Young Learner News Magazine April 2019

April 2019

YOUNG LEARNER News Magazine on School Education

UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education

An Editorial Initiative of Raman Media Network Editor: Rakesh Raman

Modern Education | Trends | Job Market | Campaigns | Policy

Main Stories in This Issue

Learning

Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education

Contest

Research

Education Dilemma in Indian Schools

Young Champions of the Earth

Sports

Sports Improve Children’s Learning

Campaign

Harmful Effects

Volunteers for Education Campaign in Delhi Harmful Pollution in Delhi Affects Children

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Nominations Invited for UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education Based on the recommendations of the Jury, the Director-General of UNESCO will announce the 2019 laureates.

UNESCO has launched the call for nominations for the 2019 UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education. The Prize annually awards US$ 50,000 to two outstanding laureates.

UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education Governments of UNESCO Member States and non-governmental organizations (​NGOs​) in official partnership with UNESCO are now invited to nominate up to three individuals, institutions, or organizations who have made strong contributions in favour of girls’ and women’s education.

Interested candidates can contact the National Commission for UNESCO of their country, or an NGO in official partnership with UNESCO. Deadline for​ submissions​ is 28 May 2019.

Nominations will be assessed by an independent International Jury of five experts on the basis of the project’s potential for impact, innovation, and sustainability.

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Based on the recommendations of the Jury, the Director-General of UNESCO will announce the 2019 laureates who will receive the award at an official ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on 11 October 2019.

Established in 2015 and funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Prize honours outstanding and innovative practices advancing girls’ and women’s education. It consists of two US$ 50,000 awards to help further the work of laureates in this field.

UN Environment Looking for Young Champions of the Earth Each winner will be expected to implement their big idea by producing videos and blogs.

Young Champions of the Earth aims to celebrate and support individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have the potential to create a positive​ environmental​ impact.

According to UN Environment, global warming is forcing our societies, our economies, and our world to change.

Our ways of doing business; careers and job opportunities need to change too.

In 2019, seven young people – selected from every global region – will be named Young Champions of the Earth.

These winners receive seed funding, intensive training, and tailored mentorship to bring their big environmental ideas to life.

UN Environment is looking for the artists, scientists, economists, communicators, and entrepreneurs from all walks of life with ideas for the environment, for humanity, and for a greener future.

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Following an open call for applications, UN experts will shortlist World Finalists from every region. A Global Jury will then select the seven 2019 winners.

Each winner will be expected to implement their big idea by producing videos and blogs. In parallel, up to 50 of the most promising applicants will be granted privileged access to an expert community of Covestro mentors.

They will offer insights on topics ranging from communications and business development to project planning and financial management. Click​ here​ for details.

Download and Read RMN Publications TechWise Today

The Integrity Bulletin

Clean Climate

Legal Directions

Young Learner

Real Voter

Education Dilemma in Indian Schools Now it is an open secret that school teachers in India are so incompetent that they do not deserve any job in schools.

The worsening situation of school education in India is reflected in India’s deplorable Human Development Index (​HDI​) that totters at a poor rank of 130 in the world. In the Draft National Education Policy (​NEP​) also, the Government of India has admitted that there are many flaws in the Indian school education system.

Instead of learning from the HDI indicator or the findings of NEP and improving the education system in schools, the politicians are creating a huge hype around school education to hoodwink the ignorant students and parents.

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The government schools are mostly crowded with students from economically weaker sections of society. The parents of these students are so illiterate that they do not understand the meaning of education.

When students go to schools, parents assume that their children are gaining education in the school ​buildings​; but that is not true. This is a misconception which is being exploited by politicians and bureaucrats in the education departments.

In order to hide the facts about deteriorating education standards, they have not created any empirical models to measure the learning outcomes in schools.

Factors Responsible for Poor Quality of School Education After spending 12 years in school, the students realize that they have not learnt anything that can help them grow in their career. Their knowledge level after schooling is negligibly low. As they are not suitable for higher education, they end up loitering in streets.

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But at that time they do not have any channel to register their complaint to hold the school and school teachers accountable. Thus, the government is spoiling the lives and careers of millions of students.

Incompetent School Teachers In the continuously falling school education standards, the biggest losers are students and their parents – most of whom belong to the disadvantaged section of the society. The primary culprits for this persisting problem are school teachers because they are supposed to take care of the students’ careers.

Complaints Against School Teachers Now it is an open secret that school teachers in India are so incompetent that they do not deserve any job in schools. They never tried to revamp the archaic syllabuses and obsolete pedagogy in order to make students employable in the contemporary job market.

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As a result, ​joblessness is spreading like a pandemic disease and teachers are responsible

for this ugly plight. Students taught by these good-for-nothing teachers cannot be called educated and they never get ready for any work that can give them proper employment.

