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| 教 育 專 題 深 入 報 導《2007-01-12》 |
| 國際專題：CHILE'S BACHELET KEEPS PROMISE, ANNOUNCES PRESCHOOL REFORMS智利總統實現承諾改革學齡前教育 | |
| 策劃、編譯■唐澄暐、侯美如 | |
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Chile's President Michelle Bachelet announced on Friday a series of reforms to preschool education and daycare, including more flexible hours for kindergartens and daycare centers, and a new Childhood Observation Center to monitor the efficiency of child support policies. The announcement took place at the opening of the new "Ardillitas" daycare center in Quilicura. With the opening of the new facility, Bachelet fulfilled a promise she made when she was running for the presidency. "A year ago, as presidential candidate, in a day care center in Valparaiso, I said that in December of 2006 we would have 800 new day care centers. 'Woman's honor,' I said. And today, I am very happy, because we have met our goal." The creation of 800 new day care centers effectively tripled the amount of centers in operation throughout the country. There are now 1500 such facilities available for infants aged between three months and two years and belonging to the most vulnerable sectors of the population. However, only 12.5 percent of Chile's infant population is covered by the centers currently available. Bachelet's goal is to create 6,000 new facilities, which would cover 72,000 infants, around 90 percent of the population. Another important change she announced at the inauguration in Quilicura was the introduction of an extended school day for preschools and kindergartens. A similar scheme existing for primary and high-school education met with criticism because of insufficient resources to cover the longer school day. However, according to Estela Ortiz, vice-president of the National Assembly of Kindergartens, the new scheme will not meet with the same problems, because preschoolers have "different needs" from high-school students. As well as the extended working day, the reforms will introduce flexible opening hours for kindergartens and preschools. "Often, opening hours do not coincide with mothers' working hours," said Ortiz, adding that this often restricts the job opportunities available for women. Expecting mothers will also benefit from the reforms. As part of the "Chile Grows With You" project, pregnant women will receive personalized information from the Ministry of Planning about the resources available to them. The preschool education reforms will be supervised by a new Childhood Observation Center, to be created this year. The center will work alongside the Superintendence for Education, also to be created this year. Both agencies will ensure that national requirements are met for preschool education and day care, according to the Convention for Children's Rights. （http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=12600&topic_id=15） 智利總統巴舍萊上週五宣佈了一系列的學齡前教育與日間托顧改革計畫，包括在幼稚園和日托中心實施更具彈性的時間，以及用來監控兒童福利政策的全新「孩童觀察中心」。 巴舍萊在奇利古拉市的「阿迪麗達斯」日托中心開幕時，做出以上聲明。這間中心的開幕，使得巴舍萊競選時的一項承諾得以實現。 「一年前身為總統候選人時，我曾於2006年12月在瓦巴賴索的一間日托中心作出承諾，將興建8百間全新的日托中心。當時我說過，『為了女性的榮譽』。我現在很高興，我們的目標得以達成。」 成立8百家新的日托中心，使得智利境內營運中的日托中心增加至原有的3倍。現在，智利有將近1千5百家類似的機構，為3個月大到2歲之間的幼兒提供照顧。 然而這樣仍然只能照顧到智利12.5％的幼兒人口。巴舍萊的終極目標是設立6千間新的機構，以照顧7萬2千個幼兒，達到至少90％的照顧率。 巴舍萊在當天提到的另一項重要改變，就是正式延長幼教單位的教學時間。此類延長方案在國小及高中教育已經實行，但因為沒有分配資源給延長的教學時間而遭到抨擊。然而，根據國家幼教會議的副主席歐提茲表示，由於需要的資源不同，新的延長方案將不會有類似的問題。 同時，幼教機構的營運時間也將彈性化。「過去幼教機構開門的時間，通常都不和母親的上下班時間吻合。」歐提茲並補充，這常限制了女性的工作機會。 將成為母親的女性，也可以在今後的改革中獲益。在「智利與妳成長」的計畫中，懷孕婦女將從國家計劃部那邊直接獲得個人化的資源資訊。 兒童權利會議表示，這些學齡前教育改革都將由一個全新的幼童觀察中心所監督，該中心將於今年內成立。中心將與今年一併成立的教育總部共同合作，這兩個單位將保證未來的學齡前教育、日托計劃能確實與國民需求契合。 （資料來源／聖地亞哥時報） |
