SILVER INNING FOUNDATION an organisation dedicated for Elders and their Family Members invites an Essay of 1000 words on the topic of "Elder Abuse: Role of Civil Society and Government ".
On the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2009, Silver Inning Foundation, a dedicated organization for senior citizens and their family members will be commemorating Elder Abuse Day on 15th June’2009. It has taken the initiative to create awareness among civil society and Government to eliminate elder abuse at both micro and macro level.
World Elder Abuse Day 15th June ,programme aims to increase society's ability, through various programmes to recognise and respond to the mistreatment of older people in whatever setting it occurs, so that the latter years of life will be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The Three (3) best essays will be published on Website www.silverinnings.com as also on Blogs: http://peopleforsocialcause.blogspot.com/; http://silverinnings.blogspot.com/ And best Ten (10) will get Participation Certificate.
All the essays will be property of and used by Silver Inning Foundation as database/paper presentation for its strategy to Tackle Elder Abuse. The verdict of management of Silver Inning Foundation & Silver Innings for selection of best essay will be final.
Silver Inning Foundation consists of a dedicated team of professionals contributing to the cause of the elderly. Silver Inning Foundation conducts seminars, camps, lectures, awareness modules, Dementia management services and also has support groups for home based advice.
The Last date for submission of Essay is 31st May 2009.
Email your essay on or before 31st May 2009 to info@silverinnings.com and copy to silverinnings@gmail.com .The winners will be announced online by email after 10th June 2009.
For more information please call on Tel no. 09987104233 – Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.
Terms and Condition:
Essay not more then 1000 words
Essay should be in English
Essay should be sent by Email only
Indian Residence or POI can participate
This Programme is promoted by INPEA (International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse) Indian Chapter through Development, Welfare and Research Foundation (DWARF) and 'Little Things Matter Initiatives' (LTMI).
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Sex education in schools leads to promiscuity says Rajya Sabha committee
The Committee on Petitions, comprising Rajya Sabha members from several political parties and headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Venkaiah Naidu, has said that “there should be no sex education in schools” since “our country’s social and cultural ethos are such that sex education has absolutely no place in it”.
The committee was deliberating an August 2007 petition that called for a debate on the implementation of sex education in schools, which has become a contentious issue in the country.
In its report, the committee says that sex education “promotes promiscuity”, there is “no justification” or need to teach HIV/AIDS to schoolchildren in the 14-18 age-group, and that sex education “incites stimulation of instincts which is detrimental to society”. Basic “instincts like food, fear, greed, coitus, etc, need not be taught, rather control of these should be the subject of education,” the report continues.
The committee ruled that children must be given the message that sex before marriage is “immoral, unethical and unhealthy” and that sex outside marriage is “against the social ethos” of the country. It advocated “instinct control” and “dignity of restraint” and called for a new curriculum to include material on the life and teachings of saints, spiritual leaders, freedom fighters and national heroes to “re-inculcate in children our national ideals and values which would also neutralise the impact of cultural invasion from various sources”.
The panel, however, agreed that students should be made aware that child marriage is illegal and is injurious to the health of the girl-child. It also believed that children should be told that ‘consensual sex’ below the age of 16 amounts to rape.
The committee criticised the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Adult Education Programme (AEP), launched in 2005, as a “cleverly used euphemism whose real objective was to impart sex education in schools and promote promiscuity”.
It objected to the AEP’s focus on prevention of HIV through use of condoms, saying it found no credible survey or study to establish that fact that schoolchildren in the 14-18 age-group were at high risk and needed education on HIV prevention. It recommended that HIV/STD-related education should not be permitted before the 10+2 stage in the biology syllabus and was critical of the involvement of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in framing the curriculum. In fact, it said that its members were embarrassed by the “indecent” powerpoint presentations on the AEP that the Delhi government brought out, and it was apprehensive of the negative effect that such education would have on children.
The committee recommended instead that chapters on naturopathy, ayurveda, unani and yoga and moral values should be made part of the syllabus. This would aid “total development of the child”. Chapters like ‘Physical and Mental Development in Adolescents’ and ‘HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases’, and related topics, should be removed from the curriculum and incorporated in biology books only at the 10+2 stage.
NACO secretary K Sujatha Rao, when asked to comment on the committee’s stand, said that there was “a lot of evidence that supports imparting life skills education. In fact, the 15-20 age-group contributes about 30-35% of the HIV epidemic. A study has been done by the Population Council which suggests that adolescents are at risk”.
The panel did not take into account the fact that children are subjected to sexual abuse and are not equipped to handle such situations out of ignorance. Many educators believe that the reality of modern life is that children are being exposed to sex via the media and consequently need a better understanding of the subject, which is what a well-thought-out sex education programme would provide.
The Supreme Court has held that sex education in schools can’t be brought under the ambit of constitutional rights by making it part of the right to education.
Source: http://infochangeindia.org/200904287726/Health/News/Sex-education-in-schools-leads-to-promiscuity-says-Rajya-Sabha-committee.html and DNA
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
The committee was deliberating an August 2007 petition that called for a debate on the implementation of sex education in schools, which has become a contentious issue in the country.
In its report, the committee says that sex education “promotes promiscuity”, there is “no justification” or need to teach HIV/AIDS to schoolchildren in the 14-18 age-group, and that sex education “incites stimulation of instincts which is detrimental to society”. Basic “instincts like food, fear, greed, coitus, etc, need not be taught, rather control of these should be the subject of education,” the report continues.
