Cambodian Education System Remains Corrupt

By: Olivia Harlow

Produced and edited by: Zainab Kandeh

For thirty-five years, Cambodia has strived to overcome its haunting history in regards to Khmer Rouge.  Today, Cambodia focuses on reclaiming various cultural identities, especially through restructuring an education system that was completely obliterated not too long ago. 

During the infamous 1975-1979 genocide led by communist leader Pol Pot, Cambodian intellectuals were completely eradicated from the country.  Approximately 2 million were killed; specifically those Pot felt were academically superior to him.  According to NGO Education Partnership research, nearly 90% of teachers at the time were murdered, while the rest fled the country.   

Cambodia has progressed but still struggles to replenish what had become a broken, practically nonexistent, educational system.  Cambodia’s constitution disseminates free education for nine years to all of its citizens; however, this service is rarely coerced.

© Olivia Harlow 2014

Wath Saw, is the first of his family to have completed more than six years of education.  Today he attends one of Cambodia’s top universities, Pannassastra, where he studies International Relations. “School doesn’t provide really free and fair education to everyone,” he says.

Almost all schools in Cambodia require students to purchase uniforms, which many cannot afford.  Getting to and from school almost always requires owning a bicycle or motorbike, which again, students cannot easily afford.  Additionally, many teachers require to be paid, regardless of the constitution’s assurance of a zero-cost education.

Poverty remains ubiquitous. According to UN Human Development Report studies, 18.6% of Cambodia’s population lives below $1.25 a day; that’s nearly 20% of a country’s population living below a $456.25 annual income.  The average annual income in Cambodia is $750.    

Even if students could afford this “free” education, without tuition costs and attendance policies, students lack incentive to attend school.

Sadly, around 4% of Cambodians are uneducated their entire lives, with literally no exposure to even one year of primary schooling.  While the other 96% begins attending primary school, only 34% percent of students continue on to lower secondary education (grades 7-9) and only 21% continue to upper secondary education (grades 10-12).  

Sen Su, Deputy Director of This Life Cambodia, says that when he started in primary education, he would walk to school with a group of thirty-five students, but that this number quickly plummeted. Only two people from Sen’s community, including himself, went to high school.  

Sen says parents and friends have a huge influence on drop out rates.  It can become a trend.  “If majorities of parents aren’t sending students to school, then others won’t as well,” states Sen.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues stems from the fact that poorer, more rural areas lack easily accessible education. Roughly 85% of Cambodians as farmers, and 36.1% of Cambodian children work jobs on these farms that, in the United States, would be deemed unfitting for their age.  Because many children are born into families who don’t recognize the importance of education, a large majority of kids are raised with the mindset that labor should be their main focus. “In their image, there is only farming,” Wath says. 

The few schools that exist in pastoral areas oftentimes lack quality in more aspects than general education.  These schools also lack access to clean water, electricity, proper healthcare, and manageable roads during rainy seasons. This contrast when compared to Cambodia’s urbanized educational structures makes it clear that education favors large cities.  

There is an evident disparity between the wealthy and poor, leading to a consequential gap in terms of academic success. Private sectors exist only in high-class areas, proving that typically only the wealthiest children can excel academically.

Without adequate funding for educators and implementation of increased accessible schools in rural areas, Cambodia has no hope to create permanent changes within its education system. 

© Olivia Harlow 2014

Teachers cannot rely on teaching salaries, causing many to pursue better paying jobs.  Many teachers are forced to work two or three additional jobs in order to survive. When trying to maintain various careers, teachers have less time for updating curriculum, building relationships with students, and interacting with students’ families.  It’s clear that low income for teachers drives quality of education down. 

Many teachers generate income by requiring students to pay fees for classes, despite the fact that education is meant to be free.  This corruption can go as far as teachers’ willingness to sell answers and degrees to students. According to Oxfam Country Director, Chris Eijkemans, “You can buy your grades.”

Further economic assistance is crucial. Recent studies reveal that Cambodia’s education expenditures in terms of its gross national product spending are merely 2.6%.   The government pledges $1.50-$1.75 per student in primary schools, in order to fund annual teaching materials and operating costs. This subsidy is insufficient for even the most basic needs.

