Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 25

Ovi magazine; Wednesday October 25th, 2023 – World Pasta Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems, the thoughts, the reviews, the photos, the paintings and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Wednesday October 25th, 2023 – World Pasta Day

October 25th. World Pasta Day is the day which is celebrated on 25th October every year. The chief purpose of World Pasta Day is to encourage the nutritional and culinary advantages of the pasta. Eating the Italian food is pleasure of travelling in the Italy. Regions of Italy and some of the towns that have the extraordinary pasta sole to that region as Ligurian croxeti shown on right.


A few problems with the higher education curriculum by Joseph Gatt

University studies, well into the 2000s, were designed mostly to train employees for big business and government positions. That is, until the late 2000s, you didn’t need to go to college if you wanted to create a small business or work in some kind of secretarial position.

Since the 2008 recession, the prevalent discourse in universities around the world has been to tell college students “get out there are start your own business and become a global leader! Be the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg!”

Problem is: the business studies curriculum at the university level is one that trains dark-suited corporate stooges, not business owners.

Continue reading HERE!


Crazy Horse #poem by George Cassidy Payne

“You are my
Crazy Horse.
My warrior chief
and Grandmother Earth.”

Continue reading HERE!


Mika Toxica #65 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Tuesday, March 7

Ovi magazine; Tuesday March 7th, 2023

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Tuesday March 7th, 2023


India’s Education Market: The Next Neo-Colonial Frontier by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

Over the last week or so, Australian politicians and representatives of the university sector got busy pressing flesh in India, hoping to open avenues that have largely remained aspirational.  It was timed to coincide with G20 talks in New Delhi, which has seen a flurry of contentious meetings traversing security, economics and education, all taking place in the shadow of the Ukraine War.

A starring outcome of the various discussions was an agreement between Canberra and New Delhi to ensure the mutual recognition of qualifications.  On March 3, the Australian Minister for Education, Jason Clare, stated in a media release that the Mechanism for the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications was “India’s most comprehensive education agreement of its type with another country.”

Such a mechanism would ensure that Indian students attaining a degree from an Australian university would have it recognised should they wish to continue higher education in India.  The release continues to optimistically extol the merits of the mechanism, which would open “a world of possibilities to develop flexible and innovative partnerships between the two countries.”  Minister Clare and his counterpart Shri Dharmendra Pradhan also reaffirmed their wish to establish an Australia India Working Group on Transnational Partnerships.

Continue reading HERE!


Crossing the Border Divide #poem by Michael Lee Johnson

“Crossing that Canadian line on a visitor pass,
that stretch across the border divide,
that makes a torn war wound, torn man free.
It made my feet new away from cinder on fresh grass.
Back home the sirens of war keep sounding off.”

Continue reading HERE!


Insert Brain Here 2.0 #035 #cartoon by Paul Woods

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Wednesday, February 22

Ovi magazine; Wednesday February 22nd, 2023

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Wednesday February 22nd, 2023


Human Rights Rapporteurs Express Concern on Education of Tibetan Students by Rene Wadlow

Three United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteurs have recently highlighted the quality and methods of education of Tibetan students.  Farida Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on Minortiy Issues, and Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights, first expressed their concern in a private letter to the U.N. Mission of China in Geneva.  This is the standard procedure of first trying to discuss an issue with the authorities of the State concerned.  When the reply of the government is non-existent or superficial, then the Special Rapporteurs can “go public” either in their report to the Human Rights Council or with a press release as is the case with Tibetan education.

The 6 February 2023 U.N. Press Release quotes fully the statement sent to the Chinese Mission.  The Special Rapporteurs highlighted the one million Tibetan school children sent far from home to be in residential boarding schools.  The Special Rapporteurs are ” very disturbed that in recent years the residential school system for Tibetan children appears to act as a mandatory large-scale programme intended to assimilate Tibetans into majority Han culture, contrary to international human rights standards…. This  increase in the number of boarding Tibetan students is achieved by the closure of rural schools in areas which tend to be populated by Tibetans and their replacement by township or county-level schools which almost exclusively use Putonghua in teaching and communication.”  Putonghua is the official name for what is usually called “Manderan Chinese.”

