Education +
A lesson in good behaviour
A lesson in good behaviour
By Mohsen Rashid and Preeti Kannan (Our staff reporters)KHALEEJ TIMES
25 April 2008
The recent incident of a private school’s Grade III student allegedly slapping the library teacher after she prevented him from running inside the library had raised disturbing questions on the upbringing of children.
Even as the parents of the child were summoned, the student’s mother, grandparent and the housemaid walked into the library and beat up the teacher.
Neeta Metra, the principal of the school, said, “What happened was far from proper conduct and behaviour which we are all familiar with. The problem is not only the assault on a teacher by a student, but also the reaction by the student’s family, who behaved in an indecent way instead of minding the conduct of the son. This manner is thoroughly unacceptable.”
She added that the student was suspended for seven days by the administration of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). As for the student’s mother, grandparent and the housemaid, a case was registered by the police based on the medical report and the statements recorded by the police.
She said she could not dismiss the student and deprive him of a year. “We see cases where teachers beat students and stringent action is taken against those teachers, but what about students who assault teachers? Who will protect the teachers’ dignity?” demanded the principal.
The Grade VI students were seen weeping when they watched the teacher being attacked, she pointed out.
Meanwhile, a similar incident in another private school was equally shocking. A Grade XI student of a school, located near the Ministry of Education, verbally abused his teacher. When the teacher called the supervisor, both the teacher and the supervisor were subject to verbal abuse by the student and his father. The student was, however, suspended for 10 days.
Mahasen Sa’d, principal of the school, said, “Students and their parents have dared to assault the teachers verbally because of the wrong policy and approach adopted by the MoE years back, where the ministry insisted that the client always has the power, implying that the students’ parents are always on the right side.”
She pointed out that when the student’s father was summoned by the school authorities, he came dressed in army suit as he was working for the Armed Forces and tried to assault the supervisor.
Even the Grade III student’s father worked in the police department and was reportedly always threatening the school management and teachers.
An official with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, who preferred not to be named, observed these problems were not new, but were the result of poor upbringing and a clear absence of the role the family played in rectifying the flaws of their children.
“Since the regulations governing the students’ conduct did not include any penalty for the parents in both cases, the two cases were reported to the police on the insistence of the management of the schools,” the source added.
Senior officials at the Ministry of Education have strongly condemned the incidents and insisted that the ‘miscreants’ should not go unpunished.
Corporal punishment was an old way to discipline unruly students but does not exist any more, observed Abdullah Mousabbah, Director-General in the Ministry of Education (MoE).
The rights, prestige and dignity of the teachers are supreme, and no one, be it the ministry, school management or parents should be allowed to undermine them, he noted. The problem could not be dubbed as a phenomenon since it was reported in one or two private schools, because every school is keen on preserving its name and reputation.
The physical punishment of students by some teachers is unacceptable, said Obaid Al Qawood, Director of Umm Al Quwain Education Zone. But any attempt by a student to beat up his teacher should also be regarded as a crime, which should not be ignored and allowed to go unpunished. The ministry, however, will not tolerate such acts, he pointed out. The student who is found guilty of physical assault on a teacher will be expelled from school.
The director of Sharjah Education Zone, Fawziyya Hassan, emphasised that a policy of disciplinary action should be drafted.
Parents often defended the mistakes of their children. They should rather keep an eye on their children and hold them accountable for their offences, she suggested. The role of the school is being confined to education while its responsibility of raising and educating students on discipline and conduct is fading away, she added.
KHDA officials said they were keen on working with the school which had been unfortunate to witness an act of violence and would set up mechanisms to help victims of such incidents.
A statement from KHDA said, “The Knowledge and Human Development Authority will not tolerate violence in schools. They should be an environment in which everyone feels safe and protected. Incidents of violence are, of course, logged in the schools’ records. As an authority we will be working on the best way to collate this material so that we can identify problem areas or any trends that may emerge.
“We are also keen to set up a mechanism for following up on such incidents, so that victims and everyone else who has been involved can feel they are being supported for as long as they need.”
It’s a trophy life
It’s a trophy life
Enid Parker (Staff Reporter)KHALEEJ TIMES
7 April 2008
Pooja Vinod, who has been awarded the prestigious Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for the Distinguished Student in the Basic Education Category, gets candid with City Times
WHAT FIRST caught my eye as I walked into Pooja’s home was the glass-fronted cabinet with dozens of gleaming trophies.
