Africa - Malnutrition On A Silent Rampage In Schools

"Malnutrition is caused by a deficiency in the intake of nutrients by the cells of the body. A combination of two factors can be responsible.

These are: (i) insufficient intake of proteins, calories, vitamins, and minerals, (ii) frequent infections. Sickness like measles, malaria, diarrhea (frequent stooling) and respiratory disorder cause loss of nutrients in the body. They reduce appetite and food intake, contributing invariably to malnutrition.

Children suffer malnutrition most because they are in a period of rapid growth that increases the demand for calories and proteins.

UNICEF said that a deficiency of vitamin A affects over 100 million small children in the world and causes blindness. It also weakens the immune system, making them vulnerable to infections. For children who survive malnutrition, the consequences can follow into adulthood.

"The depletion of human intelligence on such a scale - for reasons that are almost entirely preventable is a profligate, even criminal, waste," UNICEF stated.

It added that, "more than 3/4 (three quarters) of all the malnutrition-aided deaths are linked not to severe malnutrition but to mild and moderate forms.""

EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON: Fat Albert's Lessons For Cosby.

"In June 2004, a month after Cosby's initial outburst, a U.S. Commerce Department report found that black high school graduation rates hit a record high. Eighty percent graduated. Equally significant, the number of blacks graduating leaped ten percent from 1993 to 2000. That was double the increase on non-Hispanic whites. A survey of student attitudes by the Minority Student Achievement Network, an Illinois-based educational advocacy group in 2002, found that black students were as motivated, studied as hard, and were as serious about graduating as whites."

DIANA STANO Experimenting With Change: Women in Math and Science

"If we believe that science, technology, mathematics, and engineering are part of the bedrock for the future of the United States, then we must continue to make progress in encouraging women to study and engage in these less traditional careers. A continued investment in women is critical. Women are a strong part of the natural resource that is key to this nation's success. We cannot afford to ignore the need to encourage and support women in these essential disciplines to create a better tomorrow. As Maria Elena Zavala, president of the Society for Advancement of Chicanas and Native Americans in Science, wrote last year: "A skilled scientific workforce is critical to the progress and maintenance of our country's position in the world.""

Turning fun into funds
College students find hobbies can earn scholarships

Monterey County Herald | 12/25/2004 | Parents play vital role in children's education: "But researchers have laser-focused on a hard truth: If you want your children to have a college education, you have to make it happen.

If students graduate from high school unprepared for college, it is technically the parents' fault. Every year schools ask parents to sign a form approving students' classes. Some of those classes could be 'foods' or remedial English -- which don't prepare them well for college. If you sign without checking, you're saying you approve of it."

TownOnline.com - Tech Scholarships Are Available
The New England Institute of Technology in Warwick, R.I., has announced the availability of scholarships for individuals who wish to pursue a career as a heating technician. Seven $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to individuals, both from high schools and from the National Association of Oil Heating Service Managers. Information regarding the scholarships can be viewed at www.naohsm.org or by calling Judy Garber at 888-552-0900.
The deadline to submit an application and essay is March 25. For further information about the heating technology program at NEIT call 401-467-7744 or 800-736-7744 or view the college's Web site at www.neit.edu.

U.S. to trim grants to low-income college students: "Because of the changes, which will take effect next year and are expected to save the government $300 million annually, at least 1.3 million low-income students will receive smaller Pell Grants, the primary U.S. scholarship, according to two analyses of the rules. In addition, 89,000 students who would otherwise be getting some Pell Grant money will get none, the analyses found."

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Don Makes Case for Technical, Vocational Education: "In line with this, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has advocate four pillars of education namely learning to know (knowledge), learning to do (skill); learning to live together (peace) and learning to be (Personal self-fulfillment), he said."

HoustonChronicle.com - Lopez: For many inner-city youths, soccer is more than a sport.

Gerardo Piña Jr. has beaten the odds. He has kicked and screamed his way across soccer fields virtually his entire life, chasing something most might take for granted.
And he is but one of a handful of first-generation, American-born soccer players on the inner-city Albion Hurricanes Football Club. All of them will become the first in their respective families to earn a college education.
They have overcome daunting obstacles of circumstance. More, they have prevailed over barriers they should not have had to face ? but did ? because the city of Houston has a problem.

Black, Hispanic scholarships offered: "Hispanic and African-American high school seniors in Arizona may apply for $250,000 in scholarships.

They are being offered by the Ronald McDonald House Charities/Hispanic American Commitment to Education Resources, or HACER, and the Ronald McDonald House/Future Achievers Scholarship Program.

Scholarship applications are available at www.rmhc.org or by calling 1-800-914-8366. The deadline for submitting an application for the 2005-06 academic year is Feb. 15. "

John B. Ervin Scholars Program

For undergraduate study at Washington University, St. Louis. High School seniors should apply by January 15 2004. Contact:


John B. Ervin Scholars Program
Campus Box 1117
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

(314) 935-7192 or (800) 638-0700

An earlier post regarding this program has been deleted (see related info here).

Study: Charter students level in reading, worse in math, compared to peers: "Compared to those traditional schools, charter schools tend to enroll more black students, locate more in central cities and hire less certified teachers, the study found.
Another new study, by Harvard University researcher Caroline Hoxby, finds that charter-school students did better than their peers in traditional schools on state reading and math tests. Hoxby found charter schools offered more academic gains the longer they are in operation. "

Panel: State should provide "universal higher education': "Guaranteed financial support for post-secondary education is among two dozen recommendations forwarded to Granholm by the Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth. The commission since mid-July has been studying ways to double the number of college graduates in the state over the next decade."

Applications for scholarships available at Web site - Oklahoma State University: "The Robert B. Bailey Scholarship is available to students who are members of groups, especially of ethnic minority groups, that have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad, according to the Council on International Education Exchange Web site.

The award is $500 and the application deadline varies depending upon the country the student wishes to study abroad in."

Do your homework on college scholarships

"There are several good Web sites where parents and their children can find out about potential scholarship matches, without fees.

www.collegeboard.com, click on "For Parents" and then "Pay For College." A free database of more than 230 scholarships. The site also helps to develop a strategy, including a scholarship search database, month-by-month to-do calendar and application tips.

www.fastweb.com. Operated by Monster, the job-search Web site, more than 600,000 scholarships are listed. Comprehensive application includes career objective with 170-plus options, hobbies, sports, religion, memberships, skills, disabilities -- even parents' employers.

www.theoldschool.org, click on "Scholarship Searches." The directory of free services and advice offers this tip on its Web page: "The best place to start is with your high school guidance counselor. ... Be sure to meet deadlines and to complete applications completely and accurately.""

Welcome to The Village News: Online Edition - Art scholarships available for students

"High school students interested in a design career will have a unique opportunity to put their artistic talents to the test by entering the Poster Design Scholarship Competition, sponsored by The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts.
Students will create original poster artwork that expresses the slogan “Art is a Global Language.” More than $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded, with the first place prize-winning student receiving a $25,000 scholarship to study design at one of 31 Art Institutes locations throughout North America. Entry deadline is February 11, 2005."