Riobamba, 23/11/02 

There were 271 children missing in Riobamba, Ecuador, after a series of explosions in an army barracks arsenal had devastated an entire quarter of the city thereby throwing it into chaos and killing 8 people. The agency Misna reports that the children were all eventually found, but not until some hours after the emergency was over. They had fled in panic from the scene without letting their families know where they were and some of them were found dozens of kilometres away.

Bergamo, 19/11/02 

The new Italian law which allows the venue of a trial to be  transferred if the impartiality of a judge is suspect was called into action by 2 teachers in Bergamo. According to an article in the newspaper La Repubblica,  they had been accused of using false doctor’s certificates to justify their excessive number of absences from work and were to be charged with fraud. They in turn accused the magistrates of deciding the case before it was tried.

Liverpool, 18/11/02 

According to the  BBC, the pupils of a Liverpool primary school are up in arms because of the expulsion of one of their companions. The youngster, who is from Kosovo and whose name is Din Havolli, has been ordered along with his family to leave the United Kingdom. A government spokesperson has let it be known that the case will be re-examined and that, in the meantime, the expulsions have been suspended.

Voreppe, 18/11/02 

There was a rumour that drugs were circulating in Sacre Coeur school in Voreppe, a town in the South of France. The news agency France Presse writes that the 80 pupils were called together to the hall and searched by the police with the aid of a sniffer dog. 3 grams of hashish were found and 2 pupils are now facing expulsion.

Sydney, 18/11/02 

Abuse of psychostimulants is taking place in some Australian schools, according to a report in the daily newspaper The Australian. The drugs are prescribed to treat attention deficit syndrome, but the youngsters tend to take them in excessive doses and are selling them in school playgrounds. In particular these drugs are being used to increase concentration during exams despite the risk of serious side effects.

New York, 17/11/02 

There’s a battle to enrol young children in the most exclusive kindergartens of Manhattan, like for example the kindergarten on 92nd Street which Woody Allen’s youngest child attends. CNN reports that the guide to kindergartens, written  by Jack Grubman the ex-financial analyst, is already into its 5th edition. According to Grubman, the key to getting admitted to the most sought-after schools often means knowing the right person.

Cologne, 15/11/02 

Germany is still a friendly country for kids but not like in the past. This is the opinion of the German UNICEF representative, Schlagintweit, who reports that public institutions are showing less respect for children’s rights than in previously. The radio station WDR explains that this deficiency particularly concerns urbanisation and traffic. In addition, health care for young refugees is less than adequate.

Tucumàn, 14/11/02 

The deaths through malnutrition of 4 children in Tucumàn, Argentina, have caused a heated debate about social policies in general and about how to distribute resources in this period of economic crisis. The daily newspaper Clarìn reports that a government official vented his frustration by wondering aloud how it was possible that, in a nation of 37 million people which produced enough food to feed 300 million, children could die of hunger.

Berlin, 13/11/02 

Alongside the German language, mathematics and all the other school subjects, a new subject is to be taught in German primary schools. It is “family knowledge”. The federal education minister Renate Schmidt launched the proposal in an interview broadcast on WDR. She explained that the aim is to make children more aware of family values. How? One way would be through role playing activities.

Tegucigalpa, 9/11/02 

The massacre of street children which has been going on unpunished for years in the Central American republic of Honduras continues.  The news agency Misna reports that in the month of October alone 47 minors were murdered, bringing the total number of victims to 1,450 in less than 5 years. A lot of people are convinced that often it is the police themselves who are responsible for these deaths, which for the most part are left uninvestigated.

Boston, 8/11/02 

Perhaps the secret weapon to use against school truancy has perhaps been discovered in Boston. It’s a cell phone with Internet access and all school inspectors have one. The  BBC  reports that, with these phones, inspectors can immediately access all relevant information about students, and so truancy files can be built up and the reasons underlying it can be investigated.

Miami, 7/11/02 

Classes with a maximum of 18 students, 25 in high schools? But where can I get the $27.5 billion to finance this operation? With these words, Jeb Bush the newly re-elected governor of Florida stopped the state legislature in its tracks. The elected members had just voted to reduce class sizes in order to increase productivity. This reaction by Bush, who is the American President’s brother, has been widely criticised.

