January 08, 2015
By LYNSEY CHUTEL
Associated Press
South Africans are celebrating news that 76 percent of high school students have passed final exams, an announcement televised live during prime time Monday evening, but the figure disguises that nearly half of those who began school were forced to drop out before exams.
About a million children began the first grade in 2003, but 550,127 full-time students took the exam that determines if they qualify for university, according to a statement by activist organization Equal Education.
Most students are lost in the senior grades, and many are about four years behind the required standard, said Kate Wilkinson, a researcher for independent research organization Africa Check.
The pass rate is useful, “but it only tells us about the prospects of a small group of students who have managed to make it through,” she said, Tuesday. “People who are still innumerate and illiterate are pushed forward until they find that they are so far behind that they have no choice but to drop out.”
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said during her televised announcement Monday evening that better preparation must begin in kindergarten. The government has introduced national exams to assess basic math and language skills in lower grades.
South African exam scores of these tests are among the lowest in the world, according to education researcher Nicholas Spall.
South Africa spent R238 billion, about $20 billion, on education in 2014, according to the treasury department. Yet, increased spending and experimental policies have not been able to overcome the obstacles left by a historically segregated schooling system.
“The amount of improvement is slow and disappointing,” said Stephanie Allais, a researcher on education and labor. Educated young people are not guaranteed jobs and success, she said.
Young adults in South Africa face a hostile economy, Allais said. Two-thirds of people below the age of 35 are jobless, according to Statistics South Africa, a government agency.
Still, there is hope from students who see the final exam as a bridge to adulthood.
“This is for my future,” said Tamia Playandi, a student who passed.
January 01, 2015
By JUDY LIN
Associated Press
Business groups trying to overturn a new California law that bans single-use plastic bags said that they’ve collected more than enough signatures to put their referendum on the November 2016 ballot.
If the referendum qualifies, the nation's first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags will be suspended until voters weigh in, effectively buying plastic bag manufacturers more time.
The plastic bag manufacturing trade group American Progressive Bag Alliance said it was turning in more than 800,000 petition signatures to county registrars by Monday's deadline to qualify the referendum. The group needs about 505,000 valid signatures to qualify, and it will be weeks before counties make that determination through random sampling.
The ban was scheduled to be phased in starting in July at large grocery stores and supermarkets as a way to cut down on litter and protect marine life.
In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB270 by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, to pull plastic bags out of checkout counters at large grocery stores and supermarkets such as Wal-Mart and Target starting next summer, and convenience stores and pharmacies in 2016.
The law does not apply to bags used for fruits, vegetables or meats, or to shopping bags used at other retailers. It allows grocers to charge a fee of at least 10 cents for using paper bags.
The law had marked a major milestone for environmental activists who have successfully pushed plastic bag bans in cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Austin, Texas, and Seattle. Hawaii is also on track to have a de facto statewide ban, with all counties approving prohibitions.
More than 100 cities and counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, already have such bans in California.
But plastic bag manufacturers said the ban amounted to a cash-giveaway to grocers that would lead to a loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs. They said Californians now have a chance to weigh in.
“SB270 was never a bill about the environment,” said Lee Califf, executive director of the bag alliance. “It was a back room deal between the grocers and union bosses to scam California consumers out of billions of dollars in bag fees without providing any public benefit.”
Supporters of the statewide ban blasted manufacturers for paying any price just to continue selling plastic bags.
“After spending more than $3.1 million, 98 percent of which was raised from out of state, it is clear that the plastic bag industry is more interested in their own profits than reducing an unnecessary source of pollution and waste that threaten California’s wildlife and pollutes our ocean, coast, and our communities,” said Mark Murray, a spokesman for California vs. Big Plastic, the coalition of environmental, labor and business groups supporting the state’s plastic bag ban.
A recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll showed 6 in 10 California voters support the law. The survey showed support for banning plastic bags is even higher in communities that already had a ban.
December 25, 2014
LAWT News Service
The application deadline for the 2015-2016 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad scholarship program is January 7, 2015. The program provides full scholarships to American high school students to experience overseas communities and cultures, preparing students to collaborate on today’s global challenges such as human rights, community development, workforce development, climate change, and global health.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the YES Abroad program enables students to study for one academic year in countries that may include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey. The merit-based scholarship covers domestic and international travel; applicable visa fees; medical benefits; room and board; tuition at the local high school; orientations; and fees for educational and cultural activities.
Participants in the program fully immerse themselves into the culture of their host family while attending local high school. Erica, a current scholarship recipient from Wisconsin, who was named the October 2014 American Abroad of the Month by the State Department, said: “My time in South Africa has given me a chance to learn from daily life in my host school, while focusing my attention outward to my host family and community. Every day I am both a student and teacher to my peers, and I have learned so much not just about what it means to be Zulu, Xhosa, or Afrikaans, but also what it means to be an American. I have found that it is in the informal conversations between classes and sport where I have learned and shared the most.”
A 2012 participant, Hannah, who studied in Malaysia for one year, stated that “the YES Abroad program opened my eyes. I learned about a new culture and shared my own. I now have two homes, two families and countless friends from around the world.”
Interested students should visit www.yes-abroad.org to learn more the program and to apply. Contact the YES Abroad program at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 800-237-4636 x2151 if you have questions about the program or application process.
December 18, 2014
LAWT News Service
In recognition of winning the 2014 National Blue Ribbon School Award, Compton Unified School District’s (CUSD) Jefferson and Tibby elementary schools were honored, Tuesday, December 9, at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (2nd District) presented both schools with honorary scrolls to commemorate their achievements. Special guests included Jefferson and Tibby’s principals, staff, and students, as well as Superintendent Darin Brawley.
Last month the U.S. Department of Education recognized the two Compton schools with the National Blue Ribbon designation as well as Jefferson Principal Marcos, who was one of eight principals in the country to win the Terrel H. Bell Award. Both schools are also 2014 California Distinguished Schools and 2014 Title I Academic Achievement Award winners. Tibby has also won the California School Board Association’s (CSBA) 2014 Golden Bell Award in the category of English/language arts/reading.
Tibby sixth-grader Tiara Taylor received a standing ovation after reading her rousing poem celebrating her school’s national honor. She said that although she was nervous about speaking before “so many grown ups,” her experience public speaking as part of her school’s OG Junior Debate Team supplied her with confidence.
“At first I was a little nervous because there were a lot of people, but once I got into the poem it just started to flow. Reading is part of my nature. I love to read and articulate,” she said. Taylor added that it was an honor to represent her school before the LA County Board of Supervisors. “My school is my second home. It’s my second family. It’s because of them that I’m one of their most high achieving scholars.”
Principal Ontrece Ellerbe said Tibby’s students, staff, and teachers are excited to be recognized for their hard work, especially at the county level.
“Attending the LA County Board of Supervisors’ meeting as honored guests is an experience that we will not soon forget. Being recognized in such a distinguished way was a great opportunity for our scholars to realize they are part of a larger community that is extremely proud of them and of their accomplishments,” she said. “It means a lot for our students and our staff to know that Los Angeles County is celebrating this achievement with us.”
For Jefferson Principal Mario Marcos and his school’s community, recognition from the LA County Board of Supervisors is further validation for their continuous efforts to help all students succeed. “We are so proud of the work we’ve done together as a team. That is why it means so much to us to see local leaders take notice of our amazing teachers and staff, and our incredible students,” he said.