Friday, June 30
Northeast lags USA in flood insurance
Flooding caused by the torrential rain that's swept over the Northeast in recent days will deal a severe blow to the region's homeowners, most of whom have no flood insurance.

Homeowners' insurance typically covers rain that comes in from the top or side of a house — not through basements. In most cases, only homeowners who've bought flood policies from the federal government are insured against floodwaters that seep in through the bottom of the home.

Inside high-risk flood areas, only 28% of homes are covered by federal flood insurance in the Northeast, compared with 49% nationwide, according to the Rand Corp., a research firm. Outside high-risk areas, 0.6% of Northeast homes and 1% of homes in the USA are covered by flood insurance.

"We'd have to go back over three decades to find anything comparable to the type of flooding we're seeing in the Northeast," says Dennis Feltgen, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Flooding has caused damage in states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia.

Federal flood policies pay for up to $250,000 in damage to the home's structure and $100,000 worth of damage to the contents. Those who have the government's policy, but whose homes cost more than this amount to replace, can buy additional coverage from a handful of insurance companies. To do so, a homeowners' policy with that company is often required.

Typically, "you'll get a flurry of people buying flood policies" after a major storm in the affected region, says Edward Pasterick, a senior adviser at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the flood-insurance program. The problem is that, "if nothing happens in a year or two, they'll let (the policy) lapse."

Flood insurance doesn't kick in until 30 days after it's bought. Basic homeowners' policies, by contrast, typically take effect the day of purchase.

A policy owner should report damage to a home to the insurance company as soon as possible. Insurers sell and service flood policies for the federal government, so the same adjuster will typically assess whether wind, rain or flood caused the damage.

After last year's trio of deadly hurricanes, U.S. homeowners filed lawsuits saying insurers had denied their claims even when it was unclear what caused damage to their homes. In many of these cases, insurers said flooding — including storm surges resulting from a hurricane — caused the damage and isn't covered under the policies.

J. Robert Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America advises homeowners to take pictures of the damage and keep detailed notes about their interaction with the insurance company.

"There are a lot of (insurance) companies who will try to take advantage of you if you're not alert, and even good ones make mistakes" and deny claims, Hunter says.

source: www.usatoday.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:29 PM   0 comments
Owen injury a wake-up call for income protection
But while football clubs have insurance policies in place to cover the wages of injured footballers, most families have no such policy in place to protect them should their principal earner become incapable of working, independent protection specialist Lifesearch notes.

Legally, employers only have to pay injured workers a little over £70 a week for the first six months if they are too ill to do their job, but Britons are simply not insuring their income.

"People have all sorts of insurances to cover different aspects of their lives," said Kevin Carr, senior technical adviser with LifeSearch.

"But few cover the very thing that pays for everything else - their income.

"That's because many people do not realise there is such a thing as long term income protection insurance, which is paid free of tax. It is not nearly as well promoted as life insurance or payment protection insurance."

But this ignorance could prove costly if injury or unemployment were to strike.

"According to industry statistics, an average man under 50 is twice as likely to be off work for more than six months because of an accident or sickness, than he is to die," Mr Carr explained.

"Although many employees do pay more than the minimum statutory sick pay, few will continue beyond six months.

"If you are only entitled to the minimum or are unable to work for more than six months because of sickness or injury, it could well cause major financial problems.

source: www.myfinances.co.uk
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:08 PM   0 comments
Shuttle job 'a dream,' SVSU graduate says
The 1979 Saginaw Valley State University graduate's career as a lead flight director blasts off Saturday -- weather permitting -- when he takes command of the Discovery space shuttle's 32nd ascension into space.

The promotion makes him the mission's top authority.

Ceccacci's duties include overseeing the shuttle's prime operating hours from 3 a.m. to noon from his post at Mission Control in NASA's Houston-based Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

He spent months designing plans to accomplish the seven-person flight crew's objective of testing new space equipment at the International Space Station.

Other responsibilities involve speaking directly to the astronauts from Mission Control and talking them through their various tasks, included two spacewalks planned for the mission.

"This is a dream for me," Ceccacci said. "All my hard work has paid off."

The 48-year-old began as a shuttle propulsion system engineer at NASA in 1980, fresh from earning a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering technology from SVSU.

He worked his way up through the ranks before earning a spot as one of 30 flight directors in 2000. Next month's mission -- named STS-121 -- marks his first turn as top supervisor.

source: www.mlive.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:08 PM   0 comments
Briggs Graduates Set New Standards
Blue and white "Congrats Grad" balloons hovered above the dinner tables at Chatham Manor on June 22 as family, friends and faculty members gathered to celebrate the commencement of the Briggs High School Class of 2006.

Tables were adorned with framed black-and-white portrait photographs of the graduates in their caps and gowns, and relatives chatted quietly as they waited for the honorees to enter the room. Sitting near graduate Nissia Belahi's picture was Nelly Rabinowitz, a physician's assistant at Briggs' school-based health center. She attended the event to support Belahi, as she has done for the past several years.

"I knew her in junior high," Rabinowitz said, smiling. "She started out a typical teenager."

Over the years, Rabinowitz has watched Belahi transform from a rambunctious adolescent into a strong young woman who is serious about her studies, she said. "She's going into nursing," Rabinowitz said, beaming with pride. "We've had a very close relationship."

Belahi was born in Algeria, Rabinowitz said. Her parents moved to the Norwalk area when Belahi was about 10 years old in search of a better life and a better education for their two daughters. "Education was the last thing on her list as a young girl now it is her priority."

Rabinowitz first met Belahi at the Briggs health center several years ago and became her mentor. "We came to like each other," Rabinowitz said. "Through boyfriend issues, parent issues, school issues, I tried to keep her on track."

The smaller classrooms and "constant nurturing" environment at Briggs helped Belahi "to flourish," Rabinowitz said. "Nissia exemplifies the typical student that comes to Briggs not knowing who they are and where they're going. There's no way she could have been in a big high school."

She added, "That was not just a school it was a second family."

The mother of fellow graduate Jonathan Addison agreed that the environment at Briggs helped him to succeed. Now he's thinking about his future, said Karen Addison. "He's trying to find a school where he can do music."

Her son wants to be a producer. "He likes rap," she said. The Briggs staff continues to work with him to try to find the right school to continue his education, she said.

Jonathan Addison transferred to Briggs last year after attending Brien McMahon High School. Briggs "was smaller, so he got more help," his mother said. "The staff was really good with him."

A positive influence was the school principal, Alaine Lane, who was "always trying to work with him and help him," Karen Addison said. "McMahon was just so big. Making it to class on time that was a struggle for him."

Karen Addison described her son as someone who makes friends easily. "He has a good heart. He likes to make people laugh," she said.

When asked what she hopes for her son's future, she said, "Just to succeed in everything he wants to be."

Soon after, the families and friends, Mayor Richard Moccia, Superintendent of Schools Salvatore Corda, state Sen. Bob Duff and members of the Board of Education clapped and cheered as the graduates descended the staircase and took their seats on the dance floor. Lane welcomed everyone and announced that this class had set a new standard for the school. "This class of graduates, 2006, are our first class to participate in our ever-expanding partnership with Norwalk Community College," she said.

September 2005 marked the beginning of the Briggs/Norwalk Community College Academy, through which half of the graduating class attended NCC on Fridays and participated in a college English class. "This is a very exciting program," Lane told the audience. "You graduates proved what we at Briggs knew all along that you were perfectly capable of completing college work."

Lane said that after meeting with each student, she was impressed with his or her decisions, some of which have been very difficult, like "severing ties with friends who have been holding you back."

Lane went down the line of graduates, calling them by each by name and offering anecdotes about their progress or the obstacles they had to overcome to earn their diplomas.

"Jonathan, you made some really hard decisions this year. First you made the decision to return to Briggs after returning to your old high school, recognizing that the smaller environment at Briggs would help you to graduate, and when your friends, your 'boys' tried to get you to leave school early, you told them 'no.' You returned to Briggs to graduate from high school." The room erupted with applause.

"Nissia, you also made the choice to return to Briggs," she said. That decision, Lane added, allowed Belahi to take part in the Briggs/NCC Academy and make the dean's list, among other accomplishments.

"Maxi [Dorleans], what can I say? You came to us as a hall walker," Lane said. "Then you turned yourself around so much that the entire student body voted you most improved student."

Jemard Davis, Lane said, learned how to say he was sorry. "That's a huge, huge accomplishment for you, and I'm really proud of you."

John Acosta, Angella Barinotto, Sean Bracey, Tanisha Edward, Edner Lors, Chris Mungo, Xanious Ross and Melissa Vega were addressed in turn, and Joseph Wright was absent.