The absence of proper funding for education results in further corruption and a heightened disparity between the wealthy and poor.

Sen says that had he not paid for private tutoring, he would not have been able to pass the national exam and attend high school. Again this stresses the idea that only wealthier families are able to obtain quality education in Cambodia. 

 “I’m not from a rich family,” Sen clarifies, “but I am lucky to have parents that wanted me to have education.” 

Since Khmer Rouge, Cambodia has expanded education.  The country intends to give equal opportunity to all children.  The number of schools has increased, along with student and teacher populations.  However, drop out rates, inconsistent attendance, crowded classrooms, inaccessible schools, corruption, and disparity persist. UNICEF Reports show that Cambodia’s illiteracy rates remain high, with nearly 75% of men and 45% of women yet to learn their ABCs.

“Education is the basis for everything.  If you don’t build it right from scratch, then it won’t happen in any case.  So what I really hope is that government takes responsibility,” says Eijkemans.

Sen claims that although education has evolved since he was in school, “Compared to now, it’s not really different.” 

While this seems discouraging, the rise of forward thinking, progressive organizations, as well as international aid, have helped push Cambodia in the right direction. 

Self Help Community Centre (SHCC) is one of many NGOs, that provides free education and social services for Cambodia’s underprivileged youth.  Founder and director, Choan Sambath, established SHCC with the dream of providing unique and quality education. “I knew people were struggle, and I decide when I have enough money, I would open school to bring change,” Sambath says.

© Olivia Harlow 2014

Admiring She-Roes

Ms. Aazadi Fateh Muhammad

SUSI 2012 - Pakistan 

 “For living a Life, I really fight Hard”… an ordinary woman’s expression stated decades ago in the Poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, an accurate description that how far great efforts are placed by the modern women to achieve their rights, as well. Women, like men are equally human, living and full of life, but unfortunately, they have to struggle doubly hard to prove their identity and status in society. They are continuously discouraged by an assortment of general biases, underestimated as weak and meek creatures. This is not only predicament of developing societies, but these discriminatory mind sets and behaviors can be easily seen in so called ultra modern world as well, where even a woman has no specific title for her other than ‘Women’, which means Wife of Men.  Means treating them as a property of men is not a fashion of eastern societies just.

A Village Woman in Sindh Province

  Gender based biases and violence, like charity, begins at home. Our family structures and socialization patterns generally support male members. Since childhood family members are directed to behave and live on gender lines. Not only in Islam but the constitution and laws of Pakistan award women their all basic rights and status in society.

   Faces of Pakistani woman represent millions of identities, tales and fragments of society at the same time. Pakistani women, no matter living in urban or rural setups, are fighting at many stages to prove their own individuality and status. However, lack of education, poor awareness, social ignorance and male dominating social patterns are main hindrances in the way of her courage and success.

    Aurat Foundation (A local NGO) reports that violence against women decreased by 6.41 percent in 2010 compared to figure from 2009, the report revealed that 8,000 cases were reported across the country in 2010 against 8,548 cases in 2009. Still serious measures are required to introduce new concrete laws and their implementation. According to Aurat Foundation report 7,733 cases of violence against women including hurt, torture, burning, rape, domestic violence, threat to violence and more were reported in the media but very few of them were answered positively. Most part of this crime has not been named by the law nor recognized by the state so it goes unpunished. In this scenario Harassment at work places bill and property rights of women law are music for the ears.  

  Population Reference Bureau Washington issued a data sheet in 2011 which shows 59% female (Age 15 to 24) literacy rate in Pakistan and in total female population of 91.6 millions only 22% of them are active in economy. Means more than half percent of women population are not being utilized and ultimately have less opportunities and exposure to work.

   We are celebrating Pakistani Women Day on March 8 across the country with the International World, for acknowledging women achievements and raising awareness to protect their rights. This day is celebrated in the memory of those women who raised their voice against discriminatory and draconian laws of a dictator in early 80s. What is hidden and can be seen in a face of Pakistani woman? Let’s see below how intellectuals’ educationists and public representatives act in response towards this question.

