Summary of Indicator A1. To what level have adults studied?

This subchapter focuses on output indicators consisting of features exhibited in educational systems, the most important being the level of education attained thus far, disaggregating the data into below/above secondary education, male/female, native/foreign-born, and regional gaps that remain to having equal access to lifelong learning opportunities in preparation for the socio-economic demands of the labour market. The data guides how today and tomorrow’s policymakers can instil positive impact by better observing the inputs of:

 

‘[classroom settings], pedagogical content and delivery of the curriculum… [and] analyse the organisation of schools and education systems, including governance, autonomy and specific policies to regulate the participation of students in certain programmes.’

 

Taking a positive approach, the report notes that, across the member states of the OECD, the average share of upper- or post-secondary (non-tertiary) degrees held by 25-34-year-olds dropped from 44% in 2010 to 40% in 2020 because of the increased rate of young adults attaining tertiary education, with 39% attaining this level in comparison to the 21% of young adults who remain with below upper-secondary education. The latter level still decreased significantly across OECD states, standing once at 27% in 2010, which can be explained by the drop in women at this level from 27% in 2010 to 20% in 2020, whilst men saw a drop from 26% to 22%. This can be explained due to the 11% rise in women attaining tertiary education from 31% to 42% in the last decade, whilst men saw a 7% rise from 28% to 35%.

 

Despite the positive output results the above chart illustrates, the report highlights that unequal access to educational resources remains, which may impact a state’s lack of skills demanded by the labour market, being socially engaged, and retaining higher incomes, which increases the standard of living. It has become a fact that to meet the bare requirements for employment and stable social connections, an individual requires an upper-secondary level of education. 21% of adults in OECD states left school before attaining this level of education, which is further worsened by an unequal balance of men over women and varies by state. Therefore, the average OECD rate of young men and women with below-secondary stands at 16% and 13% respectively but then sees states like Spain and Iceland where the gender gap stands at a 10% difference and similar gaps in Canada, Costa, Rica, Mexico, South Africa, and other OECD and partner states.

 

Another issue is the reduced rate of women entering higher forms of tertiary education compared to men. 56% of women attain a bachelor’s, 54% a master’s, and 45% a doctorate. The gap becomes more visible if we narrow down to the level of subjects women graduated in, with the majority from health and welfare, but then a minority in the S.T.E.M. fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Across OECD states, foreign-born adults, ranging from 25 to-64-years-old, make up an average of 17% of the total population who contribute to a state’s human capital and services. This can be seen with the outbreak of COVID-19, when it accounted for 24% and 16% of all medical doctors and nurses, albeit varied by group size and state. The capital, knowledge, and skillset this group brings for OECD states are invaluable; however, gaps in the sphere of education reluctantly remain. The average for below and above upper-secondary and tertiary education for native- and foreign-born adults stands at 19% and 22%, 44% and 37%, and 37% and 41%, respectively. This again varies by country, where the majority of OECD states have a large share of foreign-born adults holding below upper-secondary education but then reversed in Australia, Estonia, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the U.K. Whilst Canada sees 70% of foreign-born adults attaining tertiary education in comparison to 56% of natives, Italy experiences the opposite with 21% of foreign-born and 13% of natives. Regarding Italy and other states sharing similar rates, the report notes that if a state has a high rate of below upper-secondary attainment amongst natives, foreigners experience the same, which increasingly impacts their literacy and other essential skills.

 

The last issue focuses on the regional inequalities in educational attainment between those residing inside and outside capital cities or federal districts. In Brazil, the share of 25 to 64-year-old adults attaining below upper-secondary education is 30% in the federal district and 67% in Alagoas, with similar gaps above 30% found in Canada, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, and Turkey. On the other hand, it was concluded that three out of four adults in Moscow attained tertiary education, and two out of three adults in both the District of Columbia and Greater London capital regions attained the same. It was thus noted that reducing the number of subregions results in a reduction of regional inequalities.

 

Summarized By Karl Baldacchino from [Education at a Glance 2021 Subchapter A.1]

Educational Challenges in Vietnam

PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN VIETNAMESE SCHOOLS

 

Physical and sexual abuse is one of the most common issues in the Vietnamese educational sector. All types of child maltreatment are highly prevalent, ranging from physical and sexual to emotional abuse. According to the Human Rights Watch 2021 Report, violence against children, including sexual abuse, is pervasive in Vietnam, including at home and in schools. Numerous media reports have described cases of guardians, teachers, or government caregivers engaging in sexual abuse, beating children, or hitting them with sticks. During the first six months of 2021, amid the pandemic lockdown, there were reports of increasing physical and sexual abuses of children in Vietnam.[1]

This article aims to explore some of the educational challenges in Vietnam, mainly focusing on the abuse suffered by students and the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in the educational sector.

In 2019, UNICEF published a report on the child abuse epidemic in Vietnam. It shared the story of Thao, a Vietnamese 13-year-old girl who her math teacher abused for two years. The abuser was never named or taken to court due to the stigma and damaging culture of secrecy. Thao shared that her math teacher used to beat her up, “I was so scared but I didn’t dare to tell my parents because he threatened me that he would kill me”. Upon turning 14, the abuse turned sexual. Even after telling her mother, they chose to leave the matter unreported, due to the lack of action by police and authorities and the fear of judgement and rumours at school. UNICEF’s report states that most of the profile child abuse cases in Vietnam in 2019 involved teachers, with severe cases such as the arrest of a teacher for impregnating a student.[2]

According to the statistics provided by Tran, a PhD candidate, 31.8% of 1900 Vietnamese school children surveyed suffered emotional abuse, and 19% suffered physical abuse.[3]

Photo by Tra Nguyen on Unsplash

A news article published in 2017 by Vietnam Insider condemns lack of supervision, increased stress at work, and low salaries as probable factors for the increasing child abuse in Vietnam’s kindergartens. The previous month, a Youth newspaper published a video showing shocking footage of infants being beaten in a private daycare center. Common classroom items such as slippers, combs, brooms, spoons, and even knives are examples of props teachers use to instill fear among their students. Nguyen Thanh Loan, a teacher at a public kindergarten in Hanoi’s Hai Ba Trung District, said every kindergarten class of 50 children has 2-3 teachers who must do everything from feeding children and coaxing them to sleep, to teaching them and cleaning the classrooms.[4] Low incomes paired with insufficient government supervision of private kindergartens are factors amounting to the aggressive behaviour carried out by educational staff. According to government data, more than 2,000 children in Vietnam suffer severe abuse that requires special help and intervention every year.[5] Despite the government’s supposed efforts on tackling the issue, Vietnam Insider published another news article in 2019 on children mistreatment by teachers in private kindergartens in Hanoi. Maple Bear Westlake, a high-end Canadian Kindergarten, was the spotlight of attention after a parent asked the school to let her watch the security camera footage. The footage showed the teacher locking a child in a cupboard.[6]

In April 2016, a teacher at an elementary school in Sa Pa, northern Vietnam, was taken into police custody for allegedly conducting lewd acts with a fifth-grader at his school. Moreover, in December 2017, police in the southern province of An Giang launched legal proceedings against a P.E. teacher, who was denounced by parents as having sexually abused at least ten fourth and fifth graders at his school. In the same year, Lang Thanh Duan, a school guard in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak was prosecuted for raping five 11-year-old schoolgirls and one nine-year-old student between 2015 and 2017.[7] Although the Ho Chi Minh City education department has advised the municipal administration to encourage local kindergartens to install CCTV cameras to give better oversight of their children, the dilemma is still prevalent and extremely worrying.