"Academically this class has set a new standard for our school. You are the first class to have to pass the [Connecticut Academic Performance Test] and participated in the dreaded grad prep classes in English, math and science. You worked hard, and the quality of your work was excellent, because, again, you are perfectly capable academically," Lane said.

NCC Professor Mike Butcaris, who taught the Briggs students at NCC, gave the keynote address. He, Corda and Board of Education member Richard Fuller commended the graduates on their achievements despite adversity and wished them well in the future.

Moccia sat among the students and offered his congratulations as well. "You overcame a lot because you made the right decisions at the right time, and let me tell you, keep doing that. Don't let anybody talk you into not being yourself. You've received a wonderful education," he said. "As mayor, this is what makes my job so nice to be able to meet all of you, see what you've accomplished. They can never take that diploma away from you. Remember that."

Belahi, the student speaker, thanked the faculty members for their continued support through the years.

"The first time I ever heard of Briggs High School I was attending Brien McMahon," she said. One of her friends was getting transferred to Briggs. "I asked, 'What's Briggs High School?'" Her friend informed her, "That's where all the bad kids go."

She told him, "Well, you're not bad," but he felt that people at McMahon thought so, she said.

"A couple of months went by, and high school just wasn't fun for me anymore," Belahi continued. "I started skipping classes here and there, and then I went from skipping classes to skipping school."

After a while her absences caught up with her. "My house master called my mother and told her about me skipping school. When my house master told me that she called my mother, I knew that I was in so much trouble because my mother sacrificed so much in her life to get our family where we are today. One thing that she never played around with was school," Belahi said, fighting back tears.

Her mother asked her why she had not been going to school. "I remember I was so scared that I couldn't say anything. Then she told me, 'We have a meeting with the house master the next day so be ready to talk then.'"

The next day Belahi's house master informed her that she would be transferred to Briggs. "I said, 'Isn't that where all the bad kids go?' She said, 'Yes. You're getting transferred there next quarter,'" Belahi said, and her mother signed off on the transfer papers.

With the help of the Briggs staff and Lane, Belahi got through her high school years.

"Briggs wasn't a school for bad kids after all," Belahi said. It provided an environment with more one-on-one work with teachers. "The teachers really care about whether you succeed in school and life. Briggs was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Fighting back more tears she added, "I want to thank my mother for being the strongest woman alive and the best mother I could have. I want to thank my father, who I love so much, and my favorite and only sister and all of my friends who are so close to me and, again, congratulations Class of 2006."

source: www.norwalkcitizen-news.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:08 PM   0 comments
China graduates face job crunch despite boom
With the trees in bloom and the sun shining, students strolling the grounds of Beijing's leafy university campuses shouldn't have a care in the world.

They've marked themselves out as China's best and brightest by winning coveted places in college and are graduating into a country experiencing breakneck economic growth, social change and cultural revival.

So why is Bai Yun worried?

The 21-year-old will soon have a degree in computer automation, but he's still struggling to find work, one of a growing number graduating only to face the unthinkable prospect of unemployment.

"When we pass the test and finally get into university, none of us consider what kind of work we might be able to get three or four years later when we graduate," he said.

But with about 750,000 more students graduating into the workforce this year compared to last, the competition is getting tougher, leaving the 20-somethings whose studies have often left them with little practical know-how floundering to find work.

"University students want to find an ideal job, but they don't really understand how society works. In reality they don't know what kind of job would be suitable," said Bai.

"And the competition is fierce."

The spectre of unemployment is not only a worry for the students, but also for a government aware of past student activism. The student-led Tiananmen Square movement in 1989 was fuelled in part by discontent over the impact of high inflation.

MISMATCH

At the same time, multinational companies report a shortage of skilled workers, leaving China with a mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market.

New graduates no longer want to work in the heavy industries that fuelled China's growth a generation ago, but face a service industry and small- and medium-sized enterprise sector that are too underdeveloped to absorb them.

"The same economic growth cannot provide the same employment it did several years ago," said Zhang Jian, a senior economist at the Asian Development Bank.

Graduates also often want their first job to be the one they stick with, fearing that if they move around, they'll lose coveted benefits like pensions and health care.

Those willing to take risks and strike out on their own are faced with a banking sector dominated by state banks that are more used to lending to state-owned enterprises than small business ventures.

"If graduating students want to create their own business, they will find it difficult to find financial channels -- they can't find capital, they can't get bank loans" said Zhang.

Twenty-five-year-old Chen Na will soon have her masters degree in journalism.

She has just found a job -- months she says, after most graduating students -- but the work at English-language teaching supplement is not ideal.

Chen went straight from university to graduate school, and says now she wonders if she should have had some work experience in between.

"I thought it might be a problem, so while I was studying I took internships to get some experience. But afterward I discovered when I started looking for work that some people don't consider that real experience," she said.

MOVE TO THE HINTERLAND?

Her thoughts echo a report last year by McKinsey & Co. that said China's education system emphasised theory over practical solutions, leaving fewer than 10 percent of job candidates suitable for work in foreign companies as engineers, accountants, analysts and other careers.

Wary of the potential instability a pool of well-educated, unemployed youth could have, the government is taking notice.

A Ministry of Education notice said about one-quarter of last year's graduates were unemployed and outlined remedial steps including controlling the increase in university enrolment and encouraging students to look for work outside the big cities.

More than 55,000 students took the government up on the offer and went to work in less developed western provinces, the official Xinhua news agency has said, lured in part by favourable policies including pledges to cancel their debts in compensation.

But the solution is not for everyone.

Bai grew up in Beijing and he wants to stay there.

Chen, who is from the coastal province of Shandong, says the capital offers more opportunities than her hometown, a sentiment she says is shared by most of her classmates.

"Every year a lot of students come to Beijing, but very few leave," she said.

For those yet to find work, the options may be narrowing.

"We're all about 24 or 25. At that age you can't forever rely on your family for your living," she said of her classmates.

"All they can do is keep looking."
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:07 PM   0 comments
New college grads should master financial boomerang
Watching a boomerang in operation is appealing. Unlike throwing most American projectiles, such as the baseball, football, basketball and other straight-shooting orbs, the boomerang is different. When correctly mastered, the boomerang returns to its sender. However, when picked up and tossed by an amateur, this inexperienced hurler usually fails, and the boomerang dives into the earth.

I think it's strange that my generation has been quickly related to the ''Aussie arrow'' for falling to the ground ourselves. College graduation, once the highlight to one's career and a short, unfettered road to a job, has become a time of difficult challenge for many young folks. While many (especially those in the fields of science, nursing and accounting) enjoy the delights of easily finding a job, an increasing number of young, degree-wielding adults are confronted with the snags of a highly competitive job market, debt, housing prices and the expectation of a middle-class lifestyle.

Finding that job, especially one with exceptional security, has become as elusive as finding ways to get that boomerang to return to an amateur's hand. The expectation to receive a college degree has created a multitude of people with bachelor's degrees. Meanwhile, cost-trimming, outsourcing and other elements have reduced or eliminated potential positions. In addition, colleges have begun looking at enrollment as an increasing form of profit and not as a pathway to securing a job.

Instead of counseling students on how to graduate in four years in the fields that employers seek, schools often become too fixated on the bottom line. Looking at the escalating admission numbers at any university across the United States, one wonders what happens to all of these young graduates once they exit college.

Debt. That's what happens.

The typical amount of debt each new graduate owes some lender stands at $19,000. Coupled with the average 22 year old's credit card debt ($3,000) and the inability to find a job in his or her field, young ''boomerangers'' certainly are not looking at the peachy skies promised to them. And the clouds darken the image as tuition rises every year (Pennsylvania's state-school rate is quickly approaching $10,000), state and federal grants and scholarships decrease and student loan interest rates spike from 3.37 percent to over 7 percent on July 1.

Many new graduates have ignored the portent and are looking for a way to edge the competition. This can be through non-paid internships or by enlistment in graduate, law and professional schools at an alarming rate. Thus, they accrue more debt and, as moms and dads can relate, keeps them at home longer.

In addition, the housing market has blanketed 20-somethings in more fiscal stress. The median home price is out of the reach of my generation. Across the United States, that price is at $213,000. Add $30,000 more if you plan to stay in the Lehigh Valley.

Yet, I believe that the biggest contributor to my generation's downfall is our own egocentrism. We expect to leave our parents' home and live in a roughly similar, if not better condition — with all the fixings. When a young professional lands a job, the first move is not to set up a 401(k), save for a wedding or to make investments. Rather, he or she takes out friends and buys them shots of Grey Goose all night, tosses $35,000 at a flashy car, upgrades the wardrobe and takes a vacation.

