March 2014

Schools & Education

New program develops leadership and learning skills

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2 Schools & Education 2014

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3

Prague, (ČTK)

On June 13, festivities will begin with a “fun run”

at 9am. That will be followed by games and a

picnic. At 1pm, a special dessert and a time of

sharing will take place. Each class will have a

display for the public to enjoy that highlights CISP history.

CISP began in 2004 with ten students and a handful of

volunteer staff. The school has grown to over 80 students from

21 different nationalities. There are 30 full time staff and 18

part-time staff.

Last year the school received recognition by the Czech

Ministry of Education. It was also accredited by ACSI

(Association of Christian Schools International) and MSA

(Middle States Association). The school moved into a new

campus and is now located in the heart of downtown Prague.

Sheila Brandt, Elementary Principal, says there is now plenty

of room for students in grades 1-12, which uses an American

style curriculum and accepts students from all walks of faith.

Kim Townley, a 6th grade teacher, says the low student to

teacher ratio helps students get individualized attention that

improves learning.

For more information about the 10th Anniversary celebration

and about a special “open day” for the school on March 27, visit

the school’s website at www.cisprague.org

or call 420-272-730 091.

The Christian International School of Prague (CISP) would like to invite friends, family,

alumni and the community to help celebrate the occasion.

The teachers and staff at CISP strive daily to have an impact on our students that will leave a legacy in their minds and, more importantly, in their hearts.

“

”

CISP Celebrates itsTENTH YEAR!

4 Schools & Education 2014

By andré CrousFOr ThE POST

Located in a nearly 1,000-year-old building on Pštrossova Street in Prague’s New Town, the Prague Film School (PFS) prides itself on being a hands-on institution that attracts a wide array of quality

teachers from the film industry to instruct its 60-odd students in

the craft of filmmaking and film acting.

This international school, whiWch brings in students from

some 40 countries, has been operating in Prague for more than

10 years and is the brainchild of co-founders and -directors

Tariq hager and Tomas Krasauskas. They founded PFS after

collaborating with Sony on an educational summer program

and recoWgnizing the interest of international students to learn

the skills of filmmaking at an institution that would be almost

entirely praxis-oriented and cost far less than similar schools in

the United States.

But studies at PFS are not limited to enhancing the students’ expertise behind the camera: Besides the programs in fiction and documentary filmmaking, the school also offers an intensive acting program, headed up by Nancy Bishop.

Bishop, who has been at the school for about five years, told the Prague Post, “It is really full-on, like theater boot camp.” While part of the training can be called classical, with a focus on movement (including yoga, the Alexander technique and stage combat) and voice just as there would be at a drama school primarily interested in stage performance, the course is designed with acting for film or television in mind. Bishop says PFS is one of the rare schools in Europe that are focused on training students to perform in front of a camera rather than onstage.

As part of their schooling, the actors also work on many of the 200 films that are being produced by the filmmaking students every year.

“At a regular acting conservatory, you’d be doing plays all the time,” Bishop says. “At our school, they are doing films all the time, so they are calibrating their performance for the camera, and they have a lot of practice with that.”

The actors also get some training in basic filmmaking skills,

ONSCREEN

❚ The Prague Film School offers intensive, comprehensive training for aspiring film, TV actors

Students and teachers take a hands-on approach at

Prague Film School.

How to get your face

5

including directing, screenwriting and editing, so they are fully equipped to enter and feel at home in the film industry after they graduate. Just like the filmmaking program, which has recently attracted individuals like the renowned Czech director Jiří Menzel, the acting program also draws on the experience of professionals in the industry.

Bishop, a casting director and acting coach by profession, recently brought in Luci Lennox, who worked on the crew of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Los Angeles–based managing agent Derek Power, who also represents composer Michael Nyman and Czech actor-director Jiří Mádl, to give advice and introduce the actors to different aspects of the industry.

Professionals from theater institutions in the capital, including Prague Shakespeare Company’s Guy roberts and

Prague Playhouse’s Brian Caspe, as well as teachers from

Prague’s Theatre Faculty of the

Academy of Performing Arts

(DAMU), are also involved in

many of the courses taught at

PFS, and Bishop says the staff’s

diverse backgrounds ensure the

students get the best possible

training.

“We [wouldn’t] want an

amateur teaching them stage

combat!” she says with a laugh.

The acting classes usually

have around 10 students, and

the rigorous training may not

be for everyone: Besides the

performance side of their studies,

the actors also take two electives

with the filmmaking students, and

hager says the “Directing actors”

module is particularly attractive,

for obvious reasons.

The deadline for applications

for the 2014/15 academic year

is March 23, 2014, and those

hoping to apply can download

the paperwork at Filmstudies.cz/

admissions/application.

6 Schools & Education 2014

By raymond JohnsTon FOr ThE POST

While must of us enjoy music all year round, at NYU Prague that hadn’t been the case. The music program was offered only in the fall. Starting last year though, it expanded to the

spring and fall semesters and may grow further.

Not only that, but the program has been reaching out to expand beyond the walls of academia. “The Music Program at NYU Prague is exceptional in that the administration and faculty have been totally committed in developing student’s understanding of the Czech music culture. Each year, they continue to find new opportunities for music students to integrate into the local culture through performances, music business and technology internships, and student teaching observations in the classroom,” said Jiří Pehe, the director of NYU Prague.

This helps students to get a more multicultural experience. “As community relationships grow each year, students gain deeper access to the Czech culture and come away with new prospective on music and their musical significance as global citizens,” Pehe added.

The program is quite competitive. More than 40 percent of NYU’s undergraduates study abroad. Within the music

program, there are several hundred music students at the Steinhardt School of Education in New York, and between 25 and 40 students in Prague each semester. “As space is limited at NYU Prague, applicants are selected based on their academic achievement along with their specific interests within the

region. For instance, classical string players are interested in studying with Czech violinists, cellists and bassists due to the specific bowing techniques they use to play their instruments,” Pehe said. “Student composers will find the direct source of inspiration for the composers from the region including the masters Dvořák, Janáček and Bartók.”

