Primary Education

New York, New York December 5, 2003--

Primary Research Group has published MARKETING MEDICAL EDUCATION (ISBN 157440-065-7). The report profiles the efforts of 10 medical institutions to develop and market their education offerings in the United States and overseas. The findings are based on detailed interviews with education directors of major medical schools, medical societies and other organizations offering medical education. The institutions profiled include: the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, Cornell University, the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Kendle International, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and Washington State University.



The report focuses on issues such as: adjusting to the new regime less favorable to the role of pharmaceutical companies in educational marketing, impact of the nursing shortage on medical education, and the impact of the web, medical telematics and distance learning on medical education.



The report finds that medical schools and other vendors of medical education services are aggressively forming partnerships with hospitals, colleges, pharmaceutical companies, medical professional societies and other organizations to enhance their competitiveness and marketing reach. While distance learning has not yet made as great an impact as in many other educational markets, practitioners expect a significant impact over the next five years.



Hot topics on the mind of medical educators include: naturopathic medicine, which is rapidly making inroads in key states, the impact of the aging of the US (and indeed, world) population, and oncology and pharmavognomics.



The 80-page report is available for $295.00. A digital version with rights to print out one additional copy is $395.00. Order print of electronic versions directly from Primary Research Group or order the print version from leading book suppliers such as Baker & Taylor, Blackwells, The Book House, Emery-Pratt, Academic Book Center, Midwest Library Service, Eastern Book Company, Ambassador Books, Franklin Book Company and other suppliers of medical and library science titles.





FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR A REVIEW COPY CONTACT JAMES MOSES OR PHIL WONG AT 212-736-2316 OR GO TO WWW.PRIMARYRESEARCH.COM

MINNEAPOLIS โ€" April 15, 2003 โ€" The American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN) and QRS Diagnostic, leader in innovative design and development of software-based medical devices contained entirely in computer cards, are cooperating in a statewide effort to improve asthma care for Minnesota children by offering primary care providers training and technology once reserved for specialists. ALAMN plans to conduct 15 Physician Asthma Care Education (PACE) seminars for 300 primary care providers in various locations around the state over the next 12 months. Thanks to a donation from Plymouth, Minn.-based QRS Diagnostic, each participating physician group and clinic will receive a SpiroCard(R), a $1,500 device that inserts into the PC Card slot of standard laptop and handheld PCs and converts them into a spirometer, a diagnostic tool used to measure pulmonary function and manage asthma and other respiratory illnesses.



โ€œPACE is an effective education seminar that has been demonstrated nationally to significantly enhance physician practice in asthma treatment and improve long-term patient outcomes,โ€ says Jerry Orr, ALAMN chief executive officer. โ€œThanks to QRS Diagnostic, we can provide PACE participants with a crucial technology tool to put into practice what they learn in the seminars and improve care for the thousands of children in Minnesota with asthma.โ€



โ€œQRS is committed to making high-tech diagnostic devices useful for primary care physicians,โ€ says Spencer Lien, chief executive officer, QRS Diagnostic. โ€œSpirometry is vital to the proper diagnosis and treatment of asthma in primary care, and we hope that our support of the PACE seminars will accelerate the use of spirometry by primary care physicians in Minnesota.โ€



Originally developed by a team of physicians and social scientists at the University of Michigan, PACE seminars feature three components of continuing medical education: improving clinical practice by using national best-practice pediatric asthma guidelines, instruction on patient teaching methods and communication skills, and suggestions on how to incorporate PACE skills into everyday practice. The seminars include brief lectures on clinical practice, billing/reimbursement, and office-based quality improvement techniques; a video depicting effective clinician teaching and parent/patient communications; asthma clinical case studies; a physician protocol for patient communication assessment; and patient teaching materials. For more information on the PACE seminars, contact April Athmann at 651-268-7615 or e-mail April.Athmann@alamn.org.



SpiroCard from QRS Diagnostic is a PC Card spirometer that uses pre-calibrated, single-use, disposable mouthpieces to measure the volume and velocity of airflow from human lungs. ALAMN will provide PACE participants with an initial supply of the patented mouthpieces for use with the SpiroCards provided by QRS. The QRS device exceeds the accuracy standards of the American Thoracic Society (ATS). โ€œSpiroCard offers frontline physicians a useful, reasonably priced way to practice state-of-the-art medicine,โ€ says Patrick Zook, M.D., a family practice physician with the St. Cloud Medical Group, St. Cloud, Minn. For more information on SpiroCard, contact Corey Davidson at 763-559-8492, ext. 942 or e-mail CDavidson@QRSdiagnostic.com.



About QRS Diagnostic



Founded in 1994, QRS Diagnostic, Plymouth, Minn., uses innovative software technology to design and develop FDA-approved medical devices that simplify and reduce the costs of diagnostic testing and patient monitoring. With our patented computer card technology platform, QRS turns PDAs, laptops and handheld PCs into modular, upgradeable and portable medical devices and streamlines the collection and communication of precise physiological data. We enable primary care physicians to cost-effectively practice high-tech medicine while delivering the accuracy that specialists and hospitals demand. The affordability, durability and mobility of QRS devices also advance wireless patient monitoring for disease management, home healthcare and personal health management. For more information on QRS, please visit www.QRSdiagnostic.com.



About ALAMN



The American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN), serving Minnesotans since 1903, is one of the oldest non-profit voluntary health organizations in the nation. ALAMN provides advocacy, research, education and programs to promote healthy air, healthy people and healthy lungs. Key areas of focus include: outdoor and indoor air quality, asthma management, smoking prevention and cessation and lung disease management. For more information please call 1-800-586-4872 or visit www.alamn.org.



- end -



Media Contacts:




David Aquilina for QRS Diagnostic

612-922-5551



davidaquilina@msn.com





Robert Moffitt for ALAMN

651-269-7561

robert.moffitt@alamn.org

Are you one of those who are looking forward developing or improve classroom skills and follow a career as a curriculum supervisor or become an educational leader with the instruction as your main focus. If your answer is yes then making a career as an instructional leader can be the best option. Though, it is very important to comprehend that the role of an instructional leader differs from the traditional school administrator in a number of ways.

Basically, a conventional principal usually spends most of his/her time dealing with administrative duties, but a principal who is an instructional leader is primarily charged with redefining his or her role to become the primary learner in a community striving for excellence in education. As a result, it definitely becomes the principal's accountability to work with teachers to identify and classify different educational objectives and set school-wide or district wide goals. In addition to this, he or she must provide the essential resources for learning, and generate new learning opportunities for students and staff. Ultimately, ability to follow this responsibility requires deep understanding of leadership qualities. Fortunately, today there are number of colleges and universities that offer programs like instructional leadership that primarily focus on this objective. This education specialist program in instructional leadership principally emphasizes the core skills including comprehensive planning and implementation, curriculum theory and design.

The typical coursework of this program includes: curriculum development, educational topics and trends, and cultural diversity. In addition to this, the program endeavors to promote the values, knowledge, and skills needed to renew and improve education across the state, region, and nation. Once you complete the program, you will be able to:


Analyze and classify the uniqueness of an effective and successful leader
Study leadership attributes, styles and their significance for leaders to be successful
Express strategies for facilitating teams competently and managing clashes
Implement and facilitate collaborative professional development activities including team learning communities

The course enables you to learn many characteristics that can be very beneficial to your school and communities. You learn to exhibit a clear sense of direction for your schools and prioritize attention on the things that really matter in terms of the work of students. The program helps you identify your leadership strengths and gain knowledge of strategies that may engage students in the classroom using a team based learning.The program even enables you to discuss your role as a catalyst leader inspiring others to act; develop your personal leadership development plan and discuss methods for similar types of plans in the classroom.

Today instructional leadership can be broadly considered as a thoughtful journey that builds a learning culture. The program is a specialization that emphasizes leadership and managing other teachers with an eye towards a move into school administration. In recent years, this education program has gained enough popularity and expected to earn more recognition in next few years.

Want to start your career as instruction leader? Find complete information on top instructional leadership education programs and top education colleges that offer hat Offer Instructional Leadership Courses at EducationMajorsU.com. Choose the best teaching majors for you and start your career now.

