Alan Singer writes here about the alliances of the World Bank with the leaders of global greed.
The World Bank transmits What Pasi Sahlberg Calls GERM (the Global Education Reform Movement).
He writes:
Just because you call yourself the “World Bank” does not mean you care about the world. The bank was created after World War II by the United States and Great Britain to ensure their economic influence over countries devastated by the war and domination over former colonies.
While the World Bank claims one of its goals is to reduce global poverty, the way it goes about doing it manages to keep poor countries in perpetual debt to pay for questionable capital improvement projects and for refinancing debt they already owe to wealthy nations.
Critics of the World Bank, and there are many, include Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, Peter Hardstaff of the World Development Movement, and writer Naomi Klein. Stiglitz argues that World Bank loans to developing countries emphasize quick upticks rather than long-term benefits to a country. Hardstaff claims that conditions placed on World Bank loans benefit dominant capitalist nations by ensuring that poor countries repay debts as a condition for the new loans. Klein documents specific World Bank projects that manipulate Third World countries and calls the bank’s credibility “fatally compromised.” The World Bank forced Ghana to charge public school students and their families school fees, pushed to eliminate food subsidies in war-torn Iraq, and required Tanzania to privatize its water system.
More recently, David Edwards, General Secretary of Education International, questioned the World Bank’s new Human Capital Index (HCI). The bank will use the index to decide on loan applications from poor countries and it says it wants them to invest more heavily in health and education programs. HCI supposedly will measure the “human capital” that a newborn will acquire by the time it completes secondary school through an algorithm that combines the probability of survival to age five, the availability of healthcare, and levels of education determined by standardized test scores. In other words, to receive debt relief, the World Bank will force Third World countries to adopt the kind of packaged curriculum and curriculum-aligned high-stakes testing being promoted by edu-companies like Pearson.
Edwards has three key complaints about the World Bank’s HCI. First, he objects to education being treated as a capital investment rather than as a human right. For Edwards and Education International, “Merely churning out workers for the capitalist economy is not the purpose and value of education.” It should be about achieving a “more just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
Second, Edwards questions the need for another metric for measuring poverty. The HCI is a device for promoting the World Bank and demonstrating its concern for the poor, rather than something that will actually help poor nations.
Edwards’ third point is something that directly concerns parents and teachers in the United States where students are battered by high-stakes standardized assessments that turn schools into test prep academies. The HCI ranks countries “based solely on admittedly imperfect test-scores.” Edwards charges that the World Bank’s ability to use loans to dictate government policy will mean that instead of strengthening education systems, HCI ratings will encourage “teaching to the test and a narrowed curriculum.”
Waiting in the wings to benefit from the World Bank HCI loans are corporate vultures like British-based Pearson Education. Pearson is targeting what it euphemistically calls “emerging markets” as its textbook and testing business in North America reports multi-year declining profits. Egypt is currently seeking a large funding package, estimated at $2 billion, from the World Bank to finance their latest educational reform strategy. No surprise, Pearson is in line to provide the hardware, infrastructure, and training for the “reforms” new digital testing system and a “bank” of exam questions.
Important work from Alan Singer and David Edwards. This is the ball we have to keep our eyes on. Again, I’d encourage people to make “Wrench in the Gears” a regular stop in this regard.
This is a predatory alliance between The World Bank and Pearson in which they both benefit by monetizing education and students in poor countries. The result is to make a profit at the expense of the poor. It also allows the corporations to control the curricula, delivery, the sale of numerous products and profit from endless data mining providing a revenue stream to these corporate opportunists.
My nephew is an economist that worked for the World Bank in the Philippines for a couple of years after grad school. He was involved in micro-lending to promote business growth for poor women. He left when he realized the women’s debt did not allow them to become more economically stable, and it essentially made them a slave to the debt like many of the working poor in America.
This is about CLASS warfare. We are going backwards.
Is anyone aware of any good books or articles on Pearson’s business and lobbying practices?
Now THAT would be a fitting scary story for Halloween
A suggestion to Pearson for a fitting corporate motto. They can use it in all their marketing to authoritarians around the globe:
Pearson over Persons
The oligarchs want human robots.
Very good, Bob!
THEY would tell us: “But corporations ARE people!”
So is “Soylent Green.”
