Education

Beyond Boundaries – Cultural Literacy in Indiana & Rwanda

By Vera Marinova
For ten years now, in special partnership with the community of Musanze, Rwanda, Indiana University (IU) has created meaningful programs and connections across the country. It is an unlikely partnership, one that formed over 10 years ago with a university alum recognizing an opportunity for not only cultural literacy but friendship.

How the Yanadi, an Oppressed Indigenous People in India, are Reclaiming Their Rights One Village At a Time

By Stella Paul
Under the blazing midday sun, a tractor moves slowly along a dirt trail in Nacharwari Pallem, a village of the Yanadi indigenous people located some three hours from Chennai city in South India. Atop the tractor, women of the village – 36 in all – sit expectantly, ignoring the heat. Squeals of excitement fill the air as the tractor slowly halts near a stretch of rice fields.  

Helping Indigenous Peoples Live Equal Lives

By Emily Thampoe
Although indigenous peoples are being increasingly recognised by both rights activists and governmental organisations, they are still being neglected in legal documents and declarations. Indigenous peoples are only mentioned in two of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and only seen in two of the 230 SDG indicators, says indigenous rights expert Chris Chapman.

Slovakia Elevates SDGs to Status of National Priorities

By Razeena Raheem
At the High-Level Political Forum, which concluded mid-July, world leaders from 46 countries show-cased their progress in achieving the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2030.All 46 countries produced voluntary national reviews (VNRs) aimed at facilitating the sharing of their experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 SDG Agenda.

No Time to Slow Down While HIV/AIDS is Threatening a New Generation

By Dr Chewe Luo
As the 22nd International AIDS Conference wraps up in Amsterdam, I can’t help but reflect on how far we have come on this journey with the AIDS epidemic.

Educating Girls, The Only Road To Achieve the SDGs

By Carmen Arroyo
Better and prolonged education can bring down high rates of illiteracy, sexual abuse and early marriage among girls.

Why the delay in implementation?

By Editor, The Daily Star, Bangladesh
Eight years have passed since the education ministry had in principle decided to introduce a uniform or cluster system for university admission, yet, the government has failed to implement the system still after all these years. Even a decision to begin the uniform admission procedure with the agricultural universities from this year has been cancelled on grounds of “lack of time for preparations”, although the decision was made in November last year.

Age Appropriate Sexuality Education for Youth Key to National Progress

By Dr. Josephine Kibaru-Mbae and Siddharth Chatterjee
Fifty years ago at the International Conference on Human Rights, family planning was affirmed to be a human right. It is therefore apt that the theme for this year’s World Population Day is a loud reminder of this fundamental right.

Declining Birth Rates Not Exclusive to Wealthy Nations

By Ranjit Devraj
Countries do not have to be economically prosperous to move from a situation of high birth and death rates to low fertility and mortality rates.Education, social security, environments conducive to economic development and good value systems are what promote this, as evidenced by the recorded experiences of Asian countries as far apart as Japan and India.

Breaking the Cycle of Child Labor in Peru

By Andrea Vale
Most laborers in Peru are forced into a vicious cycle by circumstance. Faced with low-paying, high-intensity work, they have no choice but to make their children work as well. Having spent their lives neglecting education for labor, those children in turn grow up with no options for income besides low-paying, high-intensity positions  - and so on. But in classrooms across one region, a handful of teachers are trying to break that cycle while the children are still young.

The Long and Short of The Digital Revolution

By Martin Mühleisen
Digital platforms are recasting the relationships between customers, workers, and employers as the silicon chip’s reach permeates almost everything we do—from buying groceries online to finding a partner on a dating website.

EU Urged to Ban Early & Forced Child Marriages

By Rangita de Silva de Alwis
Something historic was initiated at the European Development Days (EDD) in early June: the EDD placed women and girls at the forefront of Sustainable Development. Since its inception in 2006, EDD has become a barometer for ideas in global development.

Food Sustainability, Migration, Nutrition and Women

By Enrique Yeves
We worry about how we can continue to put food on our tables; and yet one-third of food is never eaten, instead being lost or wasted.We worry about eating properly, and yet in many countries, poor nutrition, obesity and micronutrient deficiencies are increasingly common. This trend is taking place in the Americas, Oceania, Asia, Africa and in Europe.

Trump is Here to Stay and Change the World

By Roberto Savio
Donald John Trump, 45th and current president of the United States, has been seen in many illustrious circles as an anomaly that cannot last. Well, it is time to look at reality.If we put on the glasses of people who have seen their level of income reduced and are afraid of the future, Trump is here to stay, and he is a result and not a cause.

Fertility Struggles More Open – and Shared on Social Media

By Michelle Catenacci, M.D
Fertility health is an incredibly personal – and often vulnerable – topic. Fertility, infertility, and fertility preservation have gained increased public interest over the past few years. Infertility is formally defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after one year of unprotected intercourse.

Kenya Can End the Moral Indignity of Child Labour

By Jacqueline Mogeni and Siddharth Chatterjee
On 12 June every year is the World Day Against Child Labour. In the world's poorest countries, around one in four children are engaged in work that is potentially harmful to their health.

Afghan Electorate: Basic Needs Must be met Before Political Progress can be Ensured

By Will Carter
After four decades of perpetual conflict, Afghanistan rolls into two consecutive election years – parliamentary this year, presidential the next. But the country and its people are going through even tougher times than usual with continued displacement and a looming hunger crisis.

Harnessing the Blue Economy Must Consider Social Inclusion and Responsible Stewardship

By Ambassador Macharia Kamau and Siddharth Chatterjee
In April 2018, Commonwealth leaders met in a retreat at a royal residence in the English county of Berkshire and agreed on strategies to deepen trade in their 53-member organisation, improve security, tackle climate change, and work together for the betterment of the lives of the people of the Commonwealth.

Digital Revolution Holds Bright Promises for Africa

By Eleni Mourdoukoutas
Internet penetration is creeping up in Africa, bringing the prospect of digital dividends to a continent long marked by digital divides.

Indigenous Peoples Recover Native Languages in Mexico

By Daniela Pastrana
Ángel Santiago is a Mexican teenager who speaks one of the variations of the Zapotec language that exists in the state of Oaxaca, in the southwest of Mexico. Standing next to the presidential candidate who is the favorite for the July elections, he calls for an educational curriculum that "respects our culture and our languages."

Fighting Inequality in Asia and the Pacific

By Shamshad Akhtar
Inequality is increasing in Asia and the Pacific. Our region’s remarkable economic success story belies a widening gap between rich and poor. A gap that’s trapping people in poverty and, if not tackled urgently, could thwart our ambition to achieve sustainable development. This is the central challenge heads of state and government will be considering this week at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). A strengthened regional approach to more sustainable, inclusive growth must be this Commission’s outcome.
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