Education blog

Archive for September, 2010

The desirous Pakistan-U.S. civil nuclear deal is still out of reach for Pakistan though it is a non-NATO ally of America in “war on terror.”

Responding to questions by journalists on his return from Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Memood Qureshi said here Sunday that the issue of civil nuclear deal with the United States has yet to be further discussed in April when he goes for an international conference on nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation.

“However stressing too much on certain issues would not be in national interest,” said Qureshi.

The foreign minister, after attending the most awaited Pak-U.S. strategic dialogue in Washington, said that his week-long visit was very successful and this time no “do more” was heard in his meetings with U.S. officials.

He said that response of U.S. officials was so positive and all long awaited issues were discussed in a friendly environment.

Qureshi said that Pakistan sensitivity was taken into account, U.S. agreed to review the decision of body scanning, in near future a breakthrough is expected in connection to drone technology.

He claimed that trust is restored between the two countries.

Qureshi said that U.S. accepted Pakistan’s needs and assistance on several sectoral issues was agreed. Free access to western market, agriculture, defense and several other issues were also discussed.

The 12th plenum of the 10th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee wrapped up in the country’s capital city of Hanoi on Sunday.

The plenum, which opened on March 22, discussed four draft documents, including amendments and supplements to the country’s important document Political Platform on National Construction in the Transitional Period to Socialism, the country’s socio-economic strategy in the period of 2011-2020, measures on improving capacity building of CPV’s leadership, as well as revision and supplementation of the CPV regulations to serve the Party’s new development.

Addressing the closing session of the 12th plenum, General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nong Duc Manh emphasized the significance of issues discussed at the plenum. These documents will be made public to collect opinions before being submitted to the upcoming 11th Party Congress.

At the meeting, Manh said that Vietnam’s goal at the end of the transitional period is to establish its basic economic foundation of socialism with the appropriate political, ideological and cultural superstructures. The whole party and the whole people should strive for bringing Vietnam to be an industrialized and modernized country by the mid 21st century, said Manh.

Manh also praised at the meeting the great contributions made after 10 years of implementation of the socio-economic strategy in the period of 2001-2010.

In the socio-economic strategy in the period of 2011-2020, Vietnam’s economy will continue focusing on rapid growth meanwhile maintaining sustainable development, said Manh. It will pay more attention to accelerating the development of productive forces, as well as finalizing relations of production and socialism-oriented market economy institution.

Manh said that by the end of 2020, Vietnam expects to basically become a modern industrialized country with social and political stability, ensure better living conditions for the people and raise the country’s prestige in the international arena.

Referring to the political report to be delivered at the 11th National Party Congress, Manh said that the focus for the period of 2011-2015 is to continue to reform, enhance capacity of CPV’s leadership, build a strong and transparent political system, achieve a rapid and sustainable economic growth to make foundation for basically becoming a industrial country by 2020.

To achieve that goal, Vietnam should pay more attention to stabilizing macro-economy, reforming economic structure, promoting sustainable development, effectively mobilizing sources, and finalizing the socialism-oriented market economy institution, said Manh.

The party leader urged the relevant agencies to improve quality of education and training and human resources. The public awareness of protecting environment, preventing and controlling disaster, and curbing impacts of climate changes also needs to be enhanced, said Manh.

Manh also called for further efforts to maintain social order, defend national independence, sabotage attempts by hostile forces, improve effectiveness of international relation activities and eagerly integrate into the world.

In the revision and supplementation of the CPV regulations, Manh said that the amendments have to be consistent to the basic regulation of CPV based on the Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology.

At the meeting, Manh also stressed the importance of selecting appropriate members for the new Central Committee of the 11th Party Congress.

It is essential to select comrades who have good morality, afford to fulfill their tasks and be highly responsible for the public interest, said Manh.

China’s top political advisor Jia Qinglin on Sunday arrived in Cape Town of South Africa, for an official visit to the country at the southern tip of Africa.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body, was making the visit at the invitation of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa.

South Africa was the last leg of Jia’s ten-day African tour which already took him to Cameroon and Namibia.

In a written statement issued upon his arrival at the airport, Jia said China-South Africa relationship had advanced in an all- round way since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1998.

The two countries, which forged the strategic partnership on equality, mutual benefit and common development in 2007, have developed deeper political trust, achieved fruitful results in trade, culture, education, science, and worked closely on international issues, Jia said.

A museum of meteorological history opened to visitors Sunday, the first of its kind in China.

Located in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province,the public museum was established to educate about meteorological culture and achievements, said Zheng Guoguang, director with the China Meteorological Administration.