Pearson many be a minor player in the World Bank’s larger scheme for education. You can see some of the structure here dealing with technology in education: SABER-ICT Framework Paper for Policy Analysis: Documenting national educational technology policies around the world and their evolution over time http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/650911487330772455/pdf/112899-WP-SABER-ICTframework-SABER-ICTno01.pdf
Here you can see the scope of interests in education at the World Bank, from Early Childhood Development to Workforce Development with data-gathering for these topics as well: Education Management Systems, Education “Resilience,” Engaging the Private Sector, Equity and Inclusion, School Accountability and Autonomy, School Finance, Student assessment, Teachers, and Tertiary Education.
All of these topics are being put into a four-point rating scale by country: “Latent” to “Emerging” to “Established” and “Advanced.” These ratings are intended to “ highlight a system’s areas of strength and weakness and also help to identify other systems to learn from.”
What you see here is evidence of Pasi Sahlberg’s concept of GERM—the Global Education Reform Movement and the values infused into GERM by the World Bank. http://saber.worldbank.org/index.cfm?indx=4
This has always been my heartfelt love and appreciation to all following educational gurus:
Dearest Dr. Ravitch, Dr. Laura Chapman, Dr. Bob Shepherd, Dr. Christine Langhoff , Dr. Jeanne Heber , my spirit sister Guru Master Susan Schwazt, Guru Master Lloyd Lofhouse , Best practical Master Señor Swacker:
I intend to write individually to all of you. Yes, I cannot realize my dream come true. However, I try my very best to write this to all of my dearest Saints on this Earth. However,
my mother’s advice is vividly in my mind that I shall not tell the truth of what I know to others if that truth can provoke evil to harm me.
The stroke has happened to me in October 31st, 2010. My first shipwreck happened to me on October 31st, 1978. There has been many more co-incidental “could-be dead” accidents on Canadian Highway since 1985 up to today; Or for me to recognize invisible Angels and Saints who help me to survive until now.
My true experience and successful faith in the pure potential compassion in all conscientious sentient beings people + mammal animals like Lions, Tigers, elephants + all domestic pets…+ reptiles animal like crocodiles, snakes…+ all tiny insects like mosquitoes, flies … We can be bad or good dependent on the environment and the manipulative master or our own selfishly survival instinct.
In short, for the human being particularly, my humble experience is on my father simple advice: “Life is only about the breath” = if we can control our breath in both work and rest including sleep, then we can completely control our life and death.
I have been curious and tried to practice my father advice since 1960 during learning, painting, sewing, reading, being awake and going to sleep. The result, It is scary and enlightenment at the same moment in one special night in year 2002.
Should my life be taken away if I can describe my true experience? I cannot even talk to my child and my husband or my Zen master. However, there was one sale lady who sold all good religious decoration and who can see the shining aura through my physical look that day. I really wanted to hide it but I cannot. This look was lasted only three days and disappeared for good until now. Ha ha ha, it was and always is an extremely good experience once in my life time.
I conclude that I consciously practice this breathe in and out 1-2, more or less 30 + years with my pure compassionate love for the unfortunate WITH CONDITION. I consciously breathe in one then breathe out two for instance I breathe in counting 1, 2, 3, then I breathe out counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Eventually, I can breathe in 10 counts and out 20 counts naturally. Sometimes, I can hold in my breath for a solid 1 minute or 60 counts as my pleasure to enjoy breathing in and out.
I have definitely helped all racial people young and old within my ability since I was 5 year old up to this present day, WITH CONDITION = I will definitely STAY AWAY FROM all bad, greedy and manipulative people regardless they are famous, rich or fake friendly strangers or relatives.
I hope that all of you can enjoy practicing this breathing technique until you find a joy in breathe in and out 1 -2 naturally. It is a fun filled game and it nurtures our heart rate as well our inner energy and aura skin healthy look= mind clarity. Happy living for life.
Respectfully to all my adoring educational Gurus
I always respect, admire, adore and truly love all of you.
May King.
I sincerely to correct my misspelling to some last names, as follows:
1) It should write: Schwartz
2) It should write: Lofthouse
I am honored to be on your list, May! Mil gracias!
Dearest Guru Master Señor Swacker:
You are always honest with your expression and truly care for all other younger writers in this block.