And the time for students to apply is coming up. Students in New York who want to come for the fall semester have until late spring to apply. Since the Music Program is fully integrated into the Music Program in New York, those students who want to take certain courses in Prague must take first, as prerequisites, specific courses in New York. “For example, it is not possible to take the 20th century music class in Prague without first taking a course on 19th century music,” Pehe said.

The staff is a key part of the program. Tony Ackerman, the faculty coordinator, is an accomplished jazz musician who plays in Prague clubs often. In addition to teaching an aural comprehension class and newly also a collegium and program seminar, he also serves as a liaison between the faculty and the administration, and is tasked with thinking conceptually about new courses and ideas.

“In general, we have been very fortunate in engaging a number of well-known Czech musicians and musicologists as members of our faculty,” Pehe said. The faculty selection is

Photo: NYU Prague

RigHT NOTE

❚ Music program offers students a

broad look at local culture

NYU Prague hits the

Students get a chance to perform in a variety of venues of Prague, from jazz to classical

7 Schools & Education 2014

intended to mirror the faculty at the home campus in New York City. “While the instruction is at the same level, the content and references are unique to Prague culture. We believe that this is the essence of offering study abroad opportunities to our students as they learn lessons from the unique environment where they are studying,” Pehe said.

Simply because the Prague campus is far away from the main one doesn’t mean any standards are lower. “Instructors are recommended by the NYU Prague administration, which submits resumes for review to the director of Steinhardt Music for vetting. Over the years, broad ranges of talented Czech instructors have been available for our students, adding to the depth cultural experiences they can explore. Music students are most fortunate to interact with such a diverse faculty,” Pehe said.

Like elsewhere in NYU’s global network, the campus works closely with sponsoring departments at NYU in New York to identify, recruit, and hire top faculty and instructors. “It is a rather rigorous process which helps to ensure that NYU students receive an extraordinarily high level of instruction wherever they study around the globe,” Pehe said.

And even though Prague, with its history that includes visits from Mozart, is known for classical music, the program is rather diverse. “We have a wide diversity of music students interested in many areas of music. Music business students have great interest in current pop music, while music technology students have interest in electronic music. The interesting outcome that occurs at NYU Prague is that since students are away from home, they create a new community where their interests in jazz, contemporary, classical and pop music are integrated and explored together,” Pehe said.

“This is a program that brings students with differing music needs together to study in Prague. … Since the students have diverse majors – from music technology and music management to music education – NYU Prague has to be able to offer a variety of courses. For our performers, it is our intension to balance performance with academic rigor to offer students a complete cultural experience while in Prague,” Pehe said.

Courses range from theoretical courses, such as music history, to practical courses, such as aural comprehension. In addition, each student is required to take a music instruction course, as each student plays an instrument or has voice lessons. The school also offers internships in music management and technology and organizes events where students can perform. “We are constantly working with academic departments in New York to ensure that we are offering the right courses for our students,” Pehe said.

While the program is now offered in spring and fall, there is still a gap. “We are also hoping to expand to offer summer programs for NYU students here in Prague, but hopefully more on that soon,” Pehe concluded.

- Raymond Johnson can be reached at rjohnson@praguepost.com

While the instruction is at the same level, the content and refereces are unique to Prague culture.“

”

Softball tournament proceeds are gifted to Thomayer University Hospital in Prague to support a hospital schooling facility at the Children’s Neurology and Psychiatry depart-ments. Besides supporting teacher salaries, funds also go towards engaging teaching material that make classes more fun.

www.ppef.cz

may 3-4, 2014

heavy hitterheavy hitters3 nd International

Charity Softball Tournament2

9

Prague, (ČTK)

Foreign teachers of languages would not have to leave

Czech schools due to the new requirement that only

people with professional qualification are allowed to

teach, Education Minister Marcel Chládek said after

meeting school unions and deans of faculties for teachers today.

As most native speakers hired by schools for foreign language

lessons do not have the required qualification, some prestigious

secondary schools criticized the ministry's plan.

Chládek said some groups of teachers would be allowed to teach

even without the qualification.

Apart from native speakers, this would apply to part-time

teachers of specialized subjects and teachers aged over 55 with

more than 20 years of teaching experience.

There are approximately 130,000 teachers in the country and

about 17,000 of them do not have the required qualification.

however, a part of those without qualification has already started

their study.

Some 7,000 teachers would still have to leave their jobs at the

end of the year because they lack the qualification.

About 6,000 teachers are registered as unemployed at Labor

Offices. Though they are seeking jobs, they cannot easily replace

the unqualified teachers because some of them do not want to be

teachers anymore and others taught different subjects than are now

needed.

Chládek said the biggest problem with unqualified teachers is

in the Karlovy Vary region and the Ustí region, both bordering

Germany, but also in Prague and the surrounding Central

Bohemian region.

Czech school union leader František Dobšík said teachers would

be more motivated to receive the required education if they had

higher salaries.

Chládek said the ministry would have 1.5 billion Kč more for

teachers' salaries as of next year.

he said he would like to raise the salaries of teachers by more

than 2 percent.

Ministry changes tune on language teachers❚ Chládek: Foreign teachers can stay at Czech schools

e a rets

Keep your children entertained during the Easter holidays!

Kamyk site: K Lesu 558/2, Prague 4Vlastina site: Vlastina 500/19, Prague 6For more details please visit: www.pbschool.cz or call +420 226 096 200

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Prague Post Banner_larger_mmm.pdf 13/3/14 13:39:11

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A center of Czech innovation❚ Music program offers students a broad look at local culture

Photo: CzechInvest

By daniel Bardsley

FOr ThE POST

With a 1,000-year history that has left a legacy of architecture ranging from a Gothic cathedral to an imposing hilltop castle, Brno might seem like a city locked in the past.

Add to that the way it pioneered industrialization within the habsburg Empire in the late 1700s, becoming a focus for sectors such as textiles, and it hardly fits the template of the 21st-century innovation hub.

