Category Archives: Government

Education, Government, Society

Geography not given enough prominence in state education

– Improving skills in ­literacy and numeracy are vitally important components of school education. But it is wrong to assume that these can only be achieved by teaching English and Mathematics respectively. Many other subjects can and do teach these skills using real life examples

Intro: The school curriculum undervalues geography. But it is needed in understanding the world.

A vital part of school education is to improve skills in literacy and numeracy. They are important components in any school curriculum. But, it is surely wrong to assume that these can only be achieved by teaching English and Mathematics respectively. Many other subjects can and do teach these skills and are able to be taught using real life examples.

Geography is clearly one of these subjects. Being able to articulate orally and in writing one’s understanding of the world is one sure way of increasing literacy. Collecting, using and analysing information about the world increases numeracy rates, and gives them a good if not better grounding as citizens and future employees.

But geography is much more than this. Teachers, parents and educationalists should surely aspire to children having a greater understanding of their world: what is happening around them, analysing the causes and assessing solutions.

Through primary and secondary education, children should be taught to have a better understanding of our world’s complexities and how society interacts. For example, everyone should be taught about the cause and consequences of flooding, and what can be done to reduce the effects and moderate the causes.

Equally, too, all students should understand what is the best use of the land and sea for providing food, for giving a home for nature and to understand the devastating effects of climate change.

In these, and many other topics, geography provides students with an ability to discuss issues that directly impact on their lives. We should ask, then, why is it that knowledge-based learning is so out of fashion? Ones that contribute more to pupils’ learning experience and in acquiring key skills? And why are students being restricted in the choice of subjects later in secondary school?

There is a built-in assumption that English and Maths are vital, plus a science and a foreign language, so that subjects like history and geography are left out. But geography covers the sciences, both natural and social, and it teaches literacy and numeracy skills. But, it is most certainly undervalued in subject choice.

We now have an unsystematic approach to subject choice at the discretion of the local education authority or the head teacher. But who benefits from this approach? Certainly not the students or subjects like geography.

Let’s ensure children are learning key skills for their future lives and careers by those who have enthusiasm and great knowledge of their subjects.

Geography is a key-subject for all future citizens, as it opens the whole world to pupils’ perspective, improves their global view, and provides a context for learning numeracy and literacy. Geography is clearly one of the subjects of our time.

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Britain, Government, Terrorism

The PM confirms UK’s terror threat level has been reduced from “critical” to “severe”.

TERROR THREAT

The UK Government has announced that the terrorist threat level in Britain is now at severe. Armed soldiers will gradually be removed from the streets.

At an emergency COBRA meeting, the independent Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) advised that the UK should return to the second-highest level, which indicates an attack is highly likely rather than imminent.

Operation Temperer, which has seen armed soldiers support police on the streets, will be gradually stood down.

The terror threat level had been upgraded to “critical” following the Manchester bombing, which killed 22 people earlier this week. Most of those who died were young children who were departing Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert.

Theresa May said the decision followed a “significant amount of police activity over the last 24 hours”. A total of 11 people suspected of having links to the terror attack are now in police custody.

However, the Prime Minister stressed that the “country should remain vigilant” during the hundreds of events taking place over the coming days – including many sporting events across the country.

The announcement came as an evacuation took place in Moss Side as part of a search linked to the Manchester terror attack.

Greater Manchester Police described the evacuation in the inner-city area as a “precautionary measure to ensure everyone’s safety”.

Boscombe Street was cleared by counter-terror officers on Saturday morning, and a bomb disposal van was sent to the scene.

Police lifted the cordon shortly before 12.30pm, and residents were allowed back into the area.

Several raids have been performed across Manchester in recent days – with officers performing a controlled explosion overnight at a property in Cheetham Hill. Two men, aged 20 and 22, were arrested.

A bus was also stormed to detain a 44-year-old man in Rusholme.

Police say they have tracked down a large part of the network linked to suicide bomber Salman Abedi – with “thousands of exhibits” now being examined by investigators.

“I think it is fair to say that there has been enormous progress with the investigation, but there is still an awful lot of work to do,” Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said.

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Britain, Government, Intelligence, National Security, Terrorism

UK intelligence has questions to answer over Manchester attack

TERRORISM

Following a terrorist attack, we can expect to learn more about the perpetrator in the hours and days ahead. Early detail doesn’t necessarily shed much light on how the attack was planned and executed, nor the exact motives as to why it was carried out. It can, too, take some time before we know the identity of the attacker.

However, the bomb detonated at Manchester Arena this week, by Salman Abedi, killing 22, has revealed a lot in a very short space of time. First, we found out that he was known to the authorities, and was a UK national of Libyan descent, the son of Libyan refugees who fled Gaddafi’s regime and were given safe sanctuary in the UK. Then, it quickly emerged that Abedi had recently arrived back in the UK from Libya, where his parents had returned to after the fall of Gaddafi. Reports have also emerged that Abedi displayed the black flag of Islamic State while living in Manchester, was known to have recited Arabic loudly in the street, and was reported to police by two people who knew him about his increasingly extremist views.

A picture is emerging of Abedi being a clear terrorist suspect before his appalling murderous act, and part of a network which may well have built and supplied him with a bomb. He is known to have travelled from London to Manchester in the hours before the attack.

The ability to immediately identify him has, of course, brought much of this information to light. But it is inevitable that questions are going to be asked about why Abedi was not under greater surveillance by the security services, given his background and his recent movements. It is a difficult enough process to prevent the terrorist who was not previously known to the police, but based on the information we have on Abedi, it is becoming clear that our current intelligence gathering has not detected warning signs which, put together, could have raised the alarm when Abedi returned from Libya just a few days before the attack.

Whilst dispiriting to admit, putting troops on the streets would not have deterred Abedi, given the way he carried it out. A military presence might put off an attacker with a knife or a firearm, but the suicide bomber will simply choose one of the countless other soft targets where no armed security force is present. Once the device is detonated, it is too late to respond.

Countering terrorism requires strong intelligence. What we have found this week is that our intelligence services require reinforcement, more of the invisible officers who are required to track those who intend to do us harm. Strong intelligence is an effective weapon against the threat of terrorism.

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