The matter is not merely of concern amongst kindergartens. Vnexpress, a local Vietnamese newspaper, revealed that in December 2018, the principal of a high school in the northern province of Phu Tho was found to have forced numerous male students to “perform sexual services” to him for years.[8]

LGBTQ+

Vietnamese LGBT youth face widespread discrimination and violence at home and school. Pervasive myths about sexual orientation and gender identity, including the false belief that same-sex attraction is a diagnosable and curable mental health condition, are common among Vietnamese school officials and the population at large. This section will analyse the Human Rights Watch 2020 report on abuses faced by the queer community in Vietnam.

“‘My Teacher Said I Had a Disease’: Barriers to the Right to Education for LBGT Youth in Vietnam”, a 65-page report released by Human Rights Watch in 2020, documented how LGBT youth in Vietnam face stigma and discrimination at schools over myths such as the false belief that same-sex attraction is a diagnosable, treatable, and curable mental health condition. Many experience verbal harassment and bullying, which in some cases leads to physical violence. Teachers are often ill-equipped to handle instances of anti-LGBT discrimination, and their lessons frequently uphold the widespread myth in Vietnam that same-sex attraction is a disease, Human Rights Watch found. The report is based on in-depth interviews with 52 LGBT youth as well as teachers and other school staff in Vietnam. While some teachers and schools take it upon themselves to include lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity, the lack of national-level inclusion leaves most students in Vietnam without basic knowledge on sexual orientation and gender identity.[9]

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

In a promising step in 2019, the education ministry, with the assistance of United Nations agencies, produced guidelines for an LGBT-inclusive comprehensive sexuality education curriculum, but such a curriculum has not yet been created.[10]

Human Rights Watch found that verbal harassment of LGBT students is common in Vietnamese schools. Students in various types of schools – rural and urban, public, and private – said that students and teachers commonly use derogatory words to refer to LGBT people, sometimes targeted directly at them and coupled with threats of violence.

Other studies, including research by UN agencies and Vietnamese groups, have included similar evidence. In a 2014 report, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) noted that “education institutions are not safe for LGBT students due to the lack of anti-bullying and

non-discrimination policies. Furthermore, sex and sexual orientation and gender identity education is still limited in Vietnam and are considered sensitive topics that teachers usually avoid”.

While it appears to be less common, some LGBT youth report physical violence as well. “The bullying was mostly verbal but there was one time when I was beat up by five or six guys in eighth grade just because they didn’t like how I looked”, an interviewee stated.

In cases of both verbal and physical abuse, school staff responds inconsistently. Most of the LGBT youth interviewed who had experienced bullying at school said they did not feel comfortable reporting the incidents. This was sometimes because of overt, discriminatory behaviour by the staff. In other cases, students assumed it was unsafe to turn to the adults around them for help.

Even in cases where students did not face verbal or physical abuse, many reported that their teachers implicitly and explicitly alienate and exclude them. This occurs in classrooms, where teachers refer to anything other than procreative heterosexual relationships as “unnatural”.[11]

By Olga Ruiz Pilato

Sources;

[1] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/vietnam

[2] https://www.unicef.org/vietnam/stories/shame-and-pain-vietnam-starts-grapple-child-abuse-epidemic

[3] https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2017/12/promotie-child-abuse-in-vietnam

[4] https://vietnaminsider.vn/child-abuse-vietnams-kindergartens-continues-keep-parents-awake-night/

[5] Ibid

[6] https://vietnaminsider.vn/teacher-fired-for-child-abuse/

[7] https://vietnaminsider.vn/child-abuse-remains-unsolved-problem-vietnam/

[8] https://e.vnexpress.net/news/life/trend/vietnam-shocked-by-extent-of-sexual-abuse-children-face-3905361.html

[9] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/02/12/vietnam-lgbt-youth-unprotected

[10] Ibid

[11] Ibid

Cover photo source – Image by David Peterson from Pixabay

Educational Challenges in Azerbaijan

Educational Challenges in Azerbaijan

Corruption in Azerbaijan: A Guide into Educational Challenges

Azerbaijan is a country located in the Caucasus region, and, up until its independence in 1991, it was ruled by the Soviet Union. Despite the vastness of Azerbaijan’s natural resources, it suffers from inadequate infrastructure impacting numerous sectors, particularly the educational one.

Although education is free in public schools, more advanced instruction is determined by the financial situation of the household.[1] The yearly income of an average Azerbaijani family is 4250 manat (2500$), consequently affecting the educational budget or regular families. Hiring private tutors and paying for school materials require a larger budget than families currently afford. The higher education systems tend to opt for admitting students from wealthy backgrounds and dismiss students from rural and lower-income families.[2]

When it comes to the quality of the educational system, the fact that secondary schools fail to adequately prepare students for university admissions leads to many students failing the university entrance exams due to low performance.[3] Considering the flawed education system, parents from wealthier backgrounds hire private tutors in order to ensure quality education. Those who benefit from the situation are government elites, as their options for providing better education to their offspring are much higher. These children are sometimes then sent abroad to countries such as the USA, Canada, and Western European countries, to continue pursuing a good quality education. Those who cannot afford this are left behind with insufficient education levels.

Access to educational materials such as books, articles, journals, etc., is minimal, especially those in the Azerbaijani language.  University libraries lack the necessary resources for educational purposes, and students complain about the content of such materials being outdated and irrelevant to today.

One of the main reasons for the shortage of educational materials and resources is the government’s lack of support for academic research and translation. The budget proposals for

developing the educational sector and the restricted financial aid and support for academic research leave the country in an intellectual shortage. This is paired with the fact that most often than not, academics migrate to more developed countries that provide them with better incentives for research.

Postgraduate education in Azerbaijan requires significant changes in its system. It needs a lot of attention and development insofar as postgraduate programs do not provide students with the professionalism they need in order to become more specialized in their field. Richard D. Kortum, a Professor Emeritus at East Tennessee State University, describes the poor education in Azerbaijan’s master’s degree education “Master’s students in Azerbaijan commonly have to go through the same course, same instructor, same book, same lecture material, same tests as they did as undergraduates”.[4]

Another major problem existing in Azerbaijan at the moment is bribery. Albeit illegal in the Constitution, it has become a normalized way of survival within the population. The population has no choice but to pay bribes to access all sectors, including education, healthcare, government services, employment, among others. The heads of these institutions benefit from these bribes by putting people in a situation whereby they must pay to have any problem solved.

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Azerbaijan has scored the lowest post-secondary (tertiary) education enrollment rate compared to other countries in the Caucasus region and Central Asia, as 77% of Azerbaijanis who graduate from school do not enroll in universities. This is likely due to “the poorly conceived and highly centralized state quota allocation system”.[5] Table 1 below shows the percentage of students that applied to universities from 2010 to 2014 in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.[6]

Educational Challenges in Azerbaijan

By Zinat Asadova

Sources;

[1] Souce: Mammadova, S., Guliyev, F., Wallwork, L. and Azimli, N., 2016. Human Capital Development in Azerbaijan. Caucasus Analytical Digest, (90), pp. 8,. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/30431942/The_Quality_of_Education_in_Azerbaijan_Problems_and_Prospects>

[2] Mammadova, S., Guliyev, F., Wallwork, L. and Azimli, N., 2016. Human Capital Development in Azerbaijan. Caucasus Analytical Digest, (90), pp.8,. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/30431942/The_Quality_of_Education_in_Azerbaijan_Problems_and_Prospects>

[3] Mammadova, S., Guliyev, F., Wallwork, L. and Azimli, N., 2016. Human Capital Development in Azerbaijan. Caucasus Analytical Digest, (90), pp. 7,. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/30431942/The_Quality_of_Education_in_Azerbaijan_Problems_and_Prospects>

[4] Richard D. Kortum, “Emerging Higher Education in Azerbaijan”, Journal of Azerbaijani Studies, 12, 2009.

