German state set to scrap international fees

The only German state to charge international students tuition fees across the board is set to drop them after a significant fall in recruitment. An independent panel has advised the government of Baden-Württemberg to scrap the fees for students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), introduced in 2017 to top up the local education budget and pegged at €1,500 (£1,294) per semester.  The state’s Green and Christian Democratic Union coalition government had in April signalled its intention to abolish the fees, citing a need for skilled workers. The reversal would blow a €30 million hole in the local education…

Winnipeg School Division ‘feels like home’ for new chief superintendent, CEO

Back to school season is around the corner, and for one Winnipegger the coming weeks will mark a return to the province’s biggest school division, with nearly 30,000 students. Matt Henderson, an educator who has worked in the city for about 15 years, will take on the chief superintendent and CEO role for the Winnipeg School Division this fall, replacing Pauline Clarke, who is retiring on Sept. 6.  Henderson comes to WSD from the Seven Oaks School Division, where he’s the assistant superintendent. In the past, he was the founding principal of the Maples Met School, an alternative learning program…

Transgender school guidance will take a ‘bit longer’, the Education Secretary says

Transgender guidance for schools will take a “little bit longer”, the Education Secretary has said after head teachers vented their frustration over the delay. Gillian Keegan confirmed on Wednesday that schools will be required to obtain parental consent for pupils to identify as a different gender. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union has said the lack of guidance is “frustrating” as teachers are having to navigate the “complex and sensitive subject” of gender identity on their own. In March, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged that guidance for schools on transgender issues would be published “for the summer…

Education assistant with racy OnlyFans account fired for what employer calls ‘egregious’ conduct

A Maple Ridge education assistant who says she was struggling to make ends meet has been fired over her second job: posting racy content online, including on OnlyFans. Kristin MacDonald, 35, has posted titillating photos and videos for about a year under the name Ava James on the website known for custom pornography. That drew the ire of School District 43, where MacDonald had been an education assistant since 2015 at Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam. The district ordered her to shut down her adult content on social media, including on OnlyFans, in April or risk being fired. MacDonald…

High transportation costs, inflation prompts Waterloo region school board to send letters to education minister

Trustees with the Waterloo Region District School Board have passed the budget for the 2023-24 school year. But in doing so, they were “forced to make some very difficult decisions regarding staffing and resources,” chairperson Joanne Weston wrote in a letter to Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. The board’s letter, dated June 27 and which has also been published on the school board’s website, has asked Lecce to review how school boards are currently being funded and “address some of the critical gaps” the board is facing. Among the top concerns is transportation, Weston said in an interview with…

UCDSB details student impact from continued Indigenous Education

The Upper Canada District School Board says they are creating meaningful and personal land acknowledgments to work with Indigenous partners to identify the traditional territory each school is situated on, as well as implementing rich programming that offers Indigenous students the opportunity to form deeper connections with their own culture and share it with their non-Indigenous peers, as part of their commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. The impact of the actions being taken within the UCDSB was front and center during the Board of Trustees meeting, held June 7th, as Ward 11 (AMBE) Trustee Patty Francis shared her comments on…

Bear Grylls says education is often ‘so boring’ and fails to prepare children for ‘battles of life’

Bear Grylls has accused schools of failing to give children “an edge in life”, arguing that “so much of education” is boring. The Chief Scout and TV survival expert, who is a father of three, said traditional education was “falling short”. “It’s never been a tougher time for young people than right now,” said the old Etonian, 48, who is famous for his Born Survivor and other adventure series. “There’s more anxiety, more pressure, more uncertainty than ever before. The world is ever faster, ever more competitive. “So much education, even life skills education, is often so boring. And I…

Jordan’s Principle program helps students achieve educational goals

Breadcrumb Trail Links News Manitoba Author of the article: Canadian Press Brittany Hobson Published May 27, 2023 • 3 minute read Elilah Monias and her daughter Illeanna Knott smile in this undated handout photo. Monias reached out to a Jordan’s Principle co-ordinator through the Southern Chiefs’ Organization to request help for her daughter. The 17-year-old is in her final year of high school in Brandon, Man., and received a laptop to help with her studies and continuing education. Photo by Elilah Monias /THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content Illeanna Knott is preparing to graduate from high school next month. Advertisements 2…