Philippine president signs law on enhanced basic education

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May 152013
 

MANILA, May 15 — Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III approved Wednesday a law reforming the country’s basic education system.
The Republic Act 10533 otherwise known as the Enhanced Education Act of 2013 seeks to institutionalize the “K to 12 program,” which started last school year.
The law added two more years on basic education and mandated the establishment of a universal kindergarten in public and private schools. The law also required teaching fundamental lessons in the mother tongues of the students during the first three years of elementary education and enhancing knowledge transfer of Filipino, English, Math, and Science lessons to junior high school students.
The Philippines has only a 10-year basic education cycle prior to the implementation of K to 12 program. Aquino said that a 10- year education cycle was an “educational handicap” for Filipino students.
Apart from our students having less time to thoroughly understand their lessons, our students will also have to compete with graduates from other countries who have had more time to learn and prepare for their careers.
While delivering a speech during the signing ceremony in Malacanang, the presidential palace, Aquino said by establishing senior high schools where students can choose specialized tracks in academics, technical education and sports and arts, the government is “guaranteeing that they (students) are ready to take that next step to move them closer to their dreams.”
Aquino assured that the government is serious in providing universal quality education by increasing the budget allocated for the education department. Since his election as president in 2010, Aquino said he had increased the Department of Education’s budget from 161 billion pesos (3.91 billion U.S. dollars) in 2010 to over 232 billion pesos (5.64 billion U.S. dollars) this year.[db:内容2]

International student enrollment increases in Ukraine

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May 152013
 

KIEV, May 14 — The number of international students at Ukrainian universities amounted to over 61,000 this year, representing a 10-percent increase from 2012, Education Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk said here Tuesday.
“Over 61,000 foreign students from 152 countries are now studying in Ukraine. This fact confirms that our country is actively developing higher education,” Tabachnyk told an international conference.
Over a half of foreign students are from Asian and the ex-Soviet states, he said.
The growth in international students going to Ukraine for higher education has contributed some 537.5 million dollars to the Ukrainian economy in 2012, Tabachnyk said.
Universities in the eastern city of Kharkov, where over 20,000 foreigners have been enrolled this year, are the biggest destination for international students in the East European country, he said.
Nearly 35,000 Ukrainian students are studying abroad, mainly in Russia, the United States and Poland.[db:内容2]

Mo Yan heads alma mater’s writing center

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May 152013
 

BEIJING, May 13 — Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan said on Monday he would encourage college students to engage in creating literature on campus although training literature majors to be writers has been controversial in China.
Speaking after being appointed director of the International Writing Center of his alma mater, Beijing Normal University, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2012 said, “Writing and finishing schooling are reconcilable and even complementary to each other, as practicing writing literature will help students gain better understanding of both contemporary and classical literary works.
“Such efforts will also help literature majors to grasp the essence of others’ works. I would encourage undergraduates to pick up their pens and try their hands at writing.”
Mo recalled that it had long been disputed whether undergraduates should receive training on creating literature.
“Times are changing. It is no longer that difficult to try writing on campus. Many of those who tried actually got good grades too. So we should encourage more literature majors to give it a try,” he said.
Born into a farmer’s family in east China’s Shandong Province in 1955, Mo, originally named Guan Moye, only attended primary school and dropped out at age 11 to herd cattle, his adventure into literature only starting with his childhood habit of reading.
Nevertheless, he became a published author in 1981 and is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel literature award.
The author was granted a master’s degree in literature and arts in 1991 after studying for a postgraduate program at Beijing Normal University.
At the International Writing Center’s opening ceremony, Mo said he hoped to develop the facility into “a place for writing, a research institute and an platform for international academic exchanges.”
World-famous writers, poets, translators, sinologists and scholars will be invited as guest writers to engage in writing, research and academic exchanges at this university established a century ago.
The center will aim to be a literature education base and an incubator for Chinese writers. Postgraduates and doctoral students will be enrolled to study literature creation, according to Mo.[db:内容2]

China’s education expenditure reaches 2.2 trln yuan

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May 092013
 

BEIJING, May 8 — Public expenditure on education in China reached 2.2 trillion yuan (357 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012, accounting for 4 percent of its GDP, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Wednesday.
Of the total, 378.1 billion yuan was pooled from the central government’s budget, an increase of 15.7 percent year on year, a ministry statement said. The rest was sourced from local government budgets.
China is moving to shift its growth pattern by enhancing education, with more resources allocated to rural, remote and poor schools last year.
In 2012, the country earmarked 86.54 billion yuan from its central budget to support nine-year compulsory education in rural areas.
With the money, tuition was waived and textbooks provided for free to 120 million rural students. The country also provided allowances for 13.33 million students who came from poor families and attended boarding schools in central and western regions.
The central government also offered a subsidy of 15.05 billion yuan to improve the nutrition of primary and junior high school students in rural areas.
To help more pupils get into senior high school when they finish nine-year compulsory education, the central government provided 4.66 billion yuan last year as a subsidy to 4.91 million senior high school students.
In an effort to support higher-learning education, the central government provided scholarships to 5.61 million students with a total expenditure of 16.2 billion yuan.
China originally planned to raise the government’s input on education to 4 percent of GDP by the end of 2000, but did not achieve the goal until last year.[db:内容2]