The committee ruled that children must be given the message that sex before marriage is “immoral, unethical and unhealthy” and that sex outside marriage is “against the social ethos” of the country. It advocated “instinct control” and “dignity of restraint” and called for a new curriculum to include material on the life and teachings of saints, spiritual leaders, freedom fighters and national heroes to “re-inculcate in children our national ideals and values which would also neutralise the impact of cultural invasion from various sources”.
The panel, however, agreed that students should be made aware that child marriage is illegal and is injurious to the health of the girl-child. It also believed that children should be told that ‘consensual sex’ below the age of 16 amounts to rape.
The committee criticised the Ministry of Human Resource Development’s Adult Education Programme (AEP), launched in 2005, as a “cleverly used euphemism whose real objective was to impart sex education in schools and promote promiscuity”.
It objected to the AEP’s focus on prevention of HIV through use of condoms, saying it found no credible survey or study to establish that fact that schoolchildren in the 14-18 age-group were at high risk and needed education on HIV prevention. It recommended that HIV/STD-related education should not be permitted before the 10+2 stage in the biology syllabus and was critical of the involvement of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in framing the curriculum. In fact, it said that its members were embarrassed by the “indecent” powerpoint presentations on the AEP that the Delhi government brought out, and it was apprehensive of the negative effect that such education would have on children.
The committee recommended instead that chapters on naturopathy, ayurveda, unani and yoga and moral values should be made part of the syllabus. This would aid “total development of the child”. Chapters like ‘Physical and Mental Development in Adolescents’ and ‘HIV/AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases’, and related topics, should be removed from the curriculum and incorporated in biology books only at the 10+2 stage.
NACO secretary K Sujatha Rao, when asked to comment on the committee’s stand, said that there was “a lot of evidence that supports imparting life skills education. In fact, the 15-20 age-group contributes about 30-35% of the HIV epidemic. A study has been done by the Population Council which suggests that adolescents are at risk”.
The panel did not take into account the fact that children are subjected to sexual abuse and are not equipped to handle such situations out of ignorance. Many educators believe that the reality of modern life is that children are being exposed to sex via the media and consequently need a better understanding of the subject, which is what a well-thought-out sex education programme would provide.
The Supreme Court has held that sex education in schools can’t be brought under the ambit of constitutional rights by making it part of the right to education.
Source: http://infochangeindia.org/200904287726/Health/News/Sex-education-in-schools-leads-to-promiscuity-says-Rajya-Sabha-committee.html and DNA
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Apply for UN Training Programme in Policy Formulation for Ageing:2009
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGEING,United Nations - Malta in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Invites Application for INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME in POLICY FORMULATION, PLANNING,IMPLEMENTATION and MONITORING of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing on 12 – 23 October 2009.
BACKGROUND
The dramatic and unprecedented increase in the number and proportion of older persons in the World is leading to various political, economic and social consequences and challenges. In developing countries, where by the year 2025, seventy-two per cent of the World’s older persons are expected to be living, this demographic phenomenon will pose a particular challenge. Although a number of developing countries have initiated various innovative and concrete measures aimed at meeting the needs of older persons, there exists an acute shortage of trained care-givers at all levels in the field of Gerontology. In February 2007, the United Nations began its five-year review of progress towards the achievement of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing agreed upon by the international community at the Second World Assembly on Ageing which took place in Madrid, in April 2002.
OBJECTIVES
This multi-disciplinary Training Programme in Social Policy, designed by an International Expert Group, is aimed at discussing the implications of population ageing, underscore the importance of including ageing issues in a country’s development planning and discuss options for policy formulation and programme / services’ implementation. It also aims at providing a broad and up-to-date understanding of the complex and far-reaching consequences of mass longevity. Participants are helped to evolve and implement appropriate policies, that will ensure the quality of life and well-being of older persons in their own society.
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
The programme consists of lectures, seminars, site visits and workshops. Topics dealt with include: 1) understanding the commitments of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing as well as the Regional Implementation Strategies; 2) ensuring that policies in response to population ageing have a holistic approach and are implemented in a coordinated manner over a wide range of policy areas; 3) exploring ways of facilitation the participation of all stakeholders namely: governments, civil society, the family, the community and the older persons themselves; 4) collecting and disseminating the best knowledge and evidence based practices available regarding adequate policy responses to population ageing and 5) monitoring progress towards the achievement of the Priority Directions and Recommendations of the Madrid Plan of Action.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS COURSE:
Applications are invited from policy-makers and decision-makers in the field of Ageing in developing countries. They should be directly engaged in policy and decision-making for older persons in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors in their own country.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Interested persons and organisations may apply by sending the following to:
The Director, International Institute on Ageing, 117 St. Paul Street, Valletta VLT 1216, MALTA
1. An application form which is available through the Institute's web-site or directly from INIA.
2. Proof of proficiency in English.
3. A letter of recommendation from the Director of your Organisation.
4. A personal letter (giving reasons for attending the course).
5. Copies of relevant certificates.
Closing date for applications is 12 August 2009.
Course Fee: US$ 1750 (includes tuition, board-accommodation and meals but excludes travel).
INIA might have available a limited number of partial scholarships. However, since this is not guaranteed, it is in the interest of prospective candidates to secure alternative funding.
