Friday, June 16, 2006
school makes mandarin lessons mandatory
MERCHISTON Castle school is to introduce the first mandatory Mandarin lessons for all eight to 10-year-olds, it was announced yesterday. The independent boys' school in Edinburgh is believed to be the first in Scotland to have compulsory lessons in Mandarin Chinese.
Read more: SchoolThe psychological effects of global mobility
The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful. Kirsten Hogh Thogersen shares her insights on the difficulties expatriates face in international moves, explaining that they must undergo a radical overhaul of their personalities to flourish in an overseas assignment.
Read more: HoghAn online salve for child-expat angst
According to Lizelle Jansen, there is one aspect of relocating that many expats overlook – and they may later have to pay heavy emotional cost. “HR departments and parents spend a lot of time focussing on adults. They don’t really think that children need information,� she says.
But the Dubai-based South African mother-of-three intends to plug the gap. She is currently recruiting a squad of juvenile reporters and by the start of the next school year plans to launch a site by and for child expats. “It’s a myth that children can adapt to any situation. They also need to search for information about a place,� she says. Jansen’s website (www.miniexpats.com) will be aimed at kids from seven to 17 and reflects considerable research into what she claims are real but commonly-overlooked juvenile gripes.
Read more: MiniexpatsCambridgeshire police spend more than £700,000 on interpreters
Interpreters cost Cambridgeshire police more than £700,000 last year - the equivalent of an extra 35 bobbies on the beat.
The constabulary is spending a fortune on the services of interpreters who assist officers dealing with non-English speakers - the total spent between April 2005 and March this year was £715,000. The sum is the equivalent to the salaries of 35 new police constables, who start on about £20,000 a year, and is more than double the amount the force received for selling off its old helicopter.
Read more: Police