Moreover, the teachers never tried to acquire new skills that students need to earn their livelihoods in the current cutthroat world. Let alone subject proficiency, most teachers do not know how to properly use ​English language which is the cornerstone for every modern job in India and abroad today.

If government stops protecting them, these government school teachers – who are surviving on public money – will not be able to get any job in the open market because they do not possess domain knowledge of any subject. Most of these teachers are so raw that they are not even trainable.

If they are asked to appear in a proper test in the subjects they are supposed to teach, 9 out of every 10 teachers will fail. Then why do ​politicians want to protect them? Answer: Politics – rather dirty politics, as teachers influence votes of millions of parents.

Sports Improve Children’s Learning: New Report The report features analyses from global research literature and data from more than 300 sport for development (S4D) programs in 100 countries.

Participation in sport improves children’s educational attainment and skills development including empowerment, leadership, and self-esteem – contributing to their overall well-being and future prospects, according to new research released by the Barça Foundation and UNICEF. Getting into the Game: Understanding the Evidence for Child-Focused Sport for Development features analyses from global research literature and data from more than 300 sport for development (S4D) programs in 100 countries.

The report was commissioned by the Barça Foundation and carried out by a research team at UNICEF’s Office of Research – Innocenti.

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Children, including girls, play football at LEC centre of Boulaos in the city of Djibouti. Photo: UNICEF Highlights from the report include: ●

Successful sport for development initiatives involve multi-sectoral cooperation, such as the inclusion of education and social components.

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Coaches play a critical role in safeguarding children and mitigating possible negative influences.

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There is little evidence to suggest involvement in sport reduces a child’s risk of abuse and exploitation. In fact, when not done well, there are indications that some sports can increase exposure to violence.

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Better evidence is needed for the monitoring of sport for development initiatives, including more research on effective implementation.

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More meaningful child participation in program design and evidence building is needed.

As 2019 marks 30 years since the adoption of the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history - The Convention on the Rights of the Child, which among others, states that YOUNG LEARNER News Magazine on School Education by RMN Foundation

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every child has a right to leisure, play, and participation in cultural and artistic activities – Barça Foundation and UNICEF urge governments to deliver on the commitment to leisure and play.

Barça Foundation and UNICEF have been working together since 2006. Their partnership has helped nearly two million children access sports, play, education, and child protection initiatives.

The two organizations identified a critical gap in robust evidence on sport for development programming, which led to the production of Getting into the Game.

In a second phase, the researchers will test the report recommendations in programs, including at UNICEF projects funded by FC Barcelona in Brazil, China, Ghana, and South Africa, as well as projects in countries affected by conflict or disaster.

The partnership between FC Barcelona and UNICEF is committed to the vision that every child receives quality education and has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential by participating in sports and play.

Download Previous Issues of Young Learner January 2019

February 2019

March 2019

50 Volunteers Wanted for New Education Campaign in Delhi द ल के कूल म श ा का गरता हुआ तर और उसम सध ु ार का यास ऐसी पढ़ाई का कोई फायदा नह ं जो हम अ छ नौकर न दे सके आओ मल कर शु कर – श ा लाओ, कूल बचाओ – आंदोलन RMN Foundation – which is a humanitarian organization – seeks the services of at least 50

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volunteers for its ​new campaign which aims to get the education system in Delhi government schools revamped.

RMN Foundation launched the next phase of its education awareness campaign in New Delhi The selected candidates will be given the opportunity to work in diverse operational areas such as Education Counselling, Field Campaigns, Public Relations, Fund-raising, Events Management, Government Relations, and General Administration.

Depending on the nature of their work, the volunteers can choose to operate from their homes. But they will be expected to attend initial weekly meetings at RMN Foundation’s Education and Career Counselling Center at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka, New Delhi.

Interested candidates, who can offer their services on a voluntary basis, may please ​click here to apply online. Alternatively, you can download our Volunteer Application Form and send it by post at the following address.

Rakesh Raman RMN Foundation 463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4 Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, INDIA Email: rrthakur@hotmail.com

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Environmental Damage and Pollution in India Appeal to Global Community

A new IQAir AirVisual report, which covered 3,000 cities of the world, has revealed that Gurugram (a.k.a. Gurgaon) a suburb of India’s capital New Delhi is the most polluted city of the world while 22 of the top 30 polluted cities are in India. Also, Delhi remains the most polluted capital across the world.

As pollution levels remain dangerously high throughout the year in India, all travelers including business executives, tourists, and diplomats need to exercise utmost caution while planning to visit India – particularly India’s capital New Delhi.

Moreover, companies and investors must not come to Delhi for setting up their businesses or for trade conferences as ​pollution can harm them as well as their families. Foreigners who have come to stay in India for their work, should preferably go back to their countries. Or, at least, they should not keep their children with them because ​Delhi’s pollution is very harmful for children.