[5] Mammadova, S., Guliyev, F., Wallwork, L. and Azimli, N., 2016. Human Capital Development in Azerbaijan. Caucasus Analytical Digest, (90), pp. 7,. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/30431942/The_Quality_of_Education_in_Azerbaijan_Problems_and_Prospects>

[6] Souce: Mammadova, S., Guliyev, F., Wallwork, L. and Azimli, N., 2016. Human Capital Development in Azerbaijan. Caucasus Analytical Digest, (90), pp. 8,. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/30431942/The_Quality_of_Education_in_Azerbaijan_Problems_and_Prospects>

Cover Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

The State of the World’s Children: The Introduction

  1. A time for Action

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic the world has witnessed a significant increase in mental health issues in children and their families. The pandemic highlighted how events throughout the world can affect the world inside our heads. However, it also offered an opportunity to build back better. According to the report, the international community has been provided with a historic chance to commit, communicate, and take action to promote, protect and care for the mental health of a generation.

 

  1. The Ignored Challenge

Mental health issues are still considered by many international governmental leaders as minor challenges. In light of this, governments have been systematically underfunding mental health and unwilling to invest more in the issue. Indeed, studies show that national economies benefit from positive mental health amongst their population. To pursue prosperity and equal opportunities, it is important to recognize the connection between mental and physical health and well-being, and the importance of mental health in shaping life outcomes. The latter was acknowledged in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The neglectful approach towards this matter is highly costly to the economies of the international community. Indeed, the world pays approximately US$387.2 billion a year, according to calculations for this report by David McDaid and Sara Evans-Lacko of the Department of Health Policy of the London School of Economies and Political Science. In other words, national economies lose a whopping amount of US$387.2 billion in uncontributed human potential.

  1. Interview of the Person of Concern

It is important to listen to the experiences, concerns, and ideas of children and adolescents when it comes to mental health. UNICEF teamed up with researchers from the Global Early Adolescent Study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHU) to host focus group discussions on mental health and well-being. Support for the project came from the Wellcome Trust. From February to June 2021, local partners facilitated focus group discussions for adolescents aged 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 in Belgium, Chile, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malawi, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The discussions followed a guide developed by UNICEF, JHU, and local partners. From these discussions, qualitative data were coded using an inductive thematic analysis approach and refined throughout the data analysis process.

 

  1. Unheard Calls

Worldwide, surveys highlight that four out of five people worldwide believe that no one should have to deal with mental health challenges on their own. Instead, a median of 83% of young people (15- to 24-year-olds) agreed that the best solution is to share experiences and seek support. According to a survey conducted by UNICEF and Gallup in 21 countries in the first half of 2021, a median of one in five young people (19%) reported often feeling depressed or having little interest in engaging in activities.

 

  1. A time for Leadership

At the heart of our societies’ failure to respond to the mental health needs of children, adolescents and caregivers is an absence of leadership and commitment. We need commitment, especially financial commitment, from global and national leaders and from a broad range of stakeholders that reflects the important role of social and other determinants in helping to shape mental health outcomes.

MAIN CHALLENGES OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

The Russian Federation itself is a relatively new state. It was shaped 30 years ago after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Russia has a unique historical, social, and cultural background, with a mix between imperialism, soviet influence, and 30 years of modern history. All these different periods have had an impact on the educational system. There were numerous attempts to reform the education system after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Some of the most significant ones were the 1992 federal law “On Education” innovations, including the possibility of private schools, new textbooks, and school financial autonomy (Dashchinskaya, 1997); the 2003 signing of the Bologna Declaration marking the beginning of a unified European educational space in some Russian institutions; and the introduction of national standardized testing, which has been mandatory since 2009 (Tsyrlina-Spady, 2016).

According to an education expert, fundamental changes have come up with the 2009-2010 reforms and the issue of a new law directive (On Education in the Russian Federation, 2012). Crucial reforms included funding schools per student, new standardized tests for school graduates and college freshmen, prioritization of school proximity in the admission process, creation and sustainability of safe school environments, promotion of inclusive education, and gradual termination of specialized educational institutions.

Photo by Oleksandr P: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-looking-on-a-tidied-desk-2781814/ 

Such successful changes as a consistent investment in education, creation of a national assessment system and the inclusion of obtained scores as main indicators for university admission (providing equal access to universities for all adolescents, including lower-income families and people from distant regions), almost universal coverage of pre-school education, and per capita funding. These changes have allowed Russian students to exceed in results of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for 2019, which, upon publishing, showed Russia leading the rankings after the East Asian economies (Shmis, 2021). Nevertheless, the purpose of this article is to shed light on some of the most pressing issues within the Russian educational sector.

Inclusive education challenges

There are several types of challenges impeding the fulfillment of inclusive education. Firstly, there are insufficient specialists who possess the necessary skills and expertise to work with children with special needs. A study conducted in the Ural Federal region highlighted that around 60% of respondents noted the absence of highly specialized staff (psychologists, social pedagogues, tutors, etc.), especially in schools in small towns and rural areas (Grunt, 2019). Secondly, there is not enough material. Although most inclusive schools nowadays have elevators, ramps, widened doorways, Braille signs, and sound accompaniment, there is a lack of educational and methodological materials for teaching children with special needs (Mironova, Smolina, Novgorodtseva 2019). Thirdly, the bureaucracy around education is particularly burdensome regarding inclusive education. The distribution of power and responsibilities between teachers, tutors, psychologists, or social workers can pose barriers to reaching agreements. Finally, there is a huge gap in communication, collaboration, and proper interaction between teachers and parents, between children with and without special health needs. Value conflicts become apparent when the classes are mixed with disabled children and. Unfortunately, the actors involved in educational activities are not always willing to comprehend the changes that have occurred in the past few years.

A decline in the prestige of vocational and technical colleges

The widespread trend of obtaining a higher education diploma is undoubtedly beneficial for society; however, every coin has two sides. In the case of the Russian Federation, this trend has brought about the oversaturation of the labor market with specialists with higher education. This has, in turn, decreased the prestige of vocational and technical colleges and has resulted in the lack of technical specialists or workers with secondary vocational training (Ivanova, 2016). Russia has one of the highest tertiary attainment rates among the OECD members, as illustrated in Graph 1 below (OECD, 2019). Despite the declining levels of the prestige of vocational studies, vocational programs are still relatively more widespread than in other OECD countries.

Resource: OECD. (2019). Education at a Glance 2019: Country note. OECD.

Increase in investment resulting from the new challenges in the educational system

To increase the quality of Russian education, new investment is necessary. Russia offers great digital infrastructure, so the digitalization and creation of tailored educational platforms is just a matter of extra investment and collaborative efforts. It is crucial to adapt to changing teaching modalities such as hybrid and online regimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introducing unique teaching and learning methods will increase students’ motivation and engagement in the process.

