Durham, NH, United States (AHN) – About 500 students walked out of Oyster River High School Thursday morning in protest of the school board’s decision not to hire a new principal.

Principal Laura Rogers, who has been at the school for five years, said she would not be returning next school year.

The school board received more than 40 applications for a new principal.

Justin Campbell, an administrator in Milford, was finally nominated by the superintendent, despite his nomination not being fully supported by the board.

A large crowd showed up to a school board meeting Wednesday night to support Campbell.

None of the students were disciplined for the walkout on Thursday, which lasted approximately 45 minutes. They walked to the School Administrative Unit building, a block away from the high school.

According to board members, the students were courteous.

Although no formal reason was given for the board’s split decision, members speculate it was due to budget issues.

The hiring process will begin again in the search for a new principal.

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Prosecutors on Thursday dropped charges against teammates of a Pace University football player fatally shot by police responding to a bar brawl last year.

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Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – The British government announced a stern visa regime on Wednesday that is likely to axe more overseas students who aspire to study in the country.

In a statement from the British embassy in Kathmandu, British Home Minister Theresa May said the major overhaul of the student visa system was based on results of an extensive consultation process. Students will now have to pass through tougher rules for UK education institutions wanting to be sponsors.

Those coming to study at degree level will have to speak a higher level of English than before. Likewise, only students at universities and publicly-funded colleges will retain the right to work and only government-sponsored students, and certain postgraduate students, will be able to bring their dependents to the UK.

“There will be a limit on the overall time that can be spent on a student visa in the UK,” the statement reads. Graduates can still work, but will now have to secure a skilled job with a Tier 2 sponsor.

“International students not only make a vital contribution to the UK economy but they also help make our education system one of the best in the world,” May said in making the announcement. “But it has become very apparent that the old student visa regime failed to control immigration and failed to protect legitimate students from poor-quality colleges.”

She further added that the aim is not to stop genuine students but to eliminate abuse.

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Gaza City, Palestinian Territory (IRIN) – The next generation in the Gaza Strip may be less educated, less professional and perhaps more radical because an Israeli blockade has restricted educational and employment opportunities, say UN and other sources.

The four-year blockade has particularly affected youths aged 18-24, limiting access to higher education, academic exchanges and professional development, says Gaza’s education ministry. About 65 percent of Gaza’s 1.6 million people are under 25, according to UN estimates.

“Higher education in all its forms is absolutely critical to a functioning society and the creation of a future Palestinian state,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory Max Gaylard told IRIN, and “to maintain a necessary level of skills in professional sectors, like medicine and engineering.”

Gaza’s unemployment rate – nearly 50 percent according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) – indicates dire prospects for the rapidly growing and youthful population.

The economic blockade, imposed by Israel after the Islamist resistance movement Hamas took control of Gaza, has obstructed the import of books, science laboratory and other educational equipment to Gaza, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Israel allows in limited humanitarian supplies.

The lack of facilities, new information and experiences has caused a marked deterioration of Gaza’s whole educational system. Noor, an English education student at Al-Azhar University, ranked second in Gaza, said she lacked essential books for her coursework and even chairs were missing from lecture halls.

“Our universities are not ready for new generations,” she explained. “We only have one laboratory and two computer labs, and it is not enough.”

Enrolment levels at Gaza’s 14 public and private universities and colleges remain high, but conflict and the stringent blockade have seriously undermined access to, and the quality of, higher education, said UNESCO in a report.

According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights in Gaza, “Under the policy of complete closure imposed since June 2007, Palestinians from Gaza who once constituted some 35 percent of the student body at universities in the West Bank are virtually absent from West Bank education institutions.”

The development of two separate systems due to the Israeli-imposed movement restrictions, meant fewer subjects and facilities for Gaza’s university students, said UNESCO.

Can’t pay fees

About 80 percent of the Gaza population is aid dependent, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and higher education institutions in Gaza are feeling the financial strain.

According to UNESCO, students are increasingly unable to pay tuition fees, resulting in drop-outs and postponement of studies.

The inability of students to cover fees has hit Gaza universities hard, since student fees provide about 60 percent of university running costs, according to Palestinian NGO Sharek Youth Forum.

