education
Mum's not married? No school for you then
"I am a local child. I want to receive compulsory education, too!"
Seven-year-old Xiao Qing's parents weren't married when she was born. Considered illegitimate by the state, she's not allowed to go to school until her mother pays a €900 fee. Not so easy when you're unemployed... Read more.
Got a degree, now where are the jobs?
Material from Zhang, our regional editor for China.
This video shows surging crowds at an employment fair organised by Nanchang University in southeast China. In 1999, China launched a scheme to increase university enrolments and to develop its tertiary - or service - sector. The endeavour seems to have worked: China has a growth rate of 9% per year and boasts unemployment levels of under 5%. But the vibrant Chinese labour market has nevertheless failed to absorb the huge influx of qualified workers being churned out by the country's universities. See below...
From the French suburbs to Washington: reactions to the riots outside Paris
Material compiled by Team Observers
Two youths were killed in Villiers-le-Bel, a suburb north of Paris, on Sunday when a police car collided with a moped. The event sparked violent clashes between the police and groups of youths in four neighbouring towns. That night, 64 police officers were injured. The French are hoping the violence will not spread to other cities as they did in November 2005. This amateur video, posted on Dailymotion.com, was taken at the scene of the accident. We’ve interviewed two local school supervisors (surveillants de lycée), who wish to remain anonymous. We’re also publishing a reaction by an American blogger, who said, "such a situation wouldn’t happen in the US." You can contact all three contributors directly on their profile page.
The Orthodox church in Russian schools
Material collected by our Russian/former-USSR reporter, Maria Antonova
Classes on the fundamentals of Orthodox culture have been introduced in the schools and universities of several Russian regions. They have become an important part of the curriculum- they are mandatory and graded. Representatives of the Orthodox church recognise that during the Soviet period, atheism and materialism led the population away from the Orthodox culture. Now, parts of Russia are using the religion as a means of reinforcing a national identity. However, Russia is a secular country, where at least one quarter of the population is not Orthodox Christian.
