Latest news with #ECE
Scoop
5 days ago
- Health
- Scoop
Pacific News In Brief For 4 August
Samoa - dengue Samoa media are reporting a fifth child has died from dengue fever. The country is in the midst of an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease. Meanwhile, education minister Ae'au Chris Hazelman said all schools will remain closed this week due to the outbreak, including ECE and universities. "Based on the data provided to us by the Ministry of Health, not only at our national hospital at Moto'otua but all of our district hospitals as well and also the hospital in Savai'i - it is based on those numbers that we have made the decision to close the schools." Schools were closed last week and a fumigation programme was launched. Papua New Guinea - cocoa The province of East Sepik has opened a new trade route, with a shipment of cocoa to Shandong in China. NBC reported it comes 25 years after Sir Michael Somare forged a sister-province agreement between East Sepik and Shandong. On the eve of the country's 50th anniversary of independence, the East Sepik Governor, Allan Bird, reflected on this legacy, and praised Sir Michael's foresight. He said it may be the first export from East Sepik to its sister province. Bird said not only does it strengthen East Sepik's trade footprint but it's also a symbolic realisation of Sir Michael's diplomatic legacy. NBC reported business leaders and the community see the announcement as a positive milestone for local industry, hoping it paves the way for more exports and collaboration with China. Fiji - policing Fiji's Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua met with the New Zealand Minister for Customs and Associate Minister for Police, Casey Costello, and her delegation in Suva last week. The Fijian government government said discussions centred on the growing threats of transnational crime and drug trafficking affecting Fiji. Fiji - charged A primary school teacher in Fiji has been charged with allegedly beating a young boy with a PVC pipe, injuring his stomach and ear. reports that the man entered no plea when he appeared in the Nadi Magistrates Court last week. He was granted bail and will appear in court again on 9 September.
Scoop
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Move To One Regulator A Major Turning Point In ECE Reform
The proposal to make the Education Review Office the sole Early Childhood Education regulator is a massive change that should deliver much sought after clarity for the ECE sector, says the Early Childhood Council. 'Recommendation two in the Ministry for Regulation review related to addressing the duplication of regulatory assessment, and inconsistencies between ERO's reviews of ECE providers and the Ministry of Education's interventions through their licensing regime. When these reforms take effect from next year, providers will deal with one regulator, thoroughly addressing the regulation-duplication issue once and for all,' said Simon Laube, ECC CEO. The ECE regulatory review report was completed in December 2024, but the outcomes of that review are still being put into effect. Legislation was introduced into Parliament this week which will clarify the purpose of regulation in ECE, and Ministry of Education consultation recently closed on changes to the licensing criteria. 'We look forward to a day where the ECE regulations have clear standards that can be measured and tested objectively, and where providers can have confidence about what to expect from the regulator with no more disproportionate sanctions being taken.' 'Today's regulator announcement is a massive change and a significant aspect of a much wider series of ECE regulatory reforms. Today it's clear that this truly is reform, I think the level of system change is on a scale comparable to the restructure of the District Health Board model in the health system. There's still a long way to go with the ECE Regulatory reforms, but this change will become a major turning point in that overall journey. Do it once and do it properly. We know the direction better now, but the success still depends on its delivery,' said Simon Laube.
Scoop
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Have Your Say On The Education And Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill
The Acting Chairperson of the Education and Workforce Committee is calling for public submissions on the Education and Training (Early Childhood Education Reform) Amendment Bill. The bill aims to improve the effectiveness of the early childhood education (ECE) regulatory system for children and parents, and to reduce the regulatory burden for service providers. The bill seeks to amend the Education and Training Act 2020 to: clarify the purpose, objectives, and guiding principles of regulating ECE services establish a new statutory role, the Director of Regulation, with responsibilities for performing key regulatory functions in the ECE system clarify responsibilities relating to the prescribing of licensing criteria. The bill would partly implement the Government's decisions resulting from the Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education. Tell the Education and Workforce Committee what you think Make a submission on the bill by 2.00pm on Monday, 1 September 2025. For more details about the bill:
NZ Herald
31-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
‘Most generous heart': Founder of New Zealand's first Samoan language early childcare centre dies
Jan Taouma co-founded the first Samoan early childhood centre in New Zealand, the A'oga Fa'a Samoa, in Auckland in the 1980s. RNZ Photo / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Jan Taouma co-founded the first Samoan early childhood centre in New Zealand, the A'oga Fa'a Samoa, in Auckland in the 1980s. RNZ Photo / Cole Eastham-Farrelly One of the Auckland Samoan community's biggest advocates for maintaining the Samoan language and culture in New Zealand has died. Jan Taouma, co-founder of the country's first Pacific Island language early childhood centre, is being remembered for her dedication and work in the ECE sector that spanned over 40 years. She died in Auckland over the weekend, surrounded by her seven children. She was in her 77. Known affectionately as 'Mama Jan,' Taouma helped to establish the Aoga Fa'a Samoa early childcare centre in Auckland in the early 1980s, after recognising the importance of keeping the language alive among New Zealand-born Samoans.
Hans India
29-07-2025
- Business
- Hans India
SKIT's revival opens new doors for tech students in Srikalahasti
Srikalahasti: The long-awaited revival of the Srikalahasteeswara Institute of Technology (SKIT) has finally been completed, fulfilling the election promise made by Srikalahasti MLA Bojjala Sudhir Reddy. His dedicated efforts led to SKIT's merger with Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Anantapur, and the stage is now set for the admissions process from this academic year itself. SKIT, established in 1997 by the Srikalahasteeswara Swamy Vari Devasthanam with support from former minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy, was one of the popular choices for engineering aspirants. However, due to declining admissions and financial difficulties subsequently, the Endowments Department suspended new enrollments in 2020, leading to the institution's closure. Prior to that, Gopalakrishna Reddy had proposed a merger with JNTU, which was approved by the State Cabinet in 2018. However, the plan stalled after a change in the State government. When the NDA government came to power, MLA Sudhir Reddy revived the proposal with support from Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh, and his efforts have now borne fruit. As a result, official orders have been issued for SKIT's merger with JNTU Anantapur, and the college will now participate in the second phase of the ongoing EAMCET counselling. Beginning this academic year, B Tech admissions will be available in Computer Science Engineering (CSE), Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Computer Science Engineering in Data Science (CSD), and CSE with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (CSM). Each course will offer 66 seats under the convenor quota, with a course fee of Rs 70,000. The Institute set up in 55 acres, has crores of properties under its procession besides valuable infrastructure in labs and library. SKIT was the only technical college under the Endowments Department's jurisdiction in the State, and with the merger, its operations will be fully managed by JNTU Anantapur, bringing new hope and confidence to prospective students.
