[12/08]Intl'l Symposium on Global Climate Change and Althernative Energy for Korea(from 스탈리쉬)

[Vincent(카페지기)]

Topic1

Intl'l Symposium on Global Climate Change and Althernative Energy for Korea 

Today is World Environment Day and an international symposium was held at the National Assembly yesterday. on Climate Change and Alternative Energy Development for Korea.The event was attended by related government officials, renowned scholars, and international organizations dedicated to preserving the earth's environment.

Protecting the environment is no longer an issue confined to national boundaries.It calls for cooperation of all countries in the world to jointly protect and preserve the global ecosystem.In commemoration of the June 5th World Environment Day an international symposium was held in Seoul on Climate Change and Alternative Energy Development for Korea.The event was co-hosted by Hanam International Environment Exposition and the Korean National Assembly's Environmental Forum.Government officials from the Ministries of Environment and Commerce, Industry and Energy participated in the event along with renowned scholars and political leaders from international organizations and universities.In 1992, the U-N Framework Convention on Climate Change called for global attention to the danger of serious environmental damages caused by the greenhouse effect.Ever since, countries have been engaged in heated debates to cut down on emission of greenhouse gases generated from industrial activities such as carbon dioxide and methane.The key purpose of the symposium therefore was to exchange ideas on developing alternative energy sources that are environmentally friendly as well as ensure a sustainable development for the future. 

QUESTIONS

1. Have you heard about What the Kyoto Protocol is ?

2. What do you think is one of the biggest challenges to curb climate change?

3. Why do you think the environmental forum should be needed in the international   societies?

4. Do you think our nation's pollution status is very serious now ?   then.,,,why? any experience that you felt unconmfortable before ?

5.Do you know any example of our government's efforts for environment ?

6. which weather conditions do you like among sunny,rainy,slow,foggy,windy etc days.. ?   do you have good or bad experiences during above weathers?

7. how do you think about our nation's weather agency which often predicts wrong   weather reports?

8. Do you think there would be any connections between climate changes and energy  

   consumption of  rapidly developing countries ?

Topic2

Standardization

Education Reform Needed to Raise Competitiveness

It is often said that human resources are the driving force behind what is referred to as the information society of the 21st century. Countries around the world are stepping up the development of quality human resources through competitive education plans. However, South Korea is on the brink of losing its national competitiveness since the government still sticks to the outdated ``standardization’’ of education.

Chiefs of education boards in nine provinces and seven major cities issued a statement Monday, criticizing the government’s education policy. They said the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development has made undue intervention in school education, weakening its competitiveness. They called for more autonomy and independence in operating provincial and municipal boards of education and running schools.

It is unusual for educators to adopt such a statement. They must have realized that the country faces an education crisis due to the ministry’s misguided policy. The board chiefs pointed out that the government has overlooked the import!ance of competitive education by only focusing on narrowing the education divide. They had planned to issue a more strongly worded statement accusing the government of stubbornly insisting on the anachronistic(시대에 뒤떨어진, 시행착오적인) standardization of high school education.

However, the educators deleted the phrases attacking the standardization policy in a move to avoid a possible head-on confrontation with the ministry. Instead, they indirectly referred to the policy by saying that the nation’s competitiveness has deteriorated as the government has placed top priority on bridging the education divide. They added South Korea’s education competitiveness is far behind that of China and India.

The standardization policy was introduced in 1974 to prevent fierce competition in entrance exams for high schools and colleges. The policy contributed to providing increased educational opportunities and reducing the education divide in the 1970s-80s. But, in the 1990s people began to question the policy that was partly blamed for lowering the scholastic performance of high school students.

Many experts claim standardization education was welcomed in the industrial age of mass production, saying that standardized human resources could be churned out like manufactured goods in the past. But, they believe standardization cannot be applied to the information society. More specified and creative education should replace standardized study in order to cultivate human resources to lead the new society and improve the nation’s competitiveness in the globalization era.

It’s imperative(=urgent, inevitable) for policymakers to humbly accept the board chiefs’ statement as a call for education reform, which is emerging as one of the key campaign issues ahead of the Dec. 19 presidential election. The government should push for deregulation to give more freedom to schools, including colleges, so that they can autonomously decide on curriculums, admissions policy and other operational matters.

QUESTIONS

1. Let us konw the definition of standardization education.

2. The policy on education program over the last minimum 40 years has brought about significant outcomes since the Ministry of Education adopted standardization education; nevertheless, a majority of education-related experts raised questions, vocing that they have seen plenty of demerits through the current policy. Why do they complain about it?

3. Standardization education is a good idea when schools are supposed to categorize many students into different levels on the basis of individual degree of performance. However, I'm concerned that those studying in a low level class would get in trouble because thier opportunities of learning more academic lecture are able to be restricted. What do you think?

4. The current education policy has been blamed for outdated perception. Based on what article said, in which direction should we be off to?

[Lucy~]

참석해요~

[bloody]

정확한 대답은 금요일까지 .... 이번 주제 대략난감..... ㅡㅡ^

[힙합정신108-2404]

저도 참석하고 싶은데...괜찮을까요?^^ 주제가 좀 무겁긴 하지만...

[JJun(Sysop)]

Of course~ you do

[Sheri]

아~ 점점 어려워지고 있다. ㅠ.ㅠ 눈물나~ 저기 해피아워~에만 가도 되나요? ㅋ

[bloody]

죄송~ 내가 올렸어야 하는데... ㅎㅎ 다음에 내가 산뜻 한걸로 한번 올려 보죠~ 어떤걸 원하십니까? 추천 받습니다~ ㅎㅎ

[스탈리쉬]

참석합니다.^^

[amy~]

참석합니다!

[david]

참석요~

[Doo ^^]

참석~

[Teddy~*]

저 참석합니다.... 오랜만이라... 낯설꺼 같아요... ^,^

[Alba(Manager)]

다들 참석이라 적는데,,, 전 불참이라 적으려 하니... 맘이 아푸네용 ㅠ.ㅠ 출장이라 담주에 뵈어요^^

[오렌지나무]

한주빠졌는데..너무어려워요..울렁증생기겠다.. 참석할께요^^

[Jackie]

l'll attend...^^

[조형섭]

참석합니다.