No education budget means parents will have to pay for after-school activities and music provision, the principal of one Northern Ireland primary school has warned. Kevin Donaghy, from St Ronan’s Primary School in Newry called the situation faced by the school a “crisis”. In a letter to parents, he said politicians had failed to “put aside old animosities and work for the benefit of our children”. He also warned of “devastating cuts”. “It was widely hoped that the different political parties would, for the…

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A three-legged cat adopted by a Cambridge University library is being used to help relieve students’ stress during the exam season. Jasper, a five-year-old ginger tom, belongs to the deputy librarian at the Marshall Library of Economics. He became a hit with students after his owner took him to work, and a recent “tea with Jasper” event attracted 140 moggy-lovers. Similar events are planned as Jasper is now the library’s “official mascot”. Jasper lost his left hind leg in a car accident and was…

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More than 50 participants fully engaged at our CTS Lunchtime Talk. Reporting LIVE from Lifelong Learning Centre: We are privileged to host our CTS Lunch Time Talk at the comfortable and spacious Lifelong Learning Centre: Our participants were all extremely attentive and engaged as Mrs Chan Chua Yean’s brought them through what they can expect to learn from CSM’s Certificate in Therapy Services course. Look at how happy our volunteers were when they participated in the “Role Play” game. Don’t hesitate! Register for our…

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The conference organized by UNESCO Beijing Office and Central Institute for Vocational and Technical Education (CIVTE) of Ministry of Education will gather participants from East Asia, selected ASEAN Countries, 180 National TVET Institutions in China, local & regional and national government representatives, participants from private sector, and representatives from Chinese modern apprenticeship programmes. The sub-regional conference in TVET for East Asian Countries (South Korea, China, DPRK and Mongolia and Japan) is a response to the recently adopted 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in…

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Understanding the basic requirements of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the American with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAA) is key to developing appropriate policies and procedures for interactions with individuals with disabilities. Beginning with an overview of the protections afforded individuals with disabilities and morphing into dealing with your employees to answer such questions as “Do you know how to develop reasonable job accommodation plans and could such accommodation pose a safety risk?” “How do you address employees whose work performance may be…

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Recent research on inequality and poverty has shown that those born into low-income families, especially African Americans, still have difficulty entering the middle class, in part because of the disadvantages they experience living in more dangerous neighborhoods, going to inferior public schools, and persistent racial inequality. In Coming of Age in the Other America, Stefanie DeLuca and colleagues show that despite overwhelming odds, some disadvantaged urban youth do achieve upward mobility. Drawing from ten years of fieldwork with parents and children who resided in…

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Mothers earn 3% per hour less for each child they have compared with women working in similar jobs who do not have children, say researchers. The study says this takes into account factors such as returning mothers being more likely to be in part-time jobs. The French university researchers suggest that mothers could face discrimination in applying for jobs or be consigned into lower-status posts. The report says such an income penalty is “unfair and inefficient”. Income inequalities for women have often been examined…

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Boys and young men should consider being vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) to protect themselves from a range of illnesses, a conference has heard. UK girls receive an HPV vaccination to protect them from cervical cancer. But the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) wants school sex education to raise awareness that HPV can cause cancers in both sexes. Boys need information to decide whether to get the jab, the conference heard. The ATL annual conference, meeting in Liverpool, overwhelmingly backed a motion…

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