My suggestion: Learn how to properly wield the power of the boomerang. While it might plummet into the ground after the first few tosses, eventually, it will soar. However, also learn how to catch it, or it will smack you in the face, sending you back home with mom and dad — again.

source: www.mcall.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:07 PM   0 comments
Thursday, June 29
Pacifica students earn Comcast Foundation Leadership and Achievers scholarship grants

Shifawn Falley, Janet Tsui, and Sophia Espanola, all of Pacifica, have been included in the list of 100 graduating Bay Area high school seniors earning Comcast's Leaders and Achievers $1,000 grants from The Comcast Foundation for outstanding commitment to community service.

Shifawn, a 2006 graduate of S.R. Martin College Preparatory School in San Bruno, will be attending Texas Southern University in the fall. Janet, a 2006 graduate of Oceana High School in Pacifica, will be attending University of California Davis in the fall. Sophia, a 2006 graduate of Mercy High School in Burlingame, will be attending University of California Los Angeles in the fall.

The Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, funded through The Comcast Foundation, recognizes high-school seniors for exemplary community service, leadership skills, positive attitude, and academic achievement. In 2006, the program will grant over $1.7 million, recognizing 1,728 students attending high schools in Comcast communities across the country. This year, Comcast recognized 100 young people from the Bay Area. Since its inception in 2000, the program has awarded more than $5.8 million in scholarships.

"These students are making a tremendous impact in their community by volunteering in a variety of ways including peer tutoring, summer learning programs and beach clean up projects," said Comcast Area Vice President Doug Schulz. "Comcast is proud to recognize them and all of the other outstanding recipients of the 2006 Leaders and Achievers scholarship grants. Their achievements embody Comcast's commitment to the Bay Area, which we support in a number of ways, including connecting schools with free cable and high-speed Internet service and local literacy programs."

The Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program is managed by Scholarship Program Administrators — an independent, not-for-profit organization that manages corporate and corporate foundation scholarship programs. For more information on the Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, visit www.comcast.com/scholarships.

source: www.pacificatribune.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 9:56 AM   0 comments
Scholarship Fund: Students agree to return to Utah to practice
Thirteen more Utahns will get a piece of a $1 million state scholarship fund to offset higher out-of-state tuition in other states. Thirty-two Utahns already are using money from the fund to prepare for careers in veterinary medicine, optometry and podiatry.
No Utah college offers a doctoral degree program in those fields.
In return for the scholarships, the students have agreed to return to Utah to practice.
Nine of the scholarships are a result of the professional student exchange among universities in neighboring states covered by the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE). Participating schools include Colorado State University, Washington State University and Southern California College of Optometry. The program was established in the early 1950s to assist graduate students who wanted to enroll in graduate degree programs not available in their home state.

- Shinika A. Sykes
posted by ^%&^ @ 9:50 AM   0 comments
Monty student receives scholarship
Central Mass Web Design announces that Evan Oliveri of Rutland, a Montachusett Vocational Technical School student, was the recipient of its annual scholarship to a graduating senior who continues their education in graphic and web design.

source: www.thelandmark.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 9:45 AM   0 comments
TESDA grants scholarship to deserving students
The Technical Education Skills and Development Authority’s (TESDA) Scholarship Program grants government scholarship to over a hundred scholars taking various accredited courses under the Unified Program Registration and Accreditation System (UPRAS).

Elisa C. Cepe, Senior Technical Education and Skills Development Specialist in the province said the scholars are provided financial assistance of P4,500.00 per semester, P500.00 monthly allowance and P250.00 book allowance per semester.

TESDA Scholarship Admission Criteria include among others the passing of the qualifying test, High School General Average of 80 and above and the parents or family annual income is P120,000.00 and below.

Cepe stressed that the government’s scholarship program is being implemented to help poor and deserving students coming from families with a monthly income of P10,000.00 and below.

The scholars have the liberty of choosing any course under the UPRAS category, among which are Computer Programming; Computer Technician; Secretarial; Diploma in Information Technology; Electronics Technology; Foster-Giver; Care-Giver; Nursing Assistant; Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM); Hotel and Restaurant Services; and Seafarer.

To guide students in choosing their careers or jobs, TESDA conducts Career Guidance/Counseling Services in schools.

The scholarship program responds to the government’s Ten-Point Agenda, especially on creation of jobs and employment, explained Cepe.

TESDA in addition to the scholarship program conducts Competency Assessment and Accreditation test formerly called Trade Test, in order to enhance job or career qualifications and better employment opportunities that will address poverty and unemployment.

source: www.pia.gov.ph
posted by ^%&^ @ 9:34 AM   0 comments
Wednesday, June 28
Study abroad program offers students new perspectives

Because of opportunities offered by Purdue's Study Abroad program, Jen Ramos is now studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"I studied abroad two years ago in Mazatlan, right on the West Coast of Mexico," said Ramos, a graduating senior in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences. "It was a great experience and it opened my eyes to other parts of the world."

Ramos still keeps in contact with her host, her "Mexican mom," who she said became a good friend. She also spoke well of the Mexican hospitality in general.

"The best reason to go is to help your language skills and to learn more about yourself," she said. "I learned so much about myself. You can go anytime, as long as you plan ahead and don't forget you can always go after you graduate."

To study abroad, students must have a sophomore standing, but that doesn't mean new students shouldn't start planning ahead.

Michael Bittinger, a coordinator for the program, said his main goal when talking to freshmen is to provide them with information so they know their options.

"Once students are eligible, they already have the seeds planted in their heads," he said. "After that, they can meet with an adviser who can help them pick the right programs. The change brought on by an international experience equals a differing and broader perspective of our world that a typical classroom cannot provide."

Bittinger said one thing people always ask him is why he thinks a student should study abroad.

"Traveling gives students an unparalleled opportunity to test and hone many skills and to acquire new ones," he said. "It stimulates and strengthens the spirit of open-mindedness, of interest and appreciation for the art, history and culture of other peoples."

He said interested students should take part in the Study Abroad Fair, Aug. 30 in Memorial Mall. There students can pick up program information, talk to students who have studied abroad, set up meetings with study abroad advisers and get a free lunch.

"Study abroad is extremely important to today's student, and is rapidly becoming an essential part of a college education."

The Study Abroad Program offers over 200 programs, which range in length from one week to one year and they are located in more than 45 countries. For exchange or Purdue programs, the tuition and fees are the same as Purdue and for a co-sponsored program it could be more or less expensive than Purdue's tuition. The cost of living while studying abroad is comparable to the cost of living in West Lafayette. Financial aid and scholarships are applicable for all programs. For more information, students can visit the study abroad Web site,

www.studyabroad.purdue.edu.
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:21 PM   0 comments
Development boundaries address social needs - PM
During a media briefing, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that the proposed extension of development boundaries will be addressing the country’s social need while numerous families who have small areas of land will be able to develop them.

The proposed development boundaries are fundamental for young couples who decide to buy property, Prime Minister Gonzi said.

According to the Prime Minister, although many criticized the proposed extensions, hardly any critique had reached the Malta Environment & Planning Authority (MEPA) which had set Friday 23rd June as the deadline for the public consultation on the development zone boundaries. This means that all recognised that the set criteria were good, he said.

During the media briefing, Gonzi that during 2005, the country’s economy saw an annual increase of 2.5 per cent.

Meanwhile, during Q1 of 2006, the rate has gone up to 3.1 per cent. These are positive and encouraging economic results, Gonzi said, which are confirmed by the European Commission’s report.

During 2005, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was the highest in six years. On the other hand, the deficit nearly made the Maastricht criteria at 3 per cent of the GDP, the Prime Minister continued.

During the press conference, Prime Minister Gonzi also said that Malta will be joining the European electricity system and might resort to offshore wind farms.

source: www.maltamedia.com
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:21 PM   0 comments
The Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki is popular among exchange students.
According to new statistics by the Centre for International Mobility CIMO, nearly 8,500 Finnish students went abroad last year for student exchange or practical training.

The number increased by a couple of hundred since 2004. The overall number of Finnish exchange students abroad has increased in two successive years.

“If we look at the field of study, the most mobile students come from the visual arts, music, law and business studies. In these fields, nearly half of the students spend sometime studying abroad," says Irma Garam, Senior Adviser, from CIMO.

One in four university students study for some time abroad, while one in seven polytechnics students pursue studies abroad. The average stay is five months.

Finland also attracts international students. In 2005, there were more foreign exchange students and trainees in Finland than ever before.

“Finnish universities offer a great variety of courses in English so language should be no obstacle to coming to Finland,” Garam says. Besides the high standard of education in Finland, international students are interested in the well-functioning society, high technology and the culture that is considered slightly exotic.