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| （回目錄） | |
| Small town leads Chilean WiFi revolution南美科技最前線，智利小鎮無線網路大革新 | |
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Seated on a bench outside his home in a small town in central Chile, 16-year-old Juan Barraza clicks on a Web browser and watches as an Internet page appears on the screen of his laptop. No cables connect his computer to a phone line and neither Barraza nor his family subscribe to a wireless Internet service. But the teenager is one of 12,500 people living in Salamanca, Chile's first WiFi town. As such, he has free access to cyberspace 24 hours a day, whether sitting at home, in the town square or enjoying the sunshine in a park. "It's great, because now I can do my school homework much more quickly," he says, moving his cursor around the screen. Salamanca, 200 miles (316 km) north of the capital Santiago, became Chile's first WiFi town in September. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet hailed the project as the first of its kind in South America and as a major step towards "cutting the gap between rich and poor, between the capital and the regions, between the large and small cities." Amid the dry, brown hills surrounding this unassuming farming town, 10 telecommunications antennae have been erected, providing Internet coverage for 88 percent of its people. The project was partly financed by the owners of a local copper mine, Los Pelambres, which provided $56,000 (29,000 pounds) for the antennae. The mine is one of Chile's biggest and is a major source of employment for the area. The WiFi project was led by the town's mayor Gerardo Rojas, who wants to increase coverage to 100 percent by reaching rural pockets on the edge of town. "We want the whole of Salamanca to be lit up (with computers), and if there are areas that aren't lit up, it will be because not even NASA could reach them," he told Reuters, referring to the U.S. space agency. JUDGE, POLICE AND TAXI DRIVER The project has grown in stages, he explained. "Initially we had basic capacity for just 500 people and the profile we were working with was someone who knew nothing about computers. Everyone, from the judge to the local policeman to the taxi driver took part." The project has sent computer sales through the roof in an area which has traditionally made its money from producing grapes used to make Pisco, a local brandy. A new computer shop has opened in Salamanca and President Bachelet has promised to donate 90 computers. "Computer sales have gone up rapidly, to double the usual," said Gonzalo Basoalto, business manager of DIN, an electronics retail chain. "People are only buying those with WiFi capacity." "We've also seen a rise in sales of associated digital products, like MP3 and MP4 players," he added. Cell phones and some digital music players can also use WiFi to connect to the Internet. The local government does not know how many people in the town have computers but says it plans to conduct a survey soon to find out. The government has vowed to help fund the project as it develops and says it hopes to replicate it elsewhere in Chile, which prides itself as being on the cutting edge of South America's technological development. Chile already has the highest percentage of mobile phone users on the continent -- about 12 million of the country's 16 million residents -- and around 6.5 million Chileans use the Internet, according to government figures. Mayor Rojas said at least six towns had expressed an interest in following Salamanca's example, including one in Brazil. "Our challenge is to make the Internet a basic service of the present century," Bachelet said during the launch in September. "Some people think that access to this type of technology is for affluent people only," she said. "Nothing could be further from the truth." 