Leading the agenda for data production to monitor education 2030
UNESCO Press Release No.2016-104
Paris, 10 August—Monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education requires more and better quality data, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The UIS is launching two new tools to kick-start this process: an eAtlas mapping out the currently available global education indicators, and a Digest that sets out a roadmap to improve the measuring of education quality and equity. These new data products are the latest in a set of UIS initiatives to address the gaps in the education monitoring agenda.
SDG 4 is an ambitious goal, seeking to improve learning and skills from early childhood to adulthood. This will require new and improved data to monitor progress, identify bottlenecks and sharpen policies to ensure that every dollar invested in education makes a tangible difference to people’s lives. At present, however, the world gathers only around half of the data needed to monitor progress based on SDG 4 global education indicators.
Launched by the UIS, the eAtlas presents the education indicators currently available for the global and thematic monitoring of SDG 4. Through a ground-breaking series of interactive maps for each of the SDG 4 targets, it pools together a wide range of data sources about access to education, the quality of the education on offer and learning outcomes. The eAtlas is designed to become the go-to source for SDG education data: a place to get the indicators quickly, confident that they are the best and most up-to-date.
With just a couple of clicks, it is possible to explore key issues, such as completion rates from primary to tertiary education, the percentage of children out of school, the amount spent on each pupil’s education, and the supply of qualified teachers.
The eAtlas also shows the extent to which more and better data are needed urgently. So the UIS is releasing a new report, the first edition of the UIS Sustainable Development Data Digest, which offers a practical roadmap to develop the key indicators needed to monitor progress towards SDG 4 – Education 2030.
For example, equity is the central feature of SDG 4 and the pledge to ensure everyone’s right to education, including the most marginalized groups. Yet according to the Digest, only 14% of the global monitoring indicators can be disaggregated by wealth and only 19% by disability status.
“We aim to revolutionize the production and use of education data,” says UIS Director Silvia Montoya. “For example, more than half of the world’s countries have data on reading and math skills of children but the results cannot be compared internationally. So we are working with partners to put in place methodologies and standards to transform data into information that countries can use to tackle their own needs while monitoring global progress towards SDG 4. Together, the Digest and the eAtlas are critical tools in this process..”
The first edition of the Digest, Laying the Foundation to Measure Sustainable Development Goal 4, finds that many countries struggle to produce the data needed today, and will find it even harder to It focuses specifically on areas that are difficult to measure, such as education quality, learning, equity and inclusion. The Digest highlights, for example, ways in which parity indices can be used to track inequalities in education and learning among children and youth, according to their socio-economic status, location (rural versus urban), sex and disability status.
The UIS is leading several initiatives in close collaboration with partners to identify and close data gaps and the UISDigest makes a case for a stronger commitment to achieve key SDG education targets.
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China to ‘uncompromisingly’ respect rule of law
Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay called on China on Thursday to respect maritime law and security, and the rule of law, to resolve peacefully disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Yasay met his Japanese counterpart, Fumio Kishida, in the Philippines. “We… urge China to make sure that maritime law and security must be completely and uncompromisingly respected,” Yasay told a news conference, adding the Philippines and Japan shared experiences in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Japan has a dispute with China over tiny islands in the East China Sea while the Philippines and China have overlapping claims in the South China Sea as per International media agency.
Ministry of Railways – India fervent announcements
Ministry of Railways – India
HIGH SPEED RAIL SERVICE IN DELHI – NCR
The Functional Plan on Transport for National Capital Region (NCR) – 2032 has identified the following eight corridors of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS):
Delhi-Sonipat- Panipat,
Delhi-Gurgaon- Rewari-Alwar,
Delhi-Ghaziabad- Meerut,
Delhi-Faridabad- Ballabgarh-Palwal,
Ghaziabad-Khurja,
Delhi-Bahadurgarh- Rohtak,
Delhi-Ghaziabad- Hapur and
Delhi-Shahadra- Baraut
The following three RRTS corridors have been prioritized :
Delhi–Gurgaon–Rewari–Alwar
Delhi–Ghaziabad–Meerut
Delhi–Sonepat–Panipat: As per the Feasibility Reports, the total estimated project cost for the above three prioritized corridors including escalation and Interest during construction (IDC) (with Central and State Taxes) is Rs.72,170 crore at 2013 price level.
Since, the individual corridors have not yet been sanctioned, the expected time for completion cannot be projected.
NEW SYSTEMS OF RECRUITMENT IN RAILWAYS
To reduce the time gap to fill up the vacancies in Railways, systems of ‘Online Applications’ and ‘Computer Based Tests’ (CBTs) in recruitment for Group ‘C’ and erstwhile Group ‘D’ posts, have been introduced through a series of pilot projects. Under this system, examination for 54 categories of Senior Section Engineers (SSEs) and Junior Engineers (JEs) have been conducted successfully in 2015. Based on the success of Computer Based Tests for SSEs and JEs, CBTs have also been conducted in three more subsequent examinations i.e. Special Recruitment Drive (SRD) for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) for Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) Under-Graduate Level, NTPC Graduate Level posts and another SRD for PWDs for erstwhile Group ‘D’ posts.
