DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Critics say the move is a part of a sustained effort to indoctrinate school children and stifle any independent thinking. Russian President Vladimir Putin has always maintained that Moscow’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is an effort to liberate the country from a “Nazi regime” and Western influence. No critical thinking allowedMany countries introduce school children to patriotic ideas and civic values. According to independent human rights monitor OVD-Info, there have been almost 20,000 people detained for protesting against the war in Russia. This complete crackdown on freedom of speech means there isn’t a force in Russia that can counteract school propaganda.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergey Kravtsov, ” Kravtsov, Katerina Tertytchnaya, “ There’s, ”, Putin, Yuri Kadobnov, Sergey Lavrov, Kirill, ” Ian Garner, ” Tertytchnaya, ” Garner, Garner Organizations: CNN, country’s Ministry of Education, Nazi, Russian, Russian Federation, RIA Novosti, University College London, Ministry of Education, Schools, Getty, Kremlin, University of Chicago’s, Political, Students Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, AFP, Russian, France, Russians, China

☆ Macron reshuffles ministers after French riots "stunned" country
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] French Junior Minister for Public Accounts Gabriel Attal speaks during a debate on the pension reform plan at the National Assembly in Paris, France February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File PhotoPARIS, July 20 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday reshuffled his ministers for key domestic portfolios such as education, housing and urban affairs, as his government begins its response to riots that shook the country three weeks ago. Borne, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin all remained in place. "We're in a spirit of continuity but let's not pretend as if there hasn't been something that stunned the country for a few nights," he told them. Other figures who had caused embarrassment to the government in recent months, including a junior minister who had posed for the cover of Playboy magazine during the pension reform crisis, left the cabinet.

Persons: Gabriel Attal, Sarah Meyssonnier, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Pap, Sabrina Agresti, Aurelien Rousseau, Elisabeth Borne's, Bruno Le Maire, Catherine Colonna, Gerald Darmanin, Borne, Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar, Alison Williams Organizations: French Junior, Public, National Assembly, REUTERS, Finance, Playboy, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Algerian, North, Dunkirk, Borne

This is how Komsomolskaya School Number 1 is marking the opening of a new school desk, a so-called “hero desk” emblazoned with the face and biography of one of Russia’s war dead, once a pupil at this very school. The desks are part of a pan-Russian initiative called the “New School Project” and are funded by “United Russia,” a staunchly pro-Putin party. As of early May, United Russia said there were more than 14,000 desks in 9,000 schools across the country. Local news reports suggest some schools use the desks to reward good behavior or good grades. The desks across the country are standardized: green, with military photographs, a biography, medals awarded (often posthumously) and the soldier’s date of death.

Persons: It’s, ”, Gennady Alexandrovich Pavlov, Chuvashia, Gennady Pavlov, Russia’s, Daniil Ken, ” Ken, Sergei Shoigu, Ken, Alena Arshinova, Olga, Sergey Kravtsov, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, there’s, “, ‘, Tatyana Chervenko, Chervenko, Mikhail Stepanov, ’, Stepanov, Wagner, “ Artyomovsk Organizations: CNN, New, “ United, Putin, Teachers ’ Alliance, Russian Ministry of Defense, State Duma, United, Kyiv, Russian, Russia’s Security, Novosti, Ministry Locations: Russian, Chuvashia, Russia, “ United Russia, United Russia, Ukraine, Hostomel, Kyiv, United States, State, St . Petersburg, Simferopol, Crimea, “, Leningrad, ”, Moscow, Virginia, Khabarovsk, Russia’s, Ukrainian, Bakhmut

☆ India's been touted as the new China — but here are 4 key areas where the South Asian giant is still playing catch up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some investors see India as the new China, but the South Asian economy still has to narrow a few gaps. These factors make it difficult for India to surpass China as the factory of the world. The country's potential appears brighter after its population surpassed China's, prompting many observers to tout the South Asian country as the next economy to watch. There's so much optimism about India that Goldman Sachs forecasts India's economy will surpass the US by 2075. Here are four ways India is still playing catch-up to its Asian rival, China.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Pramit Chaudhuri, Chaudhuri, Narendra Modi's, hasn't, Eurasia Group's Chaudhuri, Ashutosh Sharma, Forrester Organizations: Service, Eurasia Group, Swiss, UBS, East, China, US International Trade Administration, Bank Locations: India, China, Wall, Silicon, South Asia, China's, Eurasia

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea is getting older – and its care facilities are changing to match. Elderly facilities include senior care homes, specialized hospitals, and welfare agencies that help the elderly navigate social services or protections. The shift illustrates a years-long problem South Korea has thus far failed to reverse. Young students pictured in Seoul, South Korea, on November 23, 2021. The rapid rise in elderly facilities in recent years may help alleviate some of these problems.