The museum was built on Beijige Hill, the birthplace of modern Chinese meteorology. It has two sections.

The outdoor exhibition displays ancient meteorological apparatus, weather-themed rilievos, and sculptures of famous ancient meteorologists.

The indoor pavilion presents the history and development of meteorological instruments and the development of Chinese meteorology.

In addition, the museum offers special educational programs to students.

By visiting the exhibition, elementary and middle school students will enjoy vivid explanations and demonstrations on the basic climate phenomenon in their textbooks.

Arab Leaders and representatives wrapped up the 22nd Arab League (AL) Summit here on Sunday, agreeing to adopt a final declaration on a series of key Arab issues.

In the declaration, the Arab leaders said all Israeli measures and practices that seek to alter the features of occupied Jerusalem and its demographic, humanitarian and historic situation are invalid and cannot be accepted.

The declaration appeals for the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, the European Union and UN Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) to take responsibility in saving East Jerusalem and maintaining the al- Aqsa Mosque.

It also call on the Arab group in New York to request convening a special session of the UN General Assembly to stop all Israeli measures in Jerusalem that are in violation of the international law.

The declaration mandates forming a legal committee within the framework of the Arab League to follow up judaization of East Jerusalem and the conversion and confiscation of Arab property and to raise the issues before the national and international courts with jurisdiction to prosecute Israel legally.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said here earlier Sunday that his country is not part in any statement issued by the Summit due to its position against indirect talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

AL Secretary General Amr Moussa announced at the closing session a decision by the Arab leaders to hold an extraordinary summit before October to discuss overhauling of the pan-Arab organization.

The Arab leaders decided in the declaration to set up a five- party committee grouping Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani with the participation of Moussa to prepare for a document for the extraordinary summit.

The two-day summit opened here earlier Saturday to discuss a package of major issues challenging the Arab world, including the Palestinian cause, inter-Arab differences and latest development in Sudan and Iraq, with rescuing East Jerusalem from Israeli violation top the agenda.

At the invitation of Gaddafi, 13 Arab leaders attended the annual gathering, while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, along with leaders of six other AL member states, stayed away from the summit.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was invited to address the opening session, in which he appealed for Arab leaders to support U.S.-led efforts to initiate proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Monday met separately with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Parliament Speaker Per Westerberg in Stockholm to promote closer cooperation in various areas.

Xi also delivered a speech at a China-Sweden enterprise cooperation and innovation forum, calling for joint efforts to fight trade protectionism and tackle climate change.

Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson also attended the forum.

Educated workers are fleeing the nation’s largest cities because jobs and apartments are easier to find in second- and third-tier cities, Qi Xiao reports

Ma Xin listens intently to the person on the other end of the phone, her eyes narrow, her smile drops and then she puts the phone down. It is clear that she is disappointed.

She has just been turned down for a job at a university in Changchun, capital of North China’s Jilin province. She says it was her best chance so far to land a job in her hometown.

The 27 year old has been in Beijing for the past eight years, studying for six years and working as an assistant journalist for a Japanese news outlet for two years, earning 5,500 yuan ($806) a month.

“I just want to get out of the city before it’s too late,” she says.

She isn’t alone.

White-collar workers appear to be leaving big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in droves. According to a recent poll conducted jointly by Henan Business Daily and sina.com, 57.83 percent of these cities’ white-collar workers are thinking of leaving and looking for opportunities in medium-sized and small cities – the so-called second- and third-tier cities.

In an online survey by 51job.com, a leading job-hunting website, job seekers were asked whether they would “look for jobs in first-tier cities in March”. About 50 percent of the respondents said “no”, compared with 31 percent at the end of 2009 and 24 percent in the middle of 2009.

The following are highlights of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Sweden on Monday.

Sweden is the last leg of Xi’s 12-day European tour, which has taken him to Russia，Belarus and Finland.

STOCKHOLM — Xi attended a China-Sweden enterprise cooperation and innovation forum and made a five-point proposal on jointly fighting trade protectionism and tackling climate change.

Xi held talks with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and called for expanding Sino-Swedish cooperation to new areas. Xi also suggested both countries strengthen high-level dialogue, deepen trade and economic ties and increase people-to-people contact.

Xi also met with Swedish Parliament Speaker Per Westerberg and they agreed to develop closer ties between the legislatures of both countries.

On Tuesday, Xi is scheduled to meet with Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and visit Nordic Confucius Institute of Stockholm University.

Average monthly Japanese household expenditure in February fell 0.5 percent in real terms from a year earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIAC) said in a report on Tuesday.

