TOL: Open Society Education News: November 2006


November 2006
Latvia: Quiet Revolution in the Classroom 30 October 2006 Latvia's ethnic minority youngsters are adjusting well to the mandatory use of Latvian in schools, although some adults complain children are losing out. [Also in Russian.] by Elizabeth Celms

Azerbaijan: A Political Education 19 October 2006 Azeri opposition says expulsions show regime's concern over university activism. [Also in Russian.] by Leyla Amirova


--------- October's education articles on TOL looked at what happens when politics enters the classroom. In Latvia, the large Russian-speaking community has for years bitterly contested plans to increase Latvian-language teaching in minority schools. But in the two years since a controversial law mandating much greater use of Latvian in minority high schools took effect, Russian pupils seem to be handling the changes well - although their teachers are having some problems. But while open protest by students is accepted in Latvia, Azeri university students are often afraid to express their opposition to the ruling regime. Two students are seeking asylum in Norway after being expelled from their universities in Baku because, they claim, of their opposition activity. Other students are now more worried than ever that they could lose their chance at a university degree if they even speak of their opposition to the regime. --------- To Subscribe A bi-monthly newsletter sponsored by OSI's Education Support Program, the Open Society Education News highlights upcoming events, new publications, and all of TOL's education articles. Subscribers to this newsletter will also receive notifications about opportunities to contribute to TOL's education section. Subscribe at TOL’s newsletter signup page. --------- Take a look at the previous education newsletters: http://archive.tol.cz/nsl-list.html.

Guidebook for involving abandoned children in after-class activities in Moldova

As a result of a long-lasting and hard period of transition in Moldova, many parents determined to move abroad to improve their financial situation, and their children are being brought up either by a single parent, by grandparents, by other family, or by strangers. Thus, in the Republic of Moldova, similarly to Ukraine and Romania, there emerged a new category of children: emotionally abandoned and neglected kids. These children do benefit from some material support, but are short of parental love, a fact that impacts the development of their personality.

The project "A Future for Our Children" being implemented by the Educational Center Pro Didactica, and supported by the Education Support Program's RE:FINE Program, addresses this issue. As a result of the project, the center published a Romanian-language guide, I'm Learning to Be (Guide for School Psychologists, Class Masters and Teachers).

This guide is an informational and practical aid for people working with children and youngsters who are left alone or come from disintegrated families; but it can also be used in case of children coping with other difficulties. Its aim is to help the work of professionals (psychologists, class-masters, teachers, volunteers) who assist these children by providing suggestions for teachers and community leaders on how to involve these children in after-class activities. The suggestions for all activities are reference points that can be adapted or modified as needed.

The English version will be available soon at www.proeducation.md.

First General Assembly of the Network of Educational Policy Centers in Zagreb, Croatia

The Network of Education Policy Centers will organize its first General Assembly in Zagreb, Croatia on December 10-11, 2006. The Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) from Croatia will host the event. The purpose of the meeting is to start formalizing the NEPC network, approve a strategy and an action plan, select a board, and sign a memorandum of cooperation. The general assembly also includes organizing workshops on the following topics: needs assessment, fundraising, marketing and sustainability issues, as well as introduce the recent developments and projects in the network and policy centers.

Member organizations are expected to send their representatives to the meeting from numerous countries of the Central and Eastern European regions, Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus and Turkey.

For more information, please write to: cerd@idi.hr

Fifth edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report published in CEE and CIS regions at annual ISSA conference

The fifth edition of the EFA Global Monitoring Report was published in New York on October 26, 2006. In Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS region) it was presented on October 28 at the Annual Conference of the International Step by Step Association (ISSA). The launch was co-hosted by ISSA and the UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS. A keynote speech and a session were devoted to this issue. Among others, Aaron Benavot, senior policy analyst on the EFA Report team, presented the methodology, analysis, and findings of the publication.

Every year, the EFA Global Monitoring Report assesses how well the world is meeting its commitment to provide a basic education to all children, youth, and adults by 2015. The report is an authoritative reference that aims to inform, influence, and sustain genuine commitment to education for all. Developed by an independent team, the report is commissioned by UNESCO on behalf of the international community and is a collaborative effort involving members of the report team and many other people, agencies, institutions, and governments.The 2007 report, entitled "Strong Foundations: Early Childhood Care and Education," focuses on the first of the six Education for All (EFA) Goals; it calls upon countries to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education (ECCE), especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Using a holistic approach encompassing health, nutrition, hygiene, and children’s cognitive development and socio-emotional well-being, the report maintains that ECCE is an instrument to guarantee children’s rights that opens the way to all the EFA goals and contributes powerfully to reducing poverty-the overarching objective of the Millennium Development Goals.

The full Report, summary report and additional information is available at www.efareport.unesco.org.

Southeast European Regional Overview on Teacher Education to be Published in November

Most SEE countries struggle with obsolete pre-service teacher education and poor and/or inadequate in-service teacher training. The South East European Education Cooperation Network (SEE-ECN) has been implementing a two-year project, with financial support from the Open Society Institute Education Support Program's RE:FINE program and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, aimed at strengthening the role of teachers in developing national teacher education policies and national education systems and ensuring democratic school governance by providing for direct exchange of experiences and exposure to contemporary trends.

As a result of the project, SEE-ECN will publish a regional overview in mid-November, which will include the results of a survey of the most important information about pre- and in-service teacher education; 12 country reports; final recommendations for future work; and suggestions for the relevant EU and national bodies. The regional overview is being translated into the languages of the region and will be published on CD enclosed with the hard-copy publication. With UNESCO and ESP financial support, SEE-ECN is organizing a regional workshop for teachers in Sarajevo on November 17-19 to present the project results and discuss possible future follow-up.

For more information, please contact the Center for Educational Policy Studies (CEPS) of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia: Ceps@pef.uni-lj.si

Mongolia to join TIMSS

Like Ukraine, Mongolia has decided to participate in the international study of students’ achievement in mathematics and science, TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) for the first time. (For more information on TIMSS, please visit the international site) This decision grew out of various meetings held between the Ministry of Education and the Mongolian Soros Foundation within the framework of an ESP-supported assessment project. This project was started by the foundation and is now managed by the education spinoff Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA).

For more information please contact: Enkhtuya@mea.mn.org at the Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA) which is currently responsible for TIMSS in Mongolia.