16歲的少年巴拉薩（Juan Barraza）安坐在位於智利市中心的家門外長椅上，他輕輕一按，筆電螢幕上馬上跳出新網頁，他沒有接上網路線或電話線，巴拉薩一家也沒有花錢購買上網時數。事實上，巴拉薩是1萬2千5百位幸運兒之一，他們都是薩拉曼卡（Salamanca）──智利第一個無線網路城──市民，不管是在家裡、在市中心廣場、或是在公園散心，他們一天24小時都可享有無線網路。「這太棒了，現在我可以更快完成作業！」巴拉薩邊移動著螢幕上的滑鼠這麼說著。 位於首都聖地牙哥以南兩百英里的薩拉曼卡，在去年9月成為國內首座配置WiFi技術的無線網路城。智利總統巴舍萊（Michelle Bachelet）舉雙手歡迎這項計畫，這是南美洲首度嘗試打造無線網路城，也是智利政府推動「消去貧與富、中央與地方、大城與小鎮間差異」的一大步。目前這塊乾黃不起眼的務農小鎮，共有10條電信纜線為該區88％的市民提供網路服務。 這項企劃部份成本由當地銅礦洛斯佩拉雷斯（Los Pelambres）贊助，洛斯佩拉雷斯為智利國內最大的銅礦，同時也是其周邊地區主要的工作機會來源，這次的WIFI計畫，洛斯佩拉雷斯並慷慨拿出5萬6千美金。 計畫領導者，同時也是薩拉曼卡鎮長的羅加斯（Gerardo Rojas）表示，希望能盡快讓無線網路普及率達到100％，讓城邊的偏遠鄉村也能受惠，「我們希望用網路點亮整個薩拉曼卡，如果有哪個角落還在黑暗中，那一定是連美國太空總署NASA都到不了的地方。」羅加斯指出，計畫分為幾個階段，「首先我們將目標設定在讓100人優先使用，尤其努力推廣讓完全不懂電腦的人也能輕鬆上網。從法官到地方小警察甚至計程車運將，都是計畫的一份子。」 此外，WIFI計畫也帶動了薩拉曼卡地區的電腦銷售量。原先，生產葡萄以製造皮斯科白蘭地（Pisco）為當地主要的產業，現在電腦硬體可成為異軍突起的重要買賣，總統巴綺蕾自己也承諾，要為新開的電腦店捐出90台新電腦。「電腦銷售量竄升，甚至到平常的兩倍。」電器零售商店DIN經理巴索阿爾多（Gonzalo Basoalto）表示：「大家都只來買電腦和WIFI配件。另外我們在相關數位產品方面也有不錯的成績，像是MP3或MP4隨身聽。」因為手機和一些數位音樂隨身聽同時也能搭配WIFI上網。 薩拉曼卡近日更打算進行問卷調查，了解市民擁有電腦的情形。以身為南美科技發展最前線為傲的薩拉曼卡政府更承諾持續資助該計畫，未來並希望將技術推廣到智利其他城市。薩拉曼卡鎮長羅加斯也指出，目前有至少6個城鎮表示想模仿薩拉曼卡的先例，其中一個還遠在巴西。 根據智利官方數據，目前智利為全南美洲擁有手機比率最高的國家──1千6百萬人口共擁有1千2百萬支行動電話──其中650萬人都有上網習慣。智利總統並在去年9月無線企劃開航時表示：「我們的挑戰是在本世紀將網路提升為基本服務。不少人以為這種高科技只不過是有錢人的特權，但事實不辯自明。」 （路透社） |
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| （回目錄） | |
| Models: A Big Step to the Left企鵝革命，智利社會福利翻新 | |
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It's hardly surprising that Chilean President Michelle Bachelet didn't take them seriously at first. They were just a bunch of chiquillos-kids-decked out in their black-and-white high-school uniforms complaining about the quality of education. But those "kids" are part of a new generation that has grown up free of the repressive 17-year dictatorship of the late Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Coordinating protests through e-mail, blogs and cell phones, they turned out for three weeks last June-an estimated one million of them-to boycott classes, close schools and clash with police in the largest student movement in Chile's history. Their "Penguin revolution," as it came to be called, rocked a complacent establishment and focused a spotlight not only on education but on the 12th worst income gap between rich and poor among countries worldwide. By the end of the year, the protests had spread to strikes by workers at hospitals and schools, and Bachelet was aggressively pushing an agenda of social reforms. "Chile is not far away from restoring a social-welfare state," says Chilean economist Manuel Riesco, who has studied development models throughout the region. "We are beginning to move away from the myth in Chile that the market can solve everything." Belatedly, the frustrations with the country's free-market economic model that have erupted in protest and brought leftists to power in some parts of Latin America are forcing change on Chile, once an oasis of stability. The strikes began in August at the nation's largest copper mine, Escondida, and more strife is predicted in the year ahead. "Chileans have lost their