    A Pakistani woman has her own rightful identity. Pakistani women are beautiful, intelligent and hold capability of doing anything against all odds. Pakistani society in general and specially the religious groups are reluctant to give them their rightful place. Most of them think that they should be confined to their homes; are meant only for producing male children and taking care of family is what primary aim of their lives, said Bari Awan, an active member of War against Rape since 90s.

Asma Jilani Jahangir is a leading Pakistani lawyer, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and human rights activist, who works both in Pakistan and internationally to prevent the persecution of religious minorities, women, and exploitation of children.

     Prof. Shahida Kazi (Head, department of Media Sciences at Institute of Business Management, Karachi) expressed her views as saying that Pakistani woman has so many different faces. “I will say that for the most part, because of centuries of suppression the Pakistani woman is one who has learnt to be cunning, scheming and manipulative in order to survive. Of course, there are exceptions but for the most part we are not straightforward or open even when there is no need to be crafty. And this goes for all, educated, uneducated, high class, low class, young, and old. Status of women in Pakistan differs according to circumstances. However I think all women of every class are basically nothing but commodities, generally taken as the property of their men”.

    In the opinion of Dr. Zareen Abbasi (Professor at a Local University), she  believes that Pakistani women are courageous, loyal, hardworking, sincere and leading at every walk of life in society  
excluding  all that she is capable for,  her status is still not recognized at home nor  even at working places.

    Rasool Bux Sarang working as Assistant Manager Media, at Aga Khan University elaborated his point of view as, being a professional career woman, worker or a house wife, a Pakistani woman is an example of a dedicated family member whose joys, sorrows, successes or failures are usually linked to her family, but who understands the larger role she can play in improving society. Majority of Pakistani women are dependent and powerless - still struggling for their individual identities. Modern communication sources are playing a good role in creating the awareness that a woman with a more productive role in society can benefit not only to her family but also the larger society.

     A young graduate Khushboo Rafique, responded to the question picked a rural woman as a model while defining a Pakistani woman; she has the real face of Pakistan. In my opinion, a Pakistani woman is a devoting and hard working woman who dedicates her own life to her family.

    Pakistani society is basically a male-dominating society where status of a woman is not satisfactory. Obsolete customs and traditions, lack of religious knowledge and education are the main causes. Men are given more favor and attention in most of the families against their female counterparts. The real gender discrimination thus starts from homes. Women are considered not more than property in rural areas particularly the condition in urban areas is far better but women in urban areas also suffer a lot of problems in different paths of life.

Kiran Baloch is the record holder of the highest individual score in the international game. She scored 242 in the first cricket Test against the West Indies

     In patriarchal societies like Pakistan, women are habituated to consent to men as the superior human being. However awareness, education and struggle for life may change the picture in general. History is full of enlightening examples of Great women leaders, artists, scientists, and other professional women from all walks of life, which have inspired other women to overcome social obstacles.

    Need of the time is to focus on specific change leading communication campaigns who can actually bring up some differences in the existing mind sets and social patterns. Covering more than half of the country population, they deserve to be nourished and appreciated by the society without any discrimination.  As Maya Angelou (an African American Poetess) said: It is equally important to recognize and celebrate our she-roes just like the he-roes. Let’s celebrate power and beauty of feminity not only on March 8, but onwards.

Plagiarism and copying continue to plague South Korea

By: C.J. Buskey
Produced and edited by: Molly Nocheck

As the Republic of Korea’s elections enter the final stretch, presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-Soo has some ground to make up, as he trails New Frontier Party nominee Park Geun-hye by nearly 10 points, according to a recent poll conducted by Realmeter and JTBC.

Yet, Soo may have other issues to worry about, including recent accusations that he plagiarized some of his research papers at Seoul National University. Ahn graduated from Seoul University’s medical school in 1991, but his work in question is research published two years later, which was suspected to copy a work by The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Soo is just one of the more prominent examples of the deeper problem of copying and plagiarism in South Korea, a problem that hasn’t been getting much attention.