Yet that is exactly what it has become. Sometimes dubbed the Silicon Valley of the Czech republic, it plays host to about 400 technology companies with a focus on research and development.

The cluster of universities in the area, among them Masaryk

University and Brno University of Technology, means the city has one of the highest concentrations of students in the country, and many of them have expertise in sectors such as IT that are vital to research-based start-ups.

Miloš Sochor, chief consultant at the South Moravian Innovation Center (JIC), said the large number of universities in and around Brno were “100 percent” the reason why the JIC had become a key incubation center.

“Brno is student city. It’s hard to have innovation where you don’t have the young entrepreneurs. 99 percent of the people who run the companies here are graduates of these schools or connected to the technology that came out of these schools,” he told the Prague Post.

Brno’s strength in technology and start-ups also stems from South Moravia’s adoption in 2001 of a regional innovation

Brno is home to large numbers of start-up technology businesses

11 Schools & Education 2014

strategy that has seen, in its wake, the opening of business incubation centers and the investment of hundreds of millions of euros by the Czech authorities and private companies.

Between 2011 and 2015, 600 million euros of European Union Structural Funds, which are targeted as less wealthy parts of the EU, are set to be invested in the area. Many individual firms have been able to secure grants through other programs.

Local organizations such as CzechInvest, which has a South Moravian office and has promoted start-ups, are also seen as having provided an important contribution.

This mix of a start-up culture in the private sector, plus authorities who understand the importance of fostering innovation, seems to have set Brno apart and helped it achieve a transformation where many other old industrial centers have continued to struggle.

The JIC has played host to more than 120 companies over the past decade, the majority in fields related to IT. That is out of over 1,200 firms that applied to set up there, allowing officials to be highly selective in terms of those they accept.

To help find new innovators, the center talks to students and professors and promotes opportunities for them to transfer technology into the commercial sphere. There are even links with Silicon Valley itself through partnerships with the US Market Access Center which is based there.

It is very much a case that in Brno, success has bred more success: The achievements of some of the city’s high-profile entrepreneurial companies have encouraged others to try to follow in their footsteps, according to Sochor.

Examples include Westcom, which set up in Brno in the early 2000s and developed Webnode, a method of website building.

Among the other high-profile names is Y Soft Corporation,

which was founded in 2000 and develops, for example, software

that manages printing by computers, and has also produced

USB card readers for printers.

The company’s founder, Václav Muchna, a former student at

Masaryk University, has become a role model to other would-be

entrepreneurs, said Sochor.

“Mr Muchna, who runs Y Soft, is only in his mid-30s, runs

a global company with 200 employees. When you have people

hearing about this, that’s very inspiring, that anybody can make

it and have a successful business,” he said.

- Daniel Bardsley can be reached at dbardsley@praguepost.com

We o�er the applicants an intensive English course (April – June + August 2014). The course is designed for students whose English is at least at the Movers - YLE level.

We provide a very good quality of education in Czech and English (Science and Social Studies), small classes, an intensive English programme (average 5 lessons/week) taught by native speakers / teachers on C2 level, other foreign languages (Spanish / French / German), and Cambridge exam in grade 9.

BILINGUAL PROGRAMME IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSES

Elementary school ANGELwill be admitting students in the

7th and 8th bilingual gradesfor the school year 2014/2015.

For more information – Mgr. Marie Horčičková horcickova@zsangel.cz, tel: 261397120

12 Schools & Education 2014

BRNOAn historical exhibit in

The father of genetics worked in BrnoPhoto: Daniel Bardsley

By daniel Bardsley

FOr ThE POST

With a 1,000-year history that has left a legacy of architecture ranging from a Gothic cathedral to an imposing hilltop castle, Brno might seem like a city locked in the past.

It was at the Augustinian Abbey of St Thomas in Old Brno that he conducted his now famous experiments with pea plants that indicated how characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next.

Studying variables such as the color and shape of the peas, the shape of the pod and the color of the flowers, Mendel determined that characteristics, or at least the single-gene ones he looked at, did not simply blend into one another from one generation to the next.

With impressive insight and through meticulously carried out crosses followed by detailed observation, he developed the law of segregation, namely that each plant has a pair of what are known as alleles (alternative forms of a particular gene), and that the offspring inherits one of these from each parent.

his other key contribution was developing the law of independent assortment, which states that alleles for different

characteristics are inherited separately, or independently, from one another. There are many instances where characteristics are not inherited independently, but for the simple characteristics Mendel looked it, it was the case, and this was crucial in helping him develop his ideas.

Mendel was born in 1822 in what is now hynčice in the far north of the Czech republic, although at the time it was called heinzendorf and was within the Austrian Empire, and Mendel’s first language was German.

Coming from a modest background, Mendel entered the Augustinian Abbey because it would help to fund his education. his family’s finances faced such challenges that one of his sisters gave up her dowry to help to pay for her brother’s education.

Today at the monastery, which lies to the south west of the city center, the small Mendel Museum offers a fascinating insight into Mendel’s life and work.

Visitors can see the site of the glasshouse where Mendel carried out many of his experiments, they can gaze at the tools he used with the trees he cultivated, and they can enjoy get close to Mendel’s bee hives. he was an enthusiastic bee keeper, although attempts to uncover their rules of inheritance proved fruitless.

Given that it was his work with pea plants that helped Mendel formulate his theories, it is appropriate that there is a small exhibit at the museum that allows visitors to sort peas, just

❚ Monk Gregor Mendel is a familiar

figure in biology lessons worldwide

13 Schools & Education 2014

as the man himself would have done, into round or wrinkly, yellow or green types.

Other exhibits include a pair of Mendel’s eye glasses, a microscope he used, a photograph taken of him during a visit to London in 1862 for an industrial fair, and a range of meteorological instruments.

In fact, Mendel published more on meteorology than he did about genetics, even if his contributions in the latter field are far better known.

Offering fascinating reminders of Mendel the person, there are

reproductions of his handwriting on various documents, including

material from the school where he was a teacher.

In 1867, Mendel became abbot of the monastery, and thereafter his

role as an administrator largely took over his life. he died in Brno in

1884 as a result of kidney disease.