The University of Helsinki had 1,387 international students in 2005, most of them in the Faculty of Arts. Other popular fields include social and natural sciences.

source: www.helsinki.fi
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:20 PM   0 comments
Government launches Scholarship Scheme
The Malta Government Scholarship Scheme was officially launched on Tuesday with an initial sum of Lm 200,000 allocated towards the scheme for 2006. The scheme aims to create the same incentives for the UoM as those available for fee based universities in other countries to attract the best students.

The key objectives of this Scholarship scheme are:
- To encourage and promote more student participation in higher levels of academic research, both locally and internationally.
- To assist exceptional students to pursue further levels of academic research
- To contribute towards research in identified areas requiring expertise
- To increase the capacity and level of research and development activity at the University of Malta and in Malta generally

Education Minister Dr. Louis Galea said that in a knowledge-based economy, it is imperative to have a very strong base of Master’s and Doctorate programmes researching innovative and creative hypothesis that ultimately bring intellectual and economic growth and society.

Over the last decade there has been an overall expansion in the higher education sector with figures almost doubling from 10,648 in 1994 to 19,057 in 2004. The percentage of people aged 25 and over and who were participating in higher education had risen from 3.9% in 2004 to 5.3% in 2005. Persons aged 20-24 who had at least post-secondary education stood at 56% in 2005 up from 44.9% in 2002. Post-graduate education in Malta has also increased over the years, mainly through part-time provision whilst low numbers are registered in doctorate studies.

The Scheme complements other schemes such as the Chevening Scholarship offered by the British Council, the Commonwealth Scholarship, and the Youth Specialisation Studies Scheme which is a result of collaboration between the Government and APS bank.

The distribution of the funds allocated for this year’s scholarships is 25% (Lm60,000) allocated for Masters degrees, that is, approximately 15-20 students will be sponsored (between Lm3,000 to Lm5,000 for each award depending on University applied for). Whilst 75% (Lm140,000) is to be allocated for Doctoral programmes. Approximately 8 to 10 students will be sponsored (approximately Lm15,000 per award over an average three year duration).

Minister Galea said that Government will seek to encourage the growth of the scholarship fund through local and international, public and private, sources of co-finance.

The Ministry is to set up a Malta Scholarship Selection Board (MGSSB) to administer and operate the process of selection. Awards are tenable at any local or international university or higher education institution for a specific programme of study or research approved by the National Commission for Higher Education. Only those institutions recognised by the relevant authorities in the country of their origin shall be taken into consideration by the Selection Board.

Eligible candidates are invited to submit their application, including CV, transcripts, and the nature and objectives of the proposal for the relative scholarship.
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:20 PM   0 comments
Manning awards scholarship to student

The prodigal son returned. And he came bearing gifts.

On Thursday, former Tennessee star Peyton Manning returned to his alma mater to award the ninth annual Peyton Manning Scholarship to Nora Sue Hutchison of Anderson County High School.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been nine years, and we’ve had nine scholarship award winners,” Manning said. “Nora certainly fits the criteria. She has had an outstanding high school career in the athletic environment and certainly in the academic world. I’m just glad UT is getting her as a student.”

Hutchison left high school with a 4.0 grade-point average and salutatorian honors in the Class of 2006. During her high school career, she was a member of the soccer, tennis, track and volleyball teams. She excelled on the soccer field, earning all-state honors twice.

Hutchison was especially honored to be bestowed the honor with Manning’s name attached.

“It’s kind of beyond being able to express it,” Hutchison said. “What he does for the community and for the school, it speaks volumes, I think, about his personality. I’m just honored and in awe to be here.”

A speech communication major who was No. 1 in his 1997 graduating class, Manning is the career-passing leader at Tennessee with 11,201 yards, a 62.5 completion percentage and 89 touchdown passes. The Manning Scholarship is funded from gifts that were received due to Manning’s academic achievements and other private gifts that have been donated.

“You learn how grateful some of these students are and how they take advantage of the opportunity,” Manning said. “Most of these students who have won this scholarship have studied abroad. We have students in law school and in [medical] school. They take advantage of the financial aid opportunity and have benefited themselves. These are our future leaders of tomorrow.”

Manning intends to keep in touch with Hutchison, who plans on studying architecture in the fall, just as he has done with the eight previous winners.

“I’ve kept up with all the winners,” he said. “They have written me letters and keep me updated on what they’re doing as far as in school and out in the business world. It’s always been something very special to me.”

The efforts of Manning to help due to his financial success is not something that is limited to this scholarship. He also has started his own foundation and helps the local youth of Indianapolis. This type of work is something Manning only hopes to make more commonplace.

“I’ll certainly continue to do some community work after I am done playing, but I think right now, while you are playing and have a platform, you can make the biggest impact,” he said.
posted by ^%&^ @ 1:20 PM   0 comments
Tuesday, June 27
CSA at Beijing Language & Culture University
he Beijing Language & Culture University was founded in 1962. All levels are offered: beginning thru advanced. 20 hours of class per week. Housing is in campus dormitory. Excursions are offered within Beijing and to other cities. Low cost. Earn college credit. Open to all adults. See CSA website for details.

Highlights: Located in center of Beijing. All levels are offered. Transcript from the University. Good dorm rooms reserved for CSA students. Airport pick-up service available. Summer, Semester, and Quarter terms offered. Low cost. Earn college credit.

Subject Areas :
  • Asian Studies
  • Chinese Language
    		•

    Cost in US$: See CSA website.

    Cost Includes: Full tuition, registration, good dorm room confirmation on campus, transcript(certificate), student support services, campus facilities, some excursions. Meals are not included but average about $125 per month at campus cafeteria.

    Experience Required: no

    Participants Travel to China Independently

    Typically Participants Work Independently

    Typically The Application Process Time Is 1 - 2 months

    Center For Study Abroad, CSA International's Mission Statement: Since 1990, CSA has strived to provide quality education programs overseas at a good value. Programs are open to all adults, for Study Abroad is for everyone.

    source: www.studyabroaddirectory.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 9:35 AM   0 comments
    interstudy: University of Cape Town - South Africa
    Cape Town is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with long beaches, striking mountains, and picturesque vineyards. It also offers all the amenities of a cosmopolitan city: restaurants, parks, markets, shops, museums, cafes, and historic architecture.

    Campus: The University is located on the slopes of Table Mountain, with breathtaking views of the mountains, the city, and the sea. UCT also has a vibrant student life, including 130 sports clubs and societies and opportunities for community service, all of which are open to interstudy students.

    Highlights:
    Interstudy's open academic policy allows students to take virtually any course offered at the host institution, allowing for full academic integration. The specific academic strengths at Cape Town include African Studies, Environmental & Geographical Science, Hebrew & Jewish Studies, Historical Studies, and Political Studies.

    Subject Areas :
  • Accounting
  • African Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Architecture
  • Art History
  • Art/Fine Arts
  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology(General)
  • Botany
  • Business Admin. & Mngmt.
  • Classical Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Engineering (Chemical)
    		•
  • Engineering (Computer)
  • Engineering (Electrical)
  • Engineering (Mechanical)
  • English
  • Environmental Sci. (Atmosph.)
  • Environmental Studies
  • French
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Information Systems
  • International Relations
  • Jewish Studies
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Linguistics
  • Literature
    		•
  • Marine Science
  • Mathematics
  • Meteorology
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science/Politics
  • Pre-Law
  • Psychology
  • Religious Studies
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Theater, Drama, Dance
  • Urban & Regional Planning
  • Zoology & Wildlife Sciences
    		•

    Cost in US$: Please See our Website

    Cost Includes: Program fees include: tuition, student housing, Visa processing fees, pre-departure orientation materials, course pre-selection, airport pick-up, on-site orientation, an optional meal allowance, a cell phone, a bank account and debit card with money transfers, an excursion weekend, advising and counseling services, and an International Student Identification Card (ISIC). Additional items included in our program fees can be found in our free catalog.

    Experience Required: no

    Participants Travel to South Africa Independently Or in Groups

    Scholarships are Available. - A limited number of interstudy Scholarships Awards are available for each enrollment period. They are based on need and merit. Applications can be found on the interstudy website.

    source: www.studyabroaddirectory.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 9:03 AM   0 comments
    European Study Abroad Center- Summer in Prague!

    The time is now to make your summer plans! Why not make it a valuable experience in a beautiful city with tons to do and see? ESAC hosts a four week study abroad program in July and August in summer 2006, located in Prague, Czech Republic with weekend excursions to beautiful Vienna (Austria) and exciting Bratislava (Slovakia) built in at no extra cost. Meet the locals, study business and marketing by visiting the companies and firms directly and take a summer cruise of Europe's most spectacular city! This program is a great bargain for your hard earned cash and includes more than you would ever dream of.

