2013. február 17., vasárnap

Who are poor, can not be learned...

The Hungarian education is a bad joke. Government's strategy to exclude the poor from education. A special feature of the Hungarian education system is that institutional structures and the structure of educational programmes are not aligned with each other. The system's institutional structure and the presence of programmes allowing early selection. The system's content structure, the uniform and general phase of education has extended, and secondary level education may be characterised by increased opportunities for transition. The general phase of education lasts until the age of 16 in Hungary's education system. Participation in secondary education, offering a wide variety of programmes, is fairly high. Within secondary education, the proportion of students studying in programmes leading to a secondary school-leaving certificate and offering transition to tertiary education is around the international average. Many of the gimnáziums have begun to teach a foreign language intensively. This is called nyelvi előkészítő évfolyam, literally "Language training class", or simply 0 grade. After 2005, students will have less foreign language lessons. At schools where there is no 0 grade , they may be required to introduce them because the majority of Hungarians do not speak more than one language, or only speak their parents language or dialect. Most students will finish High School at the age of 18 or 19, or when they complete Year 13.Those who had at least an intermediate level language exam weren't required to pass a language exam at Matura, but has become compulsory since 2006. In language training classes, a student must pass an intermediate level language exam in the second year, and the same level Matura in the third year. Before students get their degree, they must pass an intermediate level language exam in the foreign language of their choice. English and German are the most popular. The number of Spanish-learners has been growing in the last few years. Recently a high number of students chose Esperanto and Romani languages. The latter is said to have a relatively small vocabulary and easy grammar. 9 million Hungarians were expelled from the politicians to the learning. I have were warned today that teenagers from the poorest families would be put off studying for degrees at prestigious universities if they adopted Viktor Orban's recommendations. In his review of university funding, the former minister executive argues for a free market with universities setting the fees they think they can command.  Most graduates would also have to pay back their fees at a higher rate of interest – plus inflation.  However, Orban's review includes suggestions to reduce the anxieties of poor students. He suggests universities that charge more than Ft 2 millió should be scrutinised to ensure that they give sufficient financial help to students from low-income families. He recommends that low-income students be given a higher sum for their living expenses. And graduates will not start paying back their fees until they earn Ft 100.000, up from Ft 150,000 now. But those who campaign for a better social mix at universities expressed frustration with the Orban review .that a free market in fees could lead to "social sorting" unless universities offered generous bursaries.  Those universities wishing to charge higher fees must demonstrate how they will offer a genuinely 'needs blind' admissions system, with high-quality, high-value bursaries to offset the deterrent effect that higher fees and debt can have on those from the poorest backgrounds. There was a danger that higher fees for the most prestigious courses would make them "the preserve of the most privileged, I was concerned that higher fees would mean students from non-privileged backgrounds "might still be deterred from applying in the first place. "Those in top-paying jobs would end up making smaller contributions than students on middle incomes, Labour has warned that while well-paid graduates would be able to pay their fees quickly, for those on middle-income, the cost would be spread over many more years and so be greater. Higher fees could deter students from gipsy and ethnic minorities from attending university. Many ethnic minorities are already under-represented in universities. If further reduce the life chances of gipsy and minority ethnic communities the government fails...

2013. február 14., csütörtök

Budget limitations in the library

Librarians have to be meticulous and precise in their work of ordering, recording and caring for books, but also very friendly and customer-oriented for the outward-facing parts of their job. The job satisfaction of being a librarian is often high. The job is undertaken by dedicated individuals, committed to the ongoing development of their library and passionate about books and learning. Depending on the particular library you work for, once you have become an established librarian it is possible to gain promotion to managerial level. This means that you will become more strategy-driven and have fewer dealings with the readers of your library and its stock. Problems in the sector. For many junior librarians, financial problems are the key issue in the sector. Wages are often low, so that in towns with high cost of living such as Nyíregyháza or Kisvárda it can be a struggle simply to survive. This can mean that morale is sometimes low, especially where excellence at work cannot be rewarded because of budget limitations. Finances also affect the work of more senior librarians and library managers who are unable to buy the resources that their library needs due to restraints on their spending. This is especially the case in public and university libraries. In some public libraries periodically there may be redundancies if the funding situation reaches a critical point. Librarians today also have to be very adaptable, with their roles changing fast as digital technology means that access to their library and the stock they hold has become radically different to even twenty years ago. Digital copying of certain resources means that readers can now access information from their own computers and do not come into libraries to read the original copies of a book. And the use of electronic catalogues has widened access and allows for easier sourcing of information. Librarians have to make sure they are aware of the current technologies, but also one step ahead and anticipating the next generation of technological development. The profession once known as ‘librarianship' has now taken on many different names, and consequently the role of librarians has also changed in some cases. No longer are librarians simply the custodians of shelves of books, but they also have to look after electronic resources too. So, some librarian posts are now entitled ‘information managers' or ‘information scientists'. Traditionally the roles of archivist and librarian have been different, requiring different qualifications and with differing professional bodies, but there is some overlap between the two. Librarians sometimes find themselves looking after the archives of a particular group, family or company too. It is not simply the storage and maintenance of information that should concern a librarian, but also facilitating access to this information. Sometimes a librarian has to deal with a small user population, say of a particular college, whereas librarians who work in large public facilities have to make their collections available to almost everyone. They have to deal with readers face to face and also make sure that the library catalogues are as user-friendly as possible so that readers can find the books they need. Many librarians also have the responsibility to build up their collections. They have a certain amount of money to spend per year and are told to acquire new journals and books accordingly. This is often less an intellectual decision than a financial one with librarians especially in the state sector having to cut back on their acquisitions each year rather than increase them. There are several different sorts of library, these can be broken down into three main types: public, university and private. Why be a librarian? Being a librarian is an excellent job for those who like academic study but are not keen to become a lecturer. Librarians, especially in the university sector, can be research-active and attend academic conferences, although of course they do not receive funding to attend these events as an academic would.