“My Korean partner says that it's a big problem,” says Seoul resident Joe McPherson, who runs the Korean food blog Zenkimchi. “Those types of ethics aren't taught at all in the schools. It's funny that the Korean word for cheating on a test is ‘cunning.’” Plagiarism has not only affected students in South Korea, but also has been practiced by some of its professors. Two professors from Seoul National University were investigated for plagiarizing stem cell research earlier this year, the same University that saw Professor Hwang Woo-Suk fired for fabricating much of his cloning research in 2007.

While South Koreans are taught not to plagiarize during schooling, Seoul patent attorney Kim Yun Mi says she thinks it isn’t taken too seriously.

“In middle and high school, I was taught ‘not to plagiarize’ in several of my classes, but I was never told how serious of a problem plagiarism is,” she said. “It’s become very serious problem and before the past couple of years, it was considered a usual thing.”

Steve Herman, President of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club, goes even further in theorizing where the roots of South Korea’s plagiarism problems begin.

“It’s obvious that the approach towards academic plagiarism is more lax in South Korea than in the United States,” said Herman. “Based on discussions with students and academics I’ve had, the problem seems to be endemic and systemic.”

One theory that McPherson proposes is the concept of “Rote memorization”, which is a theory of learning strictly by repetition.

“Rote memorization is the dominant education model rather than critical thinking. This comes from the old Confucian scholar system that has been embedded in the culture for centuries,” he said.

South Korea’s plagiarism problem extends far beyond its academic institutions, however. Many of South Korea’s businesses have been caught copying foreign products, including the most recent example of Samsung v. Apple. Copying also affects other aspects of Korean life, such as the K-Pop music industry and even the cars they drive. “Automotive design nowadays is much better than it was in the past, but in the past, most automotive design copy the Japanese,” said Will Kim, who spent 26 years in Seoul before moving to New York.

Japanese products aren’t the only ones being copied either. Devon Weber, an English teacher in Seoul, says he sees copied American products almost everywhere, with multiple brands copying the same product. “The North Face, for instance, has a rip off brand here called ‘The Cools Place’. They also have brands called ‘The Red Face’ and ‘The Black Wind’, all of which are blatant rip offs,” he said.

Products like the North Face have come under intense scrutiny from the South Korean government, largely because the country fears influence from foreign brands. Korean officials seem to only want South Korean businesses to be successful to help promote nationalism. McPherson has seen this in action first-hand.

“A Canadian friend of mine runs a great burger joint, and he does it on his own,” McPherson said, “he recently ran into obstacles in renewing his investor's visa. During the process, an immigration official said, ‘Why don't you get a Korean partner to make this easier?’”

Fortunately, however, plagiarism and copying is beginning to attract more attention than ever before in South Korea.

“The number of lectures about copying/plagiarism has definitely been increasing,” said Mi. “And the legal cases about copying/plagiarism have also increased. I think the consciousness of copying is changing.”

With plagiarism continuing to make international headlines, such as in the case of Cheol-Soo, it also serves as a black eye for a country that has been trying to separate itself academically from other economic superpowers, such as the U.S. and Japan.

The United Nations Index rated South Korea 7th out of 176 countries for its education system earlier this year. If South Korea hopes to maintain this ranking, weeding out plagiarism in its universities will be essential.

“I would expect as South Korea endeavors to bring its high education system up to a global standard and there are greater exchanges of academics and students between this country and the West, then awareness will grow and the standard will gradually improve here,” said Herman.

As for Soo, the investigations into his alleged plagiarism have come to a halt for the moment, as Seoul National University announced last week that they had found the papers in question “OK.”

Two generations of Vietnamese both choose to stay in Germany

By: Chu Wu
Produced and edited by: Molly Nocheck

Among all the Asian immigrants living in Germany, Vietnamese people form the largest community.

Minority Rights Group International shows that by 2004, there were 83,526 Vietnamese, among which 17,893 were born in Germany. The number has increased in the following years, reaching 90,000 to 10,000 in 2008, according to The Voice of Vietnam.

Human rights issues and poverty in Vietnam and relatively better living condition in Germany keep these people stay in this Europe country, away from their hometown.

The first generation of Vietnamese immigrants arrived between 1970s and 1990s.