One of the most challenging avenues for career building is the public health, research and administration and especially primary care. With its first class held in 1968 the University of California Davis School of Medicine aims to provide students with medical knowledge creating a base so that they can pursue the career in primary care. Research and orientation in the field of primary care is basically involved with population health as well as health care. Basic needs for pursuing a career in primary health care with quality institutes like the University of California Davis School of Medicine that was established in 1968 and aims at providing the basic knowledge as well as platform for the students in the field of medical science. Primary care, spiritual practices, public health and hygiene, research, and administration are the disciplines in which career building is supported in such institutes. Primary health care requirements •ÂResearch and experiments in primary care. •ÂImproving population health and health care. •ÂCapacity building and efforts to improve the primary health standards. •ÂFollowing a structured career pathway. •ÂAvoiding commonly encountered pitfalls. What it means? Primary health care is the backbone of health care system of the country. Balanced blend of basic with clinical science is the requirement. Art of communication with patients is one of the major requirements. Transition from basic to clinical sciences takes place with presentations of pathology, nutrition, pharmacology, microbiology, human sexualities, and pathological basis of diseases with physical diagnosis. Laboratory diagnostic techniques and community health comprises major component of primary health care. Major specialties, maternal as well as child health care, and psychiatry form the basic component of primary health care. Medical ethics, economics and jurisprudence form the basic structure of the primary health care. Programs supporting primary health care career Minority admissions, active recruitment programs coordinating the medical education and student services as well as a 2-week summer pre-matriculation program are provided in a host of disciplines. Such disciplines include biomedical engineering, biophysics, endocrinology, nutrition, psychology, and genetics. In association with the UC Berkely School of Public Health as well as the UC School of Medicine, the institute offers its MD-MPH programs. Career Building Requirements Requirements for career building are basic premedical science course and one year study in English and mathematics. Integral calculus must form a part of mathematics study undertaken. Resident students and WICHE applicants get the first preference in admission to most of the schools. Special facilities of admission to the third year of the course are allowed to students having good standing in U.S and Canadian Medical Schools subject to availability of seats in institutes like the University of California Davis School of Medicine. With 523 beds and around 100 clinical facilities, the university also has a number of affiliated hospitals as well as family practice centers to support it. Big library with 142,000 volumes and 3700 medical journals remains an added attraction for the students.

Problems of students in searching out quality universities like the University of California Davis School of Medicine and building up their career comes to an end when they approach stateuniversity website. Not only comprehensive information is available here, but also the ways how to get the best out of your school is also possible finding out. Institutes like these help students to follow the right path and this website paves the way for it for pursuing a career in primary care.

Houston, TX September 1, 2004 -- Medard Gabel, author, educator, and consultant to multinational corporations, will speak at the 40th anniversary celebration of Literacy Advance of Houston, September 8, also the observance of International Literacy Day. President of BigPicture Consulting and a former student of the late American designer and inventor Buckminster Fuller, Gabel is author of Global Inc: An Atlas of The Multinational Corporation and the upcoming Seven Billion Billionaires. His speaking engagement is sponsored by Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Community College and Foundation, and Literacy Advance of Houston, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1964 and devoted to teaching Houston-area adults to read, write and communicate in English, Gabel will present โ€œGlobal Literacy: Seven Billion Billionaires.โ€ He will discuss the importance of worldwide literacy and its impact on the development and advancement of emerging markets abroad.



A sought-after speaker, Gabel has been a consultant to the U.S. State Department, U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy and the governments of many foreign countries. He has lectured and given workshops in more than 100 universities and currently serves as a consultant on global policy to 35 Fortune 500 corporations.



Celebrated annually on September 8 since 1966, International Literacy Day calls attention to the global effort to promote literacy and education as a central United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) mission. Across the world, the need to improve literacy remains critical. According to the UNESCO-sponsored Education for All 2000 Assessment, more than 113 million children around the world have no access to primary education. In addition, 880 million adults, the majority of whom are women, are illiterate.



For more information about Medard Gabel's visit, contact Literacy Advance of Houston, 713-266-8777.



To arrange an interview with Medard Gabel, please contact Dusty Gilbert, 713-266-8777, dusty.gilbert@literacyadvancehouston.org.

A leaked draft of the new primary school curriculum has been seen by The Guardian and it all centres around proposals drawn up by former Ofsted chief Sir Jim Rose which are reckoned to be the biggest overhaul in English primary education in twenty years. The proposals make interesting reading and cover lots of ground, but the thing that caught my attention was that if they go ahead, then it will be a requirement for our kids to be familiar with things like blogging, podcasts and wikis as information sources and forms of communication by the time they leave primary school. Education 2.0 perhaps, to coin a phrase? A flexible way of learning and sharing knowledge that is open to all, without barriers. Children are already interacting and learning in this way though, aren't they? I know lots of parents that will answer positively, myself included. The thing about making it a requirement of the Curriculum though is that the understanding of how to use and apply social networking tools to every aspect of life - whether to study, research, teach, share knowledge or communicate - will be more universally developed and streamlined so by the time this generation of kids reaches our workforce, Enterprise 2.0 will be the only known way to work. Education 2 will see children learning in the same way that they will eventually work; the transition from Education 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0 will be seamless. Enterprise 2 will liberate the workforce and Education 2 will liberate the learners as early as primary school level, giving them instant access to the right information at the right time courtesy of a network of easily accessible tools that require little or no training. I think the new curriculum proposals have hit the nail on the head. Whether at work or at school, whether Education 2 or Enterprise 2, we're looking at ditching old architectures built on hierarchy and bureaucracy and replacing them with platforms that naturally ease information flow, making it open to users of all levels. User control comes in to put a stop to workers, teachers and students feeling like they lack a say in how information is distributed, shared and presented, and in doing so, opens the channels of learning and achievement to a much wider audience, in a much more flexible way.

Anthony Kirrane is the Director of The Community Host, a proactive SaaS provider offering enterprise class community hosting options. With exceptional expertise in running sites with traffic expectations in excess of a million hits per month, preferred Telligent Systems partner The Community Host is dedicated to serving any organisation seeking a high performance, scalable and customisable online community solution courtesy of award winning, world-leading community networking systems such as Community Server and Evolution. For more information call 01277 365530 or visit http://thecommunityhost.co.uk

Preparing for the future is essential, today and always, but especially in times of crisis. The truth is that when I think of my future, I can only be certain I will face crisis. Perhaps you've heard of people who survived a crisis because they were well prepared for it. However, it is likely that we have heard otherwise. You might have heard of or met people who lost everything due to a crisis.

The economic failure is not a symptom of lack of intelligence, but it is a lack of financial education. Financial education is a knowledge that is not taught at school, but it should. Never again can we return to a time when a professional career was good enough to maintain a good lifestyle. That no longer happens. To expect a good future as the result of long years at school and hard work in a large company is more dangerous than ever. In times of crisis, to have a profession and a job are not a guarantee of success, and even less of financial freedom.

Fortunately, there are signs that financial education will be included from basic primary education and on. However, this change will not benefit people who are economically active, and already concluded our basic education. We must learn and get this education on our own ... and we need to do so immediately, right now. Our future depends on it.

Financial education order and dedication. First of all, we need to know where we are heading and what we want. Only then can we go for it. Once we know this, we need an extra source of money, apart from our jobs. With sufficient financial education, this extra activity can become our main source of income. But it all starts at the beginning. We must first be clear about what is our current situation and then be clear what we want. Our future depends on this essential clarification.

An excellent exercise to start this clarification is to consider and answer these questions: 1. What are my goals in life? Have I written them down? 2. What are my family, spiritual, professional, and economic goals? Have I written them down? Do I have a date to complete them? 3. Do I know how to create a budget and stick to it? 4. Do I know what amount will give me my financial freedom? That is, do I know how much I need to live on my investments, my interests or my residual income? 5. Do I know how to create an extra income? If you do not have the skills you need, do you know how to get them?

Of course, this is introductory information, but it is a good start. For more information visit http://www.earnfromhomeworks.com/.

Rosa Agüero is an on-line entrepreneur who works from home. However, she trains people in different countries on how to have a successful financial future. Her blog at http://www.earnfromhomeworks.com/

(CHICAGO - September 6, 2005) Argosy University announced today that it will assist students from universities in New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama universities, which have been closed for the foreseeable future due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.


Argosy University will make available both on-campus and online courses that might be able to permit dislocated students to progress in their academic careers during this semester of disruption. Students at a university forced to close by Hurricane Katrina may register at any of Argosy University's 13 campuses across the nation for courses, on a space-available basis, for the fall terms.


Argosy University will waive tuition for dislocated students who have already registered and paid tuition at their home institution for the fall 2005 semester. If dislocated students have not yet paid their tuition at their home institution, they will be assessed the lesser of the current published tuition and fees at the home institution, or Argosy University's published tuition and fees, as determined by the Argosy University campus president.


"Argosy University acted today by offering educational assistance to college students impacted by Hurricane Katrina," says Dr. Gregory O'Brien, president of Argosy University. "Argosy University is concerned for the well-being of these students, and this initiative is our way of reaching out with compassion and benevolence to those affected. We pledge to do all that we can to assist college students in the Gulf Coast region to continue their education and continue in their lives."


According to the American Council on Education, more than 30 colleges and universities in the Gulf Coast region have been severely damaged by the hurricane, and possibly 100,000 students have been displaced from their schools.


Argosy University offers doctoral, masters, and undergraduate degree programs in psychology, counseling, education, business, information technology, and organizational leadership. Doctoral degree programs in clinical psychology (accredited by the American Psychological Association), are available at several Argosy University's campuses. Argosy University will assist dislocated Ph.D. and Psy.D. students on an individual basis. Select associate's degree programs in several health sciences fields are available at Argosy University/Twin Cities, located in Eagan, MN.


Argosy University has campuses in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Orange County (Santa Ana, CA), Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area (Port Richmond, CA), Sarasota, Schaumburg (IL), Seattle, Tampa, Twin Cities (Eagan, MN), and Washington DC (Arlington, VA).


Students seeking information about Argosy University's initiative can visit the university's website (www.argosyu.edu) or call National Admissions Information at 1-800-377-0617.



