Reading still climbing in China, especially online
The interest in reading books online is continuing to climb in China, with Chinese people reading on average eight books in 2015, with 79.6 percent of Chinese adults now in the habit of reading. The increase is in line with China’s top leaders who, since 2006, have actively been promoting the building of a ‘country of active readers’. Recent findings by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication discovered that the rate of users reading e-publications is also on the rise, with three of the eight averge books read by Chinese being of digital form. The findings also suggest that the average Chinese are now also willing to pay more for e-books than than when surveyed in 2014, but are now willing to pay less for paperback. Click here for the full article.
Special needs students in Victoria get $156m funding boost, school upgrades.
The Victorian government has vowed to clamped down on the phenomenon of special needs students being “turned away” by schools in Victoria. In order to help eradicate this phenomenon the state budget will include an additional $156 million in funding for special needs students, with a portion of the funding dedicated to upgrading the existing specialist schools within Victoria. The budget will also include $50 million to help accommodate 1,700 students entering disability programs, and an addition $22 million for students with autism and dyslexia. Education minister James Merlino, stated that he is confident that there now should be no excuses regarding the refusal of students with special needs by schools. Click here for the full article.
Britain’s Bohunt School to open new school in east China
The Bohunt Education Trust (BET), in conjunction with Wenzhou Education company both made announcements today that Wenzhou Bohunt International School, a Sino-UK school for Chinese students, is set to open in 2018. BET has schools currently situated in the South of England, including one located in Liphook which is a top performing school within the UK. The opening of the school provides both Chinese and British students with an alternative, innovative educational curriculum, that will allow for greater exchange opportunities for all participants. The opening of Wenzhou Bohunt International School will be the first English state school to operate in China. Click here for the full article
Pre-school: 60,000 Australian children not receiving recommended number of hours.
A study conducted by Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute has found that although nearly all Australian children were enrolled in pre-school only two-thirds reached the recommended number of hours. One of the authors of the report, Brownyn Hinz, reiterated the need for adequate pre-school hours, stating that 18 months of quality pre-school education is comparable to that “gained from six years of primary school”. The report highlighted the nations often inadequate childhood facilities, evidencing that one third of the facilities assessed were did not match the national standards. The report also showed that the learning gap between the richest and poorest sectors of society was also widening. Click here for the full article.