analysis
By Judith Nakayiza, Makerere University and Medadi Ssentanda
Private schools are becoming ubiquitous across Africa. Research has shown that their growth, although it has positive effects, is also problematic because many private schools are being set up without proper policy guidelines.
In Uganda, this absence of policy guidelines manifests in private schools’ attitude to the government’s language-in-education policy. Many are simply snubbing the policy – and they are getting away with it.
A policy for literacy
In 2002, Uganda’s literacy rate was 76.2% of people aged between 15 and 24. The Ministry of Education was dissatisfied with this, and in 2004 commissioned an [...] Continue Reading…
Private Schools Must Stop Snubbing Language Learning Policy
Norway Rides With ‘The Wave’ For Foreign-Language Oscar Race
Norway has selected Roar Uthaug’s disaster movie “The Wave” to represent the Nordic country in the the foreign-language Oscar race.
An epic tale based on the 1934 Tsunami which killed 40 people in Norway’s Tafjord, “The Wave” takes place in contemporary Norway and centers around a geologist who realizes the inferno is about to hit.
“The Wave is Norway’s – and the Nordic countries’ – first disaster movie; as a genre film with a well-written script, superbly directed, with great acting performances, the committee believes that it will make an impression in the Oscar race,” said Sindre Guldvog, who chairs the [...] Continue Reading…
More funding for learning of mother tongue languages in Singapore
MOE has raised the funding commitment for the mother tongue language learning and promotion committees.PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – Three committees that aim to encourage the learning and use of Chinese, Malay and Tamil here will get a 50 per cent boost in funding over the next five years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Saturday (Sept 5).
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has raised the funding commitment for the mother tongue language learning and promotion committees to $ 25 million over the next five years, up from $ 16.6 million from 2011 to 2015.
About 80 per cent [...] Continue Reading…
Oscars: Paraguay Selects ‘El Tiempo Nublado’ for Foreign-Language Category
Arami Ullon’s documentary El tiempo nublado will be Paraguay’s first ever submission for the foreign-language film category at the Academy Awards.
The recently-created Paraguay Film Academy also announced on Thursday that the film – a first-person doc about the filmmaker’s relationship with her mother, an elderly woman who suffers from Parkinson’s disease – will also be the country’s bid to the Goya awards in Spain.
“We’re overwhelmed and celebrating that El tiempo nublado has been selected for the Paraguay Film Academy, but we celebrate even more that Paraguay has now a representative for the Goya awards and –for the first time– [...] Continue Reading…
Oscars: Japan Selects ’100 Yen Love’ for Foreign-Language Category
’100 Yen Love’
Courtesy of Fantasia Film Festival
by Gavin J. Blair
9/3/2015 5:27pm PDT
Japan’s submission for the foreign-language category at the Oscars is Masaharu Take’s drama about a female boxer, 100 Yen Love, starring Sakura Ando.
After winning the Japanese Cinema Splash award for up and coming domestic talent at the Tokyo International Film Festival in October last year, it was released in December, going on to win a slew of prizes in Japan for Ando.
The film tells the story of a directionless singleton who becomes inspired by watching a middle-aged boxer at the local gym and decides to start training in the sport.
The [...] Continue Reading…
Learning center features language immersion preschool, Spanish lessons
WEST CHESTER TWP. —
A new business is hoping that parents will give their child a bilingual education to give them the greatest advantage in the rapidly expanding global community.
La Casita Learning Center, which touts itself as “Cincinnati’s first Spanish immersion preschool and childcare center,” opened in August at 5641 Union Centre Drive.
The 3,000-square-foot business provides a full Spanish immersion childcare center and preschool for children 30 months to 5 years of age and half-day kindergarten, as well as Spanish lessons for ages 3 and up, including teens and adults.
About a third of the kids at La Casita come from [...] Continue Reading…
Language learning platform Duolingo launches in the Arab world
Language learning platform Duolingo launches in the Arab world | Wamda.com
….. Read the full article
Oscars: Swiss Select ‘Iraqi Odyssey’ as Foreign Language Entry
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Culture (OFC) has confirmed 3D documentary “Iraqi Odyssey” as the country’s official foreign-language Oscar entry.
The film tells the story of director Samir’s globalized middle-class Iraqi family, who live in New Zealand, Russia, France, the UK and Buffalo, New York. Samir himself was born in Baghdad but grew up in Switzerland.
The selection of the film at the Swiss Oscar entry was announced in the city of Delemont, which will support the promotion of “Iraqi Odyssey” in Los Angeles. A statement from the OFC called the film “a unique insight into a country marked by war and [...] Continue Reading…
Speak Up: Supporting Online Language Learning with In-Person Programs
Presented by: EBSCO, Rosetta Stone and Library Journal
Event Date & Time: Thursday, September 17th, 2015, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM PT
With 311 languages spoken in the United States, few, if any, public libraries have the capacity to teach in person all the different languages their patrons want to learn. Enter software, to the rescue. But just offering patrons access to a language learning database is only the beginning. To maximize learning (and usage), in-person support is key, and doesn’t require a native speaker on staff.
Join Will Chan, program administrator for services to [...] Continue Reading…
Bangkok blast: Suspect spoke foreign language, not English, say cops
BANGKOK: Thai police said Wednesday the prime suspect in the bombing of a Bangkok religious shrine in which 20 people died was overheard speaking a foreign language other than English.
“Foreign language, not English also,” national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said when asked by reporters whether a man seen leaving a backpack in the shrine minutes before Monday’s deadly explosion spoke any foreign languages.
Prawut did not elaborate on how police knew the suspect spoke a foreign language.
But police said earlier they had interviewed two motorcycle taxi riders near the shrine, one of whom gave a ride to the suspect.
Prawut also [...] Continue Reading…