“She has over 40 trophies and 85 certificates to her credit,” smiled her parents. I gulped, a little overwhelmed already as I sat down with this poised young lady who studies at the Our Own English High School in Dubai, and has been awarded the prestigious Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for the Distinguished Student in the Basic Education Category (Grades 1-5) for the year 2007-2008. The award will be presented on April 8.
“The criterion for the award was academic performance, co-curricular activities and overall excellence,” says Pooja.
At this I ask her if she always comes first in class. ‘Yes,’ she answers with a smile. Her mother Praseena, a Mathematics teacher, adds, “Right from Kindergarten she took an active interest in studies. She does her homework by herself; we never had to remind her to study.” Her father, Vinod Kumar, a Telecommunication Engineer, adds, “She’s always been number one in academics.”
Intrigued by a child who’s actually interested in studying, and recalling my own distracted primary school existence, I was curious to find out what her other interests were. “I like singing, dancing, drawing, coin and stamp collecting, travelling, swimming and making projects from waste materials,” she says in her clear voice brimming with confidence, adding that she likes drawing most. “I like doing sceneries and also cartoons, like the ones in colouring books.”
Music
Pooja’s accomplishments in music are noteworthy; she has won prizes in many music contests and has participated in classical music concerts as well. She receives training in classical music and light music from a tutor and says she likes to sing ‘all kinds of songs.’
“She sings everything from classical and light to popular music – in Hindi, English and Malayalam,” adds her mother.
She is a fan of Celine Dion, particularly the popular ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from the soundtrack of the movie Titanic. At the Heart Song competition held at Ski Dubai for the release of the movie ‘Happy Feet’, she won the best singer in the sub-junior category for her rendition of ‘My Heart Will Go On.’ She also performed the song live on Valentine’s Day at the Indian Pavilion at this year’s Global Village.
On the radio
She’s enthusiastic about her radio performances. “I like being on the air, people get to hear my voice… and its fun doing radio advertisements; I have recorded one for Indomi Fried Noodles in Hindi as well as Malayalam.”
A little princess
Pooja played the role of Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid as part of a cultural programme conducted by her school last year. “It was a musical drama and I had to both act and sing.” I didn’t have to ask her if she liked it, her expression said it all.
Hobbies
So with all this on her plate – so many extra-curricular pursuits and being number one in academics, does she have any time for normal kids’ stuff like games and dolls and toys?
“I like playing with dolls, but now I love kitchen sets more,” she says, and at this point I can’t help talking about my favourite brown ceramic tea set that I had as a child. She laughs and says she has one like it too. She talks about a game called ‘Stuck in The Mud,’ which she loves to play and according to her is ‘very funny.’
And what about books? “Enid Blyton is my favourite author, especially the story ‘The Little Lost Hen.'” I almost begin to reminisce about my own Enid Blyton favourites, then realise with a twinge of regret that its time to leave; I’ve really enjoyed chatting with her.
So does she ever get camera shy or have stage fright? Her smile tells me the answer to that one. “I’m all set for the big day,” concludes this charming and articulate young lady who no doubt leaves a big impression on whoever she meets.
Pooja has won accolades for singing, dancing, public speaking, elocution, story-telling and art. Some of her accomplishments include:
* Sub-junior ‘Kalathilakam’ (overall champion) in the Open Youth Festival 2006-2007 conducted by ADMS
* First prize in the Karaoke Malayalam Film Song competition held at the Indian Consulate in May 2006
* First prize in film song competition at the ADMS UAE Open Youth Festival conducted in January 2008
* Her song was broadcast by Asianet Radio 94.7 fm during the ‘Voice of the Year’ programme
* At the prestigious inter-school KGS music festival, she secured first prize in the group event during the year 2006-2007
55,000 pupils to be affected by fee increase
55,000 pupils to be affected by fee increase
By Siham Al Najami and Sunita Menon, Staff Reporters GULF NEWS Published: March 26, 2008, 00:06
Dubai: More than 40 of the 137 private schools in Dubai have been allowed to increase fees by up to 16 per cent for the next academic year.
This means that around 55,475 pupils will be affected by the new fee hike. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) on Tuesday said it would continue with the 16 per cent cap on fee hike it announced last year.
“We are continuing the fee cap for the next academic year and schools, which did not increase their fees last year, are allowed to hike the fee but not more 16 per cent,” said Dr Abdullah Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General at KHDA.