Contact:
International Institute on Ageing (United Nations - Malta),
117, St. Paul Street,
Valletta VLT 1216,
MALTA
Telephone: (+356) 21-243044/5/6
Telefax : (+356) 21-230248
E-Mail: rosette.bonello@inia.org.mt
Web site: http://www.inia.org.mt/
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
BACKGROUND
The dramatic and unprecedented increase in the number and proportion of older persons in the World is leading to various political, economic and social consequences and challenges. In developing countries, where by the year 2025, seventy-two per cent of the World’s older persons are expected to be living, this demographic phenomenon will pose a particular challenge. Although a number of developing countries have initiated various innovative and concrete measures aimed at meeting the needs of older persons, there exists an acute shortage of trained care-givers at all levels in the field of Gerontology. In February 2007, the United Nations began its five-year review of progress towards the achievement of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing agreed upon by the international community at the Second World Assembly on Ageing which took place in Madrid, in April 2002.
OBJECTIVES
This multi-disciplinary Training Programme in Social Policy, designed by an International Expert Group, is aimed at discussing the implications of population ageing, underscore the importance of including ageing issues in a country’s development planning and discuss options for policy formulation and programme / services’ implementation. It also aims at providing a broad and up-to-date understanding of the complex and far-reaching consequences of mass longevity. Participants are helped to evolve and implement appropriate policies, that will ensure the quality of life and well-being of older persons in their own society.
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
The programme consists of lectures, seminars, site visits and workshops. Topics dealt with include: 1) understanding the commitments of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing as well as the Regional Implementation Strategies; 2) ensuring that policies in response to population ageing have a holistic approach and are implemented in a coordinated manner over a wide range of policy areas; 3) exploring ways of facilitation the participation of all stakeholders namely: governments, civil society, the family, the community and the older persons themselves; 4) collecting and disseminating the best knowledge and evidence based practices available regarding adequate policy responses to population ageing and 5) monitoring progress towards the achievement of the Priority Directions and Recommendations of the Madrid Plan of Action.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS COURSE:
Applications are invited from policy-makers and decision-makers in the field of Ageing in developing countries. They should be directly engaged in policy and decision-making for older persons in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors in their own country.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Interested persons and organisations may apply by sending the following to:
The Director, International Institute on Ageing, 117 St. Paul Street, Valletta VLT 1216, MALTA
1. An application form which is available through the Institute's web-site or directly from INIA.
2. Proof of proficiency in English.
3. A letter of recommendation from the Director of your Organisation.
4. A personal letter (giving reasons for attending the course).
5. Copies of relevant certificates.
Closing date for applications is 12 August 2009.
Course Fee: US$ 1750 (includes tuition, board-accommodation and meals but excludes travel).
INIA might have available a limited number of partial scholarships. However, since this is not guaranteed, it is in the interest of prospective candidates to secure alternative funding.
Contact:
International Institute on Ageing (United Nations - Malta),
117, St. Paul Street,
Valletta VLT 1216,
MALTA
Telephone: (+356) 21-243044/5/6
Telefax : (+356) 21-230248
E-Mail: rosette.bonello@inia.org.mt
Web site: http://www.inia.org.mt/
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Indian Association of Social Sciences and Health (IASSH)
I am happy to inform you that the Indian Association of Social Sciences and Health (IASSH) has grown into a great fraternity of social scientists of all disciplines-statistics, demography, sociology, anthropology, economics, women's studies, psychology. management and human rights. As of today we have 362 life members.
We have a website www.iass.org and we also send out a E-Newsletter every three months providing information on resources, Job opportunities, fellowships, research grants, conferences and seminars etc. I invite you to join this fraternity and avail the opporunity to make your contribution to the advancement of social sciences in the field of health.
The Sixth conference of Indian Association of Social Sciences and Health (IASSH) was held recently in Pondicherry during 7-8 March, 2009. The theme of the conference was Health, Equity and Human Rights. There were three symposia and ten technical sessions, and these were attended by over 200 participants including some from internaional organizations and international NGOs. IASSH covered the cost of travel and accommodation of all the participants.
Our Seventh Conference will be held in Hyderabad on the theme Health, Poverty and Human Development. The venue and dates of the conference wil be announced in due course. We look forward to your participation in that conference. In order to ensure that you receive the conference brochure on time, I would appreciate your becoming a life member of iASSH soon in order to avail the discounted registration fees offered to members
Best regards,
Dr.K.E.Vaidyanathan
President, IASSH
Email: vaidyake@hotmail.com
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
We have a website www.iass.org and we also send out a E-Newsletter every three months providing information on resources, Job opportunities, fellowships, research grants, conferences and seminars etc. I invite you to join this fraternity and avail the opporunity to make your contribution to the advancement of social sciences in the field of health.
The Sixth conference of Indian Association of Social Sciences and Health (IASSH) was held recently in Pondicherry during 7-8 March, 2009. The theme of the conference was Health, Equity and Human Rights. There were three symposia and ten technical sessions, and these were attended by over 200 participants including some from internaional organizations and international NGOs. IASSH covered the cost of travel and accommodation of all the participants.