Teaching real-life skills development

After the participation by Russian students in the PISA assessment of collaborative problem-solving skills (2015), the most significant negative gap was noted between results in mathematics, science, and reading (core PISA tests) and the students’ ability to solve problems collaboratively (Shmis, 2021). As it is one of the vital modern skills, new reforms should be adapted to introduce new aspects of collaborative work in schools and make them a center of obtaining new knowledge and mastering skills necessary for the modern world.

By Elizaveta Rusakova

Resources:

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visits Albania: Brotherhood or Strategic Instrument?

On January 17, 2022, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Albania with an agenda that included the inauguration of infrastructural works, specifically the apartment complex built in Lac with the funds of the Turkish government, to shelter families affected by the 2019 earthquake that hit Albania, resulting in 51 people dead, over 1000 wounded and 17.000 others displaced. Turkish-funded works included the restoration of 2 schools and a square that, as a sign of gratitude, was named “Recep Tayyip Erdogan”. The “Honorary Citizen” title was awarded to the President of Turkey.

 

In addition, the Turkish President inaugurated the Ethem Bey Mosque in the center of Tirana, a valuable and unique monument of the Ottoman Era in Albania, restored by TIKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency).

 

The plan included strengthening bilateral ties, which was finalized by signing seven cooperation agreements. During the meeting, Turkish President Erdogan and Prime Minister Edi Rama praised the close cooperation between the two countries, especially in economics, culture, law enforcement, etc. According to the latest report on Foreign Trade in Albania, Turkey ranks second after Italy in terms of the value of exchanges, thus making Turkey an important strategic partner.

 

It is worth noting that the meeting was discussed in terms of ‘brotherhood between the countries’. “What I want to emphasize is the principle-belief that the sign of brotherhood is not to come when called, but to come when the brother is in need. Therefore, we will continue to stand by you”, President Erdogan stated.

 

But does this brotherhood come unconditionally? 

 

If we see the continuation of the meeting and the words of the President himself: “It deeply harms our nation that FETO can still operate in … Albania. In the coming period, our sincerest expectation is that more concrete, persistent and swift steps will be taken against FETO structures in Albania,” we can say that the brotherhood comes with a request, if not with a condition.

 

“FETO” is the so-called organization of supporters of the exiled Turkish preacher Fethullah Gülen that Erdogan and his government accused of being a terrorist organization as well as of orchestrating the failed 2016 putsch that killed over 270 people.

“It wounds our nation that had its children martyred that FETO can still find areas of activity in friend and sibling Albania,” Erdogan said.

 

The beginnings of Gülen’s investments started in Albania in 1992 with the opening of the “Mehmet Akif” college for boys, and now it controls the traditional Islamic schools in Albania, known as Turkish madrasas and colleges, as well as operates in different other organizations.

taken from: https://www.facebook.com/MACGraduates

The organization has a significant impact in the Balkans. According to data published by the Turkish Anadolu News Agency, it operates in about 40 schools, including 15 schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 in Albania, 7 in Macedonia, 5 in Kosovo, and one in Serbia.

 

The pressure of the Turk government on the Balkan countries in this regard began in 2016. The government stopped the Turkish-owned schools from using Turkey’s flag and other symbols. Since then, Albania has officially refused to act with the Turkish authorities for the hand of most members of the Gülen movement.

 

Moreover, since 2016 Albania has not allowed the takeover of the Gülen-affiliated educational institutions by the Turkish-state-run Maarif Foundation, but the Albanian Government gave permission to Maarif Foundation to open their own schools.

 

About the condition set on January 17, the head of the Albanian government said that Albania owes nothing to Erdogan or Turkey, just as neither Turkey nor Erdogan owe Albania anything. “There are no debts between friends and brothers,” Rama said, thus responding again to Erdogan’s request against the Gülen Movement with refusal. 

 

This meeting was widely discussed in local and foreign media. The local press commented that the conference coincided with the 554th anniversary of the national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti (Skanderbeg), the symbol of Albanian resistance to the occupation of the Ottoman Empire in Albanian territories and beyond throughout the Balkans. Through a lengthy article posted on social networks, Prime Minister Edi Rama reacted by listing some points that, according to him, show that there is no connection between the two events.

 

Opinion leaders and politics analysts in Albanian saw this meeting not as a brotherhood but as a “vassal”. According to them, his expressed brotherhood makes Albania fewer Western-oriented, values ​​that Albania has embraced. This was also commented in the Greek media where earlier, the Penta Postagma had viewed the visit’s purpose to allow Erdogan to unify Greater Albania, which according to the article, he saw as a province of the Great Empire.

 

In conclusion, we can say that Turkey’s involvement in Albania and the Balkans, in general, is part of its larger strategy: It seeks to improve its image as an honest partner through economic and humanitarian aid in the Balkans and draw away attention from the EU. As a medium-long term objective, Turkey aims to increase its influence in Europe, strengthening its hand and presence through continuous debates with the EU.

 

By Xhina Cekani

 

 

Turkish leader Erdogan visits Albania to boost ties – ABC News (go.com)

Turkey’s Erdogan in Albania to boost bilateral ties | The Independent

Erdogan Opens Apartment Complex in Albania for Quake Victims | Balkan Insight

What Did Erdoğan Do In Albania? — Greek City Times

Turkish President Recep Erdogan visits Albania | Foreign Brief

Vizita e Erdogan, Nesho: Rama sillet si vasal, Shq – Syri | Lajmi i fundit

Vizita e Erdogan në Shqipëri, si u komentua në mediat greke – Opinion.al

Turkish President Recep Erdogan visits Albania | Foreign Brief

Rama i përgjigjet ultimatumit të Erdoganit për sulm ndaj Lëvizjes Gulen – Gazeta Express

Educational Challenges in France

Whereas French education is prima facie accessible to everyone, as it is free from the start up until higher education, French people claim the French educational system knows many obstacles. I have interviewed French people who are still in the French educational system, both private and public, and some who ended a long time ago, hoping to test the relevance of the claims.

The most recurring obstacle that was mentioned was the teachers’ status. Teachers are underpaid and undervalued. In turn, their quality of teaching is criticised for being short-fused and unilateral. Many individuals with a French education felt they had to follow teachers’ expectations perfectly and had no space for individuality or originality. Specifically, mental health is overlooked as students must work for long hours. In the same vein, there is no psychological support or general encouragement as the French system is competition-based, and success is wholly put out to be the student’s responsibility. Rather than being encouraged once having reached a passing level, students are criticised for not being better.

Concurrently, there is no understanding of tiredness, poor mental health, or mental disorders, as students are not expected to ask for help and are turned down when they do. One interviewee explained:

two young girls sitting at a table with markers and crayons

Photo by Alan Rodriguez on Unsplash

When I was depressed and exhausted because of the long hours, teachers would get angry when I fell asleep in their class. I was given seven hours of detention because the teacher felt insulted. Nobody listened when I said I needed those hours to revise and sleep.”

Indeed, teaching is not centred around pupils. Instead, it is built on a hierarchical system.

One student in public education also explained they were never mentored or told about future options i.e., what programme to choose to get into which job or abroad opportunities. Each of his decisions was dependent entirely on his own research.