The reasons for immigration varied between West and East Germany, Melanie Moltmann explains. She is the specialist in Vietnam-Germany political and economic relations at German Federal Foreign Office.

Just as in the case of many Vietnamese immigrants in the US, many of those in West Germany were refugees from the Vietnam War. Others in East Germany were participants in the Guest Worker Plan between German Democratic Republic (GDR) and North Vietnam.

The plan was signed in 1980 to provide training to Vietnamese by East Germany to show its support for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The population of Vietnamese in GDR surged from 2,482 in 1980 to 59,053 in 1989.

“I moved to Germany in 1996 when I was 8 to live with my father in Dresden,” said Anni Do Thi, a Vietnamese living in Germany, who is now in his 20s.

Dresden used to be a part of GDR before the reunification in 1989. Anni’s father participated in the Guest Worker Plan in 1988.

“The situation in Vietnam (1980s) was bad. If you didn’t have money for school or good connections, it was hard to find work and get money,” Anni says.

Nguyen Hue Nhat wrote in his book – The commission of crimes of the Vietnamese Communists in Germany – “the Vietnamese communist media had brainwashed the people with propaganda depicting the West as a paradise for making money”.

“Vietnamese always think that Europe and America are better places to live and earn money,” Anni explains.

Ngo Xuan Nguyen had been living a poor life in Vietnam before he joined the working plan. He seized the opportunity of working in Germany as the greatest opportunity he could ever get, his daughter Diana Ngo says.

The Ngo Family. Photo Credit: Diana Ngo. Academic Fair Use.

Mr. Ngo fixed broken items in a factory and lived with four other Vietnamese in a room of 50 square meters. Back then in the early 1990s, these foreign workers could only live in several districts appointed by the government.

He believed there was no way for him to get out of poverty if he stayed in Vietnam. Therefore, he enjoyed the life in Germany without wanting to return back to his home country.

Most Vietnamese in Germany in 1990s held the same opinion. When the Berlin Wall fell and the new government tried to send back workers back to Vietnam, they tried their best to stay.

There would be no way for them to start a good life in Vietnam with the government suppressing political dissent, lack of freedom of expression, and injustice. Everything was about money and connection.

“You can bribe people,” Andi says.

Despite the problem neo-Nazis and their anti-foreigners attitude, the first generation of Vietnamese immigrants chose to stay in a western country where they believed they lived a better life.

Many of the Vietnamese immigrants managed to stay successfully, including Anni’s father and Diana’s parents.

“It is a big community. Every Vietnamese knows about each other. We are polite and hardworking people. We have our nice lovely communities, but we are trying to integrate into Germany as well,” Anni likes Germany.

Young people like Anni were sent to Germany in a very young age for family reunion and more importantly, for a better education.

“After school I had to learn because education is the reason I came to Germany,” Anni spent his spare time studying and helping in the household, like cooking, washing dishes and clothes.

The young generation of Vietnamese immigrants in Germany is more like Germans, not Vietnamese. They were born or grew up in this European country and seldom go back to Vietnam. They like the life in Germany.

Many young Vietnamese were born and grew up here in Germany, including Anni Do Thi, Thu Ha Tran Thi and Diana Ngo, Photo Credit: Diana Ngo. Academic Fair Use

Thu Ha Tran Thi is a Vietnamese girl born in 1992 in Germany. She says her childhood was so happy with different Disney movies. She gave up her Vietnam citizenship and became a legal German citizen half a year ago.

Anni will apply for German citizenship in the near future. “I think German is much better than Vietnam. Here in Germany, if you have no job, the state will pay you. In Vietnam, you have to find work or die in poverty.”

There are over 40,000 people like Miss Thi between 1981 and 2007, giving up Vietnamese citizenship and get German nationality.

National standards continue to threaten New Zealand’s education system

By: Hannah Cook
Produced and edited by: Molly Nocheck

It was over two years ago that New Zealand’s National Party implemented National Standards in the nation’s primary education system. The policy, seemingly out of nowhere, blatantly sidelined New Zealand’s schools and their popular, unbiased curriculum. It led to the deterioration of the population’s morale; students, parents, faculty and teachers struggled with the idea that children were going to be labeled and placed within the hindering walls of an abstract title.