    How about spending your summer focusing on fun and earning college credits at the same time' Magical views of Charles Bridge, local jazz clubs, excellent faculty, medieval cities. Experience Prague!

    Highlights: A focus on fun! Visit a brewery, climb a mountain, explore a medieval castle, meet business people and local students, sip coffee in a hidden cafe, study the European Union by actually being there, catch a glimpse of Czech life from a river boat ride down the Vltava-the choice is yours.

    A typical day would look something like this: Class will be held in the morning in a modern classroom facility, followed by lunch and afternoon site visit to Microsoft to listen to a senior level Microsoft manager talk about marketing strategies in Eastern Europe. Your evening may consist of a picnic in the park with you and your friends and their guitars or you might sneak off to the opera for mere pennies. The next day you might be free to explore Prague or join a small group to visit a crystal factory or museum. Some site visits are scheduled, while others will be arranged based upon an individual student's interest.

    Qualifications: Students from anywhere in the world are encouraged to apply! The minimum requirements for participating in an ESAC program are:
    - You are currently a student in good standing at an accredited college or university.
    - You have maintained a minimum GPA of 2.5.
    - If you are currently not an enrolled student, you must demonstrate an interest in the program of study.

    Application Deadline: May 12, 2006 (application and $100 deposit/applied to program cost).
    Applicant acceptance: Within 5 days. Applicants applying after May 12, 2006 will be considered if space is still available.

    source: www.studyabroaddirectory.com

    posted by ^%&^ @ 8:59 AM   0 comments
    The World Awaits

    For almost twenty years, International Studies Abroad (ISA) has been helping students see the world. ISA currently offers study abroad programs in Spain, Italy, France, England, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Each academic program is designed to help students gain a cultural understanding and personal independence that can only be achieved by living and studying in another country.

    ISA program participants can study Spanish, French, or Italian at any proficiency level or can choose from programs taught entirely in English. Many ISA programs also offer the unique opportunity to enroll in courses with local students. As a result of the wide variety of ISA programs available, students are able to select the program that best suits their personal interests and individual academic goals. By becoming fully immersed in the culture, customs, and ideals of the host country, each participant gains skills, experiences, and memories that will last a lifetime.

    Source: www.studiesabroad.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 8:54 AM   0 comments
    Monday, June 26
    Students plant saplings in school

    CHENNAI: It was only apt that a project to upgrade the environment be launched from a school that understood the value of conserving nature.

    In the courtyard of the Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School on Jones Road in West Saidapet, environment activists advised girls from class VIII to XII who sat under the shade of a banyan tree and three pungai trees on the need to conserve nature.

    West Saidapet Exnora Innovators Club launched a project to upgrade the environment in the area, under Ward 135 of Chennai Corporation, by planting trees in the school. The aim is to plant 830 saplings in three months. Exnora members will take up garbage segregation and install compost bins to provide manure for the trees.

    Chief Conservator of Forests S. Balaji who inaugurated the project, praised the school for its clean environs. He called on each student to plant a tree in front of her house and nurture it for five years.

    He explained that the slow growing pungai (Indian breech), neem trees and the fragrant marmalli (Millingtonia) were good for health. Tamarind trees should be planted along highways, and Gulmohar in deep pits so that they were not uprooted in squalls, he said. He gave away saplings to five students who planted them on the school premises. Ten trees would be planted on the school premises.

    Councillor M. Balasubramanian praised the students' commitment to studies and recalled that students scored good marks and were on a par with those in private schools.

    source: www.hindu.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:32 PM   0 comments
    The cost of 'free' education

    Each summer, as the school year closes, the Knesset Education Committee deliberates the payments that schools demand from parents for the coming term. For the past few years, the committee has ritually been urged to refuse to ratify the payments. This year has been no exception.

    The next part of the ritual, as played out over the years, has been for the schools to continue collecting considerable sums, even though the system doesn't officially sanction them.

    By some estimates parents shell out some NIS 2 billion annually. This money often disappears inside the maze of individual schools' bookkeeping.

    As a rule of thumb, the higher a neighborhood's socio-economic status and the higher the child's grade, the more is required from parents, regardless of the fact that this isn't legally compulsory.

    By law, families who cannot afford school payments may ask for assistance (a NIS 46 million fund finances payments for about 130,000 kids). But this is a demeaning process, and one which often ends in rejection of the request. In many schools, a professed inability to pay produces demands for deeds to show whether the family owns its place of residence, documentation about family-owned vehicles and bank statements and/or certification from municipal welfare authorities showing whether it is on relief.

    Rather than end such humiliation and unlawful intrusiveness, Education Minister Yuli Tamir is now proposing to make a bad situation worse by linking school payments to families' economic status, whatever that may mean. This might give legal license to each school principal to hound parents, check out their finances and turn schools into yet another taxation organ.

    All this is going on, remember, within a system that prides itself on providing free egalitarian education to all. Reality belies the ideal.

    Much of the money raised by "parental payments" goes to what's euphemistically dubbed the "culture basket," which includes school trips, theatrical performances and school parties. Two years ago, when teachers declared a partial strike and refused to partake in "culture basket" excursions, the kids were not much the worse but a hue and cry went up from hostel owners and showbiz enterprises. Without income from schools they couldn't survive. The bottom line is that part of the parents' payments are in effect artificially sustaining failing commercial ventures, not all of which are remotely deserving of school endorsement.

    Children whose parents cannot pay are humiliatingly left behind when classmates go on trips. The same goes for school parties, which grow more prohibitively expensive every year. But parents also often even have to pay for ordinary school pageants. In many schools, furthermore, parents are charged for the costs of annual ceremonies such as that memorializing Yitzhak Rabin. In these cases, while no one would argue with the educational value, the question is why are they not funded through regular school budgets? Too many schools don't perform even more rudimentary tasks. Very few remedial classes are available in our schools, for instance, and there is no norm or teachers providing minimal extra assistance to students who request it.

    Indeed most Israeli families are forced send their children to private tutors if they want to ensure a full education. The schools themselves encourage this practice. Thus a whole system of "gray education" operates to fulfill functions that the schools should but don't.

    Overall, then, the notion that our system provides "free" education has become a sham. Hard-working parents are bullied or humiliated into paying unofficial taxes, and also then have to finance private tutoring for their children.

    source: www.jpost.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 12:59 PM   0 comments
    Success University Announces Free Education & Motivational Courses
    Success University Announces Free Education & Motivational Courses

    See, hear, and learn from the top leaders in the fields of motivation, leadership, sales, networking, relationships, real estate, finances, and communication - all from the comfort of your home or office. Now announcing a Free, 14-day preview of all courses and seminars.

    Free Trial members have immediate access to dozens of streaming audio and video courses from many of the greatest speakers, authors, and educators of all time. Presenters include Les Brown, Tony Alessandra, Bill Brooks, Jay Abraham, Jim Rohn, and many others.

    Membership includes access to the Jim Rohn Success Plan, featuring weekly training from Jim Rohn along with a downloadable workbook and audio MP3's. Members also receive immediate access to Success University's Monthly Achievement Programs, featuring lessons and training on various topics that show how to dramatically increase wealth and performance while living a more fun and fulfilling life.

    Free Trial members also have access to free bonuses, theirs to keep forever, including:

    - The Speed Reading Course where you'll learn the step-by-step actions you'll want to take allowing you to not only read at lightning speed, but also to remember more of what you have read.

    - Net Marketing Success on MP3 that will show you how everyday people are making it big on the net.

    - How to Instantly Double Your Deductions and Slash Your Taxes to the Bone where you'll learn secret tax strategies that most accountants and CPA's don't even know about.

    To learn more and begin a 14-Day Free Trial with unlimited access to all courses, seminars, and bonuses visit:

    http://ebeard1.successuniversity.com/specialoffer

    Success University also offers a home based business opportunity for those who desire to make substantial income from home. Anyone can begin a business part-time working from home and expand to full-time if desired. Full training and complete support is provided.

    Source: business.press-world.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 12:59 PM   0 comments
    FG, states sued over free education

    THE federal and the 36 states governments have been sued over the non-implementation of Child’s Rights Act 2003 and free Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act 2004.

    Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, who instituted the suit, wanted a Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the defendants to provide “compulsory and free primary and junior secondary school education for every Nigerian child.”

    Those who were said to have joined as defendants were the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Attorneys-General of all the 36 states.

    Falana was also seeking an order directing all the defendants to, with immediate effect, remove all children from the streets and enrol them in appropriate schools.