Notably, there was a clear difference in answers with students from public and private education, as privately educated children expressed overall higher satisfaction. This divide is well known to give different chances to children, depending on their socio-economic backgrounds. Accordingly, a systemic reform is needed in order to give public school teachers better chances of successfully conducting their job. This example of respect for the profession from the government is likely to be reflected in children’s behaviour as well.man and woman sitting on chairs

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

This unilateral format is reflected in French school programs, whereby up until 2021[1] merely offered three main paths: Literature, Economics or Maths and Science. Only those three theory-based qualifications have been considered worthy. For people who do not fit this programmatic structure, turning towards a more practical-based, closer to work diploma will be judged negatively and as sub-standard. Indeed, French schools are low in the European and world assessment compared to other countries that give children more vocational classes.[2] Most notably, this programmatic structure can be predicted to be especially challenging for neurodivergent individuals. However, the recent change in ‘baccalauréat’ is

closer to an ‘à la carte’ selection and allows more freedom in the building of courses; hopefully minimising these critics.

Notably, the world report identified disability rights in education as the main issue in 2022.[3] Indeed, French integration rules for disabled children in education have been known for being largely confusing and disappointing, leaving parents unsupported. There is still progress to be made as integration in itself is not enough. For example, one interviewee recalled that some friends, parents of children with disabilities, regretted the lack of personnel in school to assist and protect their kids from bullying.

Additionally, we can note the recent (2021) ban on Muslim veils for minors in schools, as well as accompanying parents. This updated ban follows older restrictions that have been wholly criticised as Islamophobic.[4] Indeed, this ban puts a disproportionate weight on Muslim girls attending school, compared to other children.

boy in gray sweater beside boy in gray and white plaid dress shirtPhoto by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Most recently, French teachers have held one of the biggest education strikes in protest of the government’s handling of Covid-19 measures in the educational sector. Reflecting on the

aforementioned point on the inaccurate treatment of teachers; they complain about not being consulted in government decisions; being told to change their courses at the very last minute; being expected to conduct hybrid courses without support and not being replaced in case they fall ill. Ultimately, this instability is largely disrupting children’s education.[5]

Maya Shaw

Sources;

  1. https://www.mma.fr/zeroblabla/nouveau-bac-2021-reforme-changements.html
  2. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/09/these-are-the-ten-best-countries-for-skill-and-education/
  3. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022
  4. www.theiwi.org/gpr-reports/the-french-hijab-ban-and-the-freedom-of-choice
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/13/half-of-french-primary-schools-expected-to-close-teachers-strike-protest-covid-education
  6. Cover image source – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:GilPe

The decision of the International Labor Organization (ILO) following the failed 2016 coup in Turkey

On 15 July 2016, a failed coup d’état took place in Turkey against President Tayyip Erdogan and state institutions. The disintegration of democratic rule, the threat to human rights, and secularism were among the reasons cited for the coup. The coup attempt was carried out by a small section of the Turkish Armed Forces, who referred to themselves as the ‘Peace at Home Council’. The Turkish government linked the coup plotters to the Gulen movement, which is deemed a terrorist organization by the Turkish government. Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Islamic scholar, preacher, and one-time opinion leader currently residing in Pennsylvania after a self-imposed exile, led the Gulen movement. Gulen has denied any link to the coup attack. Mass arrests have occurred following the event.

 

A group of Government Workers known as “Yuksel Direniscileri” asking to the Turkish Government to get their work back. from: https://gercekhaberajansi.org/fotograflarla-yuksel-direnisi/

At least 20,000 Turkish citizens were detained due to alleged links with the Gulen movement. Turkish officials wanted Gulen’s repatriation; however, the Justice Department and State department found the evidence presented by their Turkish counterparts to be incoherent and non-credible. The detainees included 5,000 members of the educational sector and 21,000 teachers whose licenses were revoked, and national security numbers were added to the Turkish database to restrict future employment. However, evidence to suggest the loyalty of 20,000 citizens to Gulen was weak. Moreover, theories suggested that the coup was staged. After the coup’s first week, thousands of public servants and soldiers were purged. Nonetheless, ‘the list of alleged coup plotters was so extensive that it was impossible to put it together in the hours after the coup’.[1] Individuals who had passed away weeks and months before the coup were part of this list. Suspicion on the quality and honesty of the investigation grew. The United States, German intelligence, and the British Government have doubted the official Turkish narrative.

 

According to the Turkish Government, over 135,000 public servants, including around 40,000 teachers, have been dismissed or suspended since the government resorted to repression after the failed coup in July. No source of income and allegation of connection with a terrorist organization not only entails financial losses but poses threats of ostracism from the Turkish society altogether. The International Labor Organization has denounced the detaining of these individuals and has maintained that this was done without any supervision from the judicial bodies, without proper investigation, and without the ‘principle of presumption of innocence and rights’ accorded by ILO Conventions.[2]

The Turkish government states that the dissolution of the Action Workers’ Union Confederation (Aksiyon-Is), and its associated trade union was due to their connection with the so-called Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ/PDY), which the Turkish government claims were responsible for the attempted coup. The government maintains that no application was filed to the Inquiry Commission by Aksiyon-Is and its affiliated trade unions, failing to use all available domestic channels and remedies.

 

However, the ILO committee’s findings note that the decision and power to declare a state of emergency for the dissolution of these unions was granted to the Council of Ministers when the decision-making power should rest with the parliament. This authorization allowed the executive body to issue Decrees with the force of law in place of the parliament’s ordinary legislative procedures. Therefore, all domestic channels for seeking legal amends have now lapsed.

 

The ILO stated that individuals having membership of trade unions associated with FETÖ/PDY was entirely lawful under Article 2 of Convention No. 87. They maintained that these trade unions had been constituted and operated lawfully until the state of emergency was declared. Therefore, it is unlawful to punish workers for simply having membership in a trade union without proof of involvement, a specific action, or even knowledge that they may have had possible affiliations with a terrorist organization. Aksiyon-Is maintains that all these dismissals took place before any investigations and in the absence of due process. Aksiyon-Is further argues that none of the detainees were allowed to contest the decision of their dismissal to a neutral body, which violates Article 8 of the Convention.

United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) Executive Board dated 24 March 2021, numbered GB.341/INS/13/5/, concludes that the dismissals made with the Statutory Decrees and the closure of institutions in Turkey are contrary to the International Conventions No. 158 and No. 87 and therefore illegal.

 

Erdogan’s AKP Government is asked to rectify this unlawfulness. Although it has been over ten months since the decision, the AKP Government has not fulfilled its requirements, nor has it shown any interest in implementing it. The ILO must uphold its decision and put pressure on the AKP Government, considering the unlikelihood of implementing the decision by themselves if left unsupervised.

 

Fulfillment of the decision taken by the ILO Executive Board is obligatory both in terms of International Law and Turkish Law. The following petition provides an in-depth course of action to rectify its unfairness.

The petition asks the ILO to uphold its decision and act in favor of the implementation of the Board of Directors’ decision please take a moment to read through the cause and support. Contribute to the ILO and AKP Government officials’ action by signing.