There were about 92,451 pupils affected by the fee hike last year, most of whom enrolled in schools that implemented the full fee hike.
Currently there are 137 private schools in Dubai with a total strength of 153,000 pupils.
Parents welcome move
The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced on Tuesday that the decision in consultation with and approved by the Executive Council of the Government of Dubai. The new announcement made by the authority on 16 per cent ceiling on fee hike, however, has not gone down well with many schools in Dubai, but the move has been welcomed by parents.
Education makes you live longer
Education makes you live longer
13 Mar 2008, 0039 hrs IST,AFP
WASHINGTON: If you have been contemplating going back to school to get a degree, this might convince you: a study by the Harvard School of Medicine has shown people with a better education live longer.
“Between the 1980s and 2000, life expectancy increases occurred nearly exclusively among high-education groups,” the study said.
While life expectancy for people with a high school degree or less did not change between 1990 and 2000, the better-educated gained more than 1.5 years over the same period, the study showed. “A 25-year-old with a high school degree in 1990 could expect to live another 50 years, or for about 75 years,” lead author Ellen Meara said.
“Looking at a similarly educated 25-year-old in 2000, you have the same expected life span,” said Meara, assistant professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School.
“For the better educated, you have an expected life span of 80 years in 1990, but it’s 81.6 by the year 2000. So it’s quite a big gain.” The reasons for such longevity appear to be that more educated people have better access to both information about disease and medical advances.
“Quite literally, why are the better educated living longer? They’re less likely to die of diseases,” said Meara. Life expectancy grew across the board for all races and genders between 1990 and 2000, showed the study, which looked only at non-Hispanic blacks and whites to “limit the impact of immigration on estimates.”
Class X exams: 7 tips to finish your maths paper before time
Class X exams: 7 tips to finish your maths paper before time
Suresh Kumar, TCYonline.com
Many students, even some really intelligent and talented ones, have a strange enemy. They often find it difficult to finish the paper within the allotted time. They are forced to leave a few questions just because they run out of time and often it has been found that the questions they leave are those which they otherwise could do very easily. It can be very disappointing if you are forced to skip such easy questions.
But how can you avoid a situation like this? Many people suggest a single tablet for this “Time management”. But how to manage time and how to stop it from running out is a difficult proposition, especially for an average 14-15-year-old tenth grader.
Here are certain tips by experts from TCYonline.com to help you out to finish your paper well before time.
1. Understand your exam
The most important thing is to understand the examination you are about to take. In the class X mathematics paper, there are 30 questions in four sections A, B, C and D and we have 180 minutes to answer these questions. Here, a rough calculation is that we get about six minutes to answer a question. But that is not the fact.
The question paper contains ‘very short answer’ type, ‘short answer’ type and ‘long answer’ type questions and the time requirement for each type is different. An ideal allotment for the four sections is as shown below:
Section A 10×2 20 minutes
Section B 5×4 20 minutes
Section C 10X5 50 minutes
Section D 5×10 50 minutes
2. Use the first 15 minutes effectively
You get a good 15 minutes in the beginning to read the question paper — use this time to do just that, READ. Read all the 30 questions in 15 minutes. While reading, mark the questions into categories viz easy, manageable and tough. This is done to have an overall idea about the questions and make a rough plan.
3. Don’t worry about the tough ones
The moment you find that there are a few tough questions; it is natural that you start worrying about them. This is not required and will only harm your performance.
The fact is that they may look a bit tough on the surface, but when you actually work on them you will find most of them to be much easier than they seemed. So be happy about the easy ones and don’t get unduly worried about the tougher lot.
4. Prioritise your attempt
Always attempt the easy questions first and then move on to the manageable ones and ensure that you complete them before taking on the difficult ones. This will ensure that you are not leaving any question that you know.
Once you successfully attempt all the easy and manageable questions, your confidence will grow and you will be mentally ready to take on the more challenging questions.
5. Ensure speed and accuracy
Use quicker methods in calculations to ensure that you are not wasting time and your answers are correct. Mostly, we take a lot of time to solve a problem if we happen to make some error in the process.
For example, if you make an error in the sign of a term (+/-), you may not be able to solve questions involving quadratic equations or linear equations. Therefore avoiding silly mistakes is very important to save time. Always follow the tricks we discussed in speed strategies.