With 13 campuses across the nation, Argosy University (www.argosyu.edu) offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of business, education, health sciences, and psychology and behavioral sciences. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (NCA) (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, 1.312.263.0456, www.ncahlc.org).
The parent company of Argosy University, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com), is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology, legal studies, and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.
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Interest in home schooling has been growing. In fact, more and more families want to try out this seemingly novel method of teaching and educating children. Home schooling provides many benefits for families as well as the home school students. Some may be new to the concept but it is not that totally new.

The method of trying to educate children at home has its origins at the time when schools were limited in number, with students far outnumbering the capacity of schools, if at all available in the community. It may have been hard to believe, but there were times long ago that most countries were not capable of having the younger population educated. Then it was an absolute necessity for parents to have their children home schooled.

Back then, sometime between the 18th and 19th centuries, home schooling was the primary educational force that has helped advance every child's learning until he grew up into an adult. During those times, the child's education was limited to how much their parents can teach them.

That is why during the 19th century, with all the progress going on all over the world, it has been realized that the government should have to take the responsibility of providing education for its growing population. This resulted in the government building more and more schools to accommodate more students. Then compulsory education was established in order to make more students go to the new schools to get their education. This development brought home education to slowly fade away. But all is not lost.

At present, home schooling has brought a bit of resurgence in its appeal of providing more personalized education to children. More and more parents have become fond of the idea of having more control of what their children learn. More and more parents want to be more active in their children's education. And most of all, more and more parents want to spend some more time to be close to their children and home schooling can afford them to do that.

If you are also interested in knowing more about home schooling, there many articles available for you online that would educate you more on how such a method of teaching can benefit you and your child. These articles would also be able to provide you with the different home schooling methods available that you could try out. Home schooling is one alternative that you can consider if you are looking for other alternatives in educating the young. The benefits and the system being followed by home education might just be the method tailor-made for your circumstances.

Low Jeremy has been freelancing as a writer for a number of years now. His articles on popular topics like educational toys, renovation design and product reviews can be found on various websites. His latest article published at http://www.outdoorswingsetshop.com where he share tips on buying an outdoor swing set for your children and other outdoor play systems.

India churns out technology trained graduates in scores every year and has a huge talent pool. India boasts of some of the best technical and management schools in the world. The quality and structure of the Indian education system is second to none in the world. The emphasis on mathematics and science enables Indian students to rub shoulders with the best minds in the world in numerous universities globally. In America, for example, Indian students outnumber their American counterparts in universities like Stanford, Cornell, and Columbia etc. when it comes to technology and engineering courses. This is the result of a very strong impetus imbibed in each student by the Indian education system, which prepares him to tackle every challenge analytically and in an organized matter, with optimum utilization of available resources. The growth of the Indian economy in the recent past and the compulsion to sustain it is also forcing the Indian government to accelerate the process of developing all the branches of the Indian education system. Therefore, it would be very interesting to understand and analyze the various structures of education in India, its present condition and future developments. The present education system in India mainly comprises of primary education, secondary education, senior secondary education and higher education. Elementary education consists of eight years of education. Each of secondary and senior secondary education consists of two years of education. Higher education in India starts after passing the higher secondary education or the 12th standard. Depending on the stream, doing graduation in India can take three to five years. Post graduate courses are generally of two to three years of duration. After completing post graduation, scope for doing research in various educational institutes also remains open. When it comes to choosing the right career option after completing attaining professional degrees, they have a plethora of choice in various fields like software development, SMS services, application development, engineering services, technology research, web Design and development etc. One such option can be Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is gaining significant grounds not only in India, but worldwide, given the gigantic growth of internet based services and product promotion. In a nutshell, a good SEO analyst can do wonders for an organization by using analytic skills to improve its online presence and make it a numero uno website on any popular web search. SEO has very bright future for someone if he has great analytic skills, because he has to research a lot to sculpt a strategy to beat tough competition on Google and Yahoo, and now Bing. Apart from that, he should possess excellent writing skills which would provide him a definite edge over others. People often consider SEO as a technical or highly scientific thing, but it’s an art. It's an art of selecting right keywords for a website, it's an art of researching the competitors for those keywords, and it’s an art of defining right strategy for scaling gruesome competition for high rankings. He ought to be a right planner with a great marketing mind. He muss access the needs of website visitors and should provide right information and right tools to them. This will help the organization in attracting a lot of traffic to its website. Only an artist like an SEO professional can work on a website with his unique artistic flare that can ignite sales from any website and generate a high and significant Return on Investment (ROI). Recent estimates states that Google search engine alone has indexed about 10 billion pages into its databases. Assuming that the other two search engines Yahoo and MSN has indexed just half of what Google has indexed, then this would amount to about 5 billion pages. So, the total number of WebPages that has been indexed by the three major search engines is about 15 billion WebPages. Every day new website business are designed and included in the World Wide Web. Obviously, every website owner would wish to see his website on the top 10 list of the search engine results page. With this being the situation you can imagine the kind of demand for SEO professionals is there and would prevail for a very long time to come.

Web Bee is specialized in writing articles about Web Design and Development, Mobile Web Applications, SEO Services and many more. He is a regular contributor in different technology blogs, classifieds, articles etc.
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January 7 2004--The California Kindergarten Association (CKA) announces its 22nd Annual California Kindergarten Conference (CKC) to be held at: The Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA. The conference dates are Saturday and Sunday, January 17 and 18, 2004. A PreConference Institute will take place on Friday, January 16.



Among the many objectives of the California Kindergarten Association is its commitment to quality education for young children by promoting the value and importance of kindergarten, its leadership and the advancement of teachers' professionalism. Conference Committee Chair, Sr. Judith Reagan shares, โ€œThe weekend promises to be an exciting gathering for ideas, energy and activities that encourage teachers to make a difference in the world of children. Now, more than ever, we need to focus on our children, how they learn and what they learn. I can't think of a more perfect way to help meet those goals than attending the California Kindergarten Conference.โ€



In its 22 years, the California Kindergarten Conference has provided thousands of educators with a variety of workshops presented by practicing teachers and experts in the field. This year, 144 seventy-five minute workshop sessions will focus on Content Standards in a variety of subjects including: language development, mathematics, reading, PE/movement, the arts, science and other subjects that aid educators in the classroom. Volunteer teachers, currently working and retired, spend a year developing the CKC, with the goal of providing the most up-to-date research methods and innovative teaching techniques. The CKC has become an essential resource for many teachers as it provides a setting for sharing, learning and professional growth as school budgets have continued to be cut.



The California Kindergarten Conference is attended not only by kindergarten teachers, but preschool teachers, elementary school teachers, administrators, early childhood education professors and parents, from several states and countries. The CKC presents current research and creative techniques and strategies to assist teachers in bringing new ideas to implement State and National Standards. Past attendees say they leave the conference inspired and refreshed. Conference attendees may also be eligible for one academic unit of credit through San Francisco State University (E Ed e 697) or one to three professional development units through Fresno Pacific University.



The California Kindergarten Conference will host their 15th Annual Young Children's Art Exhibit where this engaging and popular exhibit features classroom art in the forms of mobiles, prints, quilts, sculptures, drawings, collages, puppets, paintings and more. Art docents will be available to explain the academic ties many of these projects have to language arts, math, and science concepts for the young learner. Santa Clara's Mayor Patricia Mahan will be present to welcome the conference to Santa Clara. Mayor Mahan shares, โ€œThe city of Santa Clara is looking forward to hosting in the 22nd annual California Kindergarten Conference. I am excited about participating in the children's art exhibit and showcasing the artwork in our newly redecorated convention center for others to see. It is an important way for others to see how efforts like this positively impact education in our communities.โ€



The keynote address, this year, presented by Valerie Welk, M.Ed., from Fresno, CA. Ms. Welk will speak on โ€œLove, Laughter, and Life! Learning Lessons from Today's Kindergartenersโ€. Ms. Welk shares, โ€œThe conference is important to attend because it concentrates on the development of our teachers and classrooms. Budgets are lean so it's critical to have a forum where we focus on this foundation grade in our educational system to give our children the most enriching experience.โ€



Over 100 exhibits especially designed for Early Primary Grades will be open on Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The exhibits will be open to the public.



CKA is a non-profit organization that actively fosters public awareness of quality primary education for diverse student populations. Core objectives include advancing educator professionalism, development and leadership; enhancing the quality and value of education for kindergarten children; promoting active communication among teachers, administrators, parents, policy-makers, legislators and others interested in early childhood education; and review trends and issues, and disseminating research in education. Key CKA programs offered integrate and assist in the development and implementation of enriching curricula to meet the diverse needs of young children in our communities. Additional information and conference registration can be found by visiting the CKA website at www.ckanet.org or call a staff member at the California Kindergarten Association office at (916) 780-5331.



Frequently Asked Questions:



ร˜
Is the Kindergarten Conference only for Kindergarten teachers?




Not at all, at our Conference we try to support all the aspects of Kindergarten for the teacher and child's growth, as well as, all that surrounds Kindergarten such as pre-school and first grade. Our Conference is for teachers to give support and new ideas and information to enrich the young child.







ร˜
Who can come?




