Critiquing, Challenging, and Questioning Power Dynamics and Gender Inequities: A Critical Perspective in the Adolescent Education Programme in India

Sexuality education stands in a tug-of-war against the cultural and moral ethos of India, where public discussion of topics of a sexual nature is widely considered taboo (Das, 2014). This acts as a barrier to the implementation of effective sexuality education in schools nationwide. This was evident in 2006 when the Adolescent Education Programme (AEP), introduced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the National AIDS Control Organization, was rejected by twelve states as culturally inappropriate (Gabler, 2012). Since the backlash, the AEP has undergone multiple changes to make it as agreeable to all as possible (Malik, 2022). In its present form, along with its strengths, the AEP also has many gaps and challenges, allowing for continued improvement. Against this background, in this paper, I critically analyze the AEP curriculum that supports or resists gendered power dynamics in the Indian educational context by engaging in thematic analysis (TA) and critical discourse analysis (CDA). When TA and CDA collaborate, the understanding of “power as embedded in texts as a way to reproduce understandings of social positioning and reinforce hegemonic understandings of culture” (Lawless & Chen, 2019, p. 94) comes into clearer focus. The current AEP curriculum has been developed by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as part of Ayushman Bharat, a flagship programme of the Government of India. Prepared for teachers and teacher educators, it focuses on students from the upper primary to the senior secondary levels in all schools (NCERT, 2020). I draw on my master’s thesis to propose pedagogic opportunities in this curriculum with the belief that education is a form of political intervention and can create possibilities for individual and social transformation in school environments and the larger society (Lee & Johnstone, 2023)

Recent Labour and Education Trends Regarding Geoscientists and Geological Engineers in Canada

A review of information from Statistics Canada and the Council of Chairs of Canadian Earth Science Departments examined the geoscience workforce in Canada over the last two decades through economic cycles and environmental transitions. After a period of growth in Canada (2006 to 2011), geoscientist numbers in the labour market declined by 11% from 2011 to 2021, whereas the numbers of geological engineers grew by 56%. The combined total for both classifications remained fairly constant. By Census 2021 Canada had about 11,000 geoscientists (including oceanographers) and about 4,000 geological engineers. Professional, scientific and technical services, mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction are the major employment sectors. Employment for geoscientists is cyclical and tied to economic and commodity-price cycles. Alberta experienced the largest decline in geoscientist numbers (-34.5%), correlated with reduced oil- and gas-development investments from 2014 to 2020. Growth in other provinces (e.g. British Columbia, Ontario) partly offset the decline in Alberta. Nearly 30% of geoscientists are immigrants, as defined by their countries of birth. The university education supply pipeline shows that enrolment in core geoscience and geological engineering undergraduate programs dropped significantly (50% decline from 2015 to 2022) with a corresponding drop in graduations. However, enrolments in Earth Science programs related to aspects beyond core geoscience and geological engineering (e.g. environmental science in its broadest sense) tripled between 2007 and 2022. If these trends continue, the majority of students will be enrolled in these associated programs rather than graduating with core geoscience knowledge and skills. There is a need for more comprehensive and up-to-date data to represent the characteristics of the geoscience workforce accurately and to inform policy decisions and individual career choices. The current situation implies that shortages of qualified geoscience professionals could develop in future years.Un examen des données de Statistique Canada et du Conseil des directeurs des départements canadiens des sciences de la Terre a porté sur la main-d’oeuvre en géosciences au Canada au cours des deux dernières décennies, à travers les cycles économiques et les transitions environnementales. Après une période de croissance au Canada (de 2006 à 2011), le nombre de géoscientifiques sur le marché du travail a diminué de 11 % de 2011 à 2021, tandis que le nombre d’ingénieurs géologues a augmenté de 56 %. Le total combiné des deux classifications est demeuré relativement constant. Au recensement de 2021, le Canada comptait environ 11 000 géoscientifiques (y compris les océanographes) et environ 4 000 ingénieurs géologues. Les services professionnels, scientifiques et techniques, les mines, les carrières et l’extraction de pétrole et de gaz sont les principaux secteurs d'emploi. L'emploi des géoscientifiques est cyclique et lié aux cycles économiques et aux prix des matières premières. L’Alberta a connu la plus forte baisse du nombre de géoscientifiques (-34,5 %), en corrélation avec la réduction des investissements dans l’exploitation pétrolière et gazière de 2014 à 2020. La croissance dans d’autres provinces (par example, la Colombie-Britannique et l’Ontario) a partiellement compensé le déclin en Alberta. Près de 30 % des géoscientifiques sont des immigrants, selon leur pays de naissance. Le pipeline de l’offre d’enseignement universitaire montre que les inscriptions aux programmes de premier cycle en géosciences et en génie géologique ont chuté de manière significative (baisse de 50 % de 2015 à 2022), ce qui s’est traduit par une baisse correspondante du nombre de diplômes. Cependant, les inscriptions aux programmes de sciences de la Terre liés à des aspects autres que les géosciences fondamentales et le genie géologique (par exemple, les sciences de l’environnement au sens large) ont triplé entre 2007 et 2022. Si cette tendance se poursuit, la majorité des étudiants seront inscrits dans ces programmes connexes plutôt que d’obtenir un diplôme avec des connaissances et des compétences fondamentales en géosciences. Des données plus complètes et actualisées sont nécessaires pour représenter avec précision les caractéristiques de la main-d’oeuvre en géosciences et éclairer les décisions politiques et les choix de carrière individuels. La situation actuelle laisse présager une pénurie de professionnels qualifiés en géosciences dans les années à venir

Shared waters, same standards – The Baltic Sea e-Nav project: A partnership for the future of marine navigation

In order to deploy the first layers of S-100 based navigation products in the Baltic Sea, and do so in a regionally harmonized manner, the Hydrographic Offices involved are partnering with academia and industry in the Baltic Sea e-Nav project. To unlock the full potential of the S-100 paradigm shift towards e-navigation, there is a need for transnational collaboration to build capacity and ensure seamless, harmonized products. In addition, the project will test S-100 products from an end-user perspective to ensure the most relevant and useable navigation data possible. The recently started project will continue until 2026 and is co-financed by the EU Interreg Baltic Sea Region programme

Skilled Migrants’ Well-Being Crises and Entrepreneurial Entry: A Conceptual Framework

Western societies address skill shortages via skilled migration programs, primarily utilized by ethnic minorities.Many first-generation skilled professional migrants (FGSPM), lacking prior entrepreneurial experience,choose entrepreneurship over employment in the host country. Understanding the psychological reasonsunderpinning this choice necessitates scholarly focus. Through an interdisciplinary literature review, we theorizea conceptual framework wherein the post-migration experiences of FGSPM engender a eudaimonic identity(EI) and eudaimonic well-being (EWB) crisis, which serves as the antecedent for entrepreneurial entry.This entry decision is enabled by the disposition of FGSPM and involves leveraging their unique human capital.Thus, entrepreneurship supports in resolving the FGSPM’s EI and EWB crisis. This framework contributesto migrant entrepreneurship literature by highlighting the EI and EWB crisis as the precursor to entrepreneurialentry, preceding disposition, and guiding future empirical research