Friday 15 May 2015

Why is there shortage of teachers in UK schools?



Earning money is not always linked with knowledge. Especially, if the knowledge is abstract and theoretical, seeing the practical life from a bird's eye view and trying to find the underlying reality or significance of it, the root cause or nature, like in philosophy; or, like in mathematics, where truth is expressed independent of the physical world, purely from realisation, introspection or soul-search, then it is of little practical use in an increasingly materialistic world.

Love of wisdom has been replaced by love of money, and as people become more and more hedonistic, scores of people are making their way from basic sciences to commerce and technical fields. But, for character building and providing basic foundational theoretical knowledge for application, study in general line is essential. As applicational subjects with tangible practical effects in the material world, become more and more popular, for making money, in this world of information technology and also as their visible effect (presence) can be felt easily understandably, subjects apart from these key subjects providing theoretical foundation of applied sciences are lacking good teachers day by day.

As bright minds of society are indoctrinated and attracted towards cheap material publicity and fame and glory and satisfaction, in this shallow society, apart from especially devoted ones, schools and colleges and universities alike face shortage of dedicated teachers on theoretical, unproductive, but enlightening subjects, that might awaken and illuminate conscious cognition of the real, original ideal pure enough and uncontaminated of practical perversions.

Reflecting on the practical problem

Subjects or fields that are specifically facing the problem of shortage of teachers, are as follows :

1) First comes foreign languages, that are especially at risk in facing shortage of teachers. As these subjects are specifically selected by those who are amateur in nature, pursuing the discipline just for the sake of knowledge and appreciation of beauty and aesthetics and depth and accuracy, devoted learners and scholars of that disposition who can teach, are becoming harder to find.

2) Subjects in 'religious-studies' department are finding it hard too to find teachers, as those are struggling to keep its relevance in this increasingly more and more secularised world.

3) Subjects like 'Geography' also are in the list of sufferers.

The practical problem in hike in fees and resulting hike in number of dropouts in graduation courses, has exacerbated the problem of getting qualified teachers in respective fields, as cause.

The General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, explains the problem of teacher shortage : “I have spoken to numerous headteachers who have had no applicants at all for non-core subjects. I recently spoke to one who was looking for a geography teacher and he just couldn’t get one single applicant.”

Surmounting the problem is the fact that people, even competent ones, are avoiding taking responsibility in highly-reputed schools, as the obvious cause of shunning accountability for even marginal failure to fulfil high expectation with rigour. 

To explain this he adds, “Teachers are very aware of the pressures that come with those high-performing schools and the workload that arises from that. Some people are put off by what they see as heavy-handed accountability and the long-hours culture.”

All in all, UK is facing unheard of problem of recruiting qualified teachers in schools, like never before.

Source Credit: bit.ly/1amDDxL

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Why More Business Schools Are Adopting Digital Learning Technologies

With the ever growing popularity of online degrees, more and more business schools are now turning away from conventional business models and offering high quality online learning solutions to aspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. If you are also planning to boost your career prospects with an online business diploma or degree, then keep reading....

Digitisation Of Business Education

Nowadays, most universities and B-schools around the world are now adopting the newest digital technologies available in the market to improve the scope of education. This will allow the learners to study what they want, how they want and when they want. Recently the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary in Virginia introduced their full online degree. Students will need to utilise an online app and smart devices to connect with fellow learners and professors. Seb Murray from Business Because said “This is the latest digital innovation in education, with many MBA programs dishing out smart devices, tablets and laptops to enable students to learn and connect with peers on the go.”

The Indiana University Kelley School of Business also launched an all new innovation and entrepreneurship programme which aims to analyse the changes with businesses and organisations. According to a press release form the institute, soon the new generation of learners and professionals will “look for non-traditional career options as many companies move away from present business models.”

Growing Digital Learning Opportunities

Currently you can find a wide range of online programmes and majors offered by various reputed universities and colleges. According to data available from an employer survey by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), the top 5 college majors for 2015 with the highest earnings potential are-

Engineering
Computer science
Math and sciences
Business
Agriculture and natural resources

Among these majors, business education is undoubtedly one of the most popular online programmes among learners worldwide. With growing challenges in the job market, more and more students and professionals are now pursuing online business management diploma programmes to enhance their employability and avail better job opportunities. In fact even in the medical profession a business degree is an added advantage especially in the field of hospital administration where MBA's are traditionally employed.  Maria Chandler, the president of the Association of M.D./M.B.A. Programs and herself a recipient of both degrees, mentioned that the degree combination “fast tracks” graduates who aspire to reach the zenith of their career. 

As a result on this increasing demand for digital degrees, most business school have already started offering online business programmes while many other are gearing up to attract the growing volume of online learners.

B-Schools Need To Take A Global Approach

Della Bradshaw, business education editor at the Financial Times, believes that B-schools need to modify themselves to meet the demands of the learners in a scenario of rapid technological advancements and globalisation. She said “How do you compete globally? Business schools are actually incredibly small places. How do you teach and extend your influence when you’re so small? That’s a big debate.”

Bradshaw believes universities and business schools need to do more than just recruiting educators from overseas and developing mutual relationships with institutes in different countries. Institutes need to encourage better relationships with developing countries and enable students across the globe to access business education in an easy and affordable manner. One of the best ways to achieve this is to offer more online learning opportunities.

Bradshaw added “I think what Yale is doing is quite interesting with the Global Network. I think that one of the problems with business schools, not just the U.S. ones, is they tend to look at being international as working with countries that have been good to them. What most business schools have not acknowledged is that there are huge power shifts happening in the world economy.”

The Bottom Line

So if you are looking forward to pursuing an online business course, now is surely the best time to study an online business management diploma programme and lead your career towards success.