Persons: ’, Young, Anthony Wallace, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yonhap, Ed Jones, hobbling, – Organizations: South Korea CNN, Getty, South, OECD, Economic Co Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, AFP, Daejeon, Japan, “

☆ Teacher fired after high court ruling because she had skipped work for 20 years. She said she couldn't comment because she was at the beach.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Italian teacher was fired after a legal battle over her prolonged absences, the BBC reported. Cinzia Paolina De Lio did not come to work for 20 out of the 24 years she was a teacher. The educator said she would challenge a court ruling that said she exhibited "absolute ineptitude." The educator avoided going to work for 20 out of the 24 years she was employed, according to reports, was officially fired after a court decision last week. De Lio was unhappy with the ruling, saying she would "reconstruct the truth" with documents to prove her side of the story.

Persons: Cinzia Paolina De Lio, —, Cassation, De Lio Organizations: BBC, Service, Italian, Italy's Repubblica, Times Locations: Italian, Italy, Venice, —

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Raising a child in South Korea is no easy task. As a result, the hagwon industry in South Korea is massive, and profitable. Of the nearly 60,000 middle and high school students surveyed nationwide, almost a quarter of males and one in three females reported experiencing depression. Activists say South Korea needs deeper change instead, such as dismantling entrenched gender norms and introducing more support for working parents. Some agreed the private education sector needed reform, but doubted the effectiveness of this move.

Persons: Lee Ju, Lee, “, ” Lee, Anthony Wallace, Jung Yeon, Lee –, Yelim Lee, hagwons, ”, Critics, Kim Hong Organizations: South Korea CNN, South Korean, College, Education, Getty, South, Ministry of Education, Organization for Economic Co, Development, OECD, Ministry of Health, Twitter Locations: Seoul, South Korea, AFP, South Korea's, South, Haiti, Iceland, United States, United Kingdom, Korean, Korea, Japan

☆ South Korea aims to curb private education spending, axe 'killer questions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We will cut the vicious cycle of killer questions in exams, which leads to excessive competition among students and parents in private education," education minister Lee Ju-ho told a briefing. The ministry also vowed to crack down on private education "cartels" by ramping up efforts to monitor what it termed false and exaggerated advertising by private schools targeting exam preparations. Local media have reported on alleged connections between the private education industry and government education officials in drawing up college entrance exams that require private tutoring to master. Nearly eight in 10 students use in private education products such as cram schools, known as "hagwons", according to the report. Shin So-young, an activist at civic group The World Without Worry About Private Education, said the planned changes may not be enough to contain the competition.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Lee Ju, Yoon, Shin, Woongjin Thinkbig, 1,302.0300, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyunsu Yim, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea, Education, Thomson Locations: South, SEOUL, South Korea's, South Korea, KS, MegaStudyEdu

☆ Teachers in England to strike for two more days in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Teachers in England will strike on July 5 and July 7, the National Education Union (NEU) said on Saturday, staging further industrial action over a pay and funding dispute with the government. The new dates announced by Britain's largest education union come on top of at least six days of walk-outs by teachers in England from February to May. Teachers rejected a government pay offer for an average rise of 4.5% plus a 1,000 pound one-off payment in April. While teachers in Wales and Scotland have settled their dispute, the NEU said Britain's Education Minister Gillian Keegan was not doing enough to stop further industrial action in England. Workers in healthcare, transport, the civil service and other sectors have gone on strike over the past year across Britain in pay disputes as inflation reached 40-year-highs.

Persons: Gillian Keegan, Sarah Young, Andrew Heavens Organizations: National Education Union, Britain's, Teachers, Education, Workers, Thomson Locations: England, Wales, Scotland, Britain

☆ China cuts medium-term lending rate as youth unemployment hits new record high
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The People’s Bank of China lowered its key policy rate — the medium-term lending rate — from 2.75% to 2.65%. It was the first such rate reduction since last August, and largely expected following a surprise cut by the central bank Tuesday to China’s seven-day reverse repo rate. The trimming of the repo rate — also by 0.1 percentage points to 1.9% — marked its first since August. Urban youth unemployment — already at record levels — hit another new high in May, reaching 20.8%. “They need [economic] growth.”The youth unemployment rate could get even worse when a record 11.6 million college students enter the job market this summer, as estimated by the education ministry earlier this year.