Our Seventh Conference will be held in Hyderabad on the theme Health, Poverty and Human Development. The venue and dates of the conference wil be announced in due course. We look forward to your participation in that conference. In order to ensure that you receive the conference brochure on time, I would appreciate your becoming a life member of iASSH soon in order to avail the discounted registration fees offered to members
Best regards,
Dr.K.E.Vaidyanathan
President, IASSH
Email: vaidyake@hotmail.com
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
In Hindi: Karmayog CSR Ratings of the 1000 largest Indian Corporate
A Report on the Karmayog Corporate Social Responsibility Ratings 2008 ofthe1000 Largest Indian Companies is now available in Hindi (courtesy GoogleTranslate) at http://209.85.153.132/translate_c?hl=en&sl=en&tl=hi&u=http://www.karmayog.org/redirect/strred.asp%3FdocId%3D22987&prev=hp&usg=ALkJrhhnsYE_VkJQgydw_957PGgfWBFMKA
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Rejuvenate yourself with Nature: A special Summer Camp for Senior Citizens
Silver Innings a Social Entrepreneur organization dedicated for the cause of Elderly, has organized one of its kind first time in India a 4 days & 3 night special summer camp for Senior Citizens who are 50+ on Thursday 28th May 2009 at Redstone Eco Center & Organic Farm, Panchgini, near Mahabaleshwar, India.
The Theme of this summer camp is Successful Ageing.
This is an initiative to give chance to elderly to Rejuvenate themselves, to make new friends and to explore nature. The camp is designed to enhance the camp experience for Senior Citizens.Para Medical staff and Doctor on Call Facility available.
Panchgini derives its name from the five hills in Sahyadri mountain range around it with Krishna River flowing alongside. Panchgani is about 285 km from Mumbai and 100km from Pune . It is situated at 1293meters (4242 feet). Its one of the most popular hill station in Maharashtra.
The activities includes – Yoga, Meditation, Nature Walk, Organic Farming, Talent Show, Bon Fire , visit to Local Market and many more interesting things.
Date of Camp:
28th May 2009 to 31st May 2009 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday).Thursday 28th Morning Departure from Mumbai and Return to Mumbai on Sunday 31st late Eve.
Camp Site:
The Redstone Eco Center & Organic Farm
Bhose Village
Panchgani (near Mahabaleshwar)
Maharashtra
India : 412805
Cost:
Rs.4750/- per person Ex Mumbai (This includes Travel by Non AC Semi Luxury Bus/CAR, Vegetarian Diet Food specially planned by professional dietician and Activities)
Note:
Detail itinerary and programme will be provided after registration.
If you are 50 + or you want to gift your parents a holiday then contact for registration and application form:
Mr.Bhavesh Chheda: 09892612992
Mr. Sailesh Mishra: 09819819145
Email id: info@silverinnings.com
Last date for registration and payment Thursday 21st May 2009.
Golden opportunity to discover yourself through sustainable living and understanding ecological balance.
This programme is organized by Silver Innings in association with Silver Inning Foundation and The Redstone Eco Center & Organic Farm.
Silver Innings, A New Beginning……………………………….
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
The Theme of this summer camp is Successful Ageing.
This is an initiative to give chance to elderly to Rejuvenate themselves, to make new friends and to explore nature. The camp is designed to enhance the camp experience for Senior Citizens.Para Medical staff and Doctor on Call Facility available.
Panchgini derives its name from the five hills in Sahyadri mountain range around it with Krishna River flowing alongside. Panchgani is about 285 km from Mumbai and 100km from Pune . It is situated at 1293meters (4242 feet). Its one of the most popular hill station in Maharashtra.
The activities includes – Yoga, Meditation, Nature Walk, Organic Farming, Talent Show, Bon Fire , visit to Local Market and many more interesting things.
Date of Camp:
28th May 2009 to 31st May 2009 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday).Thursday 28th Morning Departure from Mumbai and Return to Mumbai on Sunday 31st late Eve.
Camp Site:
The Redstone Eco Center & Organic Farm
Bhose Village
Panchgani (near Mahabaleshwar)
Maharashtra
India : 412805
Cost:
Rs.4750/- per person Ex Mumbai (This includes Travel by Non AC Semi Luxury Bus/CAR, Vegetarian Diet Food specially planned by professional dietician and Activities)
Note:
Detail itinerary and programme will be provided after registration.
If you are 50 + or you want to gift your parents a holiday then contact for registration and application form:
Mr.Bhavesh Chheda: 09892612992
Mr. Sailesh Mishra: 09819819145
Email id: info@silverinnings.com
Last date for registration and payment Thursday 21st May 2009.
Golden opportunity to discover yourself through sustainable living and understanding ecological balance.
This programme is organized by Silver Innings in association with Silver Inning Foundation and The Redstone Eco Center & Organic Farm.
Silver Innings, A New Beginning……………………………….
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Silver Inning Foundation Invites you to its 1st Volunteer Meeting
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Silver Inning Foundation.
It has been one year when we started our never ending journey to serve elderly with launch of dedicated website for Elderly www.silverinnings.com . During this period we also formed an NGO for Senior Citizens ,Silver Inning Foundation.With our proactive approach and your support we have made small beginning with a difference.
We would sincerely appreciate your participation as volunteer with Silver Inning Foundation. We are in the process of starting new projects for serving the elderly and we are positive that your support and contribution will be immensely helpful in taking the cause of the elderly forward. For this purpose we are conducting a volunteers meeting on Saturday 16th May'2009 at 11.00 am at HELP Library,Fort,Mumbai,India.
We look forward to meet you.
