That salary should be pegged to performance is a yardstick used across all industries. But political correctness and promises of equality will likely bring down our education system. There is a general reluctance to discuss or push ahead with pay differentiation to reward higher value added performance. Policy makers pandering to public opinion and unions are so cagey that they have long been afraid to roll out the criteria for high quality education. Without assessment, we will never find out the truth and differentiate the better teachers and reward them.
Quote : Previous attempts to improve teacher quality by attracting, retaining, recognising and rewarding accomplished teachers have largely failed. The main reason is that such schemes have never entered the mainstream to form an effective, coherent salary and career structure. Seemingly simplistic measures such as paying teachers on ''merit'' or by ''results'' are also doomed to fail. One-off bonuses don't work.
Salary scales for teachers based on years of service are 19th-century industrial artefacts that peak too soon and too low.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/building-a-better-pay-ladder-20110828-1jgd7.html
Quote : More than 50 per cent of year 8 students in Korea, Taiwan and Singapore achieve high level benchmarks in maths in the most recent Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, compared with less than 25 per cent in Australia. Alarmingly, more than 40 per cent of those Asian students reached the advanced level, compared with five per cent of Australian students.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/poor-teachers-set-students-back-years-20110826-1jeh8.html
It is ludicrous, unjust and pathetic that underpaid good teachers have to dig into their own pockets to pay for stationery which should be supplied by parents. Alas, some parents don't even bother or care about their children's education. The school and Education office wants to push the responsibility away, do not want to know or have anything to do with it.
Quote :
NSW teachers say they are spending thousands of dollars a year to buy basic classroom items, filling the gap between the Education Department and some parents who fail to equip their children with a pen and an exercise book.
http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/teachers-spend-own-cash-on-classroom-supplies-20110828-1jgnb.html
Given the high cost of living in Australia, teachers are not adequately compensated for their hard work. Cross country comparison of teachers' pay. Australian teachers are poorly paid. No wonder many have quit or complain that the work is unfulfilling.
http://www.worldsalaries.org/teacher.shtml
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/teacher-pay-around-the-world/
http://www.payscale.com/research/SG/Job=Secondary_School_Teacher/Salary
http://www.teachenglishtaiwan.net/teaching-in-taiwan/teacher-pay/
http://www.therationalradical.com/documents/teacherssalaries.htm
Investing in the human resources in the future generation is our greatest asset. This calls for prompt action and not allowing further degeneration of a longstanding problem.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Carbon tax during economic slowdown
Julia Gillard was not a fan of the carbon tax but was forced by paying tribute to the Greens that hold the swing in parliament to move forward with a bold front.
Open debate with everyone with an opinion chipping in their two cents worth has however caused more confusion than generate wisdom. Random posters who spew profanities are uncalled for and do little to benefit Australian public policy or its people.
Environmental issue is a serious one that deserves attention and concern of all responsible citizens of the world. Australia has to play its part to fulfil its global obligations even though others are at different stages, some more advanced or slower than others in certain clean energy and carbon pricing policies. There is no clear cut winner but for doing nothing, the biggest losers are all earthlings. We love ideals but do not wish to pay the price.
Politicking has hindered any meaningful progress.
The NSW government has cherry-picked all the scariest possible numbers in a way that is totally misleading and absolutely dishonest," Professor Quiggin said.
The modelling by Frontier Economics found there would be 6400 more jobs in Sydney in 2020 compared with the "business as usual" scenario without a carbon tax. By 2030 there would be 17,600 more. The modelling showed the city's economic output would be 0.3 per cent higher in 2020 with the tax, compared with business as usual, and 0.8 per cent higher in 2030.
Modelling experts have told the Herald the findings of both big job losses and strong regional output growth seem implausible. Large investments to expand the NSW coal sector recently, including in the Hunter, also seem at odds with predictions of a marked drop in employment in the industry.
http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/carbon-tax-job-outlook-upbeat-20110819-1j2f9.html
Bad news about the languishing steel industy shedding 1,000 jobs could not have come at a worse time.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/industry-poised-for-huge-job-cuts-20110821-1j4sr.html
This is inspite of the fact that the steel industry is poised to receive a large $300 million from government subsidy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/steel-industry-is-the-biggest-winner-in-carbon-tax-plan/story-e6frg9io-1226091915717
Open debate with everyone with an opinion chipping in their two cents worth has however caused more confusion than generate wisdom. Random posters who spew profanities are uncalled for and do little to benefit Australian public policy or its people.
Environmental issue is a serious one that deserves attention and concern of all responsible citizens of the world. Australia has to play its part to fulfil its global obligations even though others are at different stages, some more advanced or slower than others in certain clean energy and carbon pricing policies. There is no clear cut winner but for doing nothing, the biggest losers are all earthlings. We love ideals but do not wish to pay the price.