It was not until the early 20th century that later scientists appreciated

the significance of Mendel’s work, rewarding him with the status as one

of the founders of modern biology.

Most characteristics are the result of the complex interaction of the

work of multiple genes, so the simple inheritance patterns Mendel

observed and wrote about would not apply to them. Yet his insights into

how characteristics are passed on through what we now know as genes

do apply and his contributions have as a result stood the test of time.

As a result, every year millions of schoolchildren learn about his work

for the first time, and no doubt this will continue for well into the future.

- Daniel Bardsley can be reached at dbardsley@praguepost.com

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Exhibits at the museum include a photograph and some personal belongings

14 Schools & Education 2014

CFA iNSTiTuTEResearch Challenge

UNYP team wins the

Five members of the UNYP team display their winning certificates. Photo: UNYP

By news desK

A team of five University of New York in Prague (UNYP) students won the prestigious CFA research Challenge 2014 for the second year in a row. They competed against teams from Charles University,

Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín and VŠB – Technical University of Ostrava.

UNYP’s winning team —leader renata Ďurčová along with Filip Kunčar, Sophia Khaydari, Martina Tamchynová and Martin Kotchera — will represent Czech republic in the regional European Finale in Milan, Italy, in April. The worldwide finale will take place in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was the fourth time students from Czech universities competed in a national round of the CFA Institute research Challenge. Contestants had to prepare for a difficult task – making a financial analysis with an investment recommendation for the shares of Komerční banka. In the final round the analysis

had to be presented in front of a panel of experts from the investment industry.

These experts, with many years of experience, evaluated not only the analysis itself but also the level of professionalism

at which it was presented. The student contest in the Czech republic is organized by the CFA Society Czech republic, which associates holders and candidates of the CFA designation (Chartered Financial Analyst®) in the Czech republic and Slovakia.

“The level of presented analyses was again very high this year. The final score of all teams, especially between the Charles University and UNYP, was very tight but in the end the winning team from UNYP convinced by their excellent presentation skills,” said Matěj Turek, CFA, a Member of the Board of the CFA Society Czech republic and the main coordinator of the contest.

“All teams asked relevant questions and did a good job in preparing their reports. I believe the winning team stands a good chance of succeeding in the European round in Milan and,

even more mportantly, in their future careers,” stated Jakub

❚ Monk Gregor Mendel is a familiar

figure in biology lessons worldwide

University of Economics, Prague3 Bachelor´s Programs in English ● Bachelor of Corporate Finance and Management● Bachelor of Economics● Bachelor of International Business

1 Bachelor in Russian● Экономика предприятия и менеджмент

5 Master´s Programs in English● Economic and Regional Studies of Latin America● Economics of Globalisation and European Integration ● Finance and Accounting for Common Europe● International and Diplomatic Studies● International Business – Central European Business Realities

1 MBA – MAE in French● Master Management et Administration des Entreprises

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Černý, head of Investor relations at Komerční banka.

renáta Ďurčová, leader of the winning team of UNYP,

shared her thoughts: “CFA Institute research Challenge was

remarkable but very demanding experience. Through this

experience we gained not only a great deal of new knowledge

and practical experiences which we would hardly get at

school but also a unique opportunity for our future careers

in the financial world. … It cost us lots of time, effort and

determination but it was absolutely worth it.”

The winners were honored at the 12th Annual CFA Society

Forecasting Dinner 2014.

The research Challenge, organized globally by CFA

Institute, is an annual global competition that provides

university students with intensive training in financial analysis.

Students gain real-world experience as they assume the role

of a research analyst and are tested on their ability to value a

stock, write an initiation-of-coverage report, and present their

recommendations.

In the Czech round of this competition participants had

to make their own financial analyses with an investment

recommendation whether to buy, sell or hold shares of

Komerční banka which are traded on the Prague Stock

Exchange. The teams were mentored by experienced, CFA

certified professionals with many years of experience from

investment analysis. Last year more than 3 ,500 students from

775 universities participated. 2013’s winning team was from

the Wrocław University of Economics from Poland.

The CFA Society Czech republic (www.czechcfa.cz) is an

association of financial and investment professionals from the

Czech republic and Slovakia, founded in April 2002. It is one

of 138 member societies of the CFA Institute (www.cfainstitute.

org), and its mission is to promote the highest standards of

ethics, education, professional excellence in the Czech and

Slovak financial community.

Currently, the association has more than 130 members,

mostly CFA charterholders, and nearly 900 CFA Program

candidates from the Czech republic and Slovakia who typically

hold the following positions: portfolio manager, financial

analyst, investment banking or corporate finance analyst,

consultant, financial advisor, risk manager, relationship

manager and top management executive.

Sponsors of the CFA Society Czech republic are: EY, ČSOB

Asset Management and ING Investment Management. The

research Challenge sponsor is J&T Bank; the event’s partner is

Thomson reuters and the event’s media partners are Ekonom

and ihNed.cz.

University of Economics, Prague3 Bachelor´s Programs in English ● Bachelor of Corporate Finance and Management● Bachelor of Economics● Bachelor of International Business

1 Bachelor in Russian● Экономика предприятия и менеджмент

5 Master´s Programs in English● Economic and Regional Studies of Latin America● Economics of Globalisation and European Integration ● Finance and Accounting for Common Europe● International and Diplomatic Studies● International Business – Central European Business Realities

1 MBA – MAE in French● Master Management et Administration des Entreprises

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16 Schools & Education 2014

By niCholas BurneTT and nisma eliasWAShINGTON, DC

Last year was an important one for developing countries, if only because the world was reminded of the true value of education there. Indeed, Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who spoke up

for children’s right to go to school – even after surviving an assassination attempt by the Taliban – served poignant notice that not educating a child in the developing world is significantly more costly than doing so.

With education squarely in the spotlight, new trends are gaining momentum, many of them merging with “innovative finance” – a concept much beloved by development policymakers and practitioners in difficult economic times. In particular, the emergence of so-called loan buy-downs could encourage financing for education from reluctant donor countries.