Date of the meeting :16th May 2009
Timings: Sharp 11.00 am to 12.30 pm
Venue address:
HELP Library - Health Education Library for People,National Insurance Building,
Ground Floor,
Near Khadi Gram Udyog
206, Dr.D.N.Road,
Mumbai - 400 001.
Tel Nos.65952393/ 65952394/22061101
www.helpforhealth.org
www.healthlibrary.com
Please register at Silver Innings Help Desk on 9987104233 OR write to silverinnings@gmail.com - Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Greetings from Silver Inning Foundation.
It has been one year when we started our never ending journey to serve elderly with launch of dedicated website for Elderly www.silverinnings.com . During this period we also formed an NGO for Senior Citizens ,Silver Inning Foundation.With our proactive approach and your support we have made small beginning with a difference.
We would sincerely appreciate your participation as volunteer with Silver Inning Foundation. We are in the process of starting new projects for serving the elderly and we are positive that your support and contribution will be immensely helpful in taking the cause of the elderly forward. For this purpose we are conducting a volunteers meeting on Saturday 16th May'2009 at 11.00 am at HELP Library,Fort,Mumbai,India.
We look forward to meet you.
Date of the meeting :16th May 2009
Timings: Sharp 11.00 am to 12.30 pm
Venue address:
HELP Library - Health Education Library for People,National Insurance Building,
Ground Floor,
Near Khadi Gram Udyog
206, Dr.D.N.Road,
Mumbai - 400 001.
Tel Nos.65952393/ 65952394/22061101
www.helpforhealth.org
www.healthlibrary.com
Please register at Silver Innings Help Desk on 9987104233 OR write to silverinnings@gmail.com - Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
For China, an Ominous Touch of Gray
As if Chinese policy makers did not have enough on their plate, they will soon have to grapple with the unprecedented challenge of a country that is growing old before it gets rich.
Many countries are turning gray, but Western experts are worried that Beijing is unprepared for the speed at which its citizens will age: U.N. projections say the population of working-age citizens in China will peak in 2015 and plunge by 23 percent by 2050.
By then, there will be 438 million Chinese 60 or older, or 61 people older than 60 for every 100 adults of working age, up from just 16 in 2005.
A report released last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the economic and social stakes are so high that China's leaders, though in the midst of a financial crisis, cannot afford to delay policy changes.
"How China navigates its coming demographic transformation will go a long way toward determining whether it achieves its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and stable developed country with an expanding role in the global economic and political order," the center's study said.
Its core concern is China's rudimentary pension system, which is characterized by vast unfunded liabilities, empty accounts and low coverage.
As the center's report notes, the developed nations of today were all affluent welfare states by the time they aged. By contrast, China is still a poor country that has not had the time to accumulate the wealth needed to pay for comprehensive retirement protection.
Just 31 percent of the Chinese work force, mainly in the state sector, receives public pensions. Most of the fast-growing private sector is excluded, as are migrant workers. As for rural China, pensions are virtually nonexistent.
So hundreds of millions of elderly citizens will have to fall back on their shrinking families just as the increase to growth and incomes from an expanding labor force goes into reverse.
In the 30 years since China embarked on economic reforms, the growth of its labor force has added 1.8 percentage points a year to gross domestic product growth.
By the 2030s, in contrast, the shrinkage of its working-age population will be lopping 0.7 points a year off growth, according to the center's projections.
Many protests in China are started by unpaid pensions, and the center said that without an effective retirement policy, the social stability could eventually be undermined.
"Not just a retirement crisis, but also a more general social and economic crisis may loom in China's future," the report said.
More broadly, rapid aging will threaten China's hegemony in low-end manufacturing by pushing up labor costs, economists say. Vietnam's demographic turning point will not come until 2025, and India's working-age population will not peak until 2040, so both should enjoy a growing cost advantage over China in labor-intensive sectors.
The Communist Party is aware of the challenges and is guiding pension policy in the right direction.
Reforms have strengthened the basic pension system; enterprise annuities — similar to the 401(k) retirement plans in the United States — are growing quickly; a basic rural pension is to be in place by 2020; and the National Social Security Fund, set up in 2000 to backstop underfunded provincial pension plans, now has assets of about $80 billion.
But Stuart Leckie, chairman of Stirling Finance, a Hong Kong pension consultancy, said the issues needed to rise to the top of Beijing's political agenda.
"China really is in a race against time. It is doing the right thing overall, but it needs to do them faster and it needs to do them better," he said.
Compounding the policy challenge is another striking feature of China's demographic profile — an unbalanced sex ratio that ensures men will outnumber women for years to come.
A new study in the British Medical Journal found that there were more than 32.7 million more males than females younger than 20 in China, because the spread of low-cost ultrasound tests and abortions had reinforced the traditional preference for boys.
Countries typically record between 103 and 107 male births for every 100 females. But in Chinese towns in 2005, there were 124 boys 1 to 4 years old for every 100 girls. The figure rose to 126 in rural China and topped 140 in Henan and Jiangxi Provinces, according to the journal.
The potential repercussions of this imbalance, accentuated by the one-child policy in the nation, are grave. "What we know from other societies that have been male-dominated is that they either emigrate or they fight," Mr. Leckie said.
Yet in China the number of excess males is too great for the problem to be solved by emigration, he added. "So this is undoubtedly going to be a real social issue."
Economically, the impact is already being felt.
China International Capital Corp., an investment bank, says its studies show that provinces with a big imbalance consume less. This is because the competition for brides in rural China forces the parents of young men to help them buy houses early and to save up for betrothal gifts.