    He contended that the non-implementation of the two acts was responsible for social vices in the nation.

    source: www.tribune.com.ng
    posted by ^%&^ @ 12:56 PM   0 comments
    Sunday, June 25
    SHRO-Cairo Women Activists’ Training Workshop
    Recently, eleven women activists completed a SHRO-Cairo training workshop. The workshop included 11 sessions dedicated to the discussion of human rights instruments with a special emphasis on the women’s rights.

    Interviews made during the sessions discussed further the state of affairs of the country, a year after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the SPLM. This report summarizes major points relayed by the interviewed women activists on the issues in question.

    Wafa ’Abd al-Rahman: I think the CPA is largely ambiguous. Many provisions are unclear. The Sudanese public is frustrated. People feel their hopes in security, stability, and freedoms have not been accomplished. In addition, the people suffer from deterioration of the basic services that should be normally provided by the State to the populace.

    When we talk about education, we find that the once (government’s) free education has virtually passed away. As a result, education is now made available only to the owners of capital, namely the state-managers and the evolving opportunists around them. A student and her/his family live in a shape of fear for if they default in paying the school fees, the student will be subsequently suspended from school.

    The ill-planned educational policies of the State led to an emergence of many incomplete colleges or unprepared universities whose major concern is to increase financial income rather than scientific learning.

    In the economic side, the Sudanese homestead is not dependent on the house bread winner, any more. Every family member must now find an income to sustain the family as a whole. Although the oil is produced [in a national level], it never reflected in improvements in the living standards of people who are severely hit by high inflation, as well as increasing poverty in their daily life.

    This situation produced very serious patterns of immoral behavior that never characterized the persona of Sudanese people in the past. Such pathological phenomena are now evidently exercised in the Capital, let alone the regions or the localities. There is paralysis of the social activities. The downturn of agricultural seasons forced the rural populations to drift into the Capital in pursuit of a better life that is, nonetheless, never made available.

    If we view the health side, we will find that the free services of medication are non-existent. The public suffers a great deal to ensure a decent health service although it is originally a basic right granted by State laws. The negativity of the health administrations is also felt because they failed to activate the health services or to promote them to eradicate the prevailing epidemics. The administrations also failed to detect the health hazards (as occurred with respect to the current meningitis and the yellow fever).

    In the security side, I cannot find words to depict the level of violations committed against human rights by the security department or its forces. Tortures are endlessly exercised; and the police force terrorizes people, especially the poor ones such as small businesses, by the so-called laws of public order and social tranquility

    This is just a little bit of the real picture. We need a greater awareness campaign to awake the citizen that is entirely absorbed in the struggle for living. Still, the day will certainly come when all citizens will become vigilant in a real struggle for the assurance of freedom, tranquility, and stability.

    Nuha Osman: We have expected many radical changes after the CPA signing in some areas, for example, the economic, social, and health sectors in correspondence with the political situation and its impact on the public life.

    Concerning the economic conditions, the Sudanese citizen still is suffering from the difficulties of providing the basic needs of the social life. This default surfaced in the form of many unacceptable attitudes in our society such as the adoption of unemployment, theft, and prostitution.

    The state services with respect to health and education have effectively diminished. In health, there is a steep deterioration in the medicinal services and hospitals, which resulted in the spread of disease, for example, hepatitis, meningitis, and the other undetectable illnesses.

    In education, there is so much disorder and a downfall of all educational aspects. This led to the abandonment of school lessons by many students. Education became a commercial process, as we see it in an increasing number of private schools. As a consequence of this, the quality of education has been greatly decreased and is, therefore, unprepared to create the good citizen.

    I believe the only hope to make a positive change is when a real democratic shift would be ensured to guarantee the freedom of expression, transparency, and accountability. That is when the law and order will prevail, and the citizens will enjoy the good life.

    Ilham Mansour: The general conditions in Sudan are ambiguous. The vision is unclear in different aspects of life. After the CPA, war was ended in the South. A transitional period started up. A new constitution was established. There are provisions of the CPA, however, that have not yet been implemented.

    There are real difficulties that hinder the execution such as the non-abrogation of the laws restricting public freedoms and the law of public order. These laws are enforceable up to this day. The issue of the People’s Defense Forces has not been decided upon. The government interacts only with selected parties, whether supporting or opposing it; but the government ignores the major parties like the Umma.

    The law of the press and publications is an obstacle. There is not yet any full freedom of expression. Censor is imposed on the press by the National Council of the Press and Publications. The existence of this council in itself is a handicap of freedoms. If you want to issue a newspaper, you must set-up a company for that purpose from the beginning. There are conditions, which I think are put to default the applicant, such as depositing Sudanese Dinars in the amount of 150 millions for the paper, in addition to equipping the paper with all necessary instruments in advance.

    Journalists are subjected to a dual trial: one before the Press Council and another before the Judiciary. The complainant might appeal to the Council first, and then invoke the same case before a judge if the journalist is condemned by the Press Council. This exemplified by the case of journalist Mohamed Taha Mohamed Ahmed. The freedom of expression is restricted in the Sudan although it is one of the most important freedoms. Most of the media centers are monopolized by the State, which doesn’t allow fair opportunities to the other viewpoint.
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:01 PM   0 comments
    ANNFSU Demands Free Education Up To Secondary Level
    The All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) on Saturday said the government ought to provide free education up to the secondary level along with having at least one primary school in each ward, a lower secondary school in each village development committee, a constituent campus and a model higher secondary school in each district.
    Announcing the decisions of the three-day long ANNFSU national council third meeting held here, ANNFSU president Khimlal Bhattarai said that the meeting endorsed the one-man-one post idea in the ANNFSU from the central to the local level in order to strengthen the committee.
    The meeting also endorsed the idea of providing 33 per cent seats to women in every committee, establishing residential schools in Karnali and remote areas, providing 50 per cent concession to students in transportation, health and entertainment. The students will also press the government to accept education certificates as collateral for taking educational loans.
    Besides, the meeting formed a 165-member 18th ANNFSU national conference organising committee under the co-ordination of Khimlal Bhattarai. The 18th national conference, with the slogan ''Constituent assembly election for peoples' republic, students movement for people-oriented and equal education", will be held in Chitwan from September 17 to September 22.

    source: www.thehimalayantimes.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:00 PM   0 comments
    Secondary school education in jumble -Adeyegbe

    Before the demise of the late Dr. Samuel Oluranti Adeyegbe, Head of the National Office, West African Examination Council, Lagos, last Saturday in London, he was at the Lead City niversity, Ibadan on May 12, 2006 for a training workshop on textbook development. At the event, the late Dr. Adeyegbe gave his last contribution to education development through a paper he delivered on textbook production. Excerpts:

    The secondary school level of education, as enshrined in the National Policy on Education, is a level where students are meant to be grounded in what it takes in not just to fit into their mmediate environment, but to also be a positive tool of change for the better. It is therefore pertinent to make this level of education functional and effective in all ramifications in order to cope with the global trend of the 21st century. However, Professor Obemiata has observed that the secondary school level of education in Nigeria is in jumble, this to him is because of the acute shortage in instructional materials and other related indices of school quality.

    A major message of the World Conference on “Education For All” was that education systems must have a systematic way of monitoring quality of education. Both textbook development and educational evaluation are potent tools that can be used for this purpose. They can serve as a source of information/accountability in providing sound knowledge and quantitative and qualitative data to students, teachers, principals as well as educational planners, administrators and policy makers. With regards to textbooks, it has been found that many of the textbooks currently in use are outdated, unattractively designed, and printed on poor quality paper, thus reducing both learning achievement and physical durability. Therefore, publishers should aim at improving the quality, durability and availability of textbooks and other instructional materials. Specifically, they should embark on the following:

    Strengthening textbook publishing and printing capacity by upgrading equipment for publishing and printing, providing high quality paper and cover board for more durable textbooks and generally reviewing and strengthening the textbook production system. Providing better designs more durable textbooks with modern pedagogy and content in key subjects as well as teachers’ guides, library books and technical aids. Publishing textbooks that reflect changing knowledge and skills needed in the Nigerian labour force.

    Survey new trends and practices in education aimed at pedagogical improvement/effectiveness by promoting student centred methods in the textbook, and training classroom teachers in the use of student-centred teaching methods. Organise productive and widely publicized book fair. Engage in constant evaluations and reviews that will guide textbook development in the future.Educational evaluators should realize; that they are dealing with easily damaged goods - the intellectual emotional! and physical well being of thousands of learners. Consequently, evaluation should be done with the primary aim of improving the programme with regards to the ffectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the input, process and the output.