6. Keep an eye on your watch
Keeping an eye on your watch is of course not to increase your stress. This is just to see that you are broadly adhering to the time allocation we discussed in the beginning. A minor variation is not at all a reason to worry.
7. Avoid thinking too much about a question
Thinking about the questions before you attempt them is essential; but not to such an extent that you waste a lot of time on one question.
Also you need not write a very lengthy answer to a question just because the question is easy and you know it very well. Remember, you need to just answer the question and nothing more. Any over-attempt will be a mere waste of time.
Additionally, you must practice the habit of finishing samples papers in 140-150 minutes. This will help you simulate and exercise examination pressures better.
Web application to track browser history
Web application to track browser history
Avid net surfers who want to keep track of information they have browsed earlier without duplicating effort, now have a unique web application that helps them locate information in a jiffy from their previously browsed pages.
“Hooeey enables internet users to re-use their browsing history in a productive manner to reduce time spent in searching for previously visited web pages, to easily share interesting web pages with others and use the provided dashboard to manage their browsing time more efficiently”, Rajiv Purnaiya, Managing Director, Hooeey, told PTI.
While providing a safe and universal platform for the entire browsing experience, Hooeey delinks the browser history from the browser. Additionally, Hooeey adds a social networking layer, allowing one to share specific sites with others, both on Hooeey network and other social bookmarking services.
Hooeey services can be accessed for free at http://www.hooeey.com.
“Our main focus is to save time and effort of the users by leveraging IT tools and adopting a different approach that combines seamless web hop recording with complete transparency and user control”, said Rajiv, the founder of CyberBazaar (acquired by WebEx), the first firm in the country to provide audio and video and web conferencing.
Hooeey allows the users to track all their browsing history from any search engine and “also has the advantage on browser’s history files as it works on both platforms like Internet Explorer and Firefox.
Some distinctive features of Hooeey include: records web hops automatically, interesting sites can be tagged while a user is online or offline, one can create a contact list and send links to friends, has self-determinable folders which help to structure links.
“It is completely automatic and does not require any user intervention. The application can be plugged into your browser and then a user can create a Hooeey online account if he wishes to store the information,” Rajiv said.
Every page that the user goes to is recorded in the application along with the time and date and one does not have to manually bookmark any page. In case, the user does not want to record the information, there is a one-click stop.
To keep track of all data, Hooeey has built-in analytics service which breaks down browsing habits with various helpful charts and graphs. Thereafter, one can hand pick any site for tagging and sharing.
User’s privacy, said Rajiv, is of paramount importance. “Our approach is based on complete transparency and the user is always in control. We have added some specific tools and features especially to make the user feel at ease.”
“We are targeting the application at avid surfers, researchers, students and even journalists. Enterprises and companies can also use hooeey to aggregate the knowledge base that their employees are adding on a daily basis”, he said.
The company has kept its options open on the suggestions made on the web application by the target audience, Rajiv said.
Experts create mother of all lasers
Experts create mother of all lasers
IANS
NEW YORK: Scientists have developed the mother of all laser beams — one that has focussed power equal to all the sunlight heading Earth’s way.
Researchers at the University of Michigan recently created the record-setting beam, which measures 20 billion trillion watts per square centimetre, Sciencedaily reported. “I don’t know of another place in the universe that would have this intensity of light. We believe this is a record,” said Karl Krushelnick, who was part of the team that created the laser.
The laser contains 300 terawatts of power, or 300 times the capacity of the entire US electricity grid, and its power is concentrated in a 1.3-micron speck — about one-100th the diameter of a human hair.
Of course, a beam like this cannot be sustained for long. This one lasted just 30 femtoseconds. A femtosecond is a millionth of a billionth of a second, the researchers said in a paper published in the online edition of the journal Optics Express.
Such intense beams could help scientists develop better proton and electron beams for radiation treatment of cancer, among other applications. The laser can produce this intense beam once every 10 seconds, whereas other powerful lasers can take an hour to recharge.
The team managed to get such high power by putting a moderate amount of energy into a very, very short time period. In addition to medical uses, intense laser beams like these could help researchers explore new frontiers in science.
Next academic year for public schools begins on Aug 24
Next academic year for public schools begins on Aug 24
By Mohsen Rashid (Our staff reporter)KHALEEJ TIMES 13 February 2008
DUBAI — The Ministry of Education (MoE) has fixed the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year for the public schools on August 24, Khaleej Times has learnt.