The battle between The Ministry of Education’s national standards and the education system exhausts and frustrates critiques to this day. Political ideology has outweighed educational ideology, manifesting a general sense of uneasiness in New Zealand. And although the side of the education system has waived its white flag--allowing National Standards into its schools because it is the law now--its anti-attitude still glimmers in the unceasing concern for the children and the future of the nation as a whole.

New Zealand’s National Standards policy is unique. Having noticed the faulty trends of standardized testing in other countries like the U.S., the government and Ministry aimed to come up with a plan to avoid testing all together. While the intentions were good, the result has become a confusing mess of inconsistent teacher judgment and a complete disregard of all the factors that affect learning.

“Without a national test, what we get is teachers making judgments by pulling together evidence, sure, but how they actually assess that evidence and what they make of it is highly individualistic and idiosyncratic,” says Michael Johnston, a professor at Victoria University and a member of the New Zealand Assessment Academy.

Essentially, the current National Standards system creates useless data, according the Johnston and other opposers. The disparity among teachers and schools is too great to come up with a set standard. The Ministry doesn’t see it that way though. Instead, it deflates the value put on teachers.

“We have gone from a situation of a fairly high degree of trust and valuing of teachers in schools and the education system to a situation of suspicions and political and media focus,” said Terry Crooks, a member of the New Zealand Assessment Academy.

Gavin Beere, a principal at Hillpark School in Auckland, agrees, “There’s a message that our teachers are lazy, that they’re incompetent.”

The National Standards, focusing solely on numeracy and literacy, also detriments the broad spectrum of learning a child should have. According to Phil Harding, a principal at Paparoa Street School in Christchurch, the fear is that teachers, as they are being pressured to produce positive results for their students in such a narrowed group of courses, will lose site of the visions founded in the original curriculum of 2007—a curriculum that had the support of all people involved in the education system.

Children of Paparoa Street School.
Credit: http://www.paparoastreet.school.nz. Academic Fair Use

But the inconsistency doesn’t stop at the teachers. The students also face a wide range of influences that may make or break them in this National Standards system, the most significant being socioeconomic issues, particularly seen within the Maori peoples of the Pacific Island.

“We’ve got children turning up having not eaten, having seen their mothers beaten half to death the night before. Drugs are very prevalent,” says Dellis Hunt, a concerned mother of two and a previous member of Parents Against Labeling (PAL). “There’s a lot more to it than what they’re looking at.” The treatment of Hunt’s 13-year-old daughter at school due to her status of being “below the standards” is what got Hunt involved in PAL and other lobbying against National Standards. “It was awful. My little girl was treated differently within a year of starting school ... I actually chose not to get the reports. I didn’t want them. I didn’t see the value in them and I felt they would damage my daughter by labeling her as not being achieving,” she says.

Those issues of inconsistency have yet to cease. Meanwhile other problems continue to rise. Most recently, it is the publication of league tables, revealing to the public eye nearly every single school’s 2011 National Standards results. “I don’t think it was very helpful,” Johnston says. “It just sets up a whole lot of false comparisons between schools of different kinds.”

In the eyes of those who oppose the National Standards, the next step for New Zealand’s education system is to alter them so that they simply make more sense. Johnston and Crooks, who are both working to reassess the standards, believe that focusing on progress rather than status is more effective at producing actually usable data.

“Setting a National Standard and saying ‘this is an appropriate target for all kids in this year of schooling.’--it’s ridiculous,” Crooks says, “the best thing you can do for children is to assess where they actually are and set a target for how much you can progress them over the next year or three years or five years.”

Photo credit: http://www.paparoastreet.school.nz. Academic Fair Use

The system would not only bolster student morale, but it will also place less accountability on the unreliably varying characteristics of teachers. Johnston and his colleagues have been granted $5 million to rework the system, which should be ready by next year. “As far as I know there’s no other system like it in the world, so if it works we should be in a good position to introduce to other countries and see if they like the idea as well,” Johnston says. “But we’ll make it work here first.”