A loan buy-down is a transaction in which a third party pays down part of a loan by softening its terms or reducing the principal outstanding, thereby releasing the borrowing country from all or some of its future repayment obligations. Because the buy-down is triggered by achievement of a pre-defined target, such transactions promote results-based financing, bringing about quantifiable reforms that otherwise might not have been realized.

Appropriately defined triggers thus address one of the main criticisms of international aid. They also encourage borrowers to invest in projects with long-run returns that may not be politically attractive, such as teacher training.

Unfortunately, the education sector still lags behind others in harnessing the potential of innovative development finance – and loan buy-downs are no exception. As a result, the few examples of buy-downs so far have mainly been for health initiatives.

The Partnership for Polio Eradication Project in Nigeria and Pakistan – launched in 2003 by the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, rotary International, and the United Nations Foundation – is a prime example of how a buy-down program can concentrate global efforts on a single issue and yield benefits for all parties. The Bank provided upfront long-term zero-interest loans for the purchase of oral polio vaccines in Nigeria and Pakistan, while the other three organizations covered all service and commitment charges associated with the loans.

At the end of the project – that is, when an independent performance audit determines that the vaccines arrived on time for the campaign, and immunization coverage has reached at least 80% – the partnership will buy down the Bank’s loans. The World Bank will then cancel the credit and release the recipients from any future liability.

BuY-DOWNOption

Education’s

❚ The United States' President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughter Malia meet with Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, in the Oval Office on October 11th 2013. Photo: Whitehouse.gov/Wikipedia

17 Schools & Education 2014

Loan buy-downs could mitigate dwindling flows of official development assistance (ODA) for education in low-income countries, which declined by 10% from 2010 to 2011 – and by 5% for basic education. This reflects lower spending by seven of the 11 major bilateral donors. The Netherlands led the way, slashing its aid to basic education by 36%, outpacing even the 31% cut by crisis-ridden Spain. Japan, too, reduced its aid by 30%, while France and Canada cut their assistance by 25% and 21%, respectively. Elsewhere, the United States lowered its budget by 13%, and Norway by 4%.

Given that the Netherlands has long been a key supporter of basic education, its decision to phase out its education programs was particularly notable. But, beyond aid reductions, donors may also make it more difficult for borrowing countries to repay the aid funds they owe (this is not limited to loans for education). And some donors – such as France, Germany, and the European Investment Bank – are lobbying the OECD Development Assistance Committee to count unsubsidized loans as official development assistance to enable them to meet their ODA targets. This reverses the trend over the last few decades toward grant-based financing, especially for basic education.

But education, a crucial public good, should not be left behind in the pursuit of non-grant-based aid. Loan buy-downs can help keep the education sector “competitive,” and could prove to be a mechanism to leverage extra resources for education, for which capital-strapped countries may not be willing to borrow otherwise.

Despite the potential benefits, the many unanswered questions about buy-downs limit their application. Which countries would be willing to participate, either as borrowers or lenders? What kinds of triggers should be specified for mobilizing buy-down funds? how would it be decided whether these targets had been met?

With such questions in mind, results for Development Institute has prepared a study for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), analyzing the buy-down model’s use in other sectors and considering ways to apply it to education. The report focuses on which countries have the right combination of basic education needs and borrowing potential. Moreover, it examines how the buy-down triggers could catalyze results, as well as the operational issues that might arise. As a next step, the report proposes a pilot program and consultations with borrowers, lenders, and funders to resolve enduring questions about their application.

That is a sensible approach. Buy-downs may prove to be the solution needed to ensure adequate and stable assistance to education in developing countries. It is time to find out.

Nicholas Burnett is Managing Director of Global Education at results for Development Institute. Nisma Elias is Program Associate at results for Development Institute.

- Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2014. www.project-syndicate.org

COUNCIL OFBRITISHINTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

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18 Schools & Education 2014

By raymond JohnsTonSTAFF WrITEr

Many children play with pop-up books featuring lions or princesses from feature-length cartoons. But for kids who find such pop culture boring, there is an alternative. An updated version of The

Large Hadron Collider Pop-Up Book was released in November 2013, with some additional details on the higgs-Boson, which the collider helped to confirm the existence of.

The book complements an exhibition called Collider in London’s Science Museum, which runs until May 5, 2014. But the exhibit also stands alone to give people some insight into the Large hadron Collider (LCh), which is an underground structure at the CErN research center in the Swiss Alps, which boasts a 27 kilometer circumference, used to crash opposing beams of protons.

While it looks like a children’s book and perhaps is meant for a younger audience, it also does not dumb down the subject.

right away on the first two pages there are references to re-creating the conditions of the Big Bang and to subatomic particles like quarks. The language is fairly simple, but the concepts are introduced rapidly.

Among all of the facts and figures about the numbers of magnets and how many million times a second something happens there is some slightly poetic language. “This is where science fiction becomes reality — the LhC is the coldest, emptiest place this side of the moon and the largest superconducting installation ever built,” the book states.

It is hard to count the pages, as there are numerous foldouts on each leaf. But the book has four main full-size double-page spreads. The first is an overview of the LhC, showing the ground level and some buildings raised above the circular collider

After laying out some scientific basics, the book goes into the details of one of the experiments, ATLAS, which covers the next two foldouts.

The first has a small pop-up control room and a larger paper model showing the 7,000 metric ton underground cylinder and surface-level control building.

Pop-up book takes matter to heart

❚ Understanding the Higgs-Boson

made (almost) easy

A revised version of The Large Hadron Collider Pop-Up Book

was published in November 2013

19

The pop-up helps to explain the scale of the project better than a simple two-dimensional drawing. Aside from an interactive video-game style graphic package, this might be the best way to look inside the project.

The authors try to keep all of the figures in some understandable perspective. They point out that the volume of data in the reactions is virtually impossible to fully monitor. They give examples such as it would take 40 million CDs a second to store all the data. And they also include details that are hard to fathom.