 

Written by Mahnoor Tariq

 

References

Michael Rubin, (2017), ‘Did Erdogan stage the coup?’,  AEIdeas
David Lepeska, (2020), The ‘gift from god’ that crushed Turkish democracy, Retrieved from http://ahval.co/en-84353

Source URL: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_norm/—relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_775695.pdf
Source URL: Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/07/18/turkey-protect-rights-law-after-coup-attempt

 

[1] (Rubin, 2017)

[2] https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_norm/—relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_775695.pdf

Main Challenges of Primary and Secondary Education in The Western Balkan countries

MAIN CHALLENGES OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION IN WB6: PER COUNTRY

 

The Western Balkan countries (defined by the European Union as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Serbia) are transitioning, involving both struggles and progress. 

These countries share unique historical events which impact today’s political, economic, and educational system, to name a few. However, each of these countries aspires to build dynamic societies and improve economic competitiveness, making educational reform a central pillar of regional development efforts. Building and maintaining qualitative and equitable education systems is vital for each country’s integration strategies into Europe.

 

ALBANIA 

The Albanian education system is complex and inevitably impacted by Albanian political, social, and economic historical development. Education itself is a catalyst for improving these pillars, which raises concerns in Albania about their educational system not contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

Children at work

Education in Albania is mandatory for children aged six to sixteen. However, many children in Albania are involved in the worst forms of child labor, including mining and forced begging. A study by INSTAT (Albanian Institute of Statistics) and the ILO (International Labor Organization) stated that 7.7% of Albanian children between the ages of 5 and 17 work, often beyond their capabilities. It is estimated that about 54,000 children in Albania work.

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

Half of the schools lack basic facilities

Schools in Albania face difficulties in terms of conditions and facilities. In remote areas of the country, schools lack access to heating as well as other necessary and basic infrastructure. According to the UNICEF and WHO’s report, 29% of schools in Albania do not meet the minimum hygienic conditions. The report focused on general needs in schools and showed that hygiene is not the only problem. According to data published, 53% of schools do not have access to the Internet, thus ranking below the European average.

Inclusive education

Albania has a 96% rate of primary education enrolment. However, issues in the educational sector severely affect the most vulnerable categories of children. Children of the Roma minority or with disabilities do not enjoy education. According to the Ministry of Education and Sports of Albania, the official dropout rate for Roma children is nearly 4%. About 34.4% of Roma children 7-18 years remain illiterate as they have never attended school.

Children living in rural and remote areas need to walk for hours, sometimes in harsh weather conditions, rendering inclusive education challenging.

The quality of teachers

Albania is improving the quality of teaching through standard entry state exams. At the moment, there is a significant gap between urban areas and those disadvantaged rural ones. In addition, the percentage of teachers with some level of higher education is below the average across participating countries and economies in the OECD (98%) and the EU (98%) (OECD, 2019[44]). Underprivileged areas face additional challenges in part due to the high migration levels.

Low budget in disposal

Whereas countries throughout the OECD have spent around 5% of their GDP on education in the past years, Albania’s budget has remained at 3%.

MONTENEGRO

Montenegro is a small republic with a population of around 650.000 people and less than 300 schools and one university. The educational system has suffered ten years of isolation due to both lack of investment and a general decline in infrastructure and quality. The academic challenges include, but are not limited to:

Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

School facilities

The schooling situations differ according to the area, but numerous schools suffer from poor amenities. In rural areas, particularly in the Albanian-minority ones, the schools lack indoor toilets, running water, or secure electrical installations. Furniture in most schools is in disrepair and inadequate supply. There is, additionally, a significant heating issue in schools, especially in mountainous regions. Schools are currently addressing the issue by layering up and using a minimal amount of fuel to heat schools periodically.

Schools are overcrowded

Montenegro’s schools are massively overcrowded. The classes accommodate between 35 and 40 students, creating a problem of space, which is especially acute in secondary schools. They need new facilities due to the population increase in urban areas, where schools operate on two or three shifts. The shift system consequently affects maintenance, so Montenegro must increase investment in this regard.

Teaching methods

Positive teaching methods are not practiced equitably in Montenegro. Traditional practices such as teacher-directed instructions are more frequently used in schools with more disadvantaged students and vocational programmers. Adaptive instructional approaches associated with higher outcomes often occur in schools with more advantaged students and general education programmers.

Despite these challenges, Montenegro generally sees high-school attendance. The languages in official use (Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian) are adequately taught and, according to the 2012 study by the Montenegro Statistical Office, 25 to 29 year old’s account for the highest level of education, with a percentage of 28 being educated in colleges.

SERBIA

The population’s educational structure is unfavorable

The 2011 Census data revealed that the population’s educational structure is unfavorable. It further showed that around 34% of the population aged 15 and over barely have a primary-level education. Additionally, most of the population (49%) has secondary education; and only 16% has attained higher education (Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia [SORS], 2013).

Photo by Good Free Photos on Unsplash

Inclusive education 

Stemming from the definition of the inclusive education, “different and diverse students learning side by side in the same classroom”, it can be deduced that, in Serbia, educational attainment indicators are the least favorable for Roma population; most members have only a primary level of education or lower (87%), significantly fewer have a secondary education (11.5%), and the least have a higher education (less than 1%) (Radovanović & Knežević, 2014). According to the Human Rights Watch’s 2016 report, hundreds of Serbian children with disabilities face neglect and isolation in institutions, leading to stunted intellectual, emotional, and physical development. The 88-page report, “It is my dream to leave this place’: Children with Disabilities in Serbian Institutions,” documents the pressure families face to send children born with disabilities to large residential institutions, often far away from their homes, separating them from their families. In these institutions, children may experience neglect, inappropriate medication, lack of privacy, and limited or no education access.

The challenge of funding

Based on the data published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in September 2021, the Serbian government expenditure on education and training was 3.5% of the country’s GDP back in 2018. This data is concerning compared to the European Union countries’ average of 4.7% for 2017.

NORTH MACEDONIA 

Low achievement of students 

The results illustrated by the international testing events in North Macedonia highlight that one of the challenges in the primary education level in North Macedonia is that the learning accomplishments of pupils are critically low. In relation to this, education cycles do not define clear objectives of learning outcomes after each cycle of primary education. The framework curriculum is overburdened and irrelevant to the local environment.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Between 2013 and 2017, North Macedonia employed an external testing system but failed to achieve better. It diverted the focus from professor-based teaching and shifted it to memorizing information rather than essential understanding and broad logic. This is a recurring issue throughout the Western Balkans Countries.

Inclusive education 

In North Macedonia, as in other WB6 countries, many Roma children are not included in the education system. Attendance and dropout cases are related to the student’s socio-economic backgrounds, such as low parental levels of education, early marriage, and little knowledge of the Macedonian language. In cases of inclusiveness, the dropout rate is too high.

Children with special educational needs are not sufficiently included in the primary education system. Their inclusion in regular schools is not adequately regulated, and appropriate mechanisms have not been introduced. This issue is also related to cultural factors such as the prejudices among parents, teachers, and students on these groups. Teachers are not qualified to work with specific categories of learners. In addition, juveniles from correctional institutions as well as homeless people suffer from inclusion.

Curricula

Improving textbooks is a lengthy process, but as of now they are lacking in many respects. Books lack elements of multiculturalism, integration, and differential respect. Stereotypes, prejudice, and stigma affect the curriculums.

BOSNIA & HERCEGOVINA

 

Ethnically divided education in Bosnia

After the collapse of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two separate entities, namely the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska. As a mixed population without a majority, there are several problems concerning the children: according to state-level legislation, students have the right to be educated in their language. Each ethnic group has to attend schools that are typically “two schools under one roof” model. In other words, Bosniak and Croat students attend the same schools but are kept separate. They learn different programs and textbooks.