patience," says Claudio Fuentes, a Chilean political scientist. "They are more conscious now that there is an abundance of wealth in this country and that it's not being shared the way it should." That looks set to change. The government is pushing through new laws to help the poor. Beginning in 2008, the state will make direct payments to workers and housewives whose pensions are so low as to leave them near-destitute. All Chileans will be guaranteed a minimum monthly payment of roughly $145. The government is also launching a "social protection" agenda, focusing on education. Public schools have been badly shortchanged in government budgets since Pinochet privatized much of the educational system in 1981. Wealthier Chileans have preferred to send their children to private schools that spend five times more per student than public schools. The results: half of public-school grads don't pass university entrance exams, while 90 percent of private school kids go on to college. Attempting to redress such inequalities, the Bachelet government in June raised its education budget by $138 million, cut the cost of college entrance exams and promised to increase subsidies for student transportation. A broad-based governmental commission was formed to consider farther-reaching reforms. Chile's expanded social-welfare program will still be less generous than those of other neighboring countries. Uruguay and Argentina already have significant state-supported pension and education programs. Experts also say that long-term, economic, tax and labor policies must be re-engineered. "In Chile, we have a weak state in which 60 percent of the government's income comes mainly from sales taxes. That puts too much of the tax burden on the poor," says Rodrigo Pizarro, an economist with the Terram Foundation in Santiago. Chile may not become a classic social-welfare state, but it is showing a social conscience lacking in the Pinochet era. The question is whether it's enough to keep the "Penguins" in the classrooms, and off the streets. 別怪智利總統巴舍萊（Michelle Bachelet）一開始沒看清事情的嚴重性──他們只不過是一群孩子，一群穿著黑白制服、被戲稱為「企鵝」、且抱怨著教育品質的高中生。然而，他們都忘了這些「孩子」可是未來主人翁的一群，而在他們的生長背景裡，可沒有獨裁17年的前軍政府領導人皮諾切特（Augusto Pinochet）這號人物。 就在去年6月，估計上百萬高中生以電子郵件、部落格和手機相互聯繫，發起智利史上最大型的學運，他們蹺課、佔領校園、並和警方發生肢體衝突。這場「企鵝革命」不只撼動教育界，更為社會發聲，要政府為智利在全球貧富差距上第12名的排名負責，這些小企鵝更在年末和勞工聯手發動醫院學校的大罷工，逼得總統巴舍萊趕緊下令社會改革。「智利恢復成社會福利國家的時代不遠了。」長期觀察該地區發展的當地經濟學家瑞斯科（Manuel Riesco）表示：「我們正要開始擺脫相信『市場能解決任何問題』的迷思。」 近年來，自由經濟在拉丁美洲的挫敗已掀起無數暴動抗議，甚至讓不少左派人士坐上總統的位子，而這波對市場經濟的反動也開始影響智利這塊寧靜的綠洲。覺醒的人民開始採取行動，罷工抗議由智利最大的銅礦艾斯孔迪達（Escondida）在去年8月打頭陣，預估今年將有更多的罷工活動。「智利人民已經失去耐心了。」政治學家福安岱斯（Claudio Fuentes﹚指出，「他們已經意識到國家賺了很多錢，卻沒有如其應該做的把財富分給大眾。」 現在智利的社會改革正蓄勢待發。政府已承諾立法改善窮人生活，自2008年開始，讓原先津貼少得可憐的藍領階級和家庭主婦都能拿到現金補助，更向國民下每月底薪至少美金145元的保證。另外，政府也發起主要著眼教育議題的「社會保護」計畫。自前任領導人皮諾切特在1981年大量將校園民營化之後，政府便大大刪減公立學校教育預算；於是有錢人家寧願把孩子送到私立學校裡，因為那裏每個學生分到的資源是公立學生的5倍，結果半數的公立學生都考不上大學，90％的私立學生則能順利升學。 為了矯正這股歪風，巴舍萊政府在去年6月縮減大學入學考費用，將一般教育預算提高到1億3千8百萬，同時也承諾增加學生交通運輸補貼，為了計畫未來的營運，政府也成立委員會。 然而，智利的新社會福利制度卻仍趕不上鄰居們的腳步，烏拉圭和阿根廷都已有國家支持的津貼和教育計畫。專家認為，智利當重新策劃長期有效的經濟、課稅制度及勞工法，「我們智利是個衰弱的國家，60％的政府收入都來自營業稅，這讓窮人揹負太大的課稅壓力。」聖地牙哥大地基金會（Terram Foundation﹚經濟學家皮札洛（Rodrigo Pizarro﹚如是說。 智利或許無法成為社會福利的楷模，但它已開始從缺乏社會意識的皮諾切特時代解放。現在重點是，社福新制是否有能耐讓那些「企鵝們」可以安心待在教室裡上課，而不再上街抗議。 （資料來源／新聞週刊） |
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| 吾思吾師 找回教師熱情與尊嚴徵文比賽 | |
送舊迎新囉！迎接新的一年，讓我們滿懷感恩的心，感謝過去教導我們、使我們智慧增長的師長，用一千字以內的短文與大家分享溫馨感人的真人實事。全教會贊助入選者稿酬每字2元，來稿請以電子檔寄young@lihpao.co-m﹐附真實姓名﹑身份字號﹑銀行帳號。本報有權刪修來稿﹐來稿者視為同意本報集結出書時﹐不另支稿酬。 |
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