“The level of education is being compromised and we have trouble hiring qualified professors and staff,” said Kamalain Shaath, president of the Islamic University, ranked top in Gaza and the West Bank. Half the students at the university, he added, were unable to meet tuition requirements this semester.

Damaged buildings still not rebuilt

Islamic University’s first medical school class of about 50 promising young doctors will graduate this spring, and will be desperately needed in this conflict area, although the university science labs that were destroyed during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead – aimed at ending rocket attacks into Israel – were never rebuilt.

Seven universities and colleges were damaged during the offensive, which ended in January 2010, with six buildings fully destroyed and 16 partially, according to UNESCO. As of March 2011, rebuilding has not been possible owing to the embargo on building materials.

Overcrowding in schools is another problem. About 81 percent of Gaza’s public schools operate on double shifts, according Gaza’s education ministry director-general, Sharif Nouman. In 2010, only three new schools were built due to lack of building materials, yet another 100 need to be built, he said.

Meanwhile, the internal conflict between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas is putting pressure on the education system, due to the lack of communication between the Gaza and West Bank ministries, he added.

Rising unemployment

The unemployment rate among those aged 15-19 is about 72 percent, while unemployment affects 66 percent of those aged 20-24, according to a January socio-economic report by the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). West Bank unemployment rates were 29 percent and 34 percent for these age groups, respectively.

About 70 percent of industrial establishments in Gaza have closed under the blockade, according to OCHA, while 120,000 private sector jobs were lost in the first two years of closure. A recent easing has allowed the limited export of cut flowers and strawberries from Gaza to Europe.

“When young people graduate they have almost no opportunity to find a job in a company or association,” said Bassam, a multi-media student at Al-Azhar University. Some try to start their own businesses, but “this cannot succeed in Gaza now because of the blockade,” he added.

UN officials in the region have expressed concern that isolating youth in Gaza from broader values and opportunities will backfire. “A rapidly growing society, becoming poorer, that is subject to restrictions on education will encourage extremism in its worst forms,” warned Gaylard.

Deputy director-general of the Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy, Danny Seaman, however, said: “Hamas uses access to Israel to perpetrate terror attacks against our civilians and this immediate threat outweighs the concern over increased militancy amongst youth in Gaza.”

Some 71 percent of university students surveyed by UNESCO reported they were not hopeful about the future and almost the same number worried there will be another war.

“Most of my peers want to emigrate,” said Shadi, a 26-year-old physical therapist in Gaza City. “We are isolated and frustrated.”

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Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama on Monday interacted with several hundred noisy and excited eighth graders in a cafeteria at Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology outside of Baltimore, Maryland.

With a sign on the wall reading, “Positive, Motivated and Safe,” the students burst into a Beatles style – 12-year-old girl screams as Obama walked into the cafeteria.

Before concluding with Happy Valentine’s Day wishes, Obama answered a student’s question about what it is like to be president.

Obama complained about the bubble and said, “Some days you are burdened by some really tough decisions … Some of you may have family members in Afghanistan for example …. Some of them get hurt, some of them get killed, so you feel the responsibility that is profound.”

On the bubble, he said that he can’t go to the corner store to buy some shaving creaming. Also small things like taking the First Family’s dog Bo for a walk are next to impossible. Saying that he can’t do anything spontaneous.

“You always have to shave and comb your hair. You can’t just roll out of bed,” he said.

On another question about stress accompanying his job as the president, Obama said, “There are stresses involved being the principal of a middle school.” He also mentioned being a teacher. “There aren’t that many jobs out there where you just kind of sit back and have fun all the time … But that’s part of growing up.”

Obama said he feels good when at the end of the day he has done his best. He is bothered when he feels at the end of the day that he could have done better.

After the second question, he shook the hands of the students in the front row, audibly frustrating a group of mostly girls on a back table.

Earlier addressing the students Obama said, “This week I’ll be talking about the need to invest in education in places like Parkville so that every American is equipped to compete with any worker anywhere in the world.”

Citing the recent happenings in Egypt, Obama said, “We live in a world that is getting smaller because of technology.”