In this country, NGOs such as Humanity in Action and YIHR are asking for a common curriculum to tackle the fact that the youth is growing up thinking divisions are standard.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Educational funding 

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is no balanced wages system for teachers. For instance, in the schools in the canton Herzegovina-Neretva, where a class is conducted in accordance with the Framework Curriculum of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the employment position is paid regardless of the employee’s qualifications. In this sense, someone with a two-year or university degree gets the same wage. This is not the case in the Sarajevo canton, where educational levels are compensated differently.

Evaluation of knowledge

Concerning student assessment, students in Bosnia and Herzegovina have lower achievement rates than those in other countries. Students are tested for their knowledge through memorization but lack evaluative, analytical, or creative skills during schooling. This continues in the second cycle of studies, whereby despite the teaching reforms, results remain insufficient.

On the other hand, there are schools with international systems and programs, but incur large fees.

KOSOVO

 

Kosovo’s educational system experienced two unique events. Firstly, the dismissal of Albanian speakers in 1989 from schools and agencies throughout Kosovo and their replacement by Serbian officials (Shahani, 2016). Secondly, as a direct response to the dismissals, the development of a parallel educational system continued Albanian-based education in 1992. These events left historical footprints on the educational system development.

Based on UNICEF data, the main challenges of education that Kosovo is facing include:

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Low school’s infrastructure

Speaking about Kosovo’s situation means talking about reality merely 20 years after a war. The war’s impact on the education system in Kosovo was devastating. 50% of the schools were damaged or destroyed, and textbooks, equipment, and facilities were vandalized.

Low attendance

Not all children enjoy their right to education in Kosovo. Many students enroll late, and others drop out, leaving the nine years of compulsory education unfinished. 84% of five-year-old children attend pre-primary school, but only 15% of children attend an early education program. 87% of Kosovo’s children and only 24% of children from Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities’ complete upper secondary education.

Inclusive education

Based on the 2011/12 academic year, only 33% of special-needs children were enrolled in education. This is partly due to the lack of coherent and coordinated actions between central and local authorities. In Kosovo, children of the Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian minorities are being left out of the schooling system. This is also the case for children with disabilities, pre-school age children, returnees, and over-age children.

Children in rural areas are less likely to have accessible quality education. They have little to no access to health care, partly due to the lack of coherent and coordinated actions between central and local authorities and institutions.

Kosovar – Serbs Minority education program 

The engagement of the Serbian community is critical. After the war, Kosovar Serbs refused to partake in the reestablished education system. Kosovar Serbs work with Serbian textbooks, rendering the educational model a parallel one whereby the national government manages a part of it. In contrast, others are managed by Serbian communities and supported by Serbia. The current system creates tension occasionally. There are present multi-lingual schools (Serbian, Albanian, and English) models, which could be a future model.

Challenges shared amongst the six countries include 

  1. Covid – 19 Crisis found the WB6 schools un-prepared

Low participation in early childhood education, low attractiveness of the teaching profession, inadequate educational material or physical infrastructure remain key structural challenges for education in the region (OECD, 2018[14]).

During the Covid-19 lockdown, the main challenge faced by the WB6 countries was the schools’ inefficiency and the lack of adequate equipment for digital learning paired with teachers’ digital skills. Based on PISA 2018 data on the possibility of home-based school learning in the WB6 (OECD, 2019[15]):

  • About two-thirds of 15-year-old students are schooled in institutions where effective online learning support platforms were not available.
  • About two-thirds of 15-year-old students are schooled on premises with insufficient digital devices for instruction.
  • Teachers teach about one-quarter of 15-year-old students without the necessary technical and pedagogical skills to integrate digital devices in instruction.
  1. Lack of professional services 

 

In recent years, various schools in the WB6 countries have included professional services in the sociology and psychology fields. Despite this, the system remains inefficient due to the insufficient number of service providers and their approach towards pupils, as they engage in different administrative tasks.

WB6 COUNTRIES: FINDINGS FROM PISA

This section will present the results from OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), PISA 2018, where the Balkan countries participated.

  1. The results reveal that overall outcomes from the region are improving. 

 

  1. Performance in the Western Balkans (average score in reading, 402) is generally lower than that of countries across Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) (476)1, the European Union (EU) (481), and the OECD (487). 

 

  1. Learning outcomes in the region are highly inequitable. Boys perform worse than girls at rates exceeding international averages. 

 

  1. Educational spending in the region is low, especially when considering the significant infrastructural investment that many schools need. Schools with socio-economically advantaged students tend to enjoy greater resourcing.

 

  1. Overcrowded schools in urban areas and shrinking schools in rural areas are other issues resulting from urbanization. 

 

  1. In the Western Balkans, teacher practices are primarily traditional and centered around the teacher (e.g., delivering a lecture to the whole class), with less emphasis on individualized, adaptive instruction.

This article has been prepared using qualitative study methods, focusing on secondary sources such as reports of the Western Balkan countries’ state agencies, international organizations, and other structures.

By Xhina Cekani

References:

Cover Photo source: United States. Central Intelligence Agency. Library of Congress – http://www.loc.gov/

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) – Serbia | Data (worldbank.org)

8 Facts About Education in Serbia – The Borgen Project

Strategija-za-obrazovanie-ENG-WEB-1.pdf (mrk.mk)

Executive summary | Education in the Western Balkans : Findings from PISA | OECD iLibrary (oecd-ilibrary.org)

https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/7f73878ben/index.html?itemId=/content/component/7f73878b-en

http://www.herdata.org/public/education-needs_assessment-yug-mon-enl-t05.pdf

https://pisabyregion.oecd.org/montenegro/#section-02

https://www.unicef.org/montenegro/media/2976/file/MNE-media-MNEpublication44.pdf

Pupils Challenge Ethnically-Divided Education in Bosnia | Balkan Insight

Primary-and-secondary-education-in-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina.pdf (eu-monitoring.ba)

Children in Kosovo | UNICEF Kosovo Programme

Inclusive education | UNICEF Kosovo Programme

core-curriculum-for-pre-primary-grade-and-primary-education-in-kosovo.pdf (rks-gov.net) Kosovo’s ghost schools – Kosovo 2.0 (kosovotwopointzero.com)

Children and Mental Health: The Foundation

THE FOUNDATION

Part 1

Spheres of influence

Children and young people’s mental health is one of the most critical human assets. The combination of human biology and exposure to experiences impacts and shapes the mental health of children and young people in three spheres of influence. These spheres are:

  1. The World of the Child: From birth to adolescence, immediate impacts on mental health reside in the child’s world – the world of mothers, dads, and caregivers. Appropriate nutrition, secure and safe families, skilled and active caregivers, and loving and enriching settings are all crucial factors in the child’s world.
  2. The World Around the Child: As a child’s universe expands, their circles of influence expand to encompass the world. In addition to the elements of mental health developed in the child’s world, the world around the child must be rooted in a safe and secure environment (both in-person and online), as well as in healthy relationships within their preschools, schools, and communities.
  3. The World at Large: The world at large, the third main area of influence, has a significant impact on shaping mental health. Poverty, disaster, conflict, discrimination, migration, and pandemics are examples of large-scale socioeconomic factors that impact the lives of children and young people throughout the world. The world at large affects the lives of mothers, fathers, and caregivers. As children grow into teenagers and adults, the world at large will directly affect their mental health and futures.