China’s education expenditure reaches 2.2 trln yuan

 Beijing News  No Responses »
May 092013
 

BEIJING, May 8 — Public expenditure on education in China reached 2.2 trillion yuan (357 billion U.S. dollars) in 2012, accounting for 4 percent of its GDP, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Wednesday.
Of the total, 378.1 billion yuan was pooled from the central government’s budget, an increase of 15.7 percent year on year, a ministry statement said. The rest was sourced from local government budgets.
China is moving to shift its growth pattern by enhancing education, with more resources allocated to rural, remote and poor schools last year.
In 2012, the country earmarked 86.54 billion yuan from its central budget to support nine-year compulsory education in rural areas.
With the money, tuition was waived and textbooks provided for free to 120 million rural students. The country also provided allowances for 13.33 million students who came from poor families and attended boarding schools in central and western regions.
The central government also offered a subsidy of 15.05 billion yuan to improve the nutrition of primary and junior high school students in rural areas.
To help more pupils get into senior high school when they finish nine-year compulsory education, the central government provided 4.66 billion yuan last year as a subsidy to 4.91 million senior high school students.
In an effort to support higher-learning education, the central government provided scholarships to 5.61 million students with a total expenditure of 16.2 billion yuan.
China originally planned to raise the government’s input on education to 4 percent of GDP by the end of 2000, but did not achieve the goal until last year.[db:内容2]

Bulgaria holds “Chinese Bridge” language competition at college level

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May 012013
 

VELIKO TURNOVO, Bulgaria, April 29 — Bulgarian medieval capital Veliko Turnovo on Monday for the first time hosted the national qualifications for the 12th “Chinese Bridge”, Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students.
Five students from two Bulgarian universities gave speeches, answered questions about China and showed traditional Chinese skills.
Konstantin Volkov, a student at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, won the competition and will represent Bulgaria at the final stage in China. His runner-up Yoana Dimitrova from “St. Cyril and St. Methodius” University of Veliko Turnovo (UVT) will attend the event as a spectator.
Professor Plamen Legkostup, Rector of UVT, said at the opening ceremony he was happy that during the year when the university celebrated its 50th anniversary, it hosted this spectacular event.
According to Iskra Mandova, Bulgarian Director of Confucius Institute at UVT where the event was held, the competition was very important for the participants not only because they showed their abilities, but also because they advertised Bulgaria.
Yuan Jigang, head of the education section at the Chinese embassy in Sofia, said Chinese Studies departments at Sofia University and UVT this year celebrated 60th and 20th anniversaries respectively.
He hoped that more and more Bulgarian students would choose to specialize in China.[db:内容2]

“Chinese Bridge” language competition held in Bulgaria

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Apr 282013
 

SOFIA, April 27 — Bulgarian national qualifications of the Sixth “Chinese Bridge” — Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign Secondary School Students, were held here on Saturday.
Ten students, representing the 400 teenagers studying Chinese in Bulgaria, demonstrated Chinese language and cultural skills at the event jointly organized by the Confucius Institute in Sofia and the Chinese embassy.
Preslava Pavlova, 16, who won the competition, will represent Bulgaria at the finals in China together with her runner-up Elitsa Stefanova, 15.
Alexander Alexiev, Bulgarian Director of the Confucius Institute in Sofia, said at the opening ceremony that it would be a noble race of ability to study Chinese language and culture, and very interesting display of youth creativity.
He hoped to make such bridges of understanding with the joint efforts of his colleagues and the Chinese embassy, he said.
Liu Yonghong, cultural counselor at the Chinese embassy in Sofia, said that according to the government’s plan, China would become the most desirable country in Asia for university education by 2020.
His country would welcome more Bulgarian young people who through specializations would be able to explore ancient Chinese culture and enjoy the charm of modern China, Liu said.
The “Chinese Bridge” competition was first organized in Bulgaria by the Confucius Institute in 2008 to inspire Bulgarian students between 15 to 20 years old to learn Chinese and enhance their understanding of the Chinese culture.[db:内容2]