We hope our conference provides enough substance to meet the needs and enrich all who are connected to 5 year olds in some way. We try to cover all areas of the curriculum and hope parents, administrators, superintendents, politicians and all who want to discover new ways to enrich the young child will come.







ร˜
What about all these other Kindergarten Conferences? Are you all connected?




Well yes and no. We began 22 years ago in order to offer support to teachers of kindergarten whose fellow educators and sometimes administrators made the assumption that Kindergarten children played all day and therefore the teacher had an โ€œeasy lifeโ€ with the only task being supervision.


Once we were established, our founder, Judy Brown, did a lot of outreach to other areas to help them begin local conferences for their teachers. We continue to assist others when asked to help.

EDUCATION IN INDIA
India has an ancient tradition of education.The world's first university was established in Tashkila in 700 B.C. Indian mathematicians introduced the zero, the decimal system and the method of multiplication.

PRIMARY EDUCATION
India has made huge progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate andexpanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population..The National Council ofEducational Research and Training (NCERT) is the apex body for school education in India.

SECONDARY EDUCATION
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, has provided for environment awarenes,science and technology education, and introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian secondary school system.Another feature of India's secondary school system is its emphasis on profession based vocational training to help students attain skills for finding a vocation of his/her choosing.

Tertiary education
India's higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States..Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), have been globally acclaimed for their standard of education.

Women's Education
Women have much lower literacy rate.The number of literate women among the female population of India was between 2-6% from the British Raj onwards to the formation of the Republic of India in 1947.the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for girls' school attendance through programs for midday meals, free books, and uniforms.Private education Because of poor quality of public education, 27% of Indian children are privately ucated.Private schools cover the entire curriculum and offer extra-curricular activities such as science fairs, general knowledge, sports, music and dramaMost teachers in private schools are female, graduates and reasonably experienced.

ONLINE DEGREES
Online courses in business, education, information technology, real estate and even healthcare allow you to advance your career without disrupting your life. You can study at home, on your own time, at your own pace. A perfect choice for the working professional, online courses are practical, focused, and relevant to your career.Electroniclearningis a type of Technology supported education/learning (TSL) where the medium of instruction is through computer technology, particularly involving digital technologies..E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in
conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used.

Goals of e-learning
E-Learning lessons are generally designed to guide students through information or to help students perform in specific tasks. Information based e-Learning content communicatesinformation to the student

Communication technologies used in e-learning Communication technologies are generally categorized as asynchronous or synchronousAsynchronous activities use technologies such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards.Synchronous activities involve the exchange of ideas and information with one or more participants during the same period of time.Benefits of eLearning versus traditional classroom settings eLearning allows people to avoid travel, thus reducing the overall carbon output.

1.eLearningis a more environmentally friendly solution.
2.Quality education, made affordable.
3.Convenience and flexibility to learners:

ONLINE EDUCATION IN INDIA
online learning programs are gaining popularity day by day.In other words, online learning programs are premium education programs that are aimed to enhance the knowledge of students as well as individuals by using modern technologies and guidelines of skilled teachers.

Added Benefits of Online Learning Program In India
Online learning programs are different from traditional education systems and there is no need of a classroom and face-to-face interaction with teachers.
1 No need to actually live on campus or near the university
2. Great flexibility in the type of course you choose to study
3. A wide range of online programs to choose from.

Types of Degrees Available
1.Associate Degree
2.Bachelor's Degree
3.Master's Degree
4.Doctorate Degree
5.Degree Resources

ONLINE UNIVERSITY
we provide information on various career courses, important educational institutes like IITs, IIMs, JNU, DU and other MBA colleges.we have details on online education and different distance-learning courses andspreading numerous opportunities available to the Indian

Students already pursuing education in India...here some top 10 online university
1.Nalanda Open University (Patna Bihar)
2.All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Delhi Delhi)
3.Indira Gandhi National Open University (Delhi Delhi)
4.Guru Jambheshwar University (Hisar Haryana)
5.Maharshi Dayanand University (Rohtak Haryana )
6.Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (Jammu Tawi Jammu & Kashmir)
7.Manipal Academy Of Higher Education (Manipal Karnataka)
8.University Of Mumbai (Mumbai Maharashtra )
9.Birla Institute Of Technology & Scinece (Pilani Rajasthan )
10.University Of Lucknow (Lucknow Uttar Pradesh).




Sonu Yadav writes many education related articles for indiaedumart.com. It gives

complete information about education in

india,Distance learning education,Business Schools,
href="http://www.indiaedumart.com/online-degrees/">online degrees,GMAT preparation,
href="http://www.indiaedumart.com/mba-education/">MBA education, Study Abroad and more.

There is common saying that goes.."The roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet." The roots in our country is the system. Being the world's largest democracy the educated youth of the country has had to pay the price. The price being to forgo their entry into professional colleges, thanks to the quota system. In some states with quotas upto 70% of the seats the youth belonging to the so called "upper castes" do not find a place in Government colleges/institutions.


This gave rise to the opening up private educational institutions across India.

Private Educational Institutions in India could be classified into the following categories:
(a) Aided Colleges these are colleges that are privately managed but aided by the government.
(b)Unaided colleges these are colleges that are privately managed and also raise their own funds.

Professional colleges across India have sprung up in such large numbers making it into an industry of sorts. We are calling this "Industry" because of the employment and the revenues that these institutions generate.



Private spending on education in India in $US





Schooling (tuition fee, tutoring, textbooks, preschool etc.) 29413 million
Professional Courses (engineering, medical, MBA) 7054 million
Test Preparation (engineering, UPSC, medical test prep, GRE/GMAT etc.) 1664 million
Skill development (vocational training, child skill enhancement for mental arithmetic etc. IT training, teacher training etc….) 2436 million
Estimated total market size in private sector 40,565 million


There are institutions often funded by rich individuals or even by organizations. The market for these private institutions has survived and indeed blooming by the day although new colleges come across high legal barriers to enter.

Many of these institutions cannot confer degrees on their students unless they meet set guidelines that have been set by the government body the AICTE and the UGC. This growth can be attributed to the phenomenal growth of the IT industry the country has witnessed. As a country we also have to use the huge educated population to our advantage.


Today, four out of five engineering students attend private colleges, even though those institutions charge five to 10 times more in tuition than government colleges. The private schools also demand an upfront entry or "capitation" fee in a range of anything between 20 lakhs to 50 lakhs—which is in many cases a small fortune for middle-class families. One has to remember that the returns on these investments are also high

The Planning Commission reports that in the period 2002-2007, the share of private institutions in higher education increased from a third to over half of all enrolment. And this trend, by all accounts, will continue into the future. Engineering, Medical and Management are the favorite streams for most of these private institutions. Over sixty percent of private engineering and medical colleges are located in the 4 southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. These states account for 25 % of the population but house more than half of the number of engineering and medical colleges. The central government too encourages these private institutions as it takes the pressure off its own self and ensures availability of skilled manpower, the main requirement for a growing economy.


Another measure adopted by the government to ensure students are able to pay the high fees is by persuading Public Sector banks in providing education loans to the students. The student loan disbursement of Public sector banks stood at a whopping Rs. 20,000 crores till the end of the financial year 2007-08.

The education market is leaning on the back of the workforce proving itself equal to their counterparts elsewhere in the world in productivity. The Indian workforce is the much sought after lot by global giants across the world. Hence it is safe to say that the education system and the industry behind this workforce is witnessing a boom time.

India's youth, often referred to as its demographic dividend, accounts for over 50 per cent of its total population, with 367 universities and 18,000 colleges with half-a-million teachers and about 11 million students on the rolls. As mentioned earlier as a country we must use this demographic dividend to our advantage. In the last five years there are about 1,500 management colleges, close to about 3,500 engineering colleges and about 1,200 medical colleges.

Besides these private engineering and medical colleges the state has also witnessed investments from private equity players in the education segment.
Below are mentioned a few of such ventures:

India-focused PE firm Gaja Capital Partners invested 8.25 million dollars in Career Launcher. SAIF Partners invested 10 million dollars in the English training academy Veta and ICA Infotech. Some of the other listed companies in the education segment are Educomp Solutions, which posted a return of 374 per cent. Everonn Systems, which got listed in August 2007, gave a return of 130 per cent in just five months. The older names like Aptech and NIIT, fetched returns of 162 per cent and 124 per cent in 2007. This market also runs into crores of rupees.

It is believed that based on the current and future manpower requirements of the various sectors, there is a huge demand-supply gap in the education space. The education sector has opened up to brand new areas and subjects. Whoever thought of taking up courses like graghic designing or retail management and going on to make a successful career out of it. This has attracted many players to invest in education and training institutions.

In conclusion:

Although the primary education scenario in the country is not very glossy one can paint a very rosy picture of higher education in the country. One can only hope for that much concern in primary education which still remains very illusive for many.




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Primary teachers are teachers who teach the primary levels, which include preschool, kindergarten, and elementary. The job responsibilities of primary teachers differ depending on the particular level a primary teacher is teaching. However, their task mostly involves the development and implementation of lessons presented in such a way that is understandable and relatable to the developmental stages of the students.