Delhi Government, the Indian Government, and the pollution-control ​agencies are not taking proper steps to control pollution because most politicians and bureaucrats in India are corrupt, uneducated, and careless.

The extreme pollution in Delhi is being compared to the poisonous gas chambers used by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust for the genocide of millions of European Jews. As pollution in Delhi / India is harmful to millions of Indians as well as people in other parts of the world with its impact on global warming and climate change, its lethal effect is equivalent to weapons of mass destruction.

The Indian government - including bureaucrats and politicians - is causing serious environmental damage which is harmful for the entire planet. Therefore, the global ​community including the UN and the U.S. Department of State and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (​OFAC​) must impose strict economic, diplomatic, and trade sanctions on India and Indian officials.

Rakesh Raman

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Appeal for Donations RMN Foundation is a humanitarian organization that was formed in May 2015 as an educational and public charitable Trust for the benefit of humanity at large. It is registered with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi at New Delhi, India.

Currently, all the activities of RMN Foundation are being managed single-handedly (without any support) by RMN Foundation founder Rakesh Raman who had left his job a few years ago to run this charity.

As RMN Foundation has embarked upon some major humanitarian projects during the past over 3 years, now it needs a significant amount of funds in the form of donations​ to expand the scope of its activities.

Individual Indian donors can help RMN Foundation with their contributions using the following bank details:

Bank Name: ICICI Bank Bank Branch: HL Square, Plot No. 6, Sector 5 (MLU), Dwarka, New Delhi 110 075 Account Number: 025005004368 Account Name: RMN Foundation Type of Account: Current IFSC Code: ICIC0000250 Or you can ​click here​ to donate with PayPal, credit card, or bank account.

Alternative Education Models for Indian Schools Today, it is almost impossible for students to get a good job in the market after completing their conventional education from Indian schools and colleges.

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There is an urgent need of adopting alternative education models because schools in India have failed miserably in their duties to impart the right education to students.

Today, it is almost impossible for students to get a ​good job in the market after completing their conventional education from Indian schools and colleges. Reason: Most teachers are incompetent and the syllabuses are painfully obsolete.

Problems in the Indian Schools: ●

Untrained teachers who are clueless about the requirements of the modern job market

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Overcrowded classes that have even more than 70 students in a class while the ideal teacher-student ratio should be 1:25

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Schools running in multiple shifts to show only the increased number of enrollments without any focus on the quality of education

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Flawed education policy of the government, as most Indian politicians and bureaucrats who are supposed to make the policy are themselves uneducated

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Government schools bribe the students with midday meals and monetary allowances so students and parents must not raise their voices against the poor quality of education

Alternative education can help overcome the challenges being faced by the traditional schools, as alternative models can keep pace with the changing demands of the employers in the modern world. Some suggestions are given below. ●

Parents should learn how to evaluate the schools education outcomes

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As most parents know that school education is not relevant for the careers of their children, they should look for alternative education options

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As government officials lack skills, government must support schools that provide alternative education through innovative pedagogical models

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Students and parents should immediately stop taking government largesses including trifling monetary allowances and meals, and send their children to only those independent schools that provide modern education

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While schools in India operate with unskilled teachers who use archaic curricula and obsolete teaching techniques, most students fail to survive in the modern-day world when they move further in their careers.

As a result, Indian students with degrees and diplomas are not ​employable in any modern profession. Worse, they are not even trainable for a professional job because their knowledge level is abysmally bad.

Meet the Editor The editor of ​Young Learner news magazine ​Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page column regularly for The Financial Express (a daily business newspaper of The Indian Express Group).

Nowadays, for the past about 8 years, he has been running his own global news services on different subjects. He also has formed a free Education and Career Counselling Center for deserving children at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka, New Delhi under his ​NGO – RMN Foundation. He also runs a global edutainment site ​RMN Kids for children, their parents, and teachers.

He runs a community-driven anti-corruption social service “​Clean House​” to help the suffering residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice.

He also has formed an environment-protection group called​ Green Group​ in Delhi.

He creates and distributes a number of ​digital publications that cover areas such as technology, law, environment, education, politics, corruption and transparency.

He has created a comprehensive online information ​service to educate the Indian voters for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

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Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

Collaboration for School Education Content Project The ​Young Learner news magazine is being published by RMN Foundation. It is being circulated among the top UN agencies, education departments, policymakers, schools, civil society organizations, social activists, and others in India and abroad.

RMN Foundation is looking for sponsors and collaborators across the world who can join hands with us to expand the school education content activity with the objective to improve the quality of school education in a holistic manner.

Contact

Rakesh Raman Founder RMN Foundation 463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4, Dwarka, Phase I New Delhi 110 078, INDIA Contact by email

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