The root cause of this behavior is that parents, in the absence of a strong welfare safety net, look to sons to take care of them in their old age.
"Unless China sets up a much-improved rural social security network and medical care insurance system, we believe the rural sex ratio imbalance may deteriorate and continue to constrain rural consumption," China International Capital's economists said in a recent report.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said that even more worrisome than the shortage of brides today will be the shortage of daughters-in-law tomorrow; for while the son is responsible for looking after his aging parents, it is his wife who provides the care.
All the more reason, the center concludes, for China to create a program for old-age income support, financed out of general tax revenues, and to build a national, fully portable system of funded retirement accounts.
By Alan Wheatley ,a Reuters columnist.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/business/global/28inside.html?_r=1
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Many countries are turning gray, but Western experts are worried that Beijing is unprepared for the speed at which its citizens will age: U.N. projections say the population of working-age citizens in China will peak in 2015 and plunge by 23 percent by 2050.
By then, there will be 438 million Chinese 60 or older, or 61 people older than 60 for every 100 adults of working age, up from just 16 in 2005.
A report released last week by the Center for Strategic and International Studies says the economic and social stakes are so high that China's leaders, though in the midst of a financial crisis, cannot afford to delay policy changes.
"How China navigates its coming demographic transformation will go a long way toward determining whether it achieves its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and stable developed country with an expanding role in the global economic and political order," the center's study said.
Its core concern is China's rudimentary pension system, which is characterized by vast unfunded liabilities, empty accounts and low coverage.
As the center's report notes, the developed nations of today were all affluent welfare states by the time they aged. By contrast, China is still a poor country that has not had the time to accumulate the wealth needed to pay for comprehensive retirement protection.
Just 31 percent of the Chinese work force, mainly in the state sector, receives public pensions. Most of the fast-growing private sector is excluded, as are migrant workers. As for rural China, pensions are virtually nonexistent.
So hundreds of millions of elderly citizens will have to fall back on their shrinking families just as the increase to growth and incomes from an expanding labor force goes into reverse.
In the 30 years since China embarked on economic reforms, the growth of its labor force has added 1.8 percentage points a year to gross domestic product growth.
By the 2030s, in contrast, the shrinkage of its working-age population will be lopping 0.7 points a year off growth, according to the center's projections.
Many protests in China are started by unpaid pensions, and the center said that without an effective retirement policy, the social stability could eventually be undermined.
"Not just a retirement crisis, but also a more general social and economic crisis may loom in China's future," the report said.
More broadly, rapid aging will threaten China's hegemony in low-end manufacturing by pushing up labor costs, economists say. Vietnam's demographic turning point will not come until 2025, and India's working-age population will not peak until 2040, so both should enjoy a growing cost advantage over China in labor-intensive sectors.
The Communist Party is aware of the challenges and is guiding pension policy in the right direction.
Reforms have strengthened the basic pension system; enterprise annuities — similar to the 401(k) retirement plans in the United States — are growing quickly; a basic rural pension is to be in place by 2020; and the National Social Security Fund, set up in 2000 to backstop underfunded provincial pension plans, now has assets of about $80 billion.
But Stuart Leckie, chairman of Stirling Finance, a Hong Kong pension consultancy, said the issues needed to rise to the top of Beijing's political agenda.
"China really is in a race against time. It is doing the right thing overall, but it needs to do them faster and it needs to do them better," he said.
Compounding the policy challenge is another striking feature of China's demographic profile — an unbalanced sex ratio that ensures men will outnumber women for years to come.
A new study in the British Medical Journal found that there were more than 32.7 million more males than females younger than 20 in China, because the spread of low-cost ultrasound tests and abortions had reinforced the traditional preference for boys.
Countries typically record between 103 and 107 male births for every 100 females. But in Chinese towns in 2005, there were 124 boys 1 to 4 years old for every 100 girls. The figure rose to 126 in rural China and topped 140 in Henan and Jiangxi Provinces, according to the journal.
The potential repercussions of this imbalance, accentuated by the one-child policy in the nation, are grave. "What we know from other societies that have been male-dominated is that they either emigrate or they fight," Mr. Leckie said.
Yet in China the number of excess males is too great for the problem to be solved by emigration, he added. "So this is undoubtedly going to be a real social issue."
Economically, the impact is already being felt.
China International Capital Corp., an investment bank, says its studies show that provinces with a big imbalance consume less. This is because the competition for brides in rural China forces the parents of young men to help them buy houses early and to save up for betrothal gifts.
The root cause of this behavior is that parents, in the absence of a strong welfare safety net, look to sons to take care of them in their old age.
"Unless China sets up a much-improved rural social security network and medical care insurance system, we believe the rural sex ratio imbalance may deteriorate and continue to constrain rural consumption," China International Capital's economists said in a recent report.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said that even more worrisome than the shortage of brides today will be the shortage of daughters-in-law tomorrow; for while the son is responsible for looking after his aging parents, it is his wife who provides the care.
All the more reason, the center concludes, for China to create a program for old-age income support, financed out of general tax revenues, and to build a national, fully portable system of funded retirement accounts.
By Alan Wheatley ,a Reuters columnist.
