According to initial information, at noon on January 8, the passenger bus of driver Truong Anh Minh was travelling on Hai Van mountain pass which is the most beautiful one in Vietnam before it plunged into the abyss. Police officers, locals and rescue workers join the rescue effort to take victims to hospital in the central city of Da Nang (Photo: SGGP) Head of traffic police station Nguyen Hoang Vu said that rescue forces rushed victims of the accident to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment. Presently, the rescue work is still underway as the bus is in the abyss. Commissar of Lang Co border guard station Hoang Van Dung who took part in the rescue work said that the bus was carrying 26 people including one teacher and 22 students of a college in the Mekong delta province of Kien Giang. According to witnesses, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle when passing Hai Van mountain pass and crashed into the cliff before plunging off the road into the 20-meter-deep abyss. … [Read more...] about One dead, 21 injured in coach accident on country’s most beautiful mountain pass
Philly zoo teacher pass
First polar bear born in the tropics dies at 27 in Singapore zoo
Singapore on Wednesday mourned the death of the first polar bear born and bred in the tropical island city, put down by wildlife authorities after a five-year battle with health difficulties stemming from old age. Inuka, a 27-year-old animal who grappled with challenges ranging from arthritis to dental problems and ear infections, carried until his last days a green tinge in his fur blamed on algae growth. "As much as we would like to keep Inuka with us for as long as possible, our ultimate responsibility is his welfare," said Cheng Wen-Haur, an official of zoo operator Singapore Wildlife Reserves. "The greater kindness would be to relieve him from prolonged suffering," Cheng said in a statement. Calls for Inuka to be allowed to live out his natural life grew after the zoo operator said this month that the bear, whose age corresponded to 70 years in human terms, was sick. "Please do let him pass on naturally," said Vanessa S. Wee, one of more than 100 social media users who commented … [Read more...] about First polar bear born in the tropics dies at 27 in Singapore zoo
Teachers struggle to live with low wages, delayed payments
VietNamNet Bridge - Hundreds of teachers in HCM City have not been paid over the last year, while hundreds of teachers in Nghe An province have only received 85 percent of basic wages. This means that teachers don not receive pay from the state budget as other civil workers, but from districts’ localities or schools where they work. Nguyen Thi Tinh, a teacher of Ho Tong Thoc Primary School in Yen Thanh district, who has been working there for the last 14 years, receives VND2 million a month. Like Tinh, the other seven teachers of the schools also work under the labor contracts with districts or the school and receive modest pay. Since the employers don’t pay social insurance for them, they have to pay themselves, which means their real monthly income is just VND1.2 million. Phap Luat reported that 117 teachers in district 1 in HCMC have been working without pay for 15 months. The teachers passed the exams to become civil servants in August 2015, but they still have not … [Read more...] about Teachers struggle to live with low wages, delayed payments
Teacher shortage hits English pilot programme
>> HCM City primary schools face dire English teacher shortage Since the launch of a national pilot programme last year to teach English as a compulsory subject to third- and fourth-graders, local authorities have been struggling to find qualified teachers. The Ministry of Education and Training first introduced the programme for third-graders in 94 elementary schools in 18 provinces and cities, replacing the earlier system in which English was taught only from grade six onwards. … [Read more...] about Teacher shortage hits English pilot programme
HCMC Pupils Learning Conservationism at Saigon Zoo Up Over 1000% since 1999
Since 1999, the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens (SZBG) have been providing a program called "Combining HCMC Elementary Education and Environment Conservation at the SZBG" to help pupils learn of the invaluable benefits and means of protecting the nation's flora and fauna. According to Dr. Vo Dinh Son, head of the zoo's Education on Natural Conservation Office (EoNCO), the a program is based on the experiences of zoos and conservation areas in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, as well as conditions at the SZBG. To ensure pupils of each grade level have an "edutaining" outdoor time supplementing their biology classes, EoNCO prepares tours based on students' ages and curicula. The tour includes insights into the natural world's wonders, the causes of pollution, i.e., human beings, the vital role of water, plant and animal reproduction and development and the risks from allowing the extinction of endangered species. The aim is to help students … [Read more...] about HCMC Pupils Learning Conservationism at Saigon Zoo Up Over 1000% since 1999