New Zealand's government has welcomed an international report that ranks the nation's schools among the best in the developed world in terms of assessing student achievement. Education Minister Hekia Parata said the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD) report commended the professionalism of New Zealand teachers, "the robustness and credibility" of the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement, theRead more

A boy in the third grade at a Washington state elementary school shot a female classmate on Wednesday, critically wounding the girl, authorities said. The girl, 8-year-old Amina Kocer-Bowman, was rushed by air ambulance to Harborview Medical Centre in Seattle and wheeled into surgery for a gunshot wound to the stomach, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said. Gregg said Kocer-Bowman remainedRead more

New visa rules mean the UK's top universities and schools are in danger of losing their appeal to foreign students, according to a report. It says planned government changes to student visas risk deterring legitimate students. And it warns that students who may once have come to the UK could opt for the US or Canada instead. A Home OfficeRead more

Private companies should be encouraged to run state schools as profit-making enterprises under a "John Lewis-style" business model, a think tank suggests. A report by the Policy Exchange says schools where staff were stakeholders - or partners - would create strong incentives to improve standards. The proposal by the right-of-centre think tank is controversial and critics would oppose any suchRead more

A teacher jumped to his death from a bridge in Brisbane, Australia, holding his 2-year-old son in his arms, police said. Jason Lees, 40, and 2-year-old Brad Lees both died in the fall from the Story Bridge early Monday, The Courier-Mail of Brisbane reported. The newspaper said Lees and his wife, Danielle, had been having marital trouble. Marlene Stephens saidRead more

Arab League Secretary General dr. Nabil el Arabi discussed here Tuesday with Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail the means of enhancing education and scientific research in the Arab World. Zewail told journalists afterwards that they discussed a comprehensive scientific system that can enhance the work of the Arab League. The Nobel Prize winner added that the meeting did not discuss politics,Read more

Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) has held a leadership training program for 50 youths who belong to ROTA''s Youth Service Clubs. The four-day program enhances Qatar''s role as a world pioneer in organizing community youth projects. ROTA''s leadership training of the Youth Service Clubs is an educational and interactive program for high school and university students aged 14 - 24.Read more

More than two-dozen people were arrested in Spain as clashes between student protesters and police in Valencia turned violent, officials said. The students began protesting education cuts last week, Think Spain reported. Valencia's chief of police said 25 protesters were arrested Monday in the face of increased aggression by protesters. Government officials said 17 protesters were arrested last week andRead more

Stephen Twigg Stephen Twigg says he wants education policy to be based on evidence Labour education spokesman Stephen Twigg is calling for the creation of an independent office to raise standards in education in England. Mr Twigg says an "Office for Educational Improvement" could use objective research evidence about what really works in schools. It would also consider standards inRead more

A six-year-old boy in Karnal district was locked up in a dark room by his kindergarten teacher for not doing his homework and died of trauma one-and-a-half months later, police said on Tuesday after receiving a complaint from his family. The LKG student, Pankaj, died at the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak on Sunday night where heRead more