School

The results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that countries in the region have scores significantly below the average. Progress in Uzbekistan in science subjects, a setback in mathematics in Kazakhstan

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education began reorganising schools with a pilot project in two districts, aiming at 3,114 schools with fewer than 100 students. The initiative is meant to improve learning and the use of resources, officials told AsiaNews. Still, some scholars are critical of the lack of adequate public debate.

According to a study by the Bank of Korea and the OECD, competition for places at the best private schools is driving fertility rates to historic lows (with only a slight recovery in the last two years). Without this factor, the average number of children would rise by 28 per cent. Women are more affected than men.

Starting today, the first day of the academic year, schools remained closed due to Israel’s failure to renew entry permits for school staff. The Jewish state's measure affects more than 70 teachers and non-teaching staff, as well as 8,500 students. Various Christian Churches are united in protest, a repeat of what occurred last Christmas.

For the first time, a Dalit candidate wins top place in entrance examination to the country's most prestigious medical schools. Meanwhile, the government promises to reform the controversial admissions system following student protests. In the background, the debate rages on over reserved quotas and meritocracy in India.

The Chief Minister of the Borneo state, Abang Johari, has praised the work of Unifor, the department for non-Islamic communities, which since 2017 has allocated 685 million ringgit to places of worship and support for schools founded by missionaries. This is a unique model for a region of Malaysia where Christians make up over 40 per cent of the population.

According to UNICEF, schooling for over 100,000 children is at risk for the coming year. The displacement of people in the south has become permanent. Even Christian schools are on the brink of collapse due to a lack of funds. A “solidarity fund” has been set up to stem the bleeding, but donors are growing weary.

The national pass rate has fallen to 58.83%, the lowest in 21 years. Over half a million students failed, while 77,000 fewer than last year achieved the highest marks (GPA-5). Scholars and educators are questioning the reasons for the crisis. Catholic schools are spared, although they too have recorded a (minimal) decline in results.

Five kilometres from the border with Israel, the institute founded under the Ottoman Empire in 1881 for Christian girls is fighting for survival. Fr Youssef Nasr: Catholic schools welcome around 190,000 students, 20% of the total and 30% of private schools. Non-Christians account for 30%, although in some areas the figure exceeds 60%. The economic challenge for survival and post-war ethnic tensions.

New guidelines from the state education department are designed to curb marginalisation and discrimination based on ethnicity and caste. Strict confidentiality regarding caste affiliation is required, especially for scholarship recipients. For Fr Devasagaya Raj, Catholic schools should do more to promote the Gospel values of equality.

In the Holy Year of Hope, such a deed is designed to provide relief and comfort to the many families experiencing financial hardship. This crisis has been ongoing for some time, partly due to Israeli government cuts, and exacerbated by the recent years of war. For Cardinal Pizzaballa, “This was not an easy decision” because it means loss of revenues, but it is a sign of “grace” in “a context of violence”.

Public schools at all levels, from kindergartens to universities, are growing in the countries of the region. And in several cases it is the state itself that is stimulating investors with the aim of modernising the education and training system.