Teaching young students can be quite challenging than teaching older ones. There are just some concepts that can be a bit hard to explain to kids for them to understand clearly. The primary teacher's main job is to plan and develop lessons, and make it understandable depending on the level that he or she is teaching. The primary teacher should also do more than just teach or discuss. The primary classroom should be a mix of discussion and activities that can help the children understand concepts better. For this reason, a primary teacher has to be enthusiastic and creative.

It's a good thing, then, that there are now a lot of learning materials that range from books, flash cards, to interactive materials that can also amuse and fascinate the younger kids. They can also catch and retain the attention of the kids. Using such learning resources can be very helpful for primary teachers. These learning resources and materials are also helpful for the students, because they facilitate learning and are adaptable for various ages.

The additional challenge, despite having learning resources, lies in the fact that the primary education stage is very important because it is the foundation of the students' education. Primary teachers face the extra challenge to be able to make good use of the opportunity to send the children off with a good start. They should know how to optimize the rich developmental stages of children during the primary levels.

The responsibility of primary teachers reaches far and wide primarily because they handle all the subject areas. A primary teacher should have enough knowledge about the major subjects to be able to teach the basics. Aside from subject knowledge, they also need to have a lot of patience, and motivational skills, since it is very important to observe positive progress to further encourage children to learn. They should also be able to maintain discipline and adapt to various needs of students.

Although primary teacher jobs can be challenging, it is a good career choice. Primary teachers have access to a lot of opportunities for career advancement. They have the opportunity to move up to a higher level once they've obtained more expertise and experience. When they move up to a higher level, naturally, their value and financial benefits also increase. They can move on to management roles, and their pay scale will be reviewed annually in terms of their performance and progress. They can also move on to become advanced skills teachers or ASTs or chartered teachers.

A primary teacher job is a good way to jumpstart a teaching career. There are part-time or temporary posts, as well as full-time posts.

According to a recent survey, many sixth-formers could experience money trouble by underestimating the cost of life at university. The survey which interviewed over 500 sixth-formers and 1700 university undergraduates was conducted by Nat West Bank. It found that sixth-formers had no idea about the real costs of college life. The question of whether we should subsidize postgraduate education is a matter of weighing up the costs and benefits. There would be many benefits, but do they outweigh the costs?
One of the first points to make is that this subsidy would lead to a general increase in income larger than the size of the subsidy. This rise would of course mean a rise in income tax revenues. During a recession, the subsidy would help to induce growth by automatically increasing government expenditure. Scotland's economy is blighted by high unemployment and low productivity and many of the policies set up to change this have not worked. An increase in postgraduate educated individuals could reverse this trend through creating new jobs, raising levels of skills and attracting companies from abroad to set-up here.
By increasing investment in Scotland's universities their quality can be raised so that the research that they do is up to world standard. Such a result could have knock on effects to other areas of the country as well as to those receiving the improved education. Those achieving the qualifications would see their potential income increase a lot. Currently, postgraduates can expect around 20% more than simple graduates.
An increase in Scottish postgraduate research should create and attract new cutting edge companies who will employ a higher skilled, better-educated workforce. Scotland has started losing out to less developed countries in terms of low skilled jobs so to reverse this it needs investment that will regenerate its workforce.
The question of how to fund this is clearly a tricky one as there are many other deserving places for government spending like health and primary/secondary education. Making the decision to use government spending would then involve looking at tax rates, which again would not be popular with the general public. Achieving this funding may be better attained from the private sector through incentives such as tax breaks subsidies to the firms themselves. This would ensure that only the most productive courses were invested in. However, the incentives may not be enough to vastly increase postgraduate participation, and employers may continue to simply hire individuals who have paid for their own education. However, the government does not want everyone to be a postgraduate, as the value of each extra postgraduate decreases as participation increases.
One of the main aims of the Scottish parliament is to attract investment from abroad. A well-educated workforce attracts multinational companies, and multinational companies help prevent students educated here from moving abroad.
An increase in home grown hi-tech companies is always an objective. With increased research and better universities this is possible. In fact our universities may lead the way taking advantage of intellectual property rights over more extensive research. The Scottish parliament can promote enterprise in other ways, for example by increasing funds available to start-up companies. However, it is doubtful that this would have the same impact.
Although there are many advantages of the proposed subsidy, with each benefit that a postgraduate education brings there seems to be other ways to achieve the same result. The task for policy makers is to decide the right path to choose. An initiative to subsidize postgraduate education in Scottish universities would involve quite substantial expenditure by the Scottish parliament. However, improving comparative advantage is an important goal. In this essay we present a cost benefit analysis of subsidizing postgraduate education, and look at the long-term implications for Scotland.
One of the initial considerations is that of fiscal stimuli. As with any increase in government spending, there would be a corresponding increase in output. The increase in output would be larger than the initial investment due to the multiplier effect. Output equals income, and thus there would be a general rise in the level of income. This idea is explained in more detail later on. Higher education research also indicates that postgraduates are more socially cohesive and integrate better into society.
A subsidy on postgraduate education would also act as an automatic stabilizer. The reason for this is that when graduates enter the workplace, say during a recession, and find that they can't get a job, they are more likely to consider a postgraduate degree. Firstly to improve their attractiveness to employers, and secondly to use their time more productively than claiming benefit. Furthermore, if postgraduate education were subsidized by the government, workers who were made redundant would use the opportunity for self-improvement.
Subsidizing postgraduate education may also improve the quality of universities in Scotland. Many universities in the U.S.A. use their postgraduates and researchers to innovate, and as a result benefit from the intellectual property rights on these products. High profile universities would attract foreign students who would bring diversity and money. In addition, students often benefit from having studied a variety of subjects at university.
"Senior executives and policy makers themselves often refer to non-technical aspects of their university education as seminal to their own success in the labor market and beyond"
Higher education does not necessarily increase the productivity of graduates, but rather serves as a screening mechanism for private enterprises. The higher productivity of graduates is really attributable to their greater ability. Therefore many argue that the private sector should share the burden in developing postgraduates. Students would get to study for a qualification that will improve their ability to do their job and advance their career prospects and their employer benefits from a better-qualified, more productive and better-motivated employee.
Employers could be encouraged to do this through tax or cash incentives. By producing tax incentives to firms to fund employees on post grad courses, we let the market decide what it finds most important, and at the same time help fund the students that it benefits from. Otherwise the government would be paying to train students that the private sector most gains from. However, there is the free rider problem. Why should a firm pay to educate an employee when they can hire one already educated by the government?
These figures imply that the subsidy would decrease unemployment. Furthermore, if students further themselves and get better jobs this leaves jobs open further down the income scale for those that don't continue their studies. This would have a knock on effect down the job ladder and reduce unemployment nationwide, further increasing income tax revenues.
What about Scotland specifically? Scotland's economic growth is consistently below that of the UK. In order to make Scotland more competitive we must focus on technology, innovation and productivity improvements and the need to transfer knowledge from the science and engineering base into the market place. This subsidy might shift the bias of postgraduates from foreigners to Scottish people. By creating a large and more productive labor force, Scotland can make it very attractive for technology and science based firms to locate here. Also if postgraduate students are attracted from abroad, and decide to stay, then this could help with our aging population problem.
But what are the costs, and would this initiative be worthwhile? First we must consider the number of different ways in which we could subsidize postgraduate education. The most obvious is for parliament to pay the fees for any one who wishes to study a postgraduate degree. Alternatively, the government can offer the private sector tax or cash incentives to fund postgraduate courses for employees. Either way, the parliament would have to find the money by either redistributing from other areas, or borrowing more, or an increase in taxes. It is important to note here that the Scottish executive does not have the power to borrow privately and so would have to either lobby Westminster for more funding or redistribute its budget. It can only raise income tax by 3 pence.
However, what if the supply of postgraduate places is inelastic. For example, it may take large increases in wages to entice more professors into the industry. Then the price of each place could soar and the Government would find it hard to meet its commitments.
Many economists see human and physical capital accumulation along with technological progress as the key to economic growth. However, if the subsidy were effective in attracting more postgraduates, Scotland would experience diminishing marginal productivity of the investment. In other words, for each additional postgraduate the marginal returns decrease. This is represented in the graph below. In terms of the individual the comparative advantage of an individual postgraduate over the rest of the workforce will not be as much as before. Postgraduates would not be as exclusive anymore. In the long run, a post grad could become as necessary as a degree is today.
The impact of educating the population has been studied by Barro and Lee. They found a positive relationship between education and per capita GDP and confirmed that there is diminishing marginal productivity throughout the education system.
One reason is that postgraduate education is more expensive per capita than secondary education. This is backed up by Psacharopoulos. Primary education results in the biggest returns with a world average of 18.4%, whereas secondary education give 13.1% and higher education only returns 10.9%. We therefore assume that postgraduate education is likely to give even smaller returns on investment, especially in Britain, where there is such a large difference between the cost of a degree and a post grad.
The production function explains that output is a function of capital and labor. We can apply this idea to this Scottish economy. By increasing the amount of educated labor (postgraduate subsidy) we can increase output, but only to a certain point. There is diminishing marginal productivity, unless, we increase the amount of capital as well. The way to do that is attract FDI and encourage enterprise in the domestic economy. By doing this we can maximize the gains from the subsidy in postgraduates.
Diminishing marginal productivity might affect whether the government goes ahead with this investment because it might not have the desired results for Scottish productivity. Of course the government will also have to take into account the social and private gains from the research that is done by postgraduates, such as intellectual property rights as we mentioned earlier. This is a key aspect of the cost benefit analysis because not only do postgraduate courses improve the labor force, but also their work is often directly related to improvements in the industry.
Thirlwall (add date) states "Education is one of the most important inputs into R&D and for attracting FDI". There are a lot of other factors that will influence whether subsidizing postgraduate education has the effect of increasing FDI. Scotland currently enjoys favorable conditions for FDI such as low corporate taxes and English as a first language.
Scotland's brain drain problem is not a new one. Educated Scots are lured south and abroad by higher wages and more opportunities. So subsidizing postgraduate education may not produce the desired increase in educated labor. A policy of tax incentives or subsidies to attract FDI in conjunction with the postgraduate scheme would help keep Scottish students home and attract others from abroad. However, the two at the same time may be a little too much for the Scottish parliament to fund long term.
If the price of postgraduate courses goes down then there will be an increase in demand. In the long run this should result in an increase in capacity, as long as the government maintains its level of per student funding. An equal increase in supply and demand would mean the costs of postgraduate education would remain relatively stable. However, an inelastic supply of professors or even facilities would see costs rise.
In the short-run the potential 20% increase in earnings for men and 34% increase in earnings for women should increase demand for post grad courses. In the long run, however, it is unclear whether this will benefit Scotland's productivity or not. A general rise in income could mean the loss of a comparative advantage in the price of labor. However it is likely that Scotland would find itself with a better-educated population and comparative advantages in new areas.
There may be better ways to improve education like spending more on schools, increasing the quality of secondary education so that when people reach university level they have covered more material. Following that, the degree programmes could be improved. This would also have a positive impact on productivity without forcing more students into costly postgraduate degrees. Perhaps the money would be better spent on improving vocational training in colleges.
In conclusion, the subsidy would induce a general rise in income. Extra funding for universities would improve Scotland's most valuable asset, and help them create a world class labor force. Unemployment has been the bain of Scottish society for 30 years and this policy would go a long way to addressing that problem.
However, there are some practical issues of funding. Without other departments suffering it could prove difficult to give the policy the full backing that it deserves. In addition, we can find more value for money in improving primary or secondary education. So while the idea of improving productivity makes sense, we conclude that this may be better achieved either through partnership with the private sector or improving other areas of the education system. It is for policy makers to decide which one to choose.
Mary Anne Winslow is a member of Essay Writing Servicecounselling department team and a dissertation writing consultant. Contact her to get free counselling on custom essay writing.