Persons: —, Jamie Dimon, “, ”, Larry Hu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, People’s Bank of, Urban, JPMorgan, Bloomberg Locations: Hong Kong, China, People’s Bank of China, China’s

☆ UN in talks about possibly handing over Afghan teaching projects to Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Charlotte Greenfield | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aid officials say that the Taliban had signalled international organisations could no longer be involved in education projects, in a move criticised by the U.N. but not yet confirmed by Afghan authorities. A spokesperson for the Taliban did not respond to request for comment. International organisations have been heavily involved in education projects, and UNICEF made an agreement with the Taliban to run community classes before they took over the country. Two humanitarian sources told Reuters this month that aid agencies had been told provincial authorities had been directed to stop the involvement of international organisations in education projects, possibly within weeks. The Taliban took over Afghanistan after a 20-year insurgency against U.S.-led forces with a speed and ease that took the world by surprise.

Persons: Afghanistan's, Samantha Mort, Charlotte Greenfield, Nick Macfie Organizations: UNICEF, REUTERS, Afghan, de, Ministry of Education, Reuters, Education, United Nations, Taliban, U.S, Thomson Locations: Jalalabad, Afghanistan, New York

☆ China's temple visits skyrocket amid economic uncertainty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Economic uncertainty has driven temple visits and tourism to new heights, according to analysts and travel websites. Temple visits have surged this year more than fourfold from a year ago, according to recent data from Qunar and Trip.com, another travel site. Social media has also fueled the boom in temple tourism, as young people like to share their experiences on social networks, she added. Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism Development, which runs the Jiuhua Mountain scenic area in central Anhui province, also shattered quarterly sales records. A small temple at Wudang Mountain in China's Hubei province pictured on October 27, 2004.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Qunar.com, Soeren, Yang Yan, Ryan Pyle, supplicants, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Nanjing Securities, Social, Communist Party, Caitong Securities Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Qunar, Nanjing, Sichuan, Shan, Anhui Jiuhuashan Tourism, Anhui, Jiangxi province, Wudang, China's Hubei, Hangzhou

BEIJING, June 6 (Reuters) - Chinese universities are drastically increasing tuition fees this year, with some making their first rises in two decades, hurt by a reduced national budget for tertiary education and tight local government finances. The higher fees come amid a financial crunch among local governments after three years of disruptive COVID-19 policies, a property crisis and a sluggish economy. Chinese universities, almost all public, rely heavily on state funding. The study suggested increasing tuition fees for international students to as much as 110,000 yuan per year from about 20,000 yuan. ($1 = 7.1165 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao and Ryan Woo.

Persons: Liu Jin, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Gerry Doyle Organizations: East China University of Science, Technology, Shanghai Dianji University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Shanghai, Sichuan, Jilin

☆ Malawi: Their son was banned from school for 3 years because of his dreadlocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Although it is not a legal requirement in Malawi, an unwritten policy enforced across government schools meant his son was being denied admission because of his hair. “I felt oppressed,” Nansolo said as he recalled the staff of a state-run secondary school in Zomba, southern Malawi. Then, in 2020, the Malawi High Court placed an interim order compelling public schools to enroll Ishmael and other Rastafari children until a final ruling was reached. Despite this victory, Malawi’s Rastafarian community still faces numerous challenges. Lack of jobs is a big challenge for the Rastafarian community because those in offices are reluctant to employ Rastas,” Nansolo said.

☆ China GDP: Economy shakes off Covid legacy to grow 4.5% in Q1
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But private investment barely budged and youth unemployment surged to the second highest level on record, indicating the country’s private sector employers are still wary about longer term prospects. Retail sales jumped 10.6% in March from a year earlier, the highest level of growth since June 2021. The country’s GDP will grow 5.2% this year and 5.1% in 2024, it predicted. If adjustments are made to account for the impact of delayed economic activity, GDP growth in the first quarter could have been just 2.6%, he said. For example, private investment was extremely weak.

Shops and banks closed early on Wednesday as the West African nation braced for fresh protests over a court case that has fuelled tension and violence ahead of presidential elections next year. Violence broke out on the day of Sonko's last court appearance on March 16, as police fired tear gas at supporters accompanying his motorcade to the courthouse. Sonko has called for more nationwide protests on Wednesday, Thursday and April 3. Police fired several rounds of tear gas and stun grenades forcing mostly student protesters to retreat into the campus from where they hurled rocks. He is also on trial for allegedly raping a beauty salon employee in 2021 and making death threats against her.

☆ Number of Chinese kindergartens drops in 2022 for first time in 15 years-media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 23 (Reuters) - The number of kindergartens in China has dropped for the first time in 15 years, falling by more than 5,000 on the previous year, financial news outlet Yicai reported, citing data from the country's Education Ministry. There were a total of 289,200 kindergartens nationwide in 2022, the Education Ministry said on Thursday. The fall compared to previous years was due to fewer students enrolled in the kindergartens, Yicai said. The number of rural kindergartens is decreasing along with urbanisation as residents move to more urban cities, Yicai said. China's birth rate last year fell to 6.77 births per 1,000 people, from 7.52 births in 2021, the lowest on record.