Source:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/business/global/28inside.html?_r=1
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Alternative advantage, shackled by regulation
“Dinesh does not talk to us. He will turn away every time he meets us. I do not know what I have said to offend him; nor will he tell us. When he gets angry without a reason, I feel insulted and hurt," says 15-year-old P Penchilamma of her classmate at the 115-year-old Olcott Memorial High School in south Chennai. The class X student is talking to the school counsellor at a workshop for life skills.
What might seem like adolescent angst to most of us is a valuable lesson for Penchilamma. Her mother is a domestic servant and father a casual labourer; she does not find time to be with them and learn coping skills.
“I get angry quickly when people do not treat me fairly. But I feel guilty after my mood swings," says her classmate P Sivagami, also 15. Till they took part in the workshop, they did not realise these mood swings were a rite of passage into adulthood. “After giving our class X exams, we were under so much stress about our future, At this workshop, we have learned how to handle our emotions and the stress that could come with higher education,” say the friends.
The school initiated these training sessions to address teen depression and suicide in the community that their students come from, something absent in most of the Government-run high schools and many private schools.
Alternative schools push the envelope
“This is the advantage of alternative education, especially among the socio-economically backward community. It looks at development of the child as a whole and not just academically. When their parents are not in a position to provide for their emotional growth, the school steps in and be the parent too," says Lakshmi Suryanarayanan, head of Olcott Memorial High School, where around 560 students from around the south Chennai fishing hamlet of Urur Olcott Kuppam get to learn about a lot more than from textbooks. Apart from sticking to the curriculum, the school also runs an English Language Lab, a computer lab that links computer literacy and self-learning, and two counsellors.
Lakshmi points out that in most schools the teacher student relationship centres around academics, but alternative schooling for marginalised children has to extend beyond academics into a nurturing relationship too. A sick child has to be tended by the school, since their parents are often not immediately reachable due to the nature of their work. "Invariably you start looking at students as a whole," she says.
Often children from poor backgrounds have a high amount of stress that impacts their learning. Recent studies (by researchers in University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University) show that children from poor backgrounds have a reduced capacity of memory, which is believed to the result of stress that affects how children’s brains develop. Given strong anecdotal evidence, and current science, more schools are now tuning in to an alternative to the rote-oriented learning in the mainstream.
For V Uma, Managing Trustee, Suyam, alternative education thus becomes the way out of poverty. Working with a community that includes those rescued from begging, street children, bonded labourers in brick kiln, apart from pig farmers and marginal farmers, Suyam found a need for a child-centric approach to education. In 2000, the Siragu Montessori was started in suburban Palavedu Pettai (15 km northwest of Chennai). Today, Siragu has around 380 students and is about to send students into Class IX and Class X.
“We came up with our own books that stick to the prescribed curriculum at the same time incorporated the Montessori methodology of activity-based learning,” says Uma. Children stay in the hostels and are involved in activities including organic farming and arts and crafts, apart from academe. “We are confident our children can compete with those from elite schools. We encourage a child to learn by themselves and express themselves without hesitation, she says.
At The Shriram School in Thiruneermalai (20 km off Chennai), where around 800 students from neighbouring villages study, the story is no different. Most of the community is involved in construction work and the children are also first generation learners. With its students also at class VIII level, the correspondent is actively working with the government in getting the requisite affiliations for the school to grow into secondary and higher secondary levels. The correspondent, Vidya Shankar, says that shaping the curriculum for first generation learners is important.
“These children do not have support structures at home and rely on schools alone for their learning. The challenge lies in sticking to the prescribed curriculum while making the textbooks simple,” says Vidya.
By way of an example, Vidya compares the lesson on ‘Our Environment’ in both the NCERT book and State syllabus. “The NCERT book is full of self-learning exercises. While the state board text is exhaustive but requires by rote learning. The lesson construction is very heavy and rambling in the state textbook and full of details that are insignificant,'' says Vidya.
In educationally and socio-economically backward Dharmapuri, (around 260 km from Chennai) Puvidham Trust helps 83 children from tribal, farming and construction worker communities to receive an education that is skill-based and promotes self-learning. “Schools have become either too mundane or if they are progressive, too expensive. Most education does not allow the child the opportunity to think and the schooling then becomes a way to mould them to take orders. There are no lessons about managing real life situations,” says Meenakshi Umesh, Puvidham founder.
Based on the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore and Montessori methodology, the school teaches mathematics, science, social sciences and languages using farming and real life situations around them and learn how to manage them. Her school too takes the children up to the class VIII level and the students then join the government or private schools for the secondary, higher secondary education. “In the end, the parents want their children to be capable of taking board examinations and getting a collegiate education. If not, they will be designing agricultural tools at our school on a par with agricultural universities," she muses.
Read in detail: http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/apr/edu-altschool.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
What might seem like adolescent angst to most of us is a valuable lesson for Penchilamma. Her mother is a domestic servant and father a casual labourer; she does not find time to be with them and learn coping skills.
“I get angry quickly when people do not treat me fairly. But I feel guilty after my mood swings," says her classmate P Sivagami, also 15. Till they took part in the workshop, they did not realise these mood swings were a rite of passage into adulthood. “After giving our class X exams, we were under so much stress about our future, At this workshop, we have learned how to handle our emotions and the stress that could come with higher education,” say the friends.
The school initiated these training sessions to address teen depression and suicide in the community that their students come from, something absent in most of the Government-run high schools and many private schools.