Education is accorded a high degree of importance in the social fabric of Romania. Respect for the educated and the intellectual has been a tradition down the ages. Even the tiniest village in every remote corner of Romania kept important positions like the priest, the teacher and the mayor reserved for the educated. This tradition of holding the educated ones in high esteem continues to the present day as well. And the current education system is quite competitive for students and demanding for teachers.

Nursery school in Romania starts at the age of three. It can continue up to the age of six or seven, depending on the aptitude of the student. School time is usually from 8 a.m. till 12 noon. The children are taught to draw and to colour, are told a lot of stories and the teachers make sure that the little students comprehend what they are being taught.

Apart from all these things, the children are taught how to sing and dance, and how to be useful with their hands. They learn crafts like making paper boats and snowflakes and other things related to their immediate environment. Depending upon the profile of the school, they are also taught a foreign language like English, French or German apart from their mother tongue.

Once the students finish nursery education, they are tested by the primary schools they are going to go to. Primary education begins at the age of six or seven and continues till the students are ten or eleven years old. In primary schools too, school hours range from 8 in the morning till 12 noon. Children are not required to lunch at school, but are allowed to bring some light snacks like a sandwich from home. They are also fed a roll and a small carton of milk at school.

The curriculum in primary school consists of the Romanian language, Mathematics, Biology, History, Geography, Religion, Art and Craft, Physical Education, and a foreign language like English. In all it is a comprehensive curriculum, making the young Romanian aware of a lot of things about the world. Students are evaluated with grades like "not satisfactory", "satisfactory", "good", "very good", etc.

From the primary school, students move on to the lower secondary school. This too continues for four years. New subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and a second foreign language like French, German or Spanish are introduced into the curriculum at this stage. In the 7th grade the students have to take two national level tests in Mathematics and Romanian at the end of each term. Incidentally, the academic year consists of two terms, one on either side of Christmas holidays. There are holidays for Easter and the summer vacation is a longish affair from June 15th till September 15th.

At the end of the 8th grade, the last and the most vital in lower secondary school, the students have to pass a final examination in Romanian, Mathematics and History or Geography. Their results in this test are graded in a scale of 1 to 10. Depending on how they fare in this test, they can go on to high school.

At this stage the students have to fill in a form listing high schools and make a few choices in order of their preference. Whether they can get admitted to the high school of their choice depends, however, on the grades they score in the test.

Students, who have not fared well in the exam, can get admitted to schools offering vocational training, where they are taught different skills. On finishing these schools, such students, who are not academically oriented, can acquire a qualification.

After four years in high school, on the other hand, students have to take the baccalaureate examination and then they are able to enter a university for further studies. School education till the age of 16 is compulsory in Romania.

Education is one of the most valuable gifts that has been given to society. It is more than just a passing on, or teaching, of what we know to others. Education also passes on the culture of a society. Patterns of behavior, ideas, and values that distinguish unique groups from one another are also passed on. Education is designed to make use of the knowledge, ideas, and values that are passed on to make wise decisions through one's life. New thoughts and ideas can then arise by combining the existing information in a new way, continuing the cycle of education.

Education of children is extremely important to the continued health of a society. Knowing this, many governments have set up a schooling system in which a standardized series of instruction can be presented to students. Teaching is the primary form of instructing students, using lectures, work sessions, and reading material. Specific skills and knowledge are passed on to students at certain ages, allowing students to understand and gain deeper meaning from the knowledge they are receiving.

There are multiple levels within the public education system. Primary education deals with fundamental topics, such as reading and writing, with mathematics, science, and history mixed in. Once a solid foundation has been obtained, Secondary education begins and the student learns more specialized skills. The years in between Primary and Secondary education may involve a separate school called a Middle school. This is still considered Primary education, but students are separated more from younger students in order to prepare them for the move to Secondary education. In the United States, Primary and Secondary education are required of all citizens in order to be a functioning member of society.

Rochester, Minnesota is home to a vast number of schools contained in the public education system that are dedicated to providing a solid foundation to students. Primary, Secondary, and Middle schools are spread throughout the city, offering the chance of an education to virtually anyone.

Primary schools make up the majority of the buildings in the school system. These schools include:

- Bamber Valley Elementary (K-5) - One of the larger elementary schools, with a dedicated staff and motivated students. The result is parental and community support that challenges the school to have high expectations and levels of achievement.

- Bishop Elementary (K-5) - Housing 500 students in Early Childhood Special Education from K-5, Bishop is proud of its dedication to students and the resulting standardized test scores.

- Churchill Elementary and Hoover Elementary (K-5) - A paired set of buildings that serves one student population. Education is focused on maximizing academic and social-emotional growth for all students.

- Elton Hills Elementary (K-5) - Focused on educating for tomorrow's challenges, staff emphasize academic excellence in reading, writing, and math skills. Students are grouped in multi-aged classrooms based on their needs.

- Folwell Elementary (K-5) - Gifted and Talented and English for Speakers of Other Languages programs are strong here, strengthening the academic atmosphere. Active and supportive PTSA and an emphasis on Volunteers in Education are also strong points.

- Franklin Elementary/Montessori at Franklin (K-5) - Offers a K-5 Neighborhood program, and a K-5, District-wide, Public Montessori Choice program. The Franklin school offers quality education with a number of specialized academic support groups. The Montessori option includes three multi-age groups/levels of classes to develop students' skills. Inter-relatedness is one of the main focuses of the curriculum.

- Gage/Gage East Elementary (K-5) - Individuality of each child is respected in the diverse population that makes up Gage Elementary. Strong reading, writing, and math programs are emphasized, and input from parents and volunteers is strongly encouraged.

- Jefferson Elementary (K-5) - The staff focuses on instilling the love of learning in students, helping them to become more prepared for the future as lifelong learners. The Read At Home program is offered as a home/school connection that increases student reading.

- Lincoln Choice (K-8) - The only K-8 school in the public school system, Lincoln supports the success of each student by giving and expecting respect for others and responsibility for themselves. Teaching methods focus on individual learning styles, and multi-age classrooms help accomplish this task.

- Longfellow Elementary (K-5) - While keeping the same academic standards, the calendar is made up of 45 days of concentrated instruction and learning, followed by a 15-day break period.

- Pinewood Elementary (K-5) - A traditional approach to curriculum with self-contained classrooms is used here, offering character development, classroom stability, and a positive atmosphere.

- Riverside Central Elementary (K-5) - Riverside's mission is to have staff, students, families, and community word collaboratively to create a community that values education of all children, promoting the attitude of lifelong learning.

- Sunset Terrace Elementary (K-5) - Offers a wide variety of educational and leadership opportunities while still encouraging the growth of the whole child. A number of academic support programs are available to help those in need.

