Latest news with #MinistryOfEducation
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Teacher suspensions quashed by Vanuatu Supreme Court
Photo: RNZ/ Dan Cook Vanuatu's Supreme Court has quashed a Teaching Service Commission decision to suspend and terminate over 600 teachers for participating in a strike. The court also declared that the industrial action, which started on 6 June last year and recalled on 10 August 2024, remains lawful. The Vanuatu Daily Post reported the strike was initiated by the Vanuatu Teachers Union over payroll issues . Judge Edwin Peter Goldsbrough, who presided over the judicial review, delivered his ruling in a courtroom packed with union members last week. He stated that he found no evidence to support a finding that the industrial action was unlawful through alleged procedural irregularities. The union dedicated the victory not just to teachers, but to all workers in the country. According to a timeline from the Ministry of Education and Training, the union notified the Commissioner of Labor of its intention to strike in early May 2024. The primary claim in the notice was the transfer of the teachers' payroll budget from the Ministry of Education and Training to the Teaching Service Commission. A conciliator was appointed but after three sittings a party did not turn up, so the meeting could not proceed. The union then started industrial action on 7 June, before an undertaking agreement was signed on 17 June by the union, the Teaching Service Commission and the ministry. On 5 August, the three parties met for a final review of the claims to be included in the collective bargaining agreement together with a payment plan. The Vanuatu Teachers Union expressed disapproval with the payment amount, but said its members would return to the classroom once they received the first payment in their accounts. As they waited, the number of suspensions issued by the Teaching Service Commission continued to rise. In a statement in March this year, Minister of Education Simil Johnson said the government has "shown its commitments to implement the content of the Council of the Minister's Paper to settle the four billion [vatu] outstanding". The Ministry also said multiple claims were unsubstantiated. In one instance, 1192 teachers claimed principals and deputy principals' allowances. The verification process saw 496 of those claims paid, 235 considered, which cost about 25,180,000 vatu, and 461 were unsubstantiated. Johnson said in the same statement the Government had already begun "paying teachers legal entitlements" and there was "no way" it would not pay fot all other legal entitlements. "I urge all government-paid teachers to continue in their professions as teachers and school administrators and let government do its part in getting teachers' entitlements paid accordingly," he said.
Zawya
18 hours ago
- General
- Zawya
American School of Bahrain celebrates second graduation ceremony
Bahrain - The American School of Bahrain (ASB) recently held the graduation ceremony of its second cohort of students for the 2024-2025 academic year. The event was attended by H.E. Ms. Nawal Ibrahim Al Khater, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Education, along with school officials, parents of the graduates, and a host of guests. ASB's Director Dave McMaster, remarked, 'The graduates of this class embody our vision of developing a generation that is aware, skilled, and ready to lead positive change for a better tomorrow. We are proud to be part of the remarkable educational landscape of Bahrain, strengthened by the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the consistent support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. This support has allowed us to deliver an education that meets the highest global standards.' Dr. Juan Saavedra, Middle and High School Principal, also shared his pride in the students, saying: 'Today is not just a conclusion; it's the start of a promising future. Our students have shown their strength and talent in all areas, and we are sure they will continue to excel and enrich the world around them. We deeply appreciate the Ministry of Education for its dedicated support of private schools, in line with its commitment to public education.' Established in 2020, ASB offers a comprehensive American and international educational program, alongside the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school emphasizes academic excellence, innovation, global-mindedness, and community leadership. It was recently awarded an 'Outstanding' rating by Bahrain's Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA), the highest rating a school can achieve. Several distinguished students were recognized for their achievements during the ceremony, and the event was filled with an air of pride and happiness as each graduate marked this significant milestone in their journey. About the American School of Bahrain: American School of Bahrain offers a holistic and challenging American and international educational program founded on the pillars of academic excellence, happiness, innovation, international mindedness, balance, community leadership, and cultural respect. ASB was awarded an 'Outstanding' rating by Bahrain's Education and Training Quality Authority (BQA), the highest distinction granted by the national regulator - recognizing the school's distinction in leadership, training and student achievement. With experienced leadership, dedicated and caring educators, and state-of-the-art facilities, ASB inspires students to pursue their passions and become lifelong learners. As an Esol Education school, ASB is part of a family of exceptional international schools around the world in locations such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Cairo, Nicosia, and Lebanon.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
China cracks down on ‘AI prediction' scams ahead of national university entrance exams
The Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down heavily on scammers targeting the national college entrance examination , especially those who claim that artificial intelligence can be used to predict the real questions. Advertisement The Chinese Ministry of Education, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security jointly announced a campaign to investigate and clean up 'illegal and harmful information' relating to the exams on Friday. Known as the gaokao, the exam, which runs from June 7 to June 10 this year, can make or break a young person's future since their scores largely determine if and where they can attend university and what they can study. 04:32 What is the gaokao? A look at China's daunting university entrance exams What is the gaokao? A look at China's daunting university entrance exams More than 13.3 million people will take the test this year, according to education ministry figures, and many will have been preparing using mock papers and the previous years' exams. But given the high stakes and the cutthroat nature of the competition, the temptation to seek an advantage, or even cheat, will always be there – and there is no shortage of those hoping to profit from that. Mock papers, which the sellers claim used artificial intelligence to better predict the actual questions, are selling online for inflated prices, according to media reports. Advertisement Some social media accounts and private tutors are also claiming access to 'top secret' information sourced from teachers who help set the papers, according to Friday's government announcement. 'Some even used big AI models to predict the questions as a gimmick. The relevant information was exaggerated to attract traffic, in order to induce candidates and parents to buy simulated test questions and reference materials at high prices,' the statement said.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa's public school board looking at selling vacant buildings, cutting programs to save money
Ottawa's public school board is exploring several options to find up to $20 million in savings, including selling vacant buildings and cutting some adult high school and special education programs. Trustees with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) have been told that 'tough decisions' will have to be made in order for Ottawa's largest school board to avoid a deficit budget for a fifth straight year. The Ministry of Education has ordered an investigation into the OCDSB's finances, with a report expected by the end of the month. Staff will present the draft budget in June for the 2025-26 school year, which will include recommendations to save money. Associate Director of Education Randall Gerrior issued a warning to trustees that there are few options available to find savings, and trustees won't have $30 million in possible options to find $20 million in savings to balance the budget. 'There's no ability when you're under the current financial pressures that you're under to have a buffet of options,' Gerrior said Wednesday evening. 'We are struggling to find things that we would recommend to the board to reduce that has the least amount of impact on classrooms, marginalized groups and still operate this organization in a credible, functional way.' Gerrior told trustees that staff have done a review of discretionary spending, including money spent on guest speakers, conferences and all vacancies are reviewed. Gerrior says staff are also looking at whether programs could be suspended, cancelled or remodelled at the Adult High School, special education programs and other programs that are not mandated. The board is also looking at long-term plans like divestment of properties, including McGregor Easson Public School, and better business practices to align with decision-making and operations to boost the board's surplus. Gerrior said the budget recommendations will include reductions in senior staff, but it won't be enough to balance the budget. 'We will be within ministry benchmarks on senior staff. A senior staff member is not going to address the structural problems that we have within our organization,' Gerrior said Wednesday night. 'You can't solve a $20 million problem with a $200,000 reduction.' Gerrior told an OCDSB board meeting Tuesday night that cuts to administration are impacting services. 'I hear a lot out of the trustees, 'we'll cut more out of admin, we'll cut more out of other places.' We've been doing that,' Gerrior said. 'We almost didn't make payroll at one point because of cuts that we've made to admin staff over the years.' On Wednesday, the OCDSB released a report showing more than $75 million in budget pressures that are not covered by funding from the Ministry of Education. The 17,000 vacant student spaces in OCDSB schools is costing the board $20 million a year, while the board is facing an estimated budget pressure of $16.8 million to cover costs for replacing sick and absent staff. Inflation is expected to add a $12 million pressure to the 2025-26 budget, with Gerrior saying the funding 'must be found from other areas.' Staff at the OCDSB are reviewing recent Ontario government funding announcements The Ministry of Education announced last week the OCDSB will receive $1.079 billion in funding for the new school year, up from $1.047 billion for the 2024-25 school year. The $31 million in extra funding includes an additional $18.9 million for classroom staffing, $3.1 million for special education funding and $2.8 million for student transportation. The OCDSB is looking at reducing spending by $9.3 million in central and administration supports, $4.85 million in academic staffing and $4.8 million in special education. School boards are required to pass a balanced budget by June 30.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Government ramping up truancy enforcement, parents condoning it could be prosecuted
"The previous government ceased to pursue prosecutions, I think that was a mistake," David Seymour says. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are more likely to be prosecuted as the government cracks down on truancy. The Ministry of Education is now poised to take legal action against those parents, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. It is proactively contacting schools and truancy officers to ensure parents condoning truancy are referred to the Ministry to be considered for prosecution. The rules were not changing, but the government was ramping up enforcement because schools and truancy officers said it was needed, Seymour said. "There are some parents who just refuse to cooperate, don't care about their kids' futures, and the people working at the coalface have told me it would be helpful if they had another sanction that they could bring into play." They wanted a "coercive power" that would ensure parents took school attendance seriously, Seymour said. No parent had been prosecuted for refusing to ensure their kids attended school for more than five years, he said. "The previous government ceased to pursue prosecutions, I think that was a mistake," he said. "We're making it clear that the Ministry of Education is back in business and will respond to requests from schools to take prosecutions." When a parent is referred to the ministry for condoning truancy, staff would decide whether to prosecute, and it would then be a matter for the courts, he said. Parents faced fines of up to $300 for a first offence and $3000 for a second or subsequent offence. Seymour said 90,000 students were chronically absent. "We are not going to prosecute the parents of 90,000 students. This is an option for people working at the frontline ... if they have someone who is more of a 'won't' than a 'can't'." The ministry would not prosecute parents of students who were "genuinely engaging" with the school, or those who were absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability.