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Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) – Five Nepali students were recently deported from the United Kingdom for abusing student visas to travel to the UK in order to work, the British Embassy in Kathmandu announced Thursday.

The embassy said in a statement that all five students were returned to Nepal on Monday after being caught working illegally at a car wash in the British town of Bury St. Edmunds by UK Border Agency officers. “Immigration checks revealed that all the men had student visas, four of them were not studying while one was studying but working much more than the permitted hours,” the embassy said.

The statement said that the colleges that had sponsored the students are now being investigated for potential abuse of the immigration system.

Under Tier 4 of the Points Based System, colleges are required to report absenteeism by international students to the UK Border Agency. Against the backdrop of the arrest, UK Immigration Minister Damian Green made a strong statement to clamp down on abuse of student visas in the UK.

“I believe attracting talented students from abroad is vital to the UK, but we must clamp down on abuse and be more selective about who can come here and how long they can stay. Too many students arriving to study at below degree level have been coming here with a view of living and working, rather than studying,” Green said in the embassy statement.

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Richmond, VA, United States (AHN) – Virginia legislators approved Tuesday a measure that would require students in public elementary and middle school students at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly. The new law seeks to battle obesity in the state.

According to state data, over one-third of Virginia children are classified as obese. Experts estimate that less than 10 percent of students in Virgina schools, particularly those in kindergarten to Grade 5, meet weight standards.

To help battle the state’s battle with the bulge, the governor’s office previously launched a Nutrition and Physical Activity Scorecard that recognized and rewards schools for encouraging healthy habits among pupils.

Rewards are based on a five-point criteria, including the provision of a minimum 30 minutes of physical activity during the daily recess. Top schools are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for their efforts and results.

The new law would take effect in 2014. Some school district officials are wary of the new law because of its possible impact on arts and music classes and higher cost due to the need to hire more Physical Education teachers.

The new law matches the 150 minutes of required PE for elementary students in the District of Columbia, but is 125 minutes less for middle school students in D.C., who are mandated 225 minutes physical activities weekly.

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Bangalore, India (AHN) – The Indian government slammed U.S. authorities on Sunday for putting electronic monitoring anklets on Indian students suspected of buying student visas.

External affairs minister S. M. Krishna strongly condemned the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded that the electronic monitors be removed from the ankles of the Indian students of Tri-Valley University in Pleasanton, California.

The university, where most of the 1,555 students enrolled are from India, had been closed for allegedly selling student visas.

Krishna also demanded that the U.S. government punish officials responsible for the inhuman act.

The Indian government also sent a protest to the U.S. deputy ambassador in New Delhi.

The Telugu Association of North America reported to the Indian media that the ICE required some Indian students to wear the radio tracker so it could monitor their movements.

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Coventry, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Texting has been criticized for contributing to worsening spelling and grammar use among young people. However, a study by Coventry University dispelled that common belief.

The use of the short messaging function on cellphones instead contributes to students’ spelling development, the university’s researchers said.

The basis of that claim is a study on 114 children aged nine and 10 who were recruited from primary schools in the Midlands. The kids, who were not mobile phone users, were divided into two groups.

One group was given mobile phones that the students could use during weekends and school holidays over 10 weeks. The other group had regular access to a cellphone.

Members of both groups were given reading, spelling and phonological awareness exams before and after the study. The students’ reading and spelling were also tracked weekly.

Students from both groups logged higher test results after 10 weeks of mobile phone use. The researchers attributed the difference to texting being highly phonetic in nature and the students’ alphabet awareness being enhanced when they decode the text messages they received.

Prof. Clare Wood, lead researcher, said the study indicated use by youth of mobile phones does not benefit nor harm their literary development, contrary to popular belief.

The study will be published in the February issue of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.

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Gardena, CA, United States (AHN) – A shooting at a high school in Gardena, California wounded three students on Tuesday, according to police. The suspected gunman is believed to be a student and was arrested after the shooting at the Gardena High School 10:30 a.m. The school was locked down as police search for the gunman, who fled on foot.

The police only described the gunman as 18 years old and dressed in dark clothing.

The wounded were transported to the hospital by an ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also in front of the school at 1300 W. 182nd St.

Investigators were also on the scene to determine what sparked the shooting.

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