While the teaching and administrative staff will report for duty on August 24, the students of all grades will report for classes on August 31, reliable sources in the ministry said yesterday.
The private (foreign) schools have been given the right to fix the date of commencement of their coming academic year.
The sources said the ministry had fixed the opening date of the academic year and the holidays for both the public and private schools last year, which sparked criticism from managements of several schools and parents. Therefore this time, the ministry has let it to the private schools to decide on the opening date.
Indian students flock to China
Indian students flock to China
M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS
China is becoming a higher education hub for Indian students. More and more young men and women from India are braving the bone-chilling temperatures as well as language and food hassles to study in Chinese universities.
Diplomats say that easy admission systems, affordable fees and high standards of facilities are the chief attractions for Indian students, who now number more than 6,000 all over China.
The dominant choice of Indians is medicine. Chinese language also draws many. Clearly, Indian students are enjoying it in China.
“My (Chinese) teachers and fellow students have been very welcoming,” said Jyoti Bhattacharya, 23, from New Delhi who studies at the Beijing Language and Culture University.
Bhattacharya admitted that she was very apprehensive when she arrived in September 2007.
“But it has been a very smooth journey, very helpful,” Bhattacharya told IANS. “We have been treated very well.
“While I could have studied Chinese even in India, the exposure there was not good. Here you are speaking and hearing the language all the time. It makes a big difference. And I want to make a career.”
Added Ravi Ranjan, who teaches Indian literature and culture and also Hindi language at Peking University: “This is a good place for students from India interested in Chinese studies. Chinese universities are good when it comes to science and technology too.”
The Tianjin Medical University, located in a port city that can be reached in 90 minutes, has 400 Indian students on its rolls studying medicine. According to its International Exchange Department, the number of applications from India exceeds the available places.
According to Indians, the average tuition fee in a Chinese medical university is $2,000-$3,000. Another $1,000 is needed for board and lodging. This is a fourth of what one would spend in India.
Indian students scoring 70 percent marks and above in their own universities are the most sought after. But Indians returning home are expected to pass the Indian Medical Council test.
According to Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao, Indian students find China “cheaper possibly than any other country” when it comes to education.
“Chinese institutions of learning have also been very active in promoting themselves in India,” she said in an interview at her office.
Ranjan, 46, from Hyderabad, said that many of the Indians learning medicine in China were sons or daughters of doctors who failed to enter Indian medical institutions. “Also, it is not very expensive here,” he added.
But communication can be a daunting problem for students who know no Chinese – Putong Hua, the dominant language, or Mandarin. Although many teachers and students speak English, that language is hardly understood on the streets.
Where possible, Indian students living away from their homes provide comfort to one another. When they go sightseeing, Indians go in groups. The safety in and outside homes in China is widely appreciated.
The one area of concern for most Indians is cuisine.
Bhattacharya, who is on a 10-month language course, admitted: “I am missing my family in Delhi. And frankly, I am very much missing Indian food.”
In the circumstances, any Indian student who has culinary skills or has a relative or friend willing to serve Indian food to hungry young women and men is arguably the most popular in the community.
Diversity in All Its Diversity Conference
Diversity in All Its Diversity Conference
The Diversity in All Its Diversity Conference, was organized by Université Total on October 9, is now available in english and french versions.The synthesis of the Diversity in All Its Diversity Conference, organized by Université Total in 9th October.
The all-day event focused on three central diversity challenges: hiring more women, hiring more non-French people and integrating new recruits.
Open to both employees and the public, the conference attracted a number of representatives of other companies, such as Catalyst Europe AG, Microsoft, Vedior France, Communication et Systèmes, as well as Total managers wishing to share their diversity experiences and objectives.
To offer a broader viewpoint and suggest different approaches, researchers and academics also provided historical, social and economic insights on the various aspects of diversity. Dominique Méda, philosopher and sociologist, gave a comparative analysis of the role of women in the economies of the world’s major regions. Françoise Héritier, professor at Collège de France, spoke on the anthropological origins of gender inequality. Suzanne Berger, professor at MIT, addressed the issue of new managerial responsibilities required by globalization.
Shashi Tharoor, diplomat, writer and former Under-Secretary-General of the UN, shared his views on plurality and identity as illustrated by the case of India. Christophe de Margerie delivered the closing remarks for the conference.
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