“If you threw ATLAS into the ocean in a giant plastic bag it would actually float!” they say, after of course pointing out that the outer layer is made of 700 pieces about the size and weight of a car.

The next foldout is what makes the book a keeper. It delves into details of how the ATLAS works and how data is captured. Not only does to pop-up detailed model require some careful assembly, but the science behind it is incredibly complex.

The various layers of sensors including muon detectors each have a little foldout and explanation Still, even the brief explanation helps to put into perspective why such a large building, one of the world’s biggest such efforts, is needed to study particles that by definition are smaller than atoms. Even without fully understanding the details, anyone can marvel at the achievement of building and operating the LhC.

The last foldout is the most beautiful. It shows the expanding

universe at four stages, from fractions of a second after the big

bang to now. It tries to put the importance of the experiments

that confirmed the existence of higgs boson into perspective.

“ATLAS is looking for tiny differences between matter and

antimatter that could explain why we are here today,” the

authors state. They then go on to say rather modestly that

theories hinge on a particle called higgs boson, and that on July

4, 2012, “the discovery of just such a boson was announced

by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large hadron

Collider.”

The does succeed in making a complex tale understandable if

not fascinating. While it doesn’t take long to read the book, fully

understanding it would take a Ph.D. And if the book inspires

someone to learn more about physics and how it relates to the

origins of the universe, then it did its job.

The Large Hadron Collider Pop-Up Book

Voyage to the heart of Matter — the higgs Edition

By Anton radevsky and Emma Sanders

www.amazon.co.uk/Large-hadron-Collider-Pop-Up-Book/

dp/1906506418

EDUCATINGTOMORROW’S

LEADERS

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE UNYP STUDENT TEAMS

The ATLAS in real life weighs 7,000 metric tons.

The Big Bang makes for a colorful display in the book

20 Schools & Education 2014

who is on boardDiRECTiNg

By daniel BardsleySTAFF WrITEr

I t is nothing if not an ambitious target: by 2020, at least 40 percent of the non-executive director positions on each large publicly listed company in the EU must be filled by women.

Companies risk being fined or shut out of state contracts if they fail to meet the figure, so the targets are not something firms are able to ignore.

Yet, according to figures from the European Commission, last year a modest 17.6 percent of non-executive board posts were held by women, meaning companies need to more than double their tally of female representatives if they are to comply.

While the reasons why women do not reach senior levels in larger numbers are subject to debate, and many people – and national governments – have taken issue with the idea of quotas, they are now set to pass into law. That means firms will have to move much faster if they are to comply, as statistics indicate that the proportion of female directors in companies is only increasing by about 0.6 percentage points annually.

“I think time is a very important issue. If we want to reach a balance by 2020, then we have to start to do that now,” says Kimberli Lewis, a former board member of MedWOW Israel, a

current board member of the Search and Information Industry Association and the CEO of Prague-based Global Business Therapy, which runs training programs for potential women leaders.

“The worst thing that can happen is that 2020 comes and we really don’t have enough candidates for these positions and get into the situation where you’re putting candidates in who may not be quite ready.” Training women for top posts requires companies to dedicated long-term educational programs, and not just a few weekend seminars, Lewis said.

One problem Lewis sees is that the issue of developing leaders is often “delegated to the hr department.” But often, she says, the hr department does not have a full understanding of how diversity is implemented in a company. It is about more than just who you hire.

“It begins with hiring and ends with the pathway and leadership training. At the level of hr … if these people are not at executive level, they have not been through the executive pathway themselves, therefore very difficult for them,” she said.

While a focus on who a company hires, and on issues such as flexible work patterns, can be helpful for ensuring a company has a more diverse workforce “at the employee level,” this is said to be of limited benefit in promoting diversity at senior levels.

“You go into a company website and there’s a whole section on diversity and, ‘We are diverse.’ If you get into the reality, it’s not happening the way it should happen,” said Lewis.

Lewis describes Scandinavia, where in some countries quotas have already been in place for a number of years, as having done

❚ Prague-based trainer says leadership

training programs are key for women

to reach senior levels

21 Schools & Education 2014

“a very good job” of ensuring that companies have more gender-balanced boards of directors.

But in many countries, she says senior positions remain “very closed” to women. Even those women who would be keen to take on directorships have not made the choice to aim for this type of position because “the doors are closed.”

In Germany, where Lewis has worked as a director extensively, the issue is that many of the major companies operate in sectors, like the automotive industry, that tend to be male dominated. In the Czech republic, she said the issue was “more cultural.”

Discrimination does still play a part, she insists, in preventing women from reaching the most senior levels.

“If you were to interview a headhunter, companies themselves say they don’t want a woman because maybe it comes with problems,” she said.

She acknowledges it is “very difficult to have a high-level position and raise a family” and that many women choose not to pursue opportunities at a senior level because of the challenges it brings.

“When I work with a company, the first leadership program we do with the women is, ‘Do you want to do this? Do you understand what it takes?’ You cannot have everything. It’s very difficult to have a high-level position and raise a family. In that process, 50 percent say no, but 50 percent say yes who did not have the opportunity before,” she says.

“If you say only 16 percent of women are in board positions, it cannot be because most women have decided not to take the career opportunity.”

Aside from the issue of gender equality per se, Lewis said that many studies indicate that diversity in boards increases innovation and helps to improve the success of companies.

“That has been looked at many, many times and been proved over again. … Somebody leaves the board and the guy who leaves is Joe. Let’s get another guy, another Joe. If you pull someone in from the same perspective as the person who left the board, you’re not getting diverse points of view,” she said.

While many people remain opposed to quotas, Lewis believes that ultimately they will come round to the view that they are necessary, that it is important companies are given a “kick” to make sure they employ a more diverse group of people at senior levels. She draws parallels with affirmative action programs in the United States, a country where she sometimes works as a trainer.

“People were very against [affirmative action] in the beginning and felt it was reverse discrimination, and now they don’t really talk about it anymore,” she said.

“If there are 10 seats and 20 people, there are always 10 people who are going to win and 10 people who are not. But there’s always another position.”

