[Xmca-l] Re: "Scaling up" and "Big ideas"

[Huw Lloyd]

Peg,

The media and the government know about it and yet nothing is done?

Perhaps its an opportunity for the likes of apple to gain some brownie
points -- "Sure we have workshops in China, we also support schools too."
 Which might be enough to embarrass the local government into action.  Just
a thought.

http://www.apple.com/pr/

Huw


On 18 March 2015 at 14:11, Peg Griffin <Peg.Griffin@att.net> wrote:

> This thread seems good to ask for advice for this situation:  A young
> woman from China is pursuing a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education
> in the US in a program that provides language and "hidden curriculum" sorts
> of transition support for students visiting from other countries.  She is
> very concerned about the "left behind children" in China.  There is much
> coverage about these families/children in Chinese media and some in US and
> some other countries.  I'm hoping that someone on the list knows of an
> activist and/or research groups that this young woman might locate (in any
> country).  She perseveres and tries hard to find ways toward the solution
> side of problems.
>
> The problem as she explains it (and as we have been able to find
> information from naïve web searching) is this:  Parents move (from rural
> areas or less prosperous often smaller cities) to larger cities where they
> can make closer to a living wage for the family.  Children are left behind,
> usually with grandparents, because finances and legal requirements make it
> a problem for them to go with the parents.  BUT, at the same time, in the
> places where the children are left behind, public schools the parents went
> to have been closed or are closing; the alternatives require tuition as
> well as book and supply fees.  Money the parents send back to those left
> behind help with increasing costs of food, shelter, health, clothing but
> can seldom spread enough for tuition so children -- especially after grade
> 2 -- have no schooling.  Travel costs usually prohibit more than one
> meeting a year of all three generations. Phone communication is often once
> a week, though. A Chinese term usually translated as "left behind" is used
> a great deal in discussions in China about this.
>
> Any references to quality readings or people will be greatly appreciated.
> PG on behalf of YL
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu [mailto:
> xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu] On Behalf Of Huw Lloyd
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 5:28 AM
> To: eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity
> Cc: xmca-l@ucsd.edu
> Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: "Scaling up" and "Big ideas"
>
> Sure, Greg.
>
> Perhaps the author would benefit from reading Illich, "The siren of one
> ambulance can destroy Samaritan attitudes in a whole Chilean town".
>
> This is simply one example of the failings of formal logic, or as Illich
> refers to it, iatrogenesis (note the genetic semantics).
>
> Huw
>
> On 18 March 2015 at 03:51, Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I just came across this nice article by Michael Hobbes in the New
> Republic:
> >
> > http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120178/problem-international-develo
> > pment-and-plan-fix-it
> >
> > In it, he argues against the notion that there are simple big ideas
> > that can easily be scaled up in international development.
> >
> > This seems like an argument that could just as easily have been made
> > about education in any major nation state (and he does touch on
> > education a number of times, but it isn't at the center of his critique).
> >
> > Curious if others agree.
> > -greg
> >
> > --
> > Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> > Assistant Professor
> > Department of Anthropology
> > 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> > Brigham Young University
> > Provo, UT 84602
> > http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
> >
>
>
>