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“Frosted Window” #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“Your perfume lingers,
We held each other 
During the night,
We measured our
Heartbeats.”

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Insert Brain Here 2.0 #033 #cartoon by Paul Woods

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Tuesday, September 13

Ovi magazine; Tuesday September 13th, 2022 – International Chocolate Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Tuesday September 13th, 2022 – International Chocolate Day

International Chocolate Day is about paying heed to everything related to this delightful treat that is now part of cultures all over the world. Enjoy learning about and taking part in the celebration of this day!


Education for a World Society by Rene Wadlow

The United Nations is preparing a “Transforming Education Summit” to be held in New York 17,18,19 September 2022 during the General Assembly.  This is an opportunity for those involved in peace-building efforts to provide information and suggestions, especially as a major theme of the Summit is “Learning and Skills for Life, Work, and Sustainable Development.”  As the preparatory text for the Summit states “Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development.”

Yet there is a wide-spread awareness that the current education systems are not preparing people to meet the challenges which face the current world society: armed conflicts, human rights violations, persistent poverty, mass migrations, and the consequences of climate change.  There is a feeling that society is crumbling, collapsing and is no longer creative.  However, there is also a vision that education should be directed to the full development of each person and to strengthening respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.  Education should promote understanding, respect, and friendship among peoples.  Education should promote the advancement of a culture of peace, liberty, equality, and non-violence.

Continue reading HERE!


Minoan Age #poem & #painting by Nikos Laios

“On the red rocks 
They danced in a circle 
To the ancient days,
Lost in a smokey daze,
Swaying and leaping 
Over flickering flames 
Entranced under 
A black velvet sky.”

Continue reading HERE!


Ma-Siri & Alexa #41 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Monday, August 8

Ovi magazine; Monday August 8th, 2022 – International Cat Day

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Monday August 8th, 2022 – International Cat Day

International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August of every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. It is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them. In 2020 custodianship of International Cat Day passed to International Cat Care, a not-for-profit British organization that has been striving to improve the health and welfare of domestic cats worldwide since 1958.


Chegg, Cheating and Australian Universities by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

The note on Radio National’s Background Briefing on the morning of July 31wassombre.  A student, who did not divulge his real name (he is professionally pseudonymised as Ramesh), talks about services that aid him in his study. Aid is less accurate than do – given that he is working gruelling night shifts in the fast-food industry, he is incapable of making morning classes at the said unnamed university.  Flipping burgers in greasy splendour takes precedent.

The student, along with others featured in the programme, talk about accessing a multitude of websites that provide “support services” that aid the cheating industrial complex.  As to whether he is worried about being caught out, he likens it to the consequences of speeding: it’s all fine if you don’t get caught.

Continue reading HERE!


Love or be loved #poem & #painting by Amir Khatib

“We were created to love or be loved.
  I love a blind companion
  looks like my mother,
  hide from him,
  And finds me red-handed.”

Continue reading HERE!


Ma-Siri & Alexa #38 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Saturday, February 19

Ovi magazine; Saturday February 19th, 2022

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Saturday February 19th, 2022


Dr. Mariazeena, she thrives to educate and liberate by Dr Elsa Lycias Joel

An iconic white-domed building aka The Sathyabama University (TSU) stands tall on the sweat, blood and happy tears of a visionary who also nurtured an ambitious heart.

TSU has good news for all of us. Being “good” is not good enough. Being perfect seems to be the only way out in today’s quality-obsessed world. That’s exactly why Col. Dr. Jeppiaar established quite a handful of educational institutions with great panache. He believed he owed something to the society, the country as a whole. Thinking BIG was high on his agenda. He was enthusiastic to the extent of finding wind when nobody else could. Yes, he was a rough sailor. More an educationist than a politician, he fostered Sathyabama University, his second home, to produce a class of intellectuals who will provide the technological development of society. The most incredible people came along and poured their time, talent and creativity into Col. Dr. Jeppiaar’s project. Quality happened because every employee of the university committed to deliver 100 percent no matter what. It was also a collective commitment to root out mediocrity.