In the meantime, New Zealand’s education system continues to lock horns with National Standards and The Ministry. The people are losing faith and trust in their government, and the children are most at stake. Along with many others, Beere can’t help but feel a little hopeless. “I would say morale has never been lower in my career than it is now.”

Money Matters in Nigerian Education

By: Kayla Hardimon
Produced and edited by: Molly Nocheck

The idea of all students having an equal opportunity to acquire an education has been a common topic of discussion in the United States. The idea is that the amount of money that parents make, or the community that a child lives in should not determine whether or not a child receives a good education. In Nigeria, this same problem with educational inequity exists. Problems arise because of the country’s system of pay to play education.

Equal education for all is not a reality for students in Nigeria. The set up of Nigeria’s education system plays a major role in student success or failure. In Nigeria, students have three stages of education; primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary and secondary stages last for 6 years each. In a student’s final year of primary school they will take what is called the Common Entrance Exam. This exam determines not only whether or not a student has successfully completed their primary schooling but also whether they will go on to secondary school. Secondary school entrance acceptance is based on the scores that students receive on their Common Entrance Exam.

If a student does not score at or above the cutoff score for a school, they will not be considered for admission. How prepared a student is for their common entrance exam depends on the quality of education the student receives.

The education system is separated into public and private schools. Both types of schools require payment for all aspects of education.

Nosike Agokei the managing director of MTI ELC in Nigeria, says that the biggest problem is the difference between public and private schools. He says that public schools in Nigeria are not properly funded and that the lack of infrastructure creates a system of improper schooling.

Many students do not have tables and chairs says Agokei, “If you can afford it you enjoy better quality.”

Private schooling in Nigeria provides better resources and materials to students.

“Unfortunately majority of Nigerian parents are not able to afford tuition in private schools and so they send their children to public schools,” says Bella Anne Chinwendu Ndubuisi, a worker in the public relations section of the United States Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria.

The school that a Nigerian child attends is impacted by three things says Agokei; the perspective the parents have on education and the type of disciple they want their children’s school to have, the scores a child gets on the test, and how much money the parents have.

  Courtesy of Green Springs Schools.  Academic Fair Use.

“Private schools are better by and large,” says Agokei.

A child’s future in Nigeria begins with the location that they attend primary schooling. Tolu Adeusi, a consultant with TG March Nata Education an organization that helps students study abroad, says that he will not send his future children to public school in Nigeria because he believes that at public school they will be taught to be workers and they will not be taught math and other skills that they will need to succeed.

If a student’s family can afford to send them to a private primary school or a good federal government school, the child has a better chance at continuing on to secondary school.

A school’s ranking is based on how well the students do on the standardized exams. Mercedes Onyemenam, a Nigerian student studying at Case University, went to a top private school that used a British curriculum.

“We did a lot of practice questions, they really want every single person to understand what they’re saying, if one person doesn’t understand, they keep teaching the material. They drill it into your head.”

Damilola Darimola, a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Ohio University, was able to attend a strong public secondary school, the Federal Government College in Lagos Nigeria, he says that although it was public, it was not open to everyone. “Although it was a public school you still had to pay money,” said Darimola.

When speaking about public schools in Nigeria, Ndubuisi says that she was able to go to a public primary school at a time when the public school system was still strong, now, she says federal government schools have deviated from the “good old standards.”

She says that not all public schools are bad, but private schools are way better. The problem with attending a private school she says is that a student could get a college education in the United States with the tuition paid in some private primary schools.

 Courtesy of Action Aid Nigeria.  Academic Fair Use.

Government funding for schools is not high in Nigeria. Adeusi says that this is because “the government itself focuses on infrastructure not in connecting with the children.” This has left many public schools without the proper means to educate students, and other schools charging high prices for public education. Some students in Nigeria do not have access to education at all. Adeusi, an education consultant, says that in the Western part of Nigeria where many farming and rural areas exist, only 1 in 10 students go through proper education. “In other regions, it is less than one,” he says.