- Washington Elementary (K-5) - A school with a reputation for educational excellence, Washington, offers a challenging, Core Knowledge® curriculum. Fifty percent of the content involves Core Knowledge content, while the other 50 percent is mastery of reading, writing, math, and other skills.

The Middle schools found in Rochester all offer a strong focus on academics while giving students a chance to explore their own individual interests. A safe and welcoming environment is present at all schools, respecting students as individuals and quality and challenging education. The four Middle schools include:

- Friedell Middle School (6-8)
- John Adams Middle School (6-8)
- Kellogg Middle School (6-8)
- Willow Creek Middle School (6-8)

Secondary schools also offer challenging and quality education to the youth of Rochester. There are three public high schools throughout the city:

- Century High School (9-12) - The staff have created a culture that has high expectations, communication, trust, and caring at its core. The school works hard to effectively prepare students for life after graduation.

- John Marshall High School (9-12) - John Marshall values diversity and has been serving the community for more than forty years. Many proud traditions and accomplishments exist, including a curriculum that meets the needs of students looking at post-secondary schools as well as those planning to go straight to the work force.

- Mayo High School (9-12) - Also in existence for over forty years, Mayo is designed to meet the needs and challenges of every student. Advanced Placement courses are offered in math, science, and English, as well as a number of honors courses in most departments.

Education is a tool and gift that every person in society should have access to. The presence of a public education system provides a chance to receive that gift. Those that have received it have an obligation to pass on the gift to others, continuing the growth and health of a community and a culture. Education starts from the moment we are born, and with proper teaching and training, can continue with excitement and wonder until this life is over. Become a lifelong learner, while instilling the drive and motivation into others to do the same. Education is a gift that should not be wasted.

Education in Pakistan

Education in Pakistan is divided into five levels: primary (grades one through five); middle (grades six through eight); high (grades nine and ten, leading to the Secondary School Certificate); intermediate (grades eleven and twelve, leading to a Higher Secondary School Certificate); and university programs leading to graduate (undergraduate) and advanced (post-graduate) degrees.

All academic education institutions are the responsibility of the provincial governments. The federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research.

Pre-school

A child may begin his/her schooling at a pre-school at the age of 3. Over the last few years, many new kindergarten (sometimes called montessori) schools have sprung up in Pakistan.

Primary Education

Formal education in Pakistan starts from around age 5. The first 5 years of school are referred to as Primary. Thereafter, the next 3 are referred to as Middle and the 2 after as Highschool.

Secondary Education

At the completion of Highschool or 10 years of schooling, students are required to sit for board examinations referred to as Secondary School Certificate examinations or more commonly as 'Matric'. These are administered by area boards. Those that receive passing marks (normally 33%) on this examination are awarded a Secondary School Certificate or SSC. Students may then choose to undergo 2 years of additional schooling (offered both a school and some colleges) after which they sit for the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC), more commonly referred to as 'Intermediate' exams. There is a wide choice of subjects that students can choose from during their 'intermediate' years many of which are technical subjects. Students normally read about 5 subjects in a chosen stream such as pre-medical, science, humanities, pre-engineering etc. and then sit for the Higher Secondary School Certificate exam in those subjects which are also administered by area boards. Those that receive passing marks (normally 33% of all subjects cummulative) are awarded a Higher Secondary School Certificate or HSSC.

Technical Education

Students can enter a plethora of technical institutes for technical certificates and degrees. The entrance requirements for these courses vary greatly with some such as carpentry requiring the applicant to be literate whereas others such as B.Tech in automation require HSSC.

Post-Secondary

Pakistani education system

Students can then precede to a College or University for Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Science (BSc) or Commerce/Business Administration (BCom/BBA) degree courses. There are two types of Bachelor courses in Pakistan namely Pass or Honours. Pass constitutes two years of study and students normally read three optional subjects (such as Chemistry, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics) in addition to almost equal number of compulsory subjects (such as English, Pakistan Studies and Islamic Studies) whereas Honours are three or four years and students normally specialize in a chosen field of study such as Biochemistry (BSc Hons. Biochemistry). It is important to note that Pass Bachelors is now slowly being phased out for Honours throughout the country. Students may also after earning their HSSC may study for professional Bachelor degree courses such as engineering (B Engg), medicine (MBBS), vetrinary medicine(DVM) law (LLB), agriculture (B Agri), architecture (B Arch), nursing (B Nurs) etc. which are of four or five years duration depending on the degree

Some Masters Degrees also consist of 1.5 years. Then there are PHD Education as well in selected areas. One has to choose specific field and the suitable university doing research work in that field. PhD in Pakistan consists of minimum 3-5 years.

Pakistani universities churn out almost 1.2 million skilled graduates annually. The government has announced a $1 billion spending plan over the next decade to build 6 state-of-the-art science and engineering universities. The scheme would be overseen by the Higher Education Commission.

Owing to the failure of public schools to provide quality education to the children of Pakistan, many parents have enrolled their children in private schools. Although traditionally, private schools have been a luxury only the rich can afford, this is not necessarily the case in the current reemergence of the private sector in Pakistan's education system.

Nationally, overall private school primary enrolment (as a percentage of total primary enrolment) is 13 percent in Pakistan.

A recent survey in urban Pakistan found that 59 percent of households earning less than Rs 3,500 had children who were enrolled in private schools in the city of Lahore. Similarly, in the low-income and economically-deprived Orangi district of Karachi, a surprising 60 percent of all enrolled children went to private primary schools.

The findings of this study are given added support by a 1996 study conducted in the urban areas of five districts in the province of Punjab. This study found that even among low-income households, there was a private school enrolment rate of 50 percent.

More than 36,000 private institutions attend to the educational needs of 6.3 million children.

There is a parallel education system in place in some private schools, i.e. the 'O' level and 'A' level system. These curriculums are set by the University of Cambridge of the UK. Students studying in this system do not follow the syllabi set by the Pakistan government, but subjects such as Islamiyat and Pakistan studies are still compulsory for most high school students. The ministry of education also keeps an eye on what is being taught in these private schools. Generally, these schools are accessible to the elite few due to the high fees charged by O/A levels schools. However, during recent years, the phenomenon of appearing for the Cambridge exams "privately" has been rising. Students attend private tutoring sessions, register for the British exams via the British Council, and do no attend any school to prepare for their exams.

Criticism

An issue of National Geographic conveys the adversity poor families must face. Some schools are run so badly that few kids attend.

It's not unusual in Pakistan to hear of public schools that receive no books, no supplies, and no subsidies from the government. Thousands more are 'ghost schools' that exist only on paper, to line the pockets of phantom teachers and administrators.Ever since the start of the War on Terror, the attention of the world's media has been focused on the madrassa's operating in Pakistan which are mainly attended by children living in rural areas. Popular worldwide beliefs are that a significant number of students in Pakistan are a part of these religious schools. This myth was debunked by professor Khwaja of Massachusetts Institute of Technology whose research examined statistical data to determine more precisely the enrollment in madrassas in Pakistan. The findings were that enrollment in Pakistani madrassas is relatively low, with less than 1 percent of all students enrolled in a school attending madrassas. There are as much as 100 times as many children in public schools as there are in madrassas and almost 40 times as many children in private schools as there are in madrassas. For the average Pakistani household, the choice of going to a madrassa is simply not a statistically significant option. Even in areas which surround Afghanistan, which are considered to be hotbeds of madrassa activity, madrassa enrollment is actually less than 7.5 percent.

Outside this region madrassa enrollment is thinly, but evenly, spread across the rest of the country. There was no evidence of a dramatic increase in madrassa enrollment in recent years. Examining time trends it was found that madrassa enrollment actually declined in Pakistan from its creation until the 1980s.It increased somewhat during the religion-based resistance to the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviets in 1979 and the subsequent rise of the Taliban. However, in the last few years, the data does not suggest that there is any dramatic increase in madrassa enrollment.

Among other criticisms the Pakistani education system faces is the gender disparity in enrollment levels. However, in recent years some progress has been made in trying to fix this problem. In 1990-91, the female to male ratio (F/M ratio) of enrolment was 0.47 for primary level of education. It reached to 0.74 in 1999-2000, so the F/M ratio has improved by 57.44 percent within the decade. For the middle level of education it was 0.42 in the start of decade and increased to 0.68 by the end of decade, so it has improved almost 62 percent. In both cases the gender disparity is decreased but relatively more rapidly at middle level. But for whole of the decade the gender disparity remained relatively high at middle level, despite the fact that for the duration the F/M ratio for teachers and F/M ratio of educational institutions at the middle level remained better than at the primary level.

The gender disparity in enrolment at secondary level of education was 0.4 in 1990-91 was 0.67 percent in 1999-2000, so the disparity has decreased by 67.5 percent in the decade or at the average rate of 6.75 percent annually. At the college level it was 0.50 in 1990-91 and it reached 0.81 in 1999-2000, so gender disparity decreased by 64 percent with an annual rate of 6.4 percent. The gender disparity has decreased comparatively rapidly at secondary school. The gender disparity in educational institutions at the secondary level of education was changed from 0.36 in 1990-91 to 0.52 in 1999-2000 with a 44 percent change. The same type of disparity at the college level was 0.56 in 1990-91 and reached at 0.64 in 1999-2000 with 14 percent change in the decade. The disparity at the college level has improved much less than that at the secondary level.