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“Hopes Alone” #poem by Saloni Kaul

“Hopes elastic as dream and fiction stretch
The canopy to the greatest extent
Like kindness generosity have a ‘go and fetch’
Capacity that’s infinite in content;”

Continue reading HERE!


Kuan Yin : She who harkens to the cries of the world Wise in using skilful means, She manifests her countless form by Rene Wadlow

May all living beings recognise others as part of the same family and so develop kindness towards all. May we contribute to peace in the world. May peace-loving people, East and West, accomplish their goals of joy and harmony in the world.

February 19 is the day, especially in Chinese culture to honour Kuan Yin: the Goddess of Mercy for the Taoists and the Bodhisattva of Compassion for the Buddhists. In Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a person who has achieved enlightenment but who does not enter Nirvana but who returns to give guidence and protection to struggling humanity.

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Fika bonding! #026 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Monday, January 24

Ovi magazine; Monday January 24th, 2022

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Monday January 24th, 2022 – International Day of Education


Is an MBA still what it is made out to be? – An Asian perspective by Murray Hunter

Forbes Magazine just before the beginning of the pandemic declared that MBAs within the US are in crisis, while advertorials are claiming the demand for MBAs is rapidly increasing. This makes it worth looking at MBAs within the region.

Forty years ago, a master of business administration (MBA) was the post-graduate qualification for the elite within the corporate world. What gave the MBA even more prestige was that only a few top universities at the time offered the degree. Early graduates became the top of the corporate world within Fortune 500 companies.

A lot has changed since the 1980s, where now so many universities are offering MBAs and derived hybrid post graduate degrees.

Continue reading HERE!


I saw” #poem & #painting by Amir Khatib

“I saw with my own eyes,
 water leads to water,
 And the sea is not full…”

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Continue reading HERE!


Fika bonding! #024 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Friday, December 10

Ovi magazine; Friday December 10th, 2021 – Human Rights Day

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Friday December 10th, 2021 – Human Rights Day


#Migration: Neither Safe nor Orderly by Rene Wadlow

10 December is the anniversary of the signing of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration at Marrakech in 2018.  The aim of the United Nations organized Compact was to bring together existing commitment to improve migration management and the treatment of migrants.  The Compact calls upon States to develop national implementation plans and to review their national practices.

However, recent events underline that today much migration is neither safe nor orderly.  National priorities have often been focused on how to keep migrants out rather than on a policy  based on the dignity of migrants and their place within national societies.  Events at the Polish-Belarus frontier indicate how migrants can be used against their  expectations to advance narrow national policies.  Frontiers are being fortified; walls are being built.  The takeover of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan has added to the number of people who wish to flee and find refuge elsewhere.  The number of migrants in Mexico wishing to enter the U.S.A. is still as great, and U.S. policy remains restrictive despite the change of administration.

Continue reading HERE!


River Teach Me #poem by George Cassidy Payne

“River teach me change
as falling leaves decompose in the formless current”

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Continue reading HERE!


Project UATX: New Universities, Old Problems by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

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Among the motivations behind establishing a university is a desire to leave old ones. Old in tooth, depraved, decayed, the assumption is that a new institution will return to original purposes on the pretext that these are truly radical. This, on the face of it, is the purpose of The University of Austin (UATX) – at least as originally advertised. “We’re done waiting for America’s universities to fix themselves,” came the words of a promotional video for the incipient body. “So we’re starting a new one.”

This is the sentiment of Pano Kanelos, who left his position as president of St. John’s College in Annapolis to, in his words, “build a university in Austin dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth.” What riles Kanelos is the “gaping chasm between the promise and reality of higher education.” Harvard proclaims a dedication to veritas. Stanford students are told Die Luft der Freiheit weht: The wind of freedom blows. Nice to have such “soaring words” – but he is not convinced that the “pursuit of truth – once the central purpose of a university” is the “highest virtue”. Campus life is now characterised by “illiberalism”.

Continue reading HERE!