Alternative schools push the envelope
“This is the advantage of alternative education, especially among the socio-economically backward community. It looks at development of the child as a whole and not just academically. When their parents are not in a position to provide for their emotional growth, the school steps in and be the parent too," says Lakshmi Suryanarayanan, head of Olcott Memorial High School, where around 560 students from around the south Chennai fishing hamlet of Urur Olcott Kuppam get to learn about a lot more than from textbooks. Apart from sticking to the curriculum, the school also runs an English Language Lab, a computer lab that links computer literacy and self-learning, and two counsellors.
Lakshmi points out that in most schools the teacher student relationship centres around academics, but alternative schooling for marginalised children has to extend beyond academics into a nurturing relationship too. A sick child has to be tended by the school, since their parents are often not immediately reachable due to the nature of their work. "Invariably you start looking at students as a whole," she says.
Often children from poor backgrounds have a high amount of stress that impacts their learning. Recent studies (by researchers in University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University) show that children from poor backgrounds have a reduced capacity of memory, which is believed to the result of stress that affects how children’s brains develop. Given strong anecdotal evidence, and current science, more schools are now tuning in to an alternative to the rote-oriented learning in the mainstream.
For V Uma, Managing Trustee, Suyam, alternative education thus becomes the way out of poverty. Working with a community that includes those rescued from begging, street children, bonded labourers in brick kiln, apart from pig farmers and marginal farmers, Suyam found a need for a child-centric approach to education. In 2000, the Siragu Montessori was started in suburban Palavedu Pettai (15 km northwest of Chennai). Today, Siragu has around 380 students and is about to send students into Class IX and Class X.
“We came up with our own books that stick to the prescribed curriculum at the same time incorporated the Montessori methodology of activity-based learning,” says Uma. Children stay in the hostels and are involved in activities including organic farming and arts and crafts, apart from academe. “We are confident our children can compete with those from elite schools. We encourage a child to learn by themselves and express themselves without hesitation, she says.
At The Shriram School in Thiruneermalai (20 km off Chennai), where around 800 students from neighbouring villages study, the story is no different. Most of the community is involved in construction work and the children are also first generation learners. With its students also at class VIII level, the correspondent is actively working with the government in getting the requisite affiliations for the school to grow into secondary and higher secondary levels. The correspondent, Vidya Shankar, says that shaping the curriculum for first generation learners is important.
“These children do not have support structures at home and rely on schools alone for their learning. The challenge lies in sticking to the prescribed curriculum while making the textbooks simple,” says Vidya.
By way of an example, Vidya compares the lesson on ‘Our Environment’ in both the NCERT book and State syllabus. “The NCERT book is full of self-learning exercises. While the state board text is exhaustive but requires by rote learning. The lesson construction is very heavy and rambling in the state textbook and full of details that are insignificant,'' says Vidya.
In educationally and socio-economically backward Dharmapuri, (around 260 km from Chennai) Puvidham Trust helps 83 children from tribal, farming and construction worker communities to receive an education that is skill-based and promotes self-learning. “Schools have become either too mundane or if they are progressive, too expensive. Most education does not allow the child the opportunity to think and the schooling then becomes a way to mould them to take orders. There are no lessons about managing real life situations,” says Meenakshi Umesh, Puvidham founder.
Based on the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore and Montessori methodology, the school teaches mathematics, science, social sciences and languages using farming and real life situations around them and learn how to manage them. Her school too takes the children up to the class VIII level and the students then join the government or private schools for the secondary, higher secondary education. “In the end, the parents want their children to be capable of taking board examinations and getting a collegiate education. If not, they will be designing agricultural tools at our school on a par with agricultural universities," she muses.
Read in detail: http://www.indiatogether.org/2009/apr/edu-altschool.htm
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
I voted in Protest with difficulty,used 49-0
On 30th April 2009 in Loksabha Election I used 49-0 under people representation act TO PROTEST against Criminal Candidates.Also I did not found any other suitable candidate who wll represent me or do justice to Senior Citizens of India.
It was sad and shocking that Booth election officer and Area Election Incharge Mr.Mohite did not knew about this important Voters power.
Mr.Mohite did not allow me to use this power and asked the police not to allow me to enter the voting room.
But I insisted on excersise my power of not to vote and asked Chief Election officer number.He gave me cell number of Thane Collector.
I called Thane Collector and he asked me why I want to do this and he said he will call me after 5 minutes.It was nice he called me after 7 minutes and asked me to sign the reisgter.
By this time Mr.Mahesh Ahire booth Election Officer showed me the act and aksed me to excersie my power.
After great difficulty and strugle I could utilise 49-0.
Iam happy that I did not vote for criminals and some one else could not do voting in my name.
Hope in next Election Voting is made compulsory with 49-0 voting button on EVM.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
It was sad and shocking that Booth election officer and Area Election Incharge Mr.Mohite did not knew about this important Voters power.
Mr.Mohite did not allow me to use this power and asked the police not to allow me to enter the voting room.
But I insisted on excersise my power of not to vote and asked Chief Election officer number.He gave me cell number of Thane Collector.
I called Thane Collector and he asked me why I want to do this and he said he will call me after 5 minutes.It was nice he called me after 7 minutes and asked me to sign the reisgter.
By this time Mr.Mahesh Ahire booth Election Officer showed me the act and aksed me to excersie my power.
After great difficulty and strugle I could utilise 49-0.
Iam happy that I did not vote for criminals and some one else could not do voting in my name.
Hope in next Election Voting is made compulsory with 49-0 voting button on EVM.
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
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