Politicking has hindered any meaningful progress.
The NSW government has cherry-picked all the scariest possible numbers in a way that is totally misleading and absolutely dishonest," Professor Quiggin said.
The modelling by Frontier Economics found there would be 6400 more jobs in Sydney in 2020 compared with the "business as usual" scenario without a carbon tax. By 2030 there would be 17,600 more. The modelling showed the city's economic output would be 0.3 per cent higher in 2020 with the tax, compared with business as usual, and 0.8 per cent higher in 2030.
Modelling experts have told the Herald the findings of both big job losses and strong regional output growth seem implausible. Large investments to expand the NSW coal sector recently, including in the Hunter, also seem at odds with predictions of a marked drop in employment in the industry.
http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/carbon-tax-job-outlook-upbeat-20110819-1j2f9.html
Bad news about the languishing steel industy shedding 1,000 jobs could not have come at a worse time.
http://www.smh.com.au/national/industry-poised-for-huge-job-cuts-20110821-1j4sr.html
This is inspite of the fact that the steel industry is poised to receive a large $300 million from government subsidy.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/steel-industry-is-the-biggest-winner-in-carbon-tax-plan/story-e6frg9io-1226091915717
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Feasibility of cherry picking selected sharia laws for economic gains?
Australia is a secular country and the law of the state is fair, just and unprejudiced, and presumably all-encompassing and capable of taking care of interests of citizens and foreigners regardless of religions, cultures and political affiliations.
Common law originated in England and comprises statutes (legislation) and precedence of judge-made laws. Other than the moral basis of Christianity and Anglo-Saxon cultural tenets, the courts are given much flexibility interpret and adapt laws to new circumstances. It is progressive unlike certain static laws that are non-negotiable.
It is difficult to conceive how minorities in the country and the world could justify imposing their religious laws unless there is siginificant historical and social meaning, such as Aboriginal land rights.
The bizzare incident of a single crazy Muslim taking Sharia law into his own hands and defying the rules of the land has not found supporters even among majority of the educated moderate Muslim Australians nor the Islamic authorities.
While the originators of Sharia law expect the legal system to be taken in totality, it has been limited to family law in countries that have adopted some aspects of it. Since the ancient expectation of holistic application of Sharia is not feasible or realistic in the modern world, it is difficult to fathom how much Sharia could undermine the existing legal framework with the ground rule that where contradictions exist, the state laws prevail.
Moreover, the strong resistance from other conservative religious quarters who see any concession as capitulation would likely limit the influence of Sharia in years to come.
However, investor dollars are luring academics and governments to make compromises and exceptions. How the authorities could balance economic interests with fair protection and cultural chauvinism tendencies would be quite a challenge.
Laws are evolving. Civil law systems are learning from common law. The World Trade Organisation adopts a rule-based formula similar to civil law.
Intelligent and wise legislature and judicary probably matter more than mere prescriptions.
QUOTES
It's doubtful that sharia specifies the use of electrical cables in this sort of retribution, but that might not be the worst of it. Suggestions have emerged "from one local Auburn source" that the victim may have owed money to a number of people. If so, this could be a normal bit of roughing-up to speed the return of outstanding funds – not unknown in Australia or other common law countries as a method of settling debts.
---
Clearly, the government is keen for Australia to dip into $1.6 trillion worth of Islamic investment.
As academics Ann Black and Kerrie Sadiq write in the University of NSW Law Journal, finance is part of "good sharia law", which has an emphasis on profit sharing instead of charging interest and excluding investment in things contrary to Islamic principles.
If we can made a quid out of adapting our principles to include Islamic methods of finance and investment, then sharia has a welcome place in our system.
On the other hand (a phrase with a special meaning in parts of the Muslim world) Black and Sadiq point to Islamic family law, such as the recognition of polygamy and Muslim divorce, which is regarded as "bad sharia law".
---
The hudud punishments of hand severing, stoning to death and beating with cables are confined to a few countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Iran. As far as we know there is no credible proposal that they be allowed to function in parallel with the Australian legal system, although you wonder when you see Australians screeching at accused persons as they are driven away in police vehicles.
---
The vast majority of Muslim countries and Muslims have moved on from the middle ages. It was interesting to see a number of Islamic organisations condemn the alcohol-tippling/debt-recovery punishment. Sheikh Taj el-Din al Hilaly, of the Lakemba Mosque, said the attackers should be "assessed for a mental disorder" and those found guilty deported. Guilty of a mental disorder takes our law into uncharted waters, so maybe it's best to say no more about it.