The major developmental stages of childhood and adolescence provide unique possibilities to improve and protect mental health.

According to UNICEF’s study in Sierra Leone, community health workers play an essential role in ensuring the emotional wellbeing of caregivers since their mental health and emotional wellbeing will contribute to their child’s wellbeing.

Part 2 

Critical moments of the child’s development

Children’s brains develop as part of a dynamic interaction between their genes, experiences, and the environment in which they live. Cultivating mental health can also be linked to critical developmental stages in children. Important moments are at the start, during the perinatal period, early childhood, childhood, and adolescence.

At the start

This contact occurs before conception and impacts genetic, biological, and developmental processes. Neurodevelopment begins in the womb, and nervous systems are developed. For example, the cells involved in the reproduction process can be transformed by an epigenetic process driven by psychological stress, toxicants, and drug exposure.

As a newborn, the brain develops at an astonishing rate, creating more than one million neural connections each second. Positive events and circumstances can foster brain growth, while negative ones might become dangerous factors.

Development and mental health are tightly tied to the environment in which a child is nurtured during prenatal and early childhood. Fathers are progressively undertaking increased caregiving responsibilities in various regions of the world. The role of parental influence in children’s and young people’s mental health is currently enduring extensive examinations.

 

First decade

At the initial stage of the first decade, skills that will help children understand, solve problems, interact, express themselves and perceive emotions, and create relationships are acquired in their early childhood. The children’s world expands during middle childhood, and learning environments begin to impact children’s development of transferrable skills and physical and mental health.

Second decade

Adolescence is critical for realizing human potential and ensuring long-term mental health. During adolescence, various brain parts undergo dynamic neurological changes that impact social perception and cognition. Puberty typically occurs between 8 and 12 years old for girls and 9 and 14 for boys.

Early physical maturity is linked to early sexual initiation, delinquency, and substance use in both boys and girls. Early puberty is associated with anxiety, sadness, and eating disorders for girls. The development of mental health disorders tends to occur during puberty, yet the relationship between the two remains uncertain.

Influences on mental health during adolescence are no longer concentrated on parents, caregivers, and houses. Poverty, conflict, gender norms, technology, and labor have a more substantial impact on how young people learn and work. Peer influences such as classmates, schools, and their communities play significant roles in the lives of young people.

Though socioeconomic factors of mental health have a role throughout one’s life, children might become direct dangers during adolescence, resulting in a decreased set of opportunities in the educational and employment realms.

Part 3

Connecting the critical moments

Significant developmental moments are linked by critical challenges in child development, including attachment, developmental cascades, cumulative risks, and biological embedding.

 

Attachment

When a child feels safe and comfortable enough to step out and experience the world, they develop attachment. Strong attachment strengthens the child’s capacity to build curiosity, emotion management, and empathy skills. Whenever attachment is positive, responsive, and sympathetic, the child learns a model to create a sense of self, identity, and a foundation for subsequent relationships.

Children conclude their attachment to a primary caregiver between 6 and 9 months. Attachment to a caregiver does not have to be instantaneous or physical in middle childhood. Secure bonds with peers are recreated during adolescence. A child’s bond to its parents is crucial, even if it then begins to seek increased independence.

Adolescent parenthood is frequently associated with risks, such as poverty and a lack of prenatal care and social support. Teenage pregnancy can negatively influence the development of the emotional and cognitive abilities needed to create a healthy connection with a newborn. Newborn’s attachment requirements might clash with an adolescent parent’s increasing demand for independence.

 

Developmental cascades

Positive and negative experiences and environments may drastically impact a child’s development from infancy through adolescence. Negative experiences, on the other hand (neglect, abuse, and continuous severe stress), raise exposure to additional dangers that may surface later in life. Negative experiences can have long-term effects on cognitive development, physical and mental health, as well as educational and career performance.

 

Cumulative risk

The higher the amount of risk factors a child is exposed to in their early childhood, the likelier mental health issues will develop at a later stage. Risk clusters are most prominent among children from low-income families, ethnic minorities, and immigrants. For instance, a child who has a toxic home environment will probably experience difficulties at school.

 

Biological embedding

According to research, stress and trauma can affect a child’s brain and make them more vulnerable to physical and psychological harm. Adverse events and settings that alter biology or brain development can erode resilience and increase vulnerability. These alterations can either aid or limit stability in the face of adversity.

A study has shown that children adopted from orphanages still have higher levels of cortisol (a hormone released in response to stress) than other children six years after adoption. The study was carried out on Romanian children who had lived in orphanages for over eight months in their first year of life.

 

Early deprivations: A life-course effect

Several studies have found a significant connection between the length of time spent in a facility and signs of mental health disorders at the age of six. Children who faced hardship were more likely to struggle in school and at work. On the other hand, those who were adopted by well-resourced and supportive families were less likely to develop mental health problems.

 

Part 4

Trauma and stress: How do they affect to a child’s mental health?

Stress and trauma are major factors determining children’s learning and development and young people’s mental health. When stress and trauma occur, they pose a mental health risk. However, they can trigger responses with long-term biological and cognitive health effects when they appear early in life.

Toxic stress

Stress is necessary for healthy brain growth and mental health in small doses, yet, at significant levels, it is toxic. Anxiety presents itself in varying degrees during a child’s life, from the womb to adolescence. According to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, there are three types of stress: positive, tolerable, and toxic.

Positive stress is moderate, short-lived, and a normal aspect of daily life. It is activated when a child obtains an immunization or encounters a new caregiver.

Tolerable stress is more severe but short-lived, giving the brain time to recover.

Toxic stress is the activation of a person’s stress management mechanisms in a powerful, frequent, or prolonged manner. Toxic stress in children arises when no caring adult is around to provide safety and comfort. According to existing research, maternal stress might impact a child’s later stress response even during the prenatal period. In contrast, damage caused by toxic stress can last a lifetime.

 

Adverse childhood experiences

Dangers leading to toxic stress in childhood are often categorized as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are defined as persistent, frequent, and intense sources of stress that children may suffer early in life. The word ACE refers to encounters that occur outside of one’s home and family boundaries.

WHO broadly defines ACEs as “multiple types of abuse; neglect; violence between parents or caregivers”. Toxic stress caused by ACEs can damage physical and mental health, social development, and educational success. ACEs are also tragically frequent, and the harm increases as they accumulate. Reports show that more than two-thirds of the population in the United States have experienced at least one ACE in the United States, and a quarter has experienced three or more.

According to research conducted in Cambodia, Malawi, and Nigeria, intimate partner violence in children can increase the risk of mental health problems.

Children and young people might be traumatized by conflict and social and political instability. As roles in families and communities shift during adolescence, new traumas might occur in young people’s lives, such as underage marriage, interpersonal violence, gender-based violence, and intimate partner violence. Some of these traumas are caused by a direct connection to war or violence, while the destruction of families and communities causes others.

A case study in Kenya showed that since the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, children were the victim of abuses such as domestic, sexual, neglect, and physical abuse. National helplines for children, such as Childline Kenya, address mental health and violence and have played an enormous role in providing help and protection for children victimized by constant abuse, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Summarized by Zinat Asadova

Revised by Olga Ruiz Pilato

Source: The State Of The Worl’s Children 2021, pages from 51 to 63