- Daniel Bardsley can be reached at dbardsley@praguepost.com

22

By gordon BrownLONDON, UK

As the third anniversary of the start of Syria’s civil war approaches, there is a race against time to deliver a groundbreaking education project to the conflict’s hardest-hit victims – hundreds of

thousands of child refugees.

A shocking three million Syrian children have now been displaced. More than one million of them have fled Syria and are languishing in camps in neighboring countries, particularly Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. These children are now suffering a third winter away from their homes, schools, and friends. Many are separated from their families, and thousands more join the ranks of displaced persons every day in what is becoming the largest humanitarian catastrophe of our time.

But a pathbreaking initiative in Lebanon, involving teachers, aid agencies, and education charities has opened a small window of hope. Amid the chaos of camps, makeshift huts, and destitution, the fight for an important new principle of international aid has begun: even in times of conflict, children must have access to education.

A century and a half ago, the red Cross established the norm that health care could – and should – be provided even in conflict zones. This principle was carried forward by groups like

Médicins sans Frontières, whose doctors have risked their lives

for the last four decades to deliver medical care to the world’s

most dangerous places.

Now Lebanon is the site of a pilot program to advance the

idea that providing education for refugee children is equally

feasible – and no less important. Across 1,500 communities in

this troubled, divided country, where Syrian refugee children

now make up 20% of the school-age population, the aim is

to establish children’s right to education as a humanitarian

priority.

The typical refugee child spends more than ten years away

from home. And every month that a child is out of school

makes it less likely that they will ever return. Three years ago,

most Syrian children were at school, and the country had near

universal primary education. Today, millions of children are

Education without

Three years ago, most Syrian children were at school, and the country had near universal primary education

BORDERS

“”

23

being denied any chance to realize their talents. The scars will

last for decades.

So, in Syria and the surrounding region, there is already a

lost generation in the making: children who are now eight and

nine and who have never been to school, children condemned

to work as child laborers, and hundreds of girls forced into early

marriages. There are gruesome tales of young people who have

been forced to sell their kidneys and other organs simply to

survive.

Of course, we must provide food, shelter, and vaccinations.

But, in conflicts like these, the one thing that children need,

beyond the material basics, is hope. And it is education that

provides children with hope that there is light at the end of the

tunnel – hope that they can plan for the future and prepare for

jobs and adulthood.

The pilot project in Lebanon, designed by Kevin Watkins of

the United Kingdom’s Overseas Development Institute and

led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and

the UN high Commission for refugees (UNhCr), creates

the opportunity to establish a right to education irrespective

of borders. Indeed, it is designed to cater to all 435,000

Syrian child refugees now in the country. Thanks to a historic

agreement with the Lebanese government, places for hundreds

of thousands of children can be created within weeks by putting

1,500 of Lebanon’s schools on a double-shift system.

The scheme is already being piloted in a small village called

Akroum in the north of the country. Lebanese children are

taught during the first shift, and Syrian children in the second.

Using the same school for both sets of pupils means that

education can be delivered at a cost of only £400 ($670) per

child per year.

To secure places for all refugee children, we are seeking $195

million dollars a year for UNICEF and UNhCr, with the plan

to be implemented on the ground by NGOs and the Lebanese

authorities. The aim is to secure all funding during March, as

the world marks the third anniversary of this tragic exodus from

Syria.

We have already assembled a coalition of ten donor countries

to take the lead, but we need ten more donors to fund the project

fully. We are appealing to donors not just to create thousands

of school places for desperately needy children, but also to

establish a precedent for the 20 million other children driven by

violent conflict into displaced-persons camps and shantytowns.

There cannot be universal educational opportunity for the

worlds’ children without an agreement that we will cater to

children in conflict zones. One million Afghan children are in

camps along the border with Pakistan. Thousands of children

in South Sudan still await their first chance to go to school, and

schools have yet to be provided for a million more children in

the war-torn Central African republic. These children’s chances

now depend on showing that we can make progress in Lebanon.

The UN Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000,

expire in December 2015, which means that time is running to

meet the deadline for achieving the target of universal primary

education. That goal will remain unattainable unless and until

we establish the long-overdue principle that a child’s right to

education knows no boundaries.

- Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the

Exchequer of the United Kingdom, is United Nations Special

Envoy for Global Education.

© Project Syndicate, 2014.

www.project-syndicate.org

BORDERS

24

By daniel BardsleyFOr ThE POST

One in six employees in the Czech republic have witnessed or experienced themselves age discrimination, according to a study.

The research, published by Prague College, also found that many younger staff members at major companies had little knowledge of legislation regarding age discrimination.

Prague College published the findings in a recent bulletin of its Center for research and Interdisciplinary Studies, which is part of the institution’s efforts to

strengthen its research capabilities.

The paper, written by Barry Veldon and titled Ageism and Age Discrimination in the Workplace, was based upon the responses of124 employees in the Czech republic at logistics company DhL, computer firm Dell and engineering specialists honeywell.

Of those staff members, 20 had experienced some form of discrimination, although it is not implied that this was at the company they worked for at the time they completed the survey.

The report indicates that in 55 percent of these cases of alleged age discrimination (11 instances out of the 20), the individual affected changed company, while in one case they changed department. In 35 percent of cases, which is most of the rest of the sample, the situation was resolved.

As people became older, they were less likely to respond to age discrimination by changing company.

❚ Prague College study says 17 percent have faced problems in the workplace

Many Czechs experience ageDISCRIMINATION

Prague College research shows ageism is a problem in the Czech RepublicPhoto: Courtesy Photo

25

“This [is] true to life, as in older age an individual employee is less likely to want to make that shift to a new company/working environment and is more likely to adopt a resolution via internal transfer as opposed to leaving a company, as the risk of [problems finding] reemployment may be high,” the study noted.

The report said that in the “hi-tech/fast-moving environments of aerospace, logistics and IT,” staff members tended to be quite young.

Overall, 76 percent of employees were aged under 40, and 92 percent were under 50, and as the number of employees in an organization increased, the average age tended to decrease.