You have not only motivated but also consoled me in the beginning of my inexperienced writing my own expression about public education.
I am also feeling a fool to keep nagging about the IMPERMANENT law on Earth plus the absolute Karma Law to all existing things on Earth. I should be quiet and enjoy the beautiful tranquility in my own soul.
Believe me that as long as I can be independent in eating, sleeping and hygiene, I will be happy to endure all physical pains with a smile. I hope that you would agree with me because younger generation will respect us. Yes, being healthy is better being rich, famous and smart.
Respectfully yours
May
Interesting about the breathing exercises, May. If I may share my own experience, albeit with a little different focus.
When my children (have 3) were little, before they could voice their concerns and were struggling, crying, in pain, not seemingly being able to be consoled, I figured out a little breathing technique to help them calm down. (I had read something about breath control at the time.) I laid down on my back and placed them on my chest their head right under my chin. I breathed very slowly, as slow as I could, all the while telling them to let go of their pain, to allow the pain to come to me as I was strong enough to take their pain. I’d gently rub their back while repeating softly to them to let go of whatever was troubling them, breathing slowly and deeply. I swear it worked to calm them down pretty quickly, quicker than if I just held them. Calm little one makes for calmer parent!
Dear Guru Master Señor Swacker;
How have you been? And how well sold is your published books?
The above list is all people who are very consistent and hard headed mindset to what they truly believe in Public Education without being afraid, sarcastic or angry to speak out their belief in my humble opinion.
Your experience and expression is absolutely truthful.I have been there and done that in my shipwrecks – very calm indeed due to my solid belief in my destiny and the protection from invisible Saints and Angels.
However, our true love and patience is different from people who have trillions things to complete. Yes, my breathing technique aims to alleviate the worry and also to build the best habit and best routine for life to all.
The most beauty in breathe 1-2 is easy to practice for people of all age regardless being innocent or being foxy. BUT, the effective result is for the innocent sentient beings. How many people can successfully achieve calmness among all of prayers? Do you know what I mean and implicate?
Finally, I can write what I really want to do for some months ago. In short, wisdom only comes with experience, logical mind, pure compassion and the true love for humanity. I did not expect that I could live more than a decade = maybe 5 years is the most. Therefore I must focus about my past experience with enlightenment until I am done on Earth. Take good care of your well being. It is very delighted to write to you again in this blog.
Respectfully yours,
May
May,
Overall, health is as good as it has been in a long time after having my left hip replaced last December, right knee replaced in March and a lower back ablation procedure wherein they cauterized the peripheral nerves on the vertebrae to eliminate the pain signals. I’m more mobile than I have been in quite a while. Still have other things–this getting older is for the birds, eh! But it’s better than the other ultimate option.
Thanks for your concern!
As far as the book, well let’s just say I’m a pretty good example of “A fool and his money. . . ” LOL! My main hope is that what I have to say gets out there and that people understand what I am trying to say. One friend said he thought the book was ahead of its time. I replied that No, it’s way late-20 years too late.
Hopefully I’ll distribute a few more at the NPE conference this weekend and be able to talk to folks about it.
Again, thanks for your concern and I hope all is as well as it can be for you and yours!
Duane
In case that someone can doubt my experience, there are some examples that can prove the beauty in the above special breath technique:
1) The head doctor in the Toronto Rehab center did not believe in my heart rate which resembles with the athlete’s heart rate but I was disable in all my limbs and speech due to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
(Please note that they fed me with greasy fried eggs and sweet cereal as breakfast for consecutively 4 days PLUS took my blood sample every night – I would rather drink water and waited for my friends and family member to give me boil veggies or baked chicken. That is my trick to avoid their devil deeds – that is how people die in hospital without the relative and good friends to frequently visit them regardless being rich or poor!!!)
2) All nurses asked me how my mind is clarity in all PAST events and my aura skin is still healthy look!
3) All professors were stunt at my memory for my past learning, BUT ZIPPO and NIL in memory of all recent events and even one past minute ago. Yes, I can obtain 100% all grammar lessons but zero on all new vocabulary lessons.
Head doctor and some jealous young TA believe that I am fake to have a stroke. Yes, I am speechless under all CT scans and MRI pictures evidences. Back2basic