In Britain there are close to 100 sharia tribunals that deal with matters such as domestic relations and inheritance, with appeals to the civil courts.
In Australia, law reform commissions have recommended that aspects of Aboriginal customary law be permitted to function alongside white man's law. The Law Council of Australia welcomes that and, indeed, it has been recognised in the Northern Territory.
Our system of laws is not immune from the the imprecations of Christian fundamentalism, either. For instance, the Reverend Fred Nile is forever trying to impose some sort of Christian sharia on his flock, the people of NSW. Maybe he should be allowed to have his own courts to impose special punishments on prostitutes, gays, and students who skive off from scripture classes.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/why-good-sharia-is-championed-in-some-surprising-quarters-20110721-1hqy0.html#ixzz1SywuRirw
Common law originated in England and comprises statutes (legislation) and precedence of judge-made laws. Other than the moral basis of Christianity and Anglo-Saxon cultural tenets, the courts are given much flexibility interpret and adapt laws to new circumstances. It is progressive unlike certain static laws that are non-negotiable.
It is difficult to conceive how minorities in the country and the world could justify imposing their religious laws unless there is siginificant historical and social meaning, such as Aboriginal land rights.
The bizzare incident of a single crazy Muslim taking Sharia law into his own hands and defying the rules of the land has not found supporters even among majority of the educated moderate Muslim Australians nor the Islamic authorities.
While the originators of Sharia law expect the legal system to be taken in totality, it has been limited to family law in countries that have adopted some aspects of it. Since the ancient expectation of holistic application of Sharia is not feasible or realistic in the modern world, it is difficult to fathom how much Sharia could undermine the existing legal framework with the ground rule that where contradictions exist, the state laws prevail.
Moreover, the strong resistance from other conservative religious quarters who see any concession as capitulation would likely limit the influence of Sharia in years to come.
However, investor dollars are luring academics and governments to make compromises and exceptions. How the authorities could balance economic interests with fair protection and cultural chauvinism tendencies would be quite a challenge.
Laws are evolving. Civil law systems are learning from common law. The World Trade Organisation adopts a rule-based formula similar to civil law.
Intelligent and wise legislature and judicary probably matter more than mere prescriptions.
QUOTES
It's doubtful that sharia specifies the use of electrical cables in this sort of retribution, but that might not be the worst of it. Suggestions have emerged "from one local Auburn source" that the victim may have owed money to a number of people. If so, this could be a normal bit of roughing-up to speed the return of outstanding funds – not unknown in Australia or other common law countries as a method of settling debts.
---
Clearly, the government is keen for Australia to dip into $1.6 trillion worth of Islamic investment.
As academics Ann Black and Kerrie Sadiq write in the University of NSW Law Journal, finance is part of "good sharia law", which has an emphasis on profit sharing instead of charging interest and excluding investment in things contrary to Islamic principles.
If we can made a quid out of adapting our principles to include Islamic methods of finance and investment, then sharia has a welcome place in our system.
On the other hand (a phrase with a special meaning in parts of the Muslim world) Black and Sadiq point to Islamic family law, such as the recognition of polygamy and Muslim divorce, which is regarded as "bad sharia law".
---
The hudud punishments of hand severing, stoning to death and beating with cables are confined to a few countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Iran. As far as we know there is no credible proposal that they be allowed to function in parallel with the Australian legal system, although you wonder when you see Australians screeching at accused persons as they are driven away in police vehicles.
---
The vast majority of Muslim countries and Muslims have moved on from the middle ages. It was interesting to see a number of Islamic organisations condemn the alcohol-tippling/debt-recovery punishment. Sheikh Taj el-Din al Hilaly, of the Lakemba Mosque, said the attackers should be "assessed for a mental disorder" and those found guilty deported. Guilty of a mental disorder takes our law into uncharted waters, so maybe it's best to say no more about it.
In Britain there are close to 100 sharia tribunals that deal with matters such as domestic relations and inheritance, with appeals to the civil courts.
In Australia, law reform commissions have recommended that aspects of Aboriginal customary law be permitted to function alongside white man's law. The Law Council of Australia welcomes that and, indeed, it has been recognised in the Northern Territory.
Our system of laws is not immune from the the imprecations of Christian fundamentalism, either. For instance, the Reverend Fred Nile is forever trying to impose some sort of Christian sharia on his flock, the people of NSW. Maybe he should be allowed to have his own courts to impose special punishments on prostitutes, gays, and students who skive off from scripture classes.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/why-good-sharia-is-championed-in-some-surprising-quarters-20110721-1hqy0.html#ixzz1SywuRirw
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)