“This gives way to a much larger question, and further research is required into the skills gap or desire of the older generation to work in these environments and [whether they] can they fit into these modern organizations, or are there other types of roles that are more suited to this generation and less likely to attract the younger worker,” the report said.

Another finding was that knowledge of age discrimination legislation tended to be lower among younger workers. There was, it was noted, “clearly … an increase from not well informed to very well informed as the age of the respondent increased.”

There was also a strong correlation between the respondent’s age and how important they believed it was that they were aware of the relevant legislation.

“This further amplifies the response to the previous question, that as age increases, the awareness of legislation and the importance it holds are linked,” the report said.

The majority of respondents were in favor of companies allowing staff to continue working after the retirement age, should they want to.

The Czech Labor Code contains a general prohibition of discrimination in labor relations, the report said, while the Anti-Discrimination Act, which came into force in 2010, specifically bans discrimination on the grounds of sex, age, disability, race, ethnic origin and religion in employment as well as in other fields including healthcare and business.

- Daniel Bardsley can be reached at dbardsley@praguepost.com

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... as age increases, the awareness of legislation and the importance it holds are linked...

“”

26 Schools & Education 2014

FasTracKids, a world leader in children’s early childhood education has opened an Enrichment Center in the Czech republic to help develop leadership and learning skills. A new education

methodology that uses interactive, classroom based programs, FasTracKids gives children ages 6 months – 8 years an educational advantage while preparing them for

school and life challenges.

research has shown that the most critical growth period

of a child’s mental development is between the ages

of 0-8 years. FasTracKids uses the “Five Advantages”

in a fun, progressive classroom environment to help

enhance a child’s development. These advantages,

identified as Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration,

Communication and Confidence are developed through

the use of interactive whiteboard technology and quality

teachers.

Children in the FasTracKids signature program can

improve their vocabulary and social skills 100% to

150% times faster than their peers not enrolled in the

program according to a study conducted by National

Institute on Out-of-School Time at Wellesley College.

Children are born learning, but not all children have

the same advantages for early education. “I am proud

that FasTracKids can now be part of the educational

foundation for early learners in the Czech republic,”

commented Stuart Schaag, commercial counselor of U.S.

Commercial Service at Grand Opening.

FasTracKids students in the signature program will

be exposed to traditional subjects, such as biology

and art along with non-traditional subjects, such as

communication and goals and life lessons. Many other

programs are offered including baby sign language and

English as a Foreign Language.

More information can be found at www.FasTracKids.

com or www.FasTracKids.cz

The ČR welcomes

27

“In this day and age, high quality and sensitive child care is as important as a strong family foundation,” says the director of Villa Luna Prague, mother of three.

Villa Luna, international nursery and kindergarten, enables parents to combine their family life and career life with its flexibility and family friendliness.

Throughout the whole day, an international team of experienced and qualified teachers and care workers look after children from as young as 4 months old to 7 years old at Villa Luna. The creative and safe environment of the nursery and kindergarten invite the children to explore, discover and develop. An emphasis is placed on a caring, individual approach to each child, and on the quality of the educational programs.

Parents may choose between the English or German specialization for their child.

The family atmosphere and international environment of Villa Luna create a place where not only children, but also parents feel welcome and at home. While living in Prague, foreigners have the opportunity to meet both Czech and international families though their children. This enables them to form new ties, to make new friends, and therefore their time spent in the Czech republic becomes more pleasant and

enjoyable.

If you are interested in getting to know Villa Luna personally, you and your children are welcome to attend the morning program every Wednesday.

More at www.villaluna.cz.

CAREERandFAMiLY

Combining

❚ Multilingual Nursery and Kindergarten VILLA LUNA Prague is a modern solution

28

hTMi hotel and Tourism Management Institute prepares students for a management career in the global hospitality industry. The message and wish for all the students is “Come as a student,

become a manager.”hTMi truly is a quality-focused institute dedicated to

providing students with a rich, dynamic and challenging experience in hospitality training and education. hTMi’s world class campus is located in Kanton Luzern and offers a diverse portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate diploma courses in addition to Bachelors and Master Degrees. The balance between learning experience on campus and the internship is the key to success for all our graduates.

ENJOY

hTMi welcomes students from more than 30 nationalities each year. Our campus is a four-star hotel operated by students for students. All of them take the advantage of living in our Alpine Swiss-designed and boutique-designed rooms. Our two restaurants handle catering for the students. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are either served in our buffet style or a’la carte restaurant.

For those who like to ski or snowboard, there is hardly a better place. Sörenberg being itself a skiing resort, you will be basically overlooking the slopes from your room window. If your classes are in the afternoon, you can ski or snowboard the whole morning. Besides winter sports hTMi has its own swimming pool, sauna, fitness and a bar with café to chill.

STUDY and WORK

The success of our graduates is determined by the amount of practice and quality education received. The undergraduates will pass through study semesters equally balanced with paid work placements. This said, students would graduate with a degree but also working experience from Switzerland or from one (or more) of our 200 destinations where we regularly place students.

The language of the school is English. On top of it all, the subjects are delivered in a module structure so that the students has a changing schedule every week. This is also because we regularly invite professionals from the industry who deliver the lessons on campus.

The final year of our undergraduate program is co-taught with a partner from University of Ulster. This allows hTMi graduates to receive so-called “double degree” diploma as the staff of University of Ulster delivers part of the teaching.

hTMi being innovative in most of our activities, we are the first Swiss school operating own hotel management brand. Swistouches resorts and cafes opened first five-star hotel property of 300 beds in Xian 2 years ago with the plan of opening 2 more establishments in China in the year following.

ADMISSION

We select our students carefully. hTMi needs to see passion, determination and good motivation to study hospitality in every successful candidate. That is why our selection process is mainly based on a one-to-one interview, motivational letter, reference letter and school performance.

The next intake is starting in the second week of August 2014.

HTMi offers hospitality training in a Swiss setting

❚ ‘Double diplomas’ and international experience among the main lures

29

❚ ‘Double diplomas’ and international experience among the main lures