Eleanor Roosevelt, World Citizen by Rene Wadlow

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It was Eleanor Roosevelt who helped to craft and then championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights whose  anniversary we celebrate on 10 December.  She was appointed the US representative to the UN Commission on Human Rights and was then chosen as its chairperson.  Originally, her selection was a reflection of respect and gratitude toward her husband Franklin who had been the US leader during the Second World War and who wanted to avoid a US refusal of a world institution as had been the case with the League of Nations after World War I.

However, Eleanor was much more than the widow of FDR.  She had always been an ‘internationalist’ concerned with the establishment of machinery that would ensure a lasting peace.  In 1939 she had read Clarence Streit’s Union Now and had the author dine at the White House to explain his ideas of a federal union among democratic countries.  She accepted to serve as a delegate to the first UN General Assembly held in London “largely because my husband laid the foundations for the organization through which we all hope to build world peace.”

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Mika Toxica 21#13 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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Monday, November 15

Ovi magazine; Monday November 15th, 2021

 

The articles, the opinions, the stories, the poems and the cartoons Ovi magazine covers for Monday November 15th, 2021


Ning-Nong Diplomacy, China and Paul Keating by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

Former Australian prime ministers tend to be less conspicuous in public life than their counterparts in other countries. Occasionally, they make an appearance at political functions and events to remind us that they are still alive, their estate still breathing, their lawyers still working. For the most part, the pronouncements are less than profound, let alone relevant. But there are a few radiant surprises. Malcolm Fraser was one, considered dour when prime minister through the latter part of the 1970s and early 1980s, yet utterly provocative on becoming an elder statesman. It was he, a Cold War warrior so keen on keeping the US involved in the Asia-Pacific, who became the firmest critic of the US-Australian alliance.

The Labor side of politics has Paul Keating, the last, dare one use the word, visionary, in the prime ministerial pack. With his electoral defeat in 1996 at the hands of the undistinguished, anti-Asian John Howard, Australia returned, in large measure, to the reassuring protections of the US military alliance. The Asia-Pacific region was less one to accommodate than seek armour against. Ever risky, ever dangerous, they remained the swarthy barbarians of alien tongues and troublesome ambition. There were threats nearby and everywhere, and it would require a lengthy alliance without qualifications to protect Canberra

This sort of foolishness is yielding its grim results. Not a day goes by that does not see Australian politicians sign themselves up to the next suicidal conflict that might take place over Taiwan or over the South China Sea. On November 10, Keating, at the Australian National Press Club, was bursting to speak to the audience about his taking of the geopolitical temperature. It was his modest effort to try to arrest this seemingly imminent move.

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The clavicle #poem #art #artinstallation by Amir Khatib

“I play the clavicle,
 There is no comparison or comparison
 I roll the days,
 the feathers of the wings,
 As the eruption of the bone fits,
 I do not guarantee homogeneity
 does not match her gender,
 The clavicle
 Flea and it is another matter.”

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Continue reading HERE!


Advice to teachers by Joseph Gatt

My personal advice to teachers. The kind I haven’t seen anywhere else. Hope it helps.

-First one, big one: follow the textbook. Teaching any class in primary, middle or high school without the textbook would be like sitting at the dinner table without a meal. Those kids are gonna get all excited and agitated.

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So you want all your classes to follow the textbook. Don’t use the textbook only for brain teasers or exercises. If possible, don’t teach the chapters in disorder. Start with the first chapter, and finish with the last.

Teach the lessons in the textbook, and then do the exercises. Basically, teach whatever is in the textbook. Textbooks often have visual aids that you could not use if you lectured.

This one may sound obvious, but so many teachers completely ditch the textbook, or only use it for homework. If your students have their eyes on the textbook, that should save a lot of discipline problems.

Avoid lecturing with your own personal notes (although you could ad lib a bit and use your own side notes). Avoid using “online” sources. Avoid “activism” as in teaching about racism or feminism or sexism or violence, unless those are mentioned in the textbook.

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MikaGhostin’ 21#21 21#11 #cartoon by Thanos Kalamidas

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