2013. február 2., szombat

If you love to read then read this article

   You've come to the right place. We have sixty thousands of books to choose from in libraries across the city and you can borrow them for FREE.  Not sure what to read next? Visit our Library catalogue to find out what's new in libraries and to see the most popular titles. Share your own thoughts and be inspired by visiting our Leeds Reads blog, where you can check out what other people have read and enjoyed, and submit your own reviews. Join in - we have a whole range of reader activities and events on offer for both adults and children including visiting authors. Take a look at our events listings to see what’s happening in a library near you. Ask any member of staff - we're always happy to help you find something new to read.     But why stop with reading? We have a whole host of creative and social opportunities. If you like to talk about books why not come along to one of our informal readers' groups, meet like-minded people, and share your thoughts and ideas. Or put pen to paper yourself with the help of one of our writers’ groups. See our related pages section below for more information on how to join.  Are you ready for the richer, healthier, happier, more successful, love-filled life that you deserve?  Then read on,  You've read all the books.  It seems like you've tried it all, yet you are still unhappy with at least one area of your life. You wish there was an easier way to reach your goals, to have more success, prosperity, love, health, time, freedom, and fun. Does it all really work?  But yet, there is a part of you that believes that there must be a hidden secret that you haven't quite discovered yet. Perhaps there is a hidden key that will finally allow you to unlock your inner potential... You think, maybe if you just search a bit longer, you'll finally discover the secret to create the life that you really want. You've been searching and searching... because you haven't given up on yourself. You hope that you'll find the secret key one day.   The fact is that you've always had this power inside you - you just didn't know how to use it! Nobody has ever taught you the easy way of how to tap into your own power.   But most of us can't afford to spend thousands of dollars to hire someone. Plus, how do you find someone who is really qualified?   The truth is that if you can get really good at visualizing your dreams, you can rapidly accelerate making those dreams come true. Visualizing your goals as if they are already complete helps your brain to:     Activate your subconscious creative power, causing your brain to generate all kinds of wonderful creative ideas which will help you to move closer to making your dreams a reality. Activate your power of attraction. Like a magnet, you will attract into your life the resources, circumstances, and connections to people needed to accomplish what you desire.     Fire up your motivation. You'll be persistent and continue to take positive steps to quickly achieve your goals. The gurus tell you that visualization is "simple".    They tell you to relax, close your eyes and imagine in as vivid detail - what you would be seeing, hearing, and feeling when the goal is already accomplished. They say to just use your imagination and picture yourself in the future as if you already have achieved what it is that you want. So you give it a whirl. You close your eyes, and you see yourself in that beautiful new home. Automatically you can see it with crystal clear vision in.....You see the inside and the outside. You imagine the yard, the landscaping, the pool. The wall colors, lighting, cabinets, appliances, electronics, furniture, the artwork... you imagine yourself in that house in perfect detail....You to see, hear, feel, and sense everything in vivid images that seem so real to you. You feel all the happy feelings that go along with having this new home. You easily stay focused on the images for several minutes. You do it every day.   How did that go for you?  I don't know about you, but whenever I try to do that, my mind wanders off and before I know it I'm making my "to do" list in my head. Suddenly I remember something I forgot to do. My mind just keeps wandering off. Or worst yet, I catch myself focusing on what I DON'T want! And we've all heard that doing this just brings even more of what we don't want!  When I just shut my eyes and try to visualize without any guidance, I don't seem to be able to imagine many details, and it definitely doesn't "feel real" at all. But they tell me the same thing, that after a few minutes, their mind is thinking of something else altogether. It's just human nature.  So the gurus say, "Just visualize." That's all you have to do. Piece of cake. You'll just sit down, close your eyes, and like a motion picture in your mind, you see everything you've always wanted in crystal clear pictures. Yeah, right... So the gurus tell us, that visualization is "simple"... Yeah, right! It's a whole lost easier said than done!  You've tried visualizing on your own, and while you may have been able to do it for a few minutes, you eventually gave up. So now, here you are yet again, surfing the internet, searching again, for the magic wand that will finally help you to achieve your dreams.  Well my friend, you can stop the searching, because the ultimate Hidden Secret to visualization has arrived, and I'm going to tell you all about it, but... Before we continue, please read this: The method you are about to discover will only work for people who can devote 15 minutes a day to listen to an audio. If you think you are "too busy" and don't have that kind of time to spare, then please log off your computer now, drive to the convenience store, and go buy some lottery tickets.  OK, still reading? That's good. Take a look at your watch, a clock on the wall or the digital clock on your computer, because this moment in time is a critically important occasion.