#NIGERIA: Ebonyi State Governor Slashes Univ. Fees, Raises Univ. Staff Wages

[world politics news]

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has slashed the tuition fees of the Ebonyi State University by 10 per cent.

Mr Nwifuru has also approved the increment of salaries of both academic and non-academic staff of the state-owned institution by 20 and 10 per cent, respectively.

Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi State since 2023, previously served as speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly from June 2015 to May 2023. He's also a lawyer.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ISRAEL: High Court Rules Draft Deferrments For Seminary Students Must End

[world politics news]

Israel's High Court of Justice has issued an interim order barring the government from providing funds to ultra-Orthodox seminary students eligible for military enlistment — as the legal framework for deferring their military service will no longer exist.

A government resolution from June 2023 instructing the Israel Defense Force to temporarily not draft Orthodox seminary students despite the expiration of a law governing the matter will itself expire at midnight on March 31.

The controversy of student deferrals ending could break apart Netanyahu's wartime coalition, which consists of Orthodox political parties.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Ottawa School District Wants "Bubble" To Keep Parents From Protesting Near Schools

[world politics news]

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth has called for safety zones or "bubble zones" around schools to block future parental rights protests, one of which was scheduled for today, which she portrayed as being led by outsiders.

“There are anti-LGBTQ protesters, from the US, planning to show up outside Ottawa, Canada schools June 9th,” said Kaplan-Myrth in a Wednesday tweet.  “It puts students and staff and community at real risk.” 

A distict statement on its website said protecting rights of S2LGBTQIA+ students was a paramount concern of the district, which also portrayed parents protesting as dangerous bigots, led by those, "promoting inflammatory, transphobic, and hateful content against members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community." 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: New Brunswick Premier Wants Parents Notified If Children Change Genders

[world politics news]

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs wants his province to review policy around LGBTQ issues in schools and believes parents have a right to be told if their children change genders. 

Higgs cited complaints from concerned parents as being behind the need for a review. Additionally, the premier has stated that he doesn’t believe kids should be exposed to drag queen story times “at that age.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#INDIA: MP Introduces Financial Literacy Education Bill

[world politics news]

Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya (BJP Party) urged the government to consider introducing financial literacy as a subject in schools and colleges to help the young generation plan their financial future better

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#RUSSIA: Parliament Speaker: Fire Professors Who Oppose Ukraine Invasion

[world politics news]

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said during parliamentary hearings on the development of higher education in Russia that teachers of higher education institutions who oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine should be asked to resign.

"Anyone who begins to distort and try to use the department, conducting this [anti-war] Propaganda to students, must take and go," he said.

[FULL STORY HERE] (translated from Ukrainian)

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: Ontario Bill Would Mandate Vax In Healthcare, Education Sectors

[world politics news]

Legislation has been introduced in the Ontario legislative assembly that would require mandatory covid-19 vaccinations in the education and healthcare sectors throughout the province.  

The Bill, introduced by Ontario Liberal Party member John Fraser, requires specified education sector organizations and healthcare sector organizations to require their employees and other individuals that they retain to provide services to be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine.

Certain exceptions are provided for, such as where complying with the requirement would result in a contravention of the Human Rights Code. In such cases, the education sector organization or healthcare sector organization must ensure that the individual’s duties do not require direct contact with specified persons and that the individual undergo training respecting the benefits and risks of COVID-19 vaccinations

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRAN: All But One Of Pres. Raisi's Cabinet Ministers Approved By Parliament

[world politics news]

After five days of debates, the Iranian parliament gave its vote of confidence to all the ministers proposed by President Ebrahim Raisi, except for Hossein Baghgoli, who was nominated as minister of education.

Although lawmakers pointed out more than a handful of shortcomings in Baghgoli's credentials and plans, what makes his rejection notable is parliament's determination to prove to Raisi that they are not going to surrender to all his wishes.

Baghgoli is reportedly a relative of Raisi's wife, and the fact that he did not win the vote of confidence while others with credentials at his level got it, signifies a direct message from the hardline parliament to the hardliner president.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#SCOTLAND: New Gov't Guidance Allows Four-Year-Olds To Choose Their Gender At School

[world politics news]

Children as young as four will be able to change their gender at school without their parents’ consent under guidance introduced in Scotland.

Any pupil who decides they want to switch gender must be supported and listened to in school following the Scottish Government advice.

The guidance applies in primary schools, where the youngest children are only four or five, because "recognition and development of gender identity can occur at a young age."

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Government Cuts Ties with Professional Teachers' Union After China Calls it "Cancer"

[world politics news]

China's state media People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency published opinion pieces yesterday against the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (#HKPTU), calling it "a cancer that must be removed".  

By the afternoon, the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong government announced it

that it is terminating its working relationship with the local teachers' Union.

The union responded to the opinion pieces by saying it has always promoted professional growth of teachers and advocating for their rights, giving attention to the development of the country and its people, as well as being "against Hong Kong independence".

The Education Bureau sent out a sternly-worded press release a mere half hour later, outlining its policy towards the Union:

-No further collaboration with the Union;

-No more meetings with the Union

-No consulting with the Union regarding education matters

-No processing of referred cases or topics of concern raised by the Union

The Bureau said that it would fully review its consultation groups, and would consider terminating the terms of any HKPTU members that hold committee positions or have other duties, and not recognize their status as committee members.  

Furthermore, the government would be refused entry into the Bureau's office building or the Bureau's meetings.