READY TO EAT FOOD IN INDIAN RAILWAYS
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has started sale of Ready-to- Eat food packets at some of the Railway stations on trial basis. During the trial period the MRP has been kept at ₹ 40/- per packet for all items. Details of stations where Ready-to- eat packets are being sold during trial period are apprehended.
IRCTC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Defence Food Research Laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for Transfer of Technology of Retort Pouch Processed Foods so that ready-to-eat food can be warmed and eaten straight out of the packet. The terms and conditions enshrined in the MoU between DRDO and IRCTC, inter-alia, include:
(i) DRDO shall transfer the complete details of the technical know-how and testing method for quality assurance to IRCTC with requisite data on the functioning of the Retort Pouch Processed Food.
(ii) DRDO grants a non-exclusive license to utilize the Technology by IRCTC for manufacture in India for a period of 10 years.
(iii) The title and ownership of the Technology including new variants, copyrights and intellectual property will rest exclusively with DRDO. (iv) DRDO shall depute experts/personnel free of cost for Technology Transfer Period not exceeding 10 mandays beyond which the service will be chargeable.
(v) IRCTC shall pay to DRDO an upfront Technology Transfer Fee at the time of signing of Licensing Agreement for Transfer of Technology along with the service tax in this regard.
(vi) IRCTC shall pay Annual Royalty @ 2% on net sales to Indian Market and 6% on net sales for Export Market. Steps taken to improve the quality of food in Railways inter-alia include:
(i) Phased introduction of station based e-catering at all A1 and A category stations for widening the range of options available to passengers for ordering food of their choice.
(ii) Introduction of precooked food (‘ready to eat’ meals). (iii) Operation of centralized Catering Service Monitoring Cell (CSMC) (toll free number 1800-111- 321) for prompt redressal of passenger grievances relating to the catering activities and real time assistance to travelling public.
(iv) Imposition of penalties in case of deficiencies detected in services. (v) Operation of All India Helpline (No.138) for rail- users to lodge complaints/suggestions regarding food and catering services
(vi) A Twitter handle with the address @IRCATERING has also been made operational to cater to the complaints/suggestions with regard to catering services
(vii) Technology Transfer Agreement has been signed with Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore in order to provide safe, nutritious and hygienic ready-to- eat food to Rail passengers.
Kiren Rijiju’s statement at the “International Meeting on Counter Terrorism” in Indonesia
Reporters grill US Elizabeth Trudeau over Clinton emails
“I’m not going to speak anymore,” replied a State Department spokeswoman, reaching a point of exasperation repelling reporters’ hounding over a new batch of Hillary Clinton’s emails that exposed cozy relationships between the former secretary’s team and wealthy donors of her husband’s foundation.The reporters wanted to know on the fate of “an associate” who Bill Clinton’s controversial aide Doug Band asked “to take care of,” implying a job at the Department, and whose name was redacted from the email for some unknown reasons.Trudeau refused to speak on the matter, setting a tone to her subsequent answers.“I’m also not going to speak to specific redactions,” she replied, stressing that she can’t “speak to specific cases.”
But Trudeau tried to get away with a general response, saying that “the department regularly hires political appointees with a range of skill sets for a broad variety of jobs” and it is not “unusual” for their candidates to be recommended by a “variety of avenues.”
Reporters also wanted Trudeau to address the ethics of her Department and Clinton Foundation after one of the emails exposed a special request from the former president’s team. In a 2009 email, Band wanted a “right hand” of the former Secretary of State Huma Abedin to put Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury in touch with a proper person at the Department.
Trudeau also tried to evade answering the uncomfortable question.
“I’m not going to speak to specific emails,” she said again, now adding that working with “a wide variety of outside individuals and organizations, including businesses, nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks” was not unusual for her Department either.
The reply has prompted a harsh reaction from AP’s Lee, who said:
“Can you at least try to answer Abigail’s question, which was: Has the department looked into this and determined that there was no impropriety?”
Failing to receive a satisfactory answer he snapped:
“I’m sorry, are you – am I not speaking English? Is this – I mean, is it coming across as a foreign – I’m not asking you if – no one is saying it’s not okay or it’s bad for the department to get a broad variety of input from different people. Asking – the question is whether or not you have determined that there was nothing improper here.”
However, it did not help him get the answer he was looking for with Trudeau generally saying: “We feel confident that all the rules were followed.” RT news
Clinton aide Huma Abedin had access to Clinton email address used for classified emails
https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/29372… …