Chinese company signs education deal with University of Chicago

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Apr 242013
 

CHICAGO, April 23 — University of Chicago and China’s Wanxiang America Corporation signed an agreement on Tuesday, opening the door for 30 undergraduate students to work and study green technology in China this June, as part of the Wanxiang Ambassador Fellows program.
The students will learn Chinese language and be exposed to Chinese culture and clean energy initiatives sponsored by Wanxiang America Corporation, a major green technology manufacturer. The program is part of the 100,000 Strong Initiative launched by U.S. government, a national effort to increase the number and diversity of American students studying in China.
University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer and Pin Ni, President of Wanxiang America Corporation, signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony to mark the launch of the program. Also speaking at the event were Zhao Weiping, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago, and Richard M. Daley, former Mayor of Chicago and former Co-Chair of President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative.
With financial support from Wanxiang America, the University’s Office of Career Advancement will administer the program, engaging students in Chinese language and cultural studies, and offer them an opportunity to work on the development of sustainable green energy technologies.
“This opportunity for students in our College to learn and work on issues of real importance, in the context of China’s fast- growing energy sector, contributes an important piece to the University’s deepening engagement in China,” Zimmer said. “We are grateful to Wanxiang for supporting this collaboration and helping to enrich our students’ education.”
Students from the university will first visit the Wanxiang America Corporation headquarters in Elgin, Illinois, before traveling to Hangzhou, China. Students will reside at the Wanxiang Polytechnic College during the six-week program, which will include organized, experiential field trips to a solar farm, an electric vehicle factory, and an energy storage station; clean energy and sustainability studies; and a chance to visit the Wanxiang laboratories and meet with its researchers.
“I am very pleased to collaborate with the University of Chicago, and to give its students more opportunities to study in China,” Ni said, adding “My hope is that they will learn about Chinese culture and clean energy science through this program.”
The Wanxiang Ambassador Fellows Program is part of the University’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program, named in honor of Harold “Jeff” Metcalf, who was Dean of Students at the Graduate School of Business from 1956 to 1975 and Director of Athletics from 1976 to 1981.[db:内容2]

Around China: Chinese students make lowcarbon music

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Apr 202013
 

BEIJING, April 4 — An empty Ferroro chocolate box doesn’t have much use to most people. But a group of Chinese teens has used the box and other refuse to craft musical instruments, giving their waste a new purpose.
Ming Yue, a student at the Beijing No. 214 Middle School, is one of the students responsible. She and the rest of the students have made dozens of musical instruments out of ordinary trash as part of a class offered at their school.
The chocolate box was used to make a pipa, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. The students combined the box with the leg of a broken chair and some strings to create a functioning string instrument.
Ming’s favorite creation is a clarinet she made out of PVC pipe. “Take a 20-cm PVC pipe, drill holes in its surface and place a whistle inside. That’s the clarinet that I made,” Ming said.
Ming played clarinet for 10 years before making her PVC clarinet in 2011, when she joined the class. The students test and select refuse to use at the beginning of the class, with a teacher helping them craft the collected trash into useable instruments.
Teng Baohua, the teacher responsible for the class, described the process as “transforming trash into treasure.”
“We have created more than twenty kinds of instruments so far, including flutes, drums, guitars and some traditional Chinese instruments,” Teng said.
Because the material used to make the instruments is just ordinary waste, the instruments cost little or nothing to assemble, Teng said.
Teng said that although he initially took the lead in collecting the materials, more students are bringing in their own refuse to use, including chopsticks, plastic bottles and discarded boxes.
The students are gradually learning to reduce and make use of waste on their own initiative, Teng said.
Not satisfied with simply crafting their works, the students are also showing a willingness to learn how to play the environmentally friendly instruments.
They have formed their own band made up of a flute player, an erhu (traditional Chinese string instrument) player, some drums and other portable instruments. The band has visited neighboring communities, companies and campuses to perform.
Although the voices of the self-made instruments may not be as pleasing to the ear as those of their real counterparts, the band’s use of such instruments has brought them great applause, Ming said.
“They are shocked when they realize what we are playing with,” Ming said.
Ming’s band is not the only group to use instruments made out of refuse. The Beijing No. 5 Middle School also has a so-called “low-carbon band.” The band played at an international energy-saving and emission-reduction expo in 2009, where they were encouraged by former President Hu Jintao.
The students’ efforts to promote environmental awareness and reduce their own carbon footprint have been praised online.
“The instruments are both attractive and practical, a perfect combination of art and ‘green’ products. The students are great!” wrote one microblogger on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
Chang Cheng, an environmentalist from the non-government organization Friends of Nature, said transforming waste into musical instruments represents a new way to recycle waste.
“Individual efforts may be small in quantity, but their impact is broad,” Chang said, adding that such efforts will encourage more people to reduce their own impact on the environment.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on China’s youth to protect the environment and live frugal lifestyles while attending a tree-planting activity with other leaders.[db:内容2]

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