Also, the Education Bureau will no longer recognize professional development courses hosted by HKPTU, and schools are not to count the Union's courses toward their teachers' professional development requirements of 150 hours in 3 years.

The Bureau further criticizes the union for its pro-democracy stance and activities in recent years, claiming that they are not in line with the professionalism of educators, even claiming that the Union is effectively no different from a "political group."

The government's spokesperson also criticized the Union for being actively involved in the matters with the Civil Human Rights Front and the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, as well as for "bringing politics into schools" by organizing teachers' strikes.

Founded in 1973, the HKPTU is Hong Kong's largest teacher's union with over 90,000 members.  The other major union is the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, which claims over 40,000 members, though some member categories are not required to be in the education sector.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Schools To Teach EU Is An "Unlawful Entity"

[world politics news]

Students in Polish schools will be taught that the European Union is an “unlawful entity," says Eucation Minister Przemysław Czarnek. He also wants history classes to focus more on teaching pride in Poland’s past rather than, as before, “shame” about it.

Czarnek said the changes are part of the government’s new “Polish Deal” program, which was unveiled last Saturday. As well as bolstering social spending and introducing a more progressive tax system, the plan also contains elements intended to strengthen Polish identity, such as more history teaching in schools.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#NORTHERNIRELAND: Schools To Reopen In January, Says Education Minister

[world politics news]

  

Schools in Northern Ireland will reopen in the first week of January, Education Minister Peter Weir has confirmed.

In a statement Weir said his main priority has been to protect children's education mental health and well-being.

"I believe that this can best be achieved through face-to-face learning and social engagement in schools," he added.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#USA: San Francisco School District Wants Abraham Lincoln Name Removed - "Did Nothing" For Blacks

[world politics news]

San Francisco may remove Abraham Lincoln’s name from a high school, because a district committee says the 16th president — who abolished slavery — did nothing to demonstrate that “black lives mattered to him.”

Lincoln is one of dozens of historical figures who the city school district’s renaming committee argued led lives so rife with racism, oppression or abuse that their names should not grace its buildings, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Parliament Defeats Free School Lunch Program

[world politics news] 

Despite 900,000 signatures in a petition for free school meals, Parliament has voted against providing children with at least one free meal a day during the school holidays. The campaign for free school meals, lead by the footballer Marcus Rashford, has attracted great controversy, especially with the considerable number of Conservative MPs who voted against it.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#JAMAICA: Government Pilot Program Sends Some Students Back To School In Novermber

[world politics news] 

After two planned reopening of physical school structures were beaten back by the onslaught of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the government has decided to pilot the resumption of face-to-face classes with 17 institutions across nine Jamaican parishes.

The pilot will run for two weeks — from November 9 to 20 — in 12 primary schools and five high schools in the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, Portland, St Ann, St Elizabeth, St James, Westmoreland, St Thomas, and Trelawny. More than 5, 000 students are enrolled in the selected institutions.

The selected schools are yet to be named.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#USA: Arizona Educators Consider Adding Holocaust Requirement To Curriculum

[world politics news] 

The Arizona State Board of Education is considering a change to the minimum courses of study for elementary school and high school to add instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides to the social studies curriculum at least once in either grade seven or grade eight, and instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides to the world history credit requirement for high school graduation.

The change comes after House Bill 2682, which would have mandated education on the Holocaust and other genocides at least twice between seventh and 12th grade, died at the end of the last legislative session amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ROMAMIA: Parliament Passes Bill Banning Gender Studies

[world politics news]

Romania’s Senate  has passed legislation that bans making any reference to gender identity as something distinct from one’s biological gender. It still needs to be signed by the President.

The legislation was added as an amendment to a larger bill on educational policies by the center-Right People’s Movement Party. The Social Democratic Party supported it as well.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: Pres. Duda, Campaigning, Seeks Ban On LGBTQ Taught In Schools

[world politics news]

Poland could join countries like Russia and Lithuania, as well as several American states, in blocking recognition of LGBTQ people in schools, according to an election year interview with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is seeking re-election.

“I think that this kind of propaganda should not take place in schools. It has to be calmly and consistently opposed,” Duda told radio show Radio Maryja. “If such a law was created and would be well written, I do not exclude that I would approach it seriously.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HONGKONG: Exam Question Minimizing WWII Japanese Occupation Of China Sparks Outrage

[world politics news]

Hong Kong’s Education Bureau has taken the unprecedented step of asking the local examination authority to strike out a controversial history exam question on whether Japan, “did more good than harm to China” in the early 20th century, condemning it as biased and flying in the face of objective facts.

Barely hours later, state news agency Xinhua in a strongly worded commentary called the question “poisonous” as it warned that if it were not pulled from the exam, the “rage of all Chinese sons and daughters would not be able to be settled”.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

BREAKING: Gov't Of #Ireland Closes All Schools, Colleges, Childcare Facilities Thru Mar 29

[world politics news]

Taoiseach/Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said the country's schools, colleges and childcare facilities are to close in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

From 6 pm today, schools, colleges and childcare facilities will close. Ireland has joined Norway, Slovakia, and Lithuania, and other European countries are considering closing educational institutions.

In relation to cultural institutions, indoor gatherings of more than 100 people will not be permitted and a maximum outdoor gathering of 500 people will be allowed. The restrictions will stay in place until 29 March.

Where it is possible to work remotely people should do so, he said, adding that we need the public and businesses to take a sensible approach to coronavirus.

Varadkar made the announcement in Washington DC, where he is visiting.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.