Cheating in exams is a big problem plaguing the Pakistani education system. Every year there are accounts of large scale cheating at various exam venues? Invigilators have been known to encourage cheating not only in public schools, but in foreign exams such as the SAT as well.

Education in Malawi has been a constant challenge. Malawi is an 8-4-4-education system consisting of primary school, secondary school and university education. There is little opportunity for pre-school. In 1994, the Government of Malawi decided to make a major change in their education and abolished school fees for primary schooling; this resulted in an increase in primary school enrollment from 1.9 million pupils a year to 3.2 million and an average pupil-teacher ratio of 72. The institution of Free Primary Education is successful in terms of the numbers of pupils attending but will not be able to meet the costs needed to support the infrastructure, i.e. 38,000 classrooms. The government will therefore move forward by strengthening partnerships among all divisions to receive 40% of the financing needed.

On June 19, 2009 approximately 120 students at Nanthomba Primary School went home excited for being rewarded of their achievements in different areas. They were rewarded as best achievers in class and after school activities, most punctual, most smart and well behaved students. Pens, notebooks, sandals, soap, toothbrushes, etc were the prizes given. These items are part of the school donations. 

While orphans and other vulnerable children need material and psychological support, all the students need motivation for excelling hence this strategy among others. The prizes were given on the open while every student was eager to be called.

Since such event occurred, students have greatly improved in the above performance areas.

The students at the Nanthomba Primary School built by the HELP organization (and their partners) are primarily local orphans, children from local villages and children of National Park employees. Originally, the school began with 320 pupils. To date, due to the eagerness and excitement of an education, the school has 750 students.  HELP operates the school, as well as supports three other community schools with teachers aids, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and provides teachers with stipends and training,which contribute to the upgraded educational standards of the facility.

HELP is in the process of searching for land within walking distance to the village, with the hope of building a secondary school in the near future.

Zikomo Kwambiri!

Lemani

1. Introduction         

When there was no university elsewhere in the Europe; Takshasila, Vikramshila, Pallavi, and Nalanda were the centers of Global Education and attracting learners from all around the globe. The development of modern education in India started with the establishment of Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817. During British reign, Calcutta University was the first to confer the bachelor degree on women in 1883.

After independence various universities have been opened both by the government as well as private sector. The main motive behind opening these universities were not to earn profit but to serve the society by imparting higher education and conducting researches related to pure and social sciences. The fees charged from the students were minimum, hence these institutions were generating deficit so there was a need to go for the donations and aids to cover its fixed and running expenses. But gradually there was a drastic change in the scene .The education sector emerges as one of the most profitable business opportunity. The increase in the number of private schools and institutions supports the fact. Higher education is not an exception to this. Gradually most of the corporate entities have also entered into the picture.

2. Corporatisation of Higher Education

Now a days education sector is a trillion dollar industry. It is a service sector industry in the area of education as service with a huge global market in which students, teachers and non- teaching employee constitute resources for profit generation. So the concepts of marketing are also applicable. The organizations have to market their product and themselves in order to survive. In this industry the students are the customers, the teachers are the service providers and the institutions are organizers or marketers and teaching-learning process is no longer for the building of a nation but a business for profit making. Education at all levels, will continue to grow, because it cultivates the human mind and makes people important and useful in the all round development of a country, however for the corporate sector it will grow as a big service industry. Predatory and powerful MNCs are targeting public education, particularly higher education, for profit- making. Though predominantly a government supported service most governments are as consequences of neo-liberal economic reforms, withdrawing from it. The government of India through extensive privatization, commercialization and deregulation is encouraging this process.

3.  Education under GATS umbrella

In 1996, the United States provided exports of education and training services had reached 8.2 billion dollars, and its trade surplus in education amounted to 7 billion dollars. Higher education was the fifth largest service exported by the US. Therefore, the pressure of the United States on WTO member countries in relation to trade in education service is clearly understandable.

The US, the European Union (EU), Japan and Canada are the main powers behind the GATS. Though WTO membership consists of nation states, the transnational corporations of these countries that sit on all the important "advisory" committees and determine detailed policy shape its agenda. While denying access to decent healthcare, education housing and long term care to millions of workers and their families the world over, the agreement will confer ever greater political power on these corporations as they control and dictate public policy.

GATS have two components: (i) the framework agreement containing 29 articles, and (ii) a number of Annexes, Ministerial decisions etc. as well as the schedules of commitments by each member government, which bind them to allow market access, and /or remove existing restrictions to market access. This agreement covers all services, including education 

When the services are entirely provided by the government, they do not fall within the GATS rule. For a service to be out of the purview of the GATS rule it has to be entirely free. However, when the service have been provided either by the government partially or some prices are charged (as happens in education where some fees is charged) , or provided by the private providers , they shall fall under the GATS rule.

The informal WTO classification List (W/120) divides educational services into five parts: (a) Primary education (b) secondary education (c) higher education (d) adult education (e) other education.

The idea behind this is the creation of an open, global marketplace where services like education can be traded to the highest bidder. GATS cover the educational services of all the countries whose educational system are not exclusively provided by the public sector, or those educational systems that have commercial purposes. In India, we cannot get exemption in education from the application of GATS because education at all levels, particularly at higher education level is not entirely free (i.e. some fees has to be paid)

Corporate because of their huge financial resources are able to attract the best talent available in the country and hence they are providing the quality service to their customers (students). They have the access to the new sources of finances .In India also the issuing of shares by the schools and educational institution and its trading in the stock exchange will be a reality. Then the quality of the institute may be judged by looking at the share prices in the stock market and like any other business enterprises the wealth maximization will be the main goal of the institute and their entire effort will be to increase their market share and ultimately to increase the market capitalization. The government is reducing the grants given to the universities and colleges and these institutes are asked to arrange their own sources of finance .In that scenario those educational institution who will not be earning surplus will die like any other seek industrial unit. So it is the high time for those institutes to think for earning surplus and make themselves competitive for survival.

But when these institutions will be running on absolutely business principles for earning profit obviously the fees charged from the students will be higher. The application of some unethical and unfair practices for attracting the students and earning higher profit cannot be overlooked in that scenario.

4. Indian reality

In a country like India where a large section of our population is living below the poverty line, almost 35% of the population is still illiterate and we are talking about removing poverty and illiteracy, in that situation they will be the most mistreated people. So it is the government and its institutions, which will have to look at this aspect. Hence imparting higher education by charging high fees by the government run universities and college will not be desirable and the government has to look at the welfare aspect of its people. But before coming to any conclusion we have to consider the following two ground and hard realities in this respect: -

1.      India being the member country of WTO, must abide by the decisions and regulations of WTO. So it cannot stop the foreign universities and institutes to operate in India, which are having ample financial, physical and intellectual resources and are running on absolutely business principles for earning profit.

2.      The government of India is reducing the grants and aids given to the government universities and colleges and these institutes are called to mobilize resources from their internal sources as well as external sources. They are also asked by the UGC and NAAC to become more competitive.

So it is the time as well as the opportunity for our Government funded institutions/universities/colleges to make themselves competitive and to go for globalization. This can be only possible when they will stand on their own feet by earning surplus and are effectively and efficiently run. But at the same time we have to think for the weaker sections of the society who could not afford a high expenditure on the study.

Therefore it is very high time for educational institutes to build a business model, which will be able to compete with the foreign universities and also the weaker sections of the society will also be taken care of.

5. The model of Arvindo Eye Hospital, Madurai

The Arvindo Eye Hospital of Madurai has set an outstanding business model showing how an organisation can serve the society at large on one hand and can also earn profitable surplus on the other hand. At Arvindo Eye Hospital, economically poor people are provided treatment at free of cost and the patients who can afford are charged the requisite treatment charges. More than two-third of the patients treated in the hospital fall under the former economically unprivileged category and yet he hospital earns substantial profits. But a remarkable policy to be noticed is that the service provided to both categories of rich and poor patients are exactly same and no compromise of any sort is done with regard to the quality of treatment and service provided. The secret behind the success of the hospital is the volume of patients giving business and fact that hospital does not spend money on conspicuous consumptions. Promotion is through word of mouth and mass print media.

Similar model can be adopted by our government run and universities, whereby the required fees can be charged from students whose parents can afford the same, and concessions to be provided to the economically deprived students. With the globalization, liberation, privatization and economic growth more and more people are finding occupations in private sector leading to an increase in the purchasing power at the hands of the middle and upper class of the society who has become conscious of and can afford quality education at higher prices. This is a positive factor which the universities can cash upon and which further supports the above model.

Notes and References

1.      http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/news23/text001.htm

2.      Www.education. nic.in/htmlweb/iperposch.htm

3.      Www.pd.cpim.org/2002/feb17/02172002_wto_educ_2.htm_2000

4.      A Case study on Arbind Eye Hospital, Madurai, IIMB Review, September,2005.

5.      Kumar R; World Trade Organisation, Structure, Functions, Tasks, Challenges, Deep and Deep Publications, 2004.