has been caused by a lack of interest in maths and science by students at all levels, a problem that has led to too few people having the technical skills required by employers. An in-depth report in Raconteur explores the issue, which government policies have failed to tackle, and suggests that initiatives aimed at upskilling the workforce have been viewed as ineffective by business leaders.
African countries are being disproportionately affected by what the IMF calls “the big funding squeeze”—the most intense global funding situation in decades. The slower global economy and tighter financing conditions have made obtaining external finance increasingly difficult for many African countries. Better-off economies can rely on their foreign-exchange reserves and deeper capital markets, putting most African countries “on the starting blocks, shut off from finance”. Since the Covid19 pandemic began and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of borrowing for African countries has significantly increased, making servicing debt and gaining access to new finance prohibitively expensive.
The issue of public debt on the African continent is complex; in some countries, debt levels are high but still viable, while in others, debt is becoming clearly unsustainable. However, the main issue at present is the current funding squeeze. Worryingly, if it persists, it could turn what is currently a liquidity issue into one of solvency, even for those countries with otherwise manageable debt levels. The IMF is assisting, having provided the region with more than $50bn to support essential spending and reforms since the pandemic began. The organisation is also calling on richer countries to do more and help support African countries with funding issues.
Without additional financial support, the outcomes for African economies struggling with liquidity problems may well be disastrous – economically, socially and geopolitically. Over the next decade, Africa will have more new workers than the rest of the world combined, powering the global economy. To facilitate this, it is critical to ensure that the resources required to provide the education and healthcare required to make these workers more productive are available. As such, it would be a significant failure of the international community not to help African countries reach their full potential.
A student at a Canadian primary school required plastic surgery on his lip after being bitten by an off-leash dog in its yard. Toronto District School Board signage indicates where off-leash dogs are permitted within the city, but schoolyards aren't included in the list. One school's principal warned of the potential threat posed by off-leash dogs in schoolyards, noting that parents and children should take extra care when in the vicinity of the school outside of school hours. A woman bitten near Rawlinson Community School while carrying her child adds to recent concerns over dogs being walked off-leash in areas designated for children. Toronto's parks do allow for off-leash areas, but these tend to be in specific, designated green spaces.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has announced the construction of a new school for Francophone students on the province's Eastern Shore. The school, which will be completed by September 2027, will replace École des Beaux-Marais and serve students from pre-primary to Grade 8. The Education Department will work with the community to design the school and choose its location, and the new school will be part of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. The Department of Public Works will issue a tender for the design of the school once the site selection process has been completed.
Halifax-area schools set to hire replacement workers during strike
CBC
23-05-18 15:02
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education is seeking to employ temporary replacements for Canadian Union of Public Employees members who have been on strike since 10 May. The employees include those offering support such as Mi'kmaw and Indigenous student support, early childhood education and assistive technology. The union and employers disagree over a four-year contract due to wage proposals. As schools struggle to function without the expertise of striking workers, some schools are inviting parents to help. A leaked statement from the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission reveals it was due to launch a human rights inquiry into the crisis on 16 May.
The UK Standards and Testing Agency has released the Key Stage 2 year 6 reading paper early, after parents and teachers complained about the level of difficulty. The tests, which measure maths and English skills in years 2 and 6, comprise six papers, usually marked in ten days. The SATS attempt to identify whether pupils have strengths or weaknesses. The government says the tests are developed independently, with questions tested by year six pupils and reviewed by education and inclusion experts. However, teachers grew concerned when highly proficient pupils struggled to answer questions on this year’s paper.
Policy 713 and kids: Fact checking 4 statements made by the premier
CBC
23-05-18 14:55
The Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, Blaine Higgs, has questioned an education policy designed to protect LGBTQ children which prevents teachers from informing parents if their child changes their name or pronouns. Policy 713 was created in 2020 and aims to reduce discrimination against LGBTQ children in schools. Higgs has stated that the review is being conducted to restore parents’ rights by removing the “informal name or pronoun” provision. The policy requires teachers to be sensitive to their students’ needs and to support them when they attempt to use their preferred names and pronouns. The Premier’s comments have been criticized by some for placing children’s safety at risk. Statistics Canada reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24 in the country, with LGBTQ youth being three times more likely to attempt suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers.
Criticism has been levelled at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Republicans in Congress, who accused the body of performing inadequately under the administration of Joe Biden. At issue was the backlog of workplace discrimination complaints, which the EEOC experienced in 2021, as the US attempted to emerge from Covid-19. It also handled a larger than usual number of phone calls and emails from workers. The backlog of complaints had reduced during the administration of former president Donald Trump. Congress members have also requested data for the types of discrimination, based on sex, race and other factors.