Paris, 7/11/02 

Somehting does not add up in the French educational system. 6.2% of the GDP is spent on education (more than in developed countries where the average is 5.5%) but school results have been stagnant for years. This unsatisfactory report was made by the Minister of Education himself. According to AFP, while it’s true that the school population is growing, it’s also true that the number of school failures is increasing.

Bujumbura, 4/11/02 

In the small African nation of Burundi, during an attack on the township of Gitega, 90 kilometers from the capital Bujumbura, the rebels opposing the government recently shelled 2 schools with mortars. According to the news agency Misna, this is not the first time that school buildings have been damaged during the Burundi civil war. Fortunately there were no victims in this attack.

London, 2/11/02 

A turning point in school architecture - this is how the Hampden Gurney primary school in the western part of London has been described. From the BBC we learn that the 6-storey building was conceived as a journey moving upwards from the first grade to the sixth. There is also ample room for games and sport. The building went up in 18 months and in the meantime classes continued in the existing premises.

Bogotà, 2/11/02 

At least 300,000 children are forced to work in mines in Colombia. The agency Misna reports that this accusation comes from Liliana Obregòn, the coordinator of the UN program for the fight against child labour. These children  obviously find it impossible to go to school. They often work in inhuman conditions with no contract or regular pay and are exposed to serious respiratory illnesses.

Tercis, 31/10/02 

They are called “children of the moon”: these are the children suffering from  xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a disease which prevents them from any form of contact with the sun. They can go outside during daylight hours only if they wear a type of space suit. AFP reports on 2 parents who have twin children afflicted by this disease and who have organised a meeting with other “children of the moon” in Tercis, the French township where they live.

Kuala Lumpur, 30/10/02 

A lively debate has started in Malaysia after the Malaysian Chinese Association, which represents the large Chinese community (around a quarter of the population), refused to accept the government’s suggestion that English be used for the teaching of science and mathematics. The New Straits Times believes that the very efficient Chinese school system would have nothing to lose by accepting this innovation..

Paris, 30/10/02 

During the last school year, French secondary schools registered more than 80,000 “serious” incidents. AFP , quoting government sources, explains that 27% of these involved physical violence but without weapons and 23% threats and insults; 11% involved theft or attempted theft, 4% property damage, 2% extorsion, 2% false alarms and 2% sexual assaults.

Naples, 29/10/02 

“Believe, obey, fight”: this was the fascist slogan that appeared on one of the student lists during the school elections for a high school on Procida, the tiny island between Naples and Ischia. Worse, this list obtained 3 out of the 4 seats. An alarmed reader of the daily newspaper La Repubblica sent in the report explaining that certain teachers at the school considered the matter to be of little importance.

London, 24/10/02 

Estelle Morris, the British Minister for Education has been getting strong criticism for some time over her management of this ministry and so she has decided to resign. The BBC  reports that her place will be taken by Charles Clarke, the Labour party secretary. Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, has asked Claeke to carry out the school reform program started by Mrs Morris.

Trinidad, 24/10/02 

4 months ago in Trinidad in the west of Bolivia, a student was killed by the police in circumstances that are none too clear. For this reason the local students’ federation organised a protest which rapidly degenerated into a serious confrontation with the police and the army. The agency Misna explains that the students are demanding the removal of the chief of police. 

Strasburg, 23/10/02 

Obesity is spreading among French students and, in order to identify the cause of this phenomenon, a group of researchers has launched a special 4-year study that will involve 800 high school students in the Alsace region. France Presse explains that the researchers are trying in particular to establish the relationship between obesity in young people and their eating habits, physical exercise and sports activities..

Washington, 23/10/02 

The mysterious snipers who for a number of weeks terrorised the American capital and its hinterland did not significantly affect school attendance in the the District of Columbia or nearby Maryland. CNN  reports that, before the 2 criminals were captured, some absences were recorded but by no means the mass absenteeism which might have been expected.