“We struggle to do everything for ourselves,” says Awana Adentux Isioma a student studying Modern Engineering at the Jo Marine Institute in Nigeria, “the government doesn’t provide.” Awele Nwankwo, a graduate of Plateau State Polytechnic University in Nigeria, says that without the help of his family in the United States he would not have had a proper education. Nwankwo’s immediate family did not have the money to pay for a good school.

Money is a driving factor for education in Nigeria. Parents who make enough money can send their children to any school that they choose, no matter what region the school is located in. Students who’s parents do not make a high enough salary are forced to attend schools with fewer resources and still obligated to pay in order to attend. No matter the quality of the education, it is not free. Money is determining the future for children in Nigeria rather than how much aptitude, drive, or determination the children possess.

Restrictions on Educational Fields for Women in Iran

By: Chelsa Lewis-Bevel
Produced & edited by: Molly Nocheck

In late June, 1.6 million of Iran’s high school graduates sat down to take the nationwide college entrance exam; the Concours. As August approached, nervous graduates waited in anticipation for the exam results. Scores were announced, disappointing some and elating others. But none were expecting the news that several universities across the country would be instituting “single-gender courses”; this effectively banning women.

Of the 2012 accepted applicants, nearly two thirds were female. This news came as a shock. Iran was one of the first Middle Eastern countries to allow women to attend college, and has seen progress in equal rights for women. 36 of the nation’s universities announced that 77 undergraduate courses, in both the liberal arts and sciences would be unavailable to women. With no additional statements from the 36 institutions or any remarks from the Iranian government, citizens are left contemplating how and why something like this could happen.

Some citizens believe this is an act to combat the reported low birthrate in Iran, others fear the country may want to bring back a more traditional Islamic state. Shirin Ebadi, a popular human rights advocate, believes the real agenda is to reduce the number of female students, weakening the Iranian feminist movement.

Mohammad Jalali, a recent graduate of University of Tehran believes this decision comes mainly from the government, not the individual institutions.

“This is not fair,” he said. “Women should have the same opportunities as men”. He believes the banning stems from the low job opportunities in Iran, and the push to get more men in the workforce.

Dr. Jalal Jalali, a professor at Guilan University, condemns the ban. “I don’t understand why they did it, it should be removed.” Guilan is not among the 36 universities imposing the restrictions, but still there is little room for discussion and debate about the ban, at the university. “It is not easy to talk to [the students] about the ban and political issues are not easy [to talk about]”, said Jalali. Yet it is difficult to silence the collegiate youth completely.

Nima Radi, a senior, civil engineering major at University Azad Lahijan, believes the ban may hurt the effected educational fields, “Some courses can be done better by women, like English translation, they are hurting courses that can be better done by women”.

If mums the word across college campuses and the government and universities imposing the ban are keeping tight lipped, the citizens have very little to go on when constructing their views on the situation. Factors concerning the course restrictions may extend beyond a simple social injustice, and coverage of the ban may be misleading according to country officials, who believe the media is blowing the situation out of proportion.

Out of the 350 plus universities in Iran, only 36 are imposing restrictions. Each university follows its own admission policies and applicants can apply to the same banned fields at other universities. Women who have already started study in the banned fields are allowed to continue, at universities imposing the ban. Some of the restricted courses are only limiting the amount of women taking the course, not all women. These facts go unreported in the media.

Science and higher education minister, Kamran Daneshjoo, dismisses the controversy, saying that 90% of degrees remain open to both sexes and that single-gender courses are needed to create "balance." Iran has the highest ratio of women to men in college throughout the world. How does this notion of creating balance play into the restrictions? Someone looking at the ban from a human rights perspective will see fault there, but is that the only scope through which this issue needs to be looked upon?

Mohsen Radi, a civil engineering PhD student, believes that many are not looking at the situation as a whole. Although he does not agree with the ban itself, he can understand the motives, and why country officials fear the growth of women in college.

“The restrictions are only in areas where there is a large imbalance between men and women”. An imbalance that he feels is detrimental to the country. Right now 65 percent of all college students are women, and that percentage is slowly rising every year. This growing imbalance could potentially affect the Iranian society. “Sometimes you have to think of the good of the country, before individual needs. It’s not about putting women down, it’s about balance”, said Radi.