ISSUe 299 - First News

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4 FirstNews Issue 299 2 – 8 MARCH 2012 FIRST NEWS HEADLINES For the latest on these headlines, go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news Is the school boss right or wrong? TELL First News what you think about Government plans for your education. Name: Age: Tough lives of slum children 1. Do you think it should be tougher to pass exams? Yes No 2. Should teachers be allowed to search you and your belongings? Yes No 3. Should head teachers be able to hand out after-school detentions without 24 hours’ warning? Yes No 4. Are you happy Michael Gove is in charge of education in England? Yes No 5. Do you think Mr Gove’s plans will help to make the country’s children among the best in the world? Yes No Show this form to your teacher and get as many classmates to complete it as possible. You can photocopy it as many times as you like. Send completed forms to Newsdesk, First News, 14-20 Shand Street, London, SE1 2ES. Alternatively you can go to www.firstnews.co.uk/surveys to take part and comment. Please respond by Monday 12 March. Worst drought in 30 years THE worst UK drought in 30 years is already threatening wild animals. Now experts are warning that there might be a ban on people using hosepipes – even before spring has begun. Low river flows mean that fish are becoming stranded and dying in Hampshire. And, in the east of England, soil drier than ever has been recorded. Now the Government is calling on people to cut down on wasting water. Taking shorter showers and turning off the tap while brushing teeth can help. However, we are not facing the sort of drought that is seen in some poor countries, like the Congo, above right. In next week’s First News we will look at the difference in severity of drought and what we can all do to help. People queue to collect water from a natural spring at Camp Luka, a slum outside Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children carry up to ten litres of water and adults up to 30 litres, climbing slippery, mud-covered paths between the spring and where they live. Many children collect water three or more times every day. UNICEF has just published a report on children growing up in towns and cities, and the growing difference between the rich and the poor. UNICEF’s report wants us to make sure we pay attention to the millions of children who live in these urban areas, so they won’t be forgotten when it comes to looking after them and protecting their rights. When you imagine a child in poverty abroad, your normal image is, perhaps, someone living in a village or a remote part of the countryside. However, towns and cities have millions of children living in terrible conditions, without essential things such as clean water or toilets. Cities can be a great place to live, with schools, hospitals and playgrounds. However, many children And almost a quarter of parents say they lack the maths skills and confidence to support their children. The findings, from a survey by online maths tutoring service iTutorMaths and First News, show that the biggest classroom fears include kids thinking they should know the answer already (36%), looking stupid in front of friends (29%), being too embarrassed (22%), or being afraid of attracting too much attention (20%). Even so, children still vote maths the most important subject for their future career (31%), beating English (25%) and science (13%) to the top spot. Steve Chinn, a former head teacher and special needs expert, has also spoken out about maths this week. He says children are giving up on maths by the age of seven, a quarter of all people struggle with maths and nearly seven million adults are worse at maths than the standard expected of a nine-year-old. Managing Director of iTutorMaths, Andrew Tarling, says: “With growing class sizes and greater demand on teachers, lack in urban areas live in places called slums. These are crowded living areas and children from slums can be forgotten in a big city. They might live near a school but be unable to attend, be near a hospital which they can’t afford, or be unable to play with other children in a safe environment. There are great health risks to living in a city as well. Crowded, dirty spaces mean children are in more danger of illness and disease. Hunger is also getting worse in urban areas, as the children aren’t able to eat the healthy food they need to grow up properly. Children give up on maths UK children are too scared to raise their hands in maths lessons, yet a third say it is the most important subject for their future career. of confidence in maths is becoming a very real and worrying issue. “At iTutorMaths we are passionate about making high quality maths tutoring a reality for everyone. Our online, small group tutorials help build confidence and overcome the issues highlighted by this new research.” www.itutormaths.co.uk Kate joins Queen on Jubilee tour THE Duchess of Cambridge is joining the Queen as she begins her Diamond Jubilee tour. They will travel to Leicester by train with the Queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, on Thursday. Leicester Mayor, Peter Soulsby, said: “I am very proud that Leicester will be the first stop on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour.” The Queen will travel around the country between now and 25 July – by car, train, aircraft and ship!
FirstNews Issue 299 2 – 8 March 2012 THE NEWS IN PICTURES 5 27 February dhaka, Bangladesh: A child works in a plastic bottle recycling factory besides a river. Bangladesh is one of the poorest nations on the planet, with 40 percent of its 144 million people living on less than one US dollar each day. 27 february london, UK: With the Olympics less than five months away, Madame Tussauds in London unveiled a brand new wax figure of Tom Daley. One of the most dramatic figures ever to feature at Madame Tussauds, Daley is captured in mid-dive as he soars from the diving board towards the water. The figure is suspended at a height of four metres in a specially designed aquatic set and guests can walk right underneath, as if Daley was frozen in action. 23 February SOUTHBANK CENTRE, london, uk: Anthony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo (above) were among a host of literary stars at The Book People’s glittering evening to celebrate all that is great and good about children’s literature. Each gala guest provided a copy of their own favourite book from childhood, including HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, with the Just So Stories. Michael Morpurgo took The Elephant’s Child. Jamie Oliver prepared the fantastic food. 26 February Kathmandu, NEPAL: Chandra Bahadur Dangi, a 72-year-old Nepali, poses with his certificates after being declared the world’s shortest man by Guinness World Records officials. Dangi is just 54.6 centimetres (21.5 inches) tall. 26 February RABAt, Morocco: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Morocco’s Foreign Minister Saad Eddine Othmani and the Mayor of Rabat Fathallah Oualalou took part in a ground breaking ceremony for the new US Embassy. Clinton was winding up a tour of North African countries that also took her to Tunisia and Algeria. For more pictures and videos go to www.firstnews.co.uk/news-in-pictures
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ISSUe 299 - First News

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