The UK's Department for Education (DfE) is pushing for at least 600,000 foreign students to come to the UK every year, a target reportedly meant to be achieved by 2030 but has been reached eight years early. The DfE thinks the influx would deliver economic growth and boost the UK's international relations. Meanwhile, net migration in the UK is predicted to hit a record high of 700,000 when figures for 2022 are released.
PC minister says not enough LGBTQ consultation in policy review
CBC
23-05-18 19:25
Arlene Dunn, a senior cabinet minister in the New Brunswick government, has stated that there has not been enough LGBTQ community consultation on a policy review. Policy 713 is being reviewed, and the sets out minimum requirements for schools to create a safe, inclusive space for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities. One element of the policy, which allows students under 16 to adopt new names or pronouns in the classroom without informing their parents, has been criticised by the Premier, Blaine Higgs.
Growing numbers of foreign students are enrolling in UK universities, many of which are not of the highest quality, according to journalist Sarah Vine in the Mail on Sunday. The primary reason for the influx is be the offer of work permits, meaning many students do not leave when their courses finish. Britain’s leading educational institutions have granted a rising proportion of places to international candidates, with Imperial College boasting a 60% enrolment figure of overseas students. Critics argue the UK’s higher education sectors functions like a Ponzi scheme, with senior management benefiting from high salaries and staff often languishing on lower pay. Children with top academic records from less privileged backgrounds are being rejected from the best universities, only to be replaced with overseas students offering £29k in fees. Many experts claim the government has ignored the impact on social mobility by promoting the recruitment of foreign students for the sake of the higher education industry’s profit margins.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed parts of a $6bn funding plan for K-12 schools backed by state Republicans. Kelly took issue with one provision that she said would cut funds for rural public schools, setting up a potential legal battle over her office's powers. Republican leaders have strongly criticised the move. This issue has never been tested legally and confusion over how much money school districts will receive remains.
The number of children who have missed the majority of school has doubled since before the pandemic, despite the lifting of UK Covid-19 restrictions, raising concerns about the lasting impact of lockdowns on mental health and family engagement with education. The Department for Education has urged ministers to take action in response the figures, which show that 125,000 pupils missed 50% or more of school during the autumn term of 2020, up from 60,200 in 2019. One in 10 pupils has been absent from secondary education this academic year, while more than a quarter have missed at least 10% of classes.
Oxford University has pushed back against allegations that it is restricting freedom of speech. The University issued a statement saying that both the university and its associated colleges hold “hundreds of events each term” and that freedom of speech is “alive and well at Oxford,” with a policy of allowing “difficult views” to be heard. The statement added that although student union had concerns about the activities of the Oxford Union debating society, it would continue to encourage open discussion and dialogue. The remarks followed a letter from former Oxford Union President Nick Gallagher, who said that the union had been barred from last year’s freshers fair because of action by the student union.
The US Biden administration has proposed rules to cut federal funding to cosmetology, massage therapy, and dental support courses at some for-profit colleges that leave graduates underpaid or in debt. The rules, which would apply to for-profit colleges and non-degree courses in traditional universities, would assess the quality of the courses' offerings based on their credit-to-income ratio and their graduates' financial outcomes compared with those of other certificate holders. Programs that come up short in two out of three years would lose support. Borrower advocates claim that for-profit colleges are more likely to produce graduates with lower incomes and debt issues.
The United States and Taiwan have reached a modest trade agreement as part of Washington's support for Taiwan and its demands from China. The deal is the first under the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade and is expected to set the stage for a more significant agreement. The agreement aims to cut red tape at customs, reduce waiting times for US businesses in Taiwan and commits to adopting measures to combat bribery and encourage more trade with small to medium-sized enterprises. There is widespread bipartisan support for Taiwan in Washington, and the island country remains a prosperous democracy that split from China in 1949.
The US and Taiwan have reached a trade agreement which will cut red tape and waiting times for US businesses seeking to export to Taiwan, while also committing to measures to combat corruption, and boost small and medium enterprises. The deal does not require the approval of Congress. The agreement is being viewed as a modest first step towards "a robust and high-standard trade agreement".
Dominic Barton, the former global managing partner of McKinsey, appeared before the Canadian House of Commons committee to answer questions about ties between the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and McKinsey. One of the main talking points regarding the matter was newly released emails showing Zak Cutler, a McKinsey partner, organized a CIB workshop which included Barton, even though he had told Parliament that he had no contact with McKinsey during his brief tenure as Canada’s ambassador to China earlier this year. The committee had obtained the emails as evidence in an examination of McKinsey’s role in the creation of CIB, and there were concerns over the ties between McKinsey with Barton, who chaired the economic advisory council that recommended the creation of the CIB while at McKinsey. McKinsey has received over $100m in federal contract work since the Liberals formed government back in 2015.
