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Recent headlines . . .
New laptops help bridge cultural gap
NT - The One Laptop Per Child program
has delivered over 200 compact laptops to children at the
Yirrkala Community Education Centre. Local clan leader Djuwalpi
Marika said, 'Education is power [...] The laptop can be
a bridge between cultures.'
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newspaper report
Commonwealth scholarship scheme commences
NATIONAL - Despite recent delays, the
roll-out of university student scholarships from the Commonwealth
will begin today.
Read newspaper report
Reveal school building rip-offs: Abbott
NATIONAL - Opposition Leader Tony Abbott
is calling on schools to reveal information on money allegedly
being wasted in the Rudd Government's school building program.
'Everyone wants to see our schools getting proper infrastructure,
but that's no excuse for wasting money,' he said.
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newspaper report
School thrilled over building success
NSW - St Michael's Primary School has
said it has achieved fantastic results with its funding
for the Building the Education Revolution. Principal Brendan
Flanagan said, 'We acted very quickly and were very vigilant
regarding the quality of workmanship on our projects and
we couldn’t be happier.'
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newspaper report
New canteen without an oven: claims
NATIONAL - St Ives Public School Parents
and Citizens President, James Beauchamp, has said a new
school canteen paid for by the Building the Education Revolution
scheme will not be as well equipped as the old canteen.
The new canteen allegedly does not include basic cooking
facilities, such as an oven or suitable cooktops.
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newspaper report
Public education enrolments grow
ACT - The ACT School Census has revealed
that the number of enrolments in public schools is growing.
Education Minister Andrew Barr said there had been a 'renewed
focus on quality on public education'.
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newspaper report
University changes concern students
ACT - Students from the Australian National
University are concerned there has not been sufficient student
consultation over changes being made to the College of Arts
and Social Sciences.
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newspaper report
International students turn away from Victoria
VIC - International student enrolments
are down by 12 per cent in Victoria compared to the same
period last year. Across the nation, they are down three
per cent compared to the same time last year.
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newspaper report
I do... want more youth allowance
SA - University of Adelaide undergraduates
Fletcher O'Leary and Lavinia Emmett-Grey have married to
protest the youth allowance system. Mr O'Leary will now
be eligible to receive over $60 more a week from the system.
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newspaper report
Tablet technology trial
QLD - Immanuel Lutheran College is one
of three schools nationwide to take part in a trial using
29 Hewlett Packard tablet computers. In the trial, the teacher
uses a tablet computer with a projector screen, and students
each have their own computer.
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newspaper report
Pressure on students for NAPLAN success
NATIONAL - Alpha Omega Education is one
of the many organisations that run National Assessment Program
Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) workshops and long-term coaching,
to help train students to do well in the tests. Some teachers
are concerned the NAPLAN tests are placing unnecessary pressure
on young students.
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newspaper report
Early birds eager for enrolment
SA - Pulteney Grammar is considering
implementing a waiting list for unborn children, after several
enquiries were made to the school by couples expecting a
child. Principal Eddie Groughan told the 'City Messenger'
newspaper, 'I just met an engineer who arrived to Australia
from England and his wife had her eight week ultrasound
recently and asked about enrolling either the boy or girl
at some point in time'.
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newspaper report
Opinion . . .
School building spending a rip-off: radio
host
NATIONAL - Radio host, Ray Hadley, questions
whether we are getting value for money for the Building
the Education Revolution funding.
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newspaper report
Teacher written textbooks pose a dilemma
NATIONAL - Blogger and 'Washington Post'
education reporter, Daniel de Vise, looks at the potential
conflict of interest over students who are required to buy
textbooks written by the teacher.
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newspaper report
Good news . . .
Harmony Day: a time for acceptance and fun
SA - Schools have celebrated Harmony
Day over the past two weeks, by taking part in activities
that promote belonging in Australia for all cultures, such
as learning about other cultures, making Chinese flags and
watching a movie focused on harmony.
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newspaper report
International
A new day for Indian education
INDIA - Free education for children up
to the eighth grade will become compulsory from today under
the Right to Education Act. The law will focus on bringing
the 8.1 million children of this age group who are not currently
attending school, back into the classroom.
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newspaper report
iPhone feedback scheme 'lacked transparency'
UK - Students have been given iPhones
to give feedback on teachers to senior management at a secondary
school in Kent as part of 'quality assurance week'. The
union has complained that the plan 'lacked transparency',
as teachers were allegedly not consulted or forewarned of
the scheme.
Read
newspaper report
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