☆ U.S. Human Rights Report Cites Allies and Adversaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Vivian Salama | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Women in Afghanistan protested for more rights outside the education ministry in Kabul last year. WASHINGTON—U.S. allies including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Pakistan are among the countries cited by the State Department as committing serious human rights violations in a new report aimed at advocating for democratic practices around the world. The 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released Monday, provides a detailed record of violations and abuses of persons in marginalized communities, some of whom also suffer disproportionately from economic inequality, climate change, migration, food insecurity and other global challenges.

☆ German minister to visit Taiwan in test of China relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military, political and economic pressure to assert those claims. The politically sensitive visit will take place at a time when Berlin is reviewing its previously close ties with China. Bettina Stark-Watzinger, also of the FDP, will begin her visit early next week, a ministry spokesperson said. Speaking at a regular news conference in Berlin, the education ministry spokesperson said the agenda during Stark-Watzinger's visit will also include battery research and supply chains. Last year, China condemned a visit to Taiwan by then-U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-level U.S. visit in 25 years, as a threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

☆ UK employers feel the strain of missing skilled workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

But past attempts to train up more workers have seen the problem get worse by some measures, and any big improvement to the post-16 skills system is likely to take years. TRAINING REVAMPWithout a rapid overhaul of the training system, Britain's pool of highly skilled adults is likely to shrink further relative to other countries, the OECD has warned. Employers groups are calling on Hunt to tackle a key part of how training is funded in his budget speech. Corporate leaders acknowledge employers also need to do more themselves, and prioritize training even in lean times. "You're slowing down really quite a lot to go at the pace of the education system," he said of his company, which began as a print management firm in 1996.

☆ Protests break out in Iran over schoolgirl illnesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Iranian officials believe the girls may have been poisoned and have blamed Tehran's enemies. Iran's interior minister said on Saturday investigators had found "suspicious samples" that were being studied. Similar protests were held in two other areas in Tehran and other cities including Isfahan and Rasht, according to unverified videos. Iran rejected what it views as foreign meddling and "hasty reactions" and said on Friday it was investigating the causes of the incidents. Schoolgirls were active in the anti-government protests that began in September.

☆ Mozambicans seek shelter as storm Freddy makes landfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Manuel Mucari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MAPUTO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Mozambicans took shelter on Friday as tropical storm Freddy made landfall in a small coastal town, with heavy rain expected to batter the country's southern provinces for several days. Pictures posted by Matos on Facebook showed children and adults sitting on the floor in a crowded primary school classroom. Up to 1.75 million people could be affected by the storm and severe flooding, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. Mozambique has already been battling severe flooding in recent days, and the government has declared a state of "red alert" to expedite operations to tackle Freddy. In Zimbabwe, which is expected to see heavy rain from Freddy, the education ministry has suspended school in six provinces.

SYDNEY, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Australia is preparing for the arrival of thousands of Chinese students, the education minister said on Monday, days after China's education ministry warned students enrolled overseas that online learning would no longer be recognised. Tens of thousands remain offshore after pandemic restrictions and strained diplomatic relations led many to return home. Phil Honeywood, chief executive officer at International Education Association of Australia, an advocacy body for international education in Australia, said there were currently about 40,000 Chinese students still offshore. "We anticipate a lot of Chinese students will be scrambling as we speak to get on flights to Australia. The move by China's Ministry of Education has been met with anger from Chinese students.

☆ Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KABUL, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to restrict women from tertiary education. A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in Afghanistan's northern provinces, including Kabul, where exams are due to take place from the end of February. The letter said those institutions that did not observe the rules would face legal action. The Higher Education Ministry in December told universities not to allow female students "until further notice". Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield, Editing by Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Unions vs Macron: French pension strikes snarl trains, close schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - French workers across the private and public sectors joined nationwide strikes on Thursday, snarling the rail network, closing schools and halting refinery deliveries. Here's where the impact is being felt:RAILWAYS, BUSES, METRONational train services and bus and metro operations in Paris were severely disrupted. The hard-left CGT's refinery federation has announced a further 48-hour strike next week and a 72-hour strike the week after. The Education Ministry said just 35% of high school teachers joined the industrial action, and 42% of primary school teachers. French law compels medics and other critical public services to guarantee a minimum level of cover.

Search resuls for: "Education Ministry"

25 mentions found