    Evaluation should not stop at measurement or assessment, it should strengthen and empower the various stakeholders particularly the learner and the teacher’ and foster learning; Each of the processes involved in evaluation should be meticulously handled so that the data obtained will be valid and reliable; and “Evaluators should encourage and support a new round of curriculum development focused on creating a coherent picture of key ideas for specific topics, using a research-based development and testing process to ensure that the instructional strategies promote learning the key ideas.

    source: www.tribune.com.ng
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:00 PM   0 comments
    Saturday, June 24
    Capt. Dan Ensign retiring after 30-year career as Charleston Fire Department paramedic
    Capt. Dan Ensign has spent 30 years helping people during emergencies through his work with the Charleston Fire and Rescue Department.

    In addition, Ensign has spent much of his career training others to save lives as well through his work with the department and volunteering with the American Red Cross.

    Today Ensign started his final 24-hour shift with the department, one culminating with his retirement on the 30th anniversary of his July 1, 1976, employment date.

    The lifelong Charleston resident was not always headed on the path toward being a firefighter and paramedic.

    “My mom said all I ever talked about as a child was being a police officer,” Ensign said.

    Nevertheless, he was drawn in his mid-20s to apply at the department after working for a time in manufacturing.

    “I saw the ad in the paper that they were testing, so I took a chance,” Ensign said.

    Although Ensign was hired in 1974, he was laid off six months later. He did get certified to work with the department’s new ambulance service during that time. That got him recruited back two years later while working as a Charleston High School custodian.

    Ensign had originally applied to the department with the intention of being a firefighter. He had not given much thought to the ambulance service, but that soon became his favorite part of the job.

    “It was like something clicked. It was like my destiny to work the ambulance,” Ensign said. “To me, it’s the helping of people that I enjoy. You are doing something to help them and its right there face to face.“

    Ensign joined with colleagues over the years to successfully push for the department’s ambulance training to be upgraded to paramedic level for everyone on staff.

    The Charleston native said being a paramedic in his hometown has been difficult at times because he has known many of those who have ended up in his ambulance. He added seeing children not survive injuries has also been hard.

    “I would sit down with my wife (Diane) and talk about it, which made it a lot easier than holding it in,” Ensign said.

    Soon after joining the department, Ensign joined the Red Cross and became a certified instructor of cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

    Ensign has taught CPR to his fellow Charleston firefighters over the years as well as volunteer firefighters, nursing home staff members, and many other groups.

    In recent years, he has provided CPR and automatic electric defibrillator training to the city staff as well as much of the Charleston school district’s employees.

    Ensign plans in retirement to spend more time with his family, play golf whenever possible, maybe work part time, and go on national missions with the Red Cross. His schedule with the department did not allow time for such Red Cross missions in the past. Nevertheless, Ensign said part of him is not quite ready for retirement. He added he will miss seeing his fellow firefighter/paramedics on a regular basis.

    “They have been my family for the last 30 years,” Ensign said.

    source: www.jg-tc.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:23 PM   0 comments
    Spoon River to purchase former store
    The former Heilig-Meyer furniture store on East Jackson Street is expected to become a new campus for Spoon River College.

    The Spoon River College Board of Trustees voted Wednesday night to proceed with the purchase of the building for $1.6 million, Macomb Campus Dean Peg Shroyer confirmed Thursday afternoon.

    "It's not a done deal," she cautioned, however.

    The store at 2400 to 2510 E. Jackson St. has remained empty since closing about a half-dozen years ago. The Macomb Area Economic Development Corp. had been marketing the facility.

    Anna R. Buehrer, the college's director of marketing communications, said the 81,000-square-foot building includes the former furniture store as well as an add-on building that includes two tenants. The college plans to purchase the entire 7.75-acre property, Buehrer said, and the current owner has to work out a deal with the tenants.

    The college, which currently houses its Macomb Campus at the former Macomb High School at 208 S. Johnson St., could eventually move all its Macomb operations to the new site, Buehrer said.

    "It would be ideal to be all in one space," she said Thursday night, adding that the store site offers "plenty of parking," which is at a premium at the current campus.

    Buehrer said that the college would renovate and expand the Heilig-Meyer building once it owns it. A needs and facilities assessment will be conducted to determine the best use for the store site and fund-raising would be done in conjunction with the site's development.

    The school is funding the purchase with $2 million in general obligation community college bonds; the additional amount over the purchase cost will be used for facility needs at the Rushville and Havana campuses.

    The current Macomb Campus offers career and vocational training, and the new building would allow the college to look at offering additional career training, Buehrer said.

    While the current campus has received key renovations over the past several years, enrollment growth and limited classroom space prompted the trustees to pursue expansion plans in the city.

    "We will be working closely with community and business leaders, as well as the citizens of Macomb to clearly identify education and training needs so we can develop the appropriate plans for the future renovation of the building," Dave Maguire, chair of the college's trustees, said. "The Spoon River College Foundation Board and its Macomb Advisory Committee will play an integral part in the development of the funding for the renovation."

    Fall enrollment at the Macomb Campus has increased almost 13 percent over the past five years and the number of credit hours taken by students also has increased by 17.5 percent. The college offers associate degrees for transfer, as well as career programs in administrative office technology, computer information systems and nursing.

    source: www.macombjournal.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:22 PM   0 comments
    Career training courses offered
    Career training is available from the Sacramento County Office of Education Regional Occupation Program to anyone ages 16 and older.

    The courses are free and cover many fields, including auto body repair, building maintenance, call center skills, and computer and office skills.

    Classes are held throughout the Sacramento area.

    For more information on signing up, call (916) 228-2721 or see the Web site, www.sacrop.org.


    source: www.sacbee.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:22 PM   0 comments
    Student nurses in jobs crisis
    HUNDREDS of newly-qualified nurses face being unable to find a job this summer as hospitals cut back to save money.

    At least one Greater Manchester hospital has placed a freeze on recruitment and others are thought to be planning cuts to balance their books.

    Nursing unions said the government blundered by over-estimating the number of jobs that would be available to student nurses.

    A national survey found that 80 per cent of student nurses due to graduate this year have so far failed to secure a position, compared with 30 per cent last year.

    Greater Manchester is one of the country's main training centres, with about 1,000 nurses qualifying a year.

    'No guaranteed work'

    Royal Bolton Hospital, which normally offers jobs to students from Salford University, has told about 40 nurses, who completed placements, that there is no guaranteed work.

    A Bolton Hospitals Trust spokesman said: "Although we do not have as many vacancies, we are doing what we can to support these students."

    Unions said it costs the taxpayer about £50,000 to train each nurse and blamed universities and the Department of Health for failing to co-ordinate supply with demand.

    Kevin Terry, from the Royal College of Nurses, said: "The generation of nurses who are facing this crisis are among those who responded to a large-scale government campaign calling for more nurses in the NHS. Questions must be asked if the jobs are not now available."

    'Too early'

    A spokesman for Salford University, which has 500 students nurses graduating each year, said: "We are presently working with the Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority to help all of our graduates achieve employment, but it is too early to give a definitive set of figures."

    Manchester University, where 370 nurses will qualify, and Manchester Metropolitan University, which trains 100 each year, also said the situation would not become clear until students graduated.

    A Manchester University spokesman said: "The university recognises there are difficulties in the NHS and that jobs are harder to come by this year."

    The Strategic Health Authority said that some trusts were cutting back to balance budget deficits.

    A spokesman said: "The Department of Health said it wants all trusts to balance their budgets over the next financial year. Most will have a plan to deal with that - it may mean reducing the number of nurses they employ coming out of training."

    Central Manchester Healthcare Trust, which runs seven hospitals, was not in deficit this year and said it would be recruiting normally.

    Submit your comments
    View comments (1 comment 30/06/2006 at 09:23)

    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:17 PM   0 comments
    Career training for IT aspirants

    The programme has been designed by top-notch IT professionals from the industry and customised to suit the needs of IT aspirants, engineering and arts and science students. The programme has an industry-centric curriculum and is taught by experts from the IT field. It is replete with technology training and real time projects. Internship and placement assistance are offered through SRM Technokrat — Placement Division of the company.

    SRM Infotech, which is a division of SRM Learning Tree Pvt. Ltd. and has its branch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will conduct the Genius Aptitude Test on July 3 at all its training centres.

    A mega scholarship drive is also being conducted across the branches of SRM Infotech with the top scholarship offering up to 80% off on the course fee.

    Candidates can walk in into the nearest branch to collect the hall ticket. For further details call 044 - 28155101 / 044 - 42122775 or visit: www.srminfotech. com.

    source: www.hindu.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 1:17 PM   0 comments
    Friday, June 23
    Teaching Fellows Will Study Abroad in Kenya
    thirteen Teaching Fellows and eleven members of NCCU's faculty and staff will travel to Africa as part of the Kenya Travel and Teach Experience.