Berlin, 21/10/02 

Go to the movies instead of going to school? Between November 4 and 8 this will be possible for the students of 16 German cities, as long as they go and see one of the 5 films in the “Islam-Cinema” program. The weekly magazine Der Spiegel explains that this initiative is aimed at acquainting young Germans with Islam because, owing to recent events, this religion is often misunderstood.

Marseilles, 19/10/02

According to the French Minister for Health, Jean-Francois Mattei, the work of social workers and of “sidewalk teachers” is essential for the fight against drug abuse. In an interview with the daily newspaper La Provence the minister explained that it is not enough to stop drug trafficking and to punish the pushers; it is also necessary to take care of the addicts, who are above all young and very young people, and to help them beat their problem.

Mar del Plata, 19/10/02

Adriana Garcia, whose husband murdered their two children aged 2 and 4 years, is suing the state of Buenos Aires. The daily paper La Naciòn reports that the police had been informed on a number of occasions about the father’s  threats against the children but that nothing had been done to prevent the tragedy. The woman is asking for rightful damages on these grounds.

Bridgwater, 18/10/02

Inside the pencil case of a 10-year old pupil of a school in Street, Somerset, England, a teacher found a small quantity of Indian hemp, a cigarette lighter and cigarette papers; in other words, all that was needed to smoke the drug. According to the BBC , the parents cannot understand how the youngster who was suspended from school managed to get hold of  the drug.

Châteauroux, 18/10/02

After 2 teaching aides had money stolen from their purses, 5 teachers of a primary school in Châteauroux searched the pupils in a way that certain  parents considered degrading (see news flash of 10/01/02). But, as the news agency AFP reports, the judges were not of the same opinion and the 5 teachers who were accused of maltreatment were acquitted.

Nashville, 18/10/02

The name of an auditorium of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee was not politically correct: it was named Confederate Memorial Hall and thus had overtones of the Confederate states, slavery and secession. CNN reports that many black students refused to enter the building. The adjective “confederate” was thus eliminated but some sponsors have now denounced the university for violation of contract.

Porto Alegre, 17/10/02

A place for learning how to live together for children from 6 to 12 years: this is the definition of a transit school which has opened in Porto Alegre. The daily paper Notìcias explains that the centre is supported by educational experts and psychologists and is designed to develop the students’ attention span, powers of perception as well as their attitudes towards human relations. Each school in the city can send its students to the centre: all they have to do is make a booking.

Paris, 17/10/02

There was the usual dispute about the numbers the day after a strike in French schools. The Minister for Education stated that 44% of teachers and 37% of the non-teaching staff had given their support overall. But the unions, according to France Presse, estimated the support at around 70%. The protest was aimed at cuts in the education budget which will lead to stiff cuts in staff numbers..

Gaza, 17/10/02

2 Palestinian childrenn were killed and a number of others wounded during an anti-terrorist operation conducted by the Israeli army with armoured vehicles at Rifah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The agency Misna quotes Palestinian health authorities who  report that the artillery struck a school run by a UN agency for refugees.

Washington, 17/10/02

The District of Columbia school system which includes Washington is too expensive.The Washington Post writes that in the fiscal year which ended in June the capital’s schools spent at least $7,500,000 more than their allotted budget and that this figure could even rise to $11million after the figures have been verified. The principal cause of the deficit is an excess of staff.

Solingen, 16/10/02

The broadcaster WDR reports that the citizens of Solingen in Germany’s Ruhr valley have blocked the construction of a fourth comprehensive school. Public opinion held that the money available would be better spent improving existing schools rather than building a new one. School authorities must now decide on an alternative plan of action.

Rome, 16/10/02

An evaluation of the results obtained in Italian schools turns out to be a lot less than satisfactory. The Ministry for Education carried out an investigation last year into a fifth of the school population ranging between primary and high school students. The daily paper La Repubblica writes that the best results are found in primary schools, in maths and among girls.

Paris, 15/10/02

Luc Ferry, the French Minister for Education, has launched a campaign against illiteracy. France Presse writes that this program had its beginning in a disconcerting observation: between a third and a fifth of French children cannot read and write correctly when they finish the five grades of primary school. A manual has been written for teachers to help them identify and correct the causes of this problem.