Households in Japan with two-or-more-people on average spent 261,163 yen (2,821 U.S. dollars) in February — the reduction in spending marks the first drop in seven months, the government report said.

Spending on Education in February slumped 6.7 percent to an average 11,722 yen (126 U.S. dollars) and money spent on transportation and communication also fell from the same month a year earlier standing at 35,318 yen (381 U.S. dollars) in February, a drop of 6.3 percent, according to MIAC.

Japanese households spent 0.6 more on food in February however with the figure standing at 61,226 yen (661 U.S. dollars) and spending on furniture and household utensils surged 18.2 percent in February to 7,895 yen (85 U.S. dollars), MIAC said.

Additionally MIAC reported that the average monthly income per household stood at 464,866 yen (5,022 U.S. dollars) in February, rising 1.3 percent in real terms from the same time a year early, the ministry said adding that disposable incomes had also risen in February to an average of 391,042 yen (4225 U.S. dollars), a growth of 1.5 percent.

Urdu and Swahili are among the minority languages that are hot majors.

“Which countries speak Urdu?” That’s a common question people ask Fan Ying, who majored in the language.

The graduate of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) didn’t want to go through the trouble of explaining that Urdu is Pakistan’s official language again and again, so she just tells people her major was Spanish and that she can speak Urdu.

“People cast envious eyes upon me whenever they hear this,” Fan said. “I think studying a minority language has brought me many benefits. I have met people from different cultures and I can find a job that is relevant to my major.”

Right after her graduation in 2008, she got a job at ZTE Corp, which does business in Pakistan. She was sent to Pakistan a few months after taking the job.

In April, Beijing’s top three language universities will begin interviewing local applicants for instruction in minority languages. Competition to get in will be fierce because some majors won’t enroll new students this year and the total number of students will decline.

Xu Ye, admissions director for BFSU, told METRO that the university will teach 14 minority languages this year, five fewer than last year. Some majors only enroll students once every two years and other majors only once every four years.

BFSU programs in languages such as Burmese, Hausa and Urdu won’t enroll new students at all this year, he said.

Therefore, only 82 students will be admitted this year, 28 fewer than last year.

BFSU, the Beijing Language and Culture University and Beijing International Studies University will enroll 207 Beijing students in their departments of foreign minority languages. The universities estimate that more than 2,500 students will apply.

Minority languages have long been popular majors because they increase the chances to go abroad to experience different cultures and meet people with different backgrounds. It’s relatively easy to find a job, too.

Xu said the employment prospects for students studying minority languages are normally good, but it also depends on China’s foreign relations with the country in which the particular language is spoken.

“If China has sound foreign relations with a country, it is easier for students who study that country’s language to find a job,” he said.

Xu said the students in the Sinhalese program who will graduate in July have all landed a job. The university recruits new students for that major every four years. Sinhalese is the official language of Sri Lanka, which has stable and close economic and cultural exchanges with China.

All of the students majoring in Burmese have also found jobs, according to Xu.

He said institutions and enterprises that embrace students majoring in minority languages include government ministries, foreign joint ventures and the media.

Lin Fang, director of admissions for the Beijing Language and Culture University, said in an interview with the Beijing Times that 95 percent of graduates who studied minority languages could easily find jobs. Many students who study European languages choose to go to Europe to continue their postgraduate studies.

However, Xu said studying foreign minority languages is not easy.

“Most of the students started to learn the subject systematically when they entered university,” he said. “Many minority languages’ grammar is very different from Chinese. So students may have hard times learning it.” He urged students to speak and read a lot to better grasp any language. He also suggested students should also learn English well because it is a universal language and will be very helpful in the job market.

Xu told METRO that the BFSU entrance exam is divided into three parts: Reading a short article in English and answering the interviewer’s questions; creating a brief composition and telling it to interviewers in Chinese; and imitating the pronunciation of the minority language the prospect is seeking to pursue as a major.

He also suggested that applicants should have extroverted personalities, be interested in a new language and be willing to open their mouths to speak it all the time. BFSU launched six new foreign minority languages this year: Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Estonian and Maltese and Hibernian.

Xu said the European Union wants China to teach all languages from EU countries, so the Ministry of Education authorized BFSU to start the six majors.

Many educators believe the language skills students in those programs will acquire will open new doors.

Fan Ying quit her job in Pakistan last year because of the unstable political situation. She is now a civil servant in the culture department of the Jilin provincial government.

“Even though I am not in Pakistan anymore, Urdu is an essential part of my work and life,” Fan said.