    Funds to pay for the students’ expenses were made possible through the NCCU Wachovia Scholarship Fund.

    In its first year, this three-week Kenya Travel and Teach Experience will help NCCU to establish public school sites for placing Teaching Fellows, study aboard program students and future interns for the International Education Masters Degree Program.

    In addition, the trip will also expose students to diversity, including cultural immersion and political and economic differences. With this experience, students are expected to gain a better understanding of education’s place in the greater social context.

    “We are extremely excited about the trip,” said Cecelia Steppe-Jones, dean of the School of Education. “This is part of our conceptual framework, which is ‘Preparing Educators for Diverse Cultural Contexts’. We wanted to move into the international arena and we are doing this by providing an opportunity for our Teaching Fellows to study the culture of a different country.”

    According to Katrina Billingsley, director of the NCCU Teaching Fellows program, each Teaching Fellow will live with a host family and shadow a teacher at a public elementary or secondary school in Kenya. The Fellows will also have the opportunity to visit classes at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.

    “We are taking our students totally out of their comfort zone,” said Billingsley. “We want the students to have a much greater appreciation for teaching, especially teaching students that may be less fortunate than many of the students here in the United States. I hope this experience will make the Teaching Fellows even better life-long learners and educators."

    The teaching fellows scheduled to travel to Kenya include: Sheena Bethea, Fayetteville; Easter Brown, Rocky Mount; Natasha Brown, Littleton; Vanessa Joyner, Durham; Jason Jowers, Winston-Salem; James Knight, Macclesfied; Teketia May, Snow Hill; Makeda Miller, Greensboro; C. Michael Riles, Raleigh; Christina Robinson, Fayetteville; Anthony White, Washington; Ayesha White, Fayetteville; and Natalie Whitney, Jacksonville, NC.

    The following faculty and staff members will travel to assist the fellows: Katrina Billingsley, chaperone and team leader; Cheresa Clemons, chaperone and team leader; Chena Flood, chaperone and team leader; Dr. Phillip Masila Mutisya, group leader and ambassador; Dr. Sharon Spencer, administrator; Joy Banks, diversity; Brett Chambers, documenter; Kawachi Clemons; arts integration; Crystal Wiggins, team treasurer; Dr. Pauletta Bracey; accreditation; Deborah Eaton, technology; and Dr. Cecelia Steppe-Jones; dean of NCCU’s School of Education.

    Billingsley stated that the students are eager and excited about their trip to Kenya.

    “This is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Robinson, a junior. “Teaching Fellows at other universities are envious of us because we are going to Kenya. I can’t wait to grasp everything the country has to offer such as their literature, arts and music. This is truly going to be a life changing experience.”

    “I have been told by people that have visited Africa that I should get ready for a life changing experience,” said Anthony White, a senior. “I think this experience will help me appreciate culture much more as well as my education.”

    White further stated his inspiration for becoming a teacher was his high school history teacher. “He made learning interesting and fun,” said White. “I want to do the same thing.” White plans to be a high school math teacher.

    The NCCU Teaching Fellows Program is uniquely designed to facilitate a student’s growth as a teacher in the State of North Carolina. The Program provides a $6,500 per year scholarship for four years to outstanding North Carolina high school seniors. Upon acceptance of the scholarship, the student agrees to teach for four years following graduation in one of North Carolina’s public schools or United States Government schools in North Carolina.

    source: www.newswise.com
    posted by ^%&^ @ 7:26 AM   0 comments
    Thursday, June 22
    Group 4 Securicor
    Ref no:

    IJ-ACCBOK
    Title:

    Junior Accounts Administrator
    Date added by recruiter:

    30/05/2006
    Date last updated by recruiter:

    21/06/2006
    Location:

    Dublin South, Dublin West
    Job type:

    Permanent Full-time
    Salary:

    €15000 - €25000
    Additional benefits:

    Educational assistance
    Paid Holidays
    Pension
    Role(s):
    That best describe this job

    Accounts Payable
    Graduate
    Trainee Accountant

    Minimum experience required:



    0 - 1 Years
    Qualifications:

    Leaving-Certificate
    Contact:

    Barry O'Keeffe
    Description

    We currently have an excellent opportunity for a junior Accounts Assistant to join our Finance team.

    Responsibilities of the role will include:

    Bank reconciliations.

    Processing invoices.

    Various accounting and administration duties.

    There will also be the opportunity to get involved in project work.

    Suitable candidates will demonstrate the following:

    * Some previous experience in a finance or accounts department.
    * Strong accuracy and attention to detail.
    * PC literacy.
    * An ability to work in a team environment.

    The recruiter is interested in your answers to the following question(s). Please place your answers in the email you send when applying for the job.

    Question 1:
    When are you available to start a new position?
    Question 2:
    What are your salary expectations?


    Apply for this job
    If you decided not to apply for this position then please let IrishJobs.ie know why.
    source: www.irishjobs.ie
    posted by ^%&^ @ 2:23 PM   0 comments
    Manor Street Business Park, Manor Street, Dublin 7
    Ref no:

    IJ-Finance
    Title:

    Finance Manager
    Date added by recruiter:

    02/06/2006
    Date last updated by recruiter:

    21/06/2006
    Location:

    Dublin City Centre
    Job type:

    Fixed Term Contract
    Salary:

    See description
    Additional benefits:

    Role(s):
    That best describe this job

    Accountant
    Finance Manager
    Financial Accountant

    Minimum experience required:



    See Description
    Qualifications:

    See Description
    Contact:

    Fiona Murphy
    Description

    Headway is the National Association for Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Founded in 1985, we develop, provide and promote services to enhance the potential of people with an acquired brain injury. We also work to heighten public and political awareness of acquired brain injury and the impact it has on individuals, families and carers.

    We are currently seeking an enthusiastic, proactive person who has, or is interested in gaining, experience in the non-profit sector. This is a contract position to cover maternity leave and we are looking for someone eager to meet a new challenge and capable of taking on a varied and interesting role in our organisation.


    Job Title: Finance Manager

    Accountable to: CEO

    Contract: 8 Months (maternity leave contract)

    Start date: 14th August 2006


    ROLE SUMMARY:

    § Financial controls
    § Cash flow and credit control
    § Costing and budgeting
    § Payroll
    § Staff supervision


    DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

    1.0 Financial:

    1.1 Accounts to trial balance

    1.2 Month end and year end reporting

    1.3 Statutory reporting

    1.4 Statutory compliance

    1.5 Costing and budgeting function

    1.6 Analysis of budgetary income and expenditure

    1.7 Processing of monthly payroll (50 employees).

    1.8 Contributing to funding submissions and liaising with the Health Service Executive and other bodies.


    2.0 Supervision and Administration

    2.1 Manage the activities of one full-time Accounts Assistant with responsibility for accounts payable.

    2.2 Supervise full-time receptionist/office manager with responsibility for liaising with external IT support.

    2.3 Maintain up to date documentation and reports in line with departmental policies and procedures, keeping CEO updated at all times.

    2.4 Maintain records to the required standard.

    2.5 Undertake specific projects and administrative tasks as required by manager.

    2.6 Provide statistics and records of work as appropriate.

    2.7 Keep up to date with all general administration duties as required.

    2.8 Follow all policies and procedures of Headway on administrative and personnel matters.


    3.0 Training and Development

    3.1 Keep up to date with relevant statutory and sectoral developments.

    3.2 Undertake any training required by manager.

    3.3 Undertake regular Personal Development Reviews.

    3.4 Mentor / support other staff as required.

    3.5 Attend meetings / conferences as required by manager.

    4.0 Confidentiality

    4.1 Adhere to Headway’s client confidentiality policies at all times.


    5.0 Amendment Clause

    5.1 Carries out such other duties/projects as may from time to time reasonably be required by the CEO.


    6.0 General Conditions of Service

    General conditions of service are in accordance with those currently operating within Headway Ireland.


    COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE:

    § Qualified or part qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/ACA).
    § Minimum of 5 years experience at the relevant level.
    § Supervisory experience.
    § High level of computer literacy using accounting software (working knowledge of Sage an advantage but not essential). More extensive IT knowledge would be an asset.
    § Experience dealing with public bodies desirable but not essential.
    § Ability to work under pressure and meet demanding deadlines.
    § Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
    § Self-motivated and proactive.
    § Flexible and willing to perform additional functions when necessary.
    § Professional, accountable, good planning and time management skills.
    posted by ^%&^ @ 2:22 PM   0 comments

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