The GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR EDUCATION (GCE)
Thursday, March 29 2007 @ 02:38 AM PDT

Activists from hundreds of organizations around the world, united under the banner “Global Campaign for Education” (GCE). The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a movement to end the worldwide crisis in education by put pressure to governments to act in order to deliver the right of every child, woman and man to a free, quality education. Members include major international aid agencies and union federations, as well as national networks or coalitions for the right to education in about 120 countries. Supporters lobby their legislators and governments, raise public awareness and put pressure on international institutions like the World Bank. GCE has been campaigning for education since 1999.

Recently, the GCE welcomed Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development’s announcement of an exceptional high-level donor conference on education in Brussels this spring. Michel used the informal meeting of EU development ministers in Bonn to announce “Keeping Our Promises in Education” which he will convene along with, the World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, and UK Chancellor Gordon Brown on May 2nd.

Why homework isn't working
Friday, February 02 2007 @ 02:57 AM PST

Based on article of Observer, UK, by Ms Anushka Asthana, 28/1/07
Leading academic says too much study after school turns children off education and sparks family rows

Family tension is just one of a string of negative effects of homework for young children, according to an explosive new book which says much of it is pointless. The book, “The Homework Myth”, to be published in Britain, supports that too much homework turns children off education and does not make them do any better in tests.

The study, by American academic Alfie Kohn, has sparked a huge debate on TV and radio and newspapers in the USA. 'What surprised me is not the downside of homework, but the fact there appears to be no upside,' said Kohn. 'No study has ever shown an academic benefit to homework before high school.'

EU awareness raising campaign on climate change in schools
Wednesday, September 13 2006 @ 04:28 AM PDT

The European commission is targeting teachers and students in the second phase of the climate change public awareness campaign "You control climate change", launched last May. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: "Climate change is already happening. Today's children will be the generation most affected as it worsens, but they are also the ones whose actions will determine whether we eventually win the battle against climate change. It is essential that they grow up fully aware of what climate change will mean for society and of the measures each of us can take to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions causing it."

Priorities of the Finnish EU Presidency in the area of education?
Tuesday, July 04 2006 @ 01:07 PM PDT

Finland's EU presidency begins on 1st July 2006. What are the presidency's priorities in the field of education for the next six months? Actually, the main objectives identified by Finland are:

• To finalise decisions on the multiannual programmes (the Integrated Action Programme in Lifelong Learning, the Culture 2007, Media 2007 and Youth in Action programmes), and make these programmes operational by the beginning of the year 2007;
• To focus on quality and equity in education and their connection with the economics of education. These issues will be discussed during a conference planned for the 28th and 29th September in Helsinki.

The city of Helsinki will also be hosting on 4th and 5th December 2006 the third ministerial conference on enhanced European cooperation in vocational education and training, which follows the Copenhagen (2002) and Maastricht (2004) previous ones.

Beside the above-mentioned tasks, Finland will also work on the promotion of students and teachers mobility between the EU and Russia, and discuss the Commission's initiatives on the European Institute of Technology (EIT) and its latest communication on modernising European universities (source ACA's Newsletter).

Zero Impact during the Recent 3rd World Environmental Education Congress
Friday, June 23 2006 @ 01:48 PM PDT

WEEC offered 15,000 euros to compensate for the CO2 emissions

On Monday 05/06/06, in Torino, a ceremony was held to ratify the accord between the Organizing Committee of the Third World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) and a selected community organisation, by awarding the compensations for the CO2 emissions of the Congress.
The Organizing Committee of the 3rd WEEC awarded VEFDA - Tanzania 15,000 euros, the amount that had been set aside to compensate for the CO2 emissions produced by the Congress.
One of the objectives during the Congress, held in October 2005 in Torino, was in fact to make it a “zero impact” event by setting aside 10% of the registration fees for environmental protection projects as a way to compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions that would inevitably be produced.
The VEFDA (Victoria Environmental and Fisheries Development Association) was selected to be the recipient of the award because of its work in Tanzania, where it is involved in reforestation activities in the Lake Victoria area, management of ecoschools and ecotourism projects.

For more info on the 3rd World Environmental Education Congress please visit
http://www.3weec.org/