tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81406739453233862412024-03-13T13:34:07.541-07:00World Education Newsadoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-35180201613549948102013-06-23T22:27:00.001-07:002013-06-23T22:28:09.066-07:00Why wasn’t School Payroll Simplified before Novopay?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently released findings from the <a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a> highlight that there was no serious effort made by the Ministry of Education to simplify schools’ collective agreements or Ministry or school business processes before the start of the <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> project. This was signalled in the inquiry report as being the “underlying cause of later problems.” And these later problems with the <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> payroll system have of course been widely publicised, negatively affecting public trust and confidence in the Ministry and wider public sector, and tarnishing the reputation of Talent2, the payroll provider.<br />
This situation then begs the obvious question – why didn’t the Ministry try and “fix” the <br />
schools’ over-complicated payroll practices, processes and legislation before introducing the <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> system?<br />
There are 15 different national collective employment agreements in operation across the education sector as well as individual employment agreements. When you consider the variety of allowances, leave provisions and other employment conditions which impact pays, the number of possible permutations for individual pays has been estimated to be as high as 10,000. If the Ministry was serious about simplifying their payroll system, this would have been a great opportunity to clean up its act with regard to payroll rules and regulations before <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> was implemented.<br />
The past history of failed payroll system implementations further supports this argument. The <a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a> detailed that every time the Ministry has tried to change its payroll system in the past, there have been major issues. In the mid-1980s a transfer from its own software to a new customised system caused blocks of staff to not get paid during the transition. When the Datacom system was introduced in 1996, the transfer again was very rocky. The project ran late, the implementation was difficult, and a contractor error eventuated in non-payments to all school employees who had been set up to be paid by direct credit. <br />
With such a tumultuous past, and given the complex and exception-driven environment posed by the New Zealand school system, was it ever realistic that any payroll provider would have a chance of a successful implementation? Mark Neild, a computer industry professional commented that “<a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a>’s botched <br />
roll-out was a failure of management, not technology.” Mr Neild explained that <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a>was a “classic project failure, but it was not the IT parts which failed.” Neild believes that the government wanted large changes in the school payroll system, including simpler national pay structures and for school staff to input their own data, but it was wrong to expect the software to achieve this.<a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/137623/another-manager-quits-over-novopay-fiasco">(radionz.co.nz, 15-6-2013)</a><br />
Instead of rationalising the payroll system, “the Ministry progressed towards customising the <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> service to reflect existing practices, rather than taking advantage of the inherent capabilities in the new software.” (<a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a>)As the project morphed from implementing a configured-package software system towards a highly customised solution, this moved further and further away from the original strategy and business case argument. “More and more, the project was recreating the legacy processes and system...This approach had the effect of slowing the project down, constraining the benefits’ realisation and complicating relationships and future upgrade options.” (<a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a>)<br />
The inquiry report describes the school payroll environment as “overly complex as a result of an accumulation of historical changes.” Instead of being stuck in the past, it’s time the Ministry of Education takes a more forward-thinking approach by updating and simplifying their payroll, bringing the processes and requirements in line with <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a>’s simpler model (as was originally intended).<br />
This has been endorsed by two of the <a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a> recommendations to the Ministry – to engage with stakeholders including sector representatives, “to modernise the collective agreements in the sector in order to reduce the complexity they provide for the schools’ payroll” and to “re-examine the requirements of the current schools’ payroll to remove unnecessary practices and complexity” such as the single payslip, and start and end of year processes. (<a href="http://inquiry.novopay.govt.nz/">Novopay Ministerial Inquiry</a>)<br />
Steven Joyce, Minister Responsible for <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a>, has given assurances that he will action all of the inquiry’s recommendations – it’s just a shame that there was no foresight to do this during the nearly ten years of planning and development for the <a href="http://www.novopay.govt.nz/default.aspx">Novopay</a> system.</div>
adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-38427356806157676302012-11-07T15:11:00.004-08:002012-11-07T15:11:54.146-08:00How Fast the Payday Loans Service Is<div style="text-align: justify;">
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adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-10614763953257572112012-08-08T01:02:00.002-07:002012-08-08T01:05:23.123-07:00Pursuing a Successful Health Care Career<div align="justify">We can take <a href="http://healthcaredegrees.csuglobal.edu/bshcm/healthcare-administration-bachelors-degree">health administration degree online</a> as an important step for us pursuing a successful career in the health care field. Nowadays, people are urged to be competitive so they can face challenges in this world by offering solutions. Obtaining a degree can be done by going to a college or getting an online education. For instance, if you need to work to make a living whilst you want to get a degree, online education is the right solution. By that, you can arrange your time to work and study properly by means of successful future career. It takes a lot of efforts to get a successful health care career. Therefore, if you already know the benefits of working in the health care field, you will be more motivated to fight for it.<br /><br />Most of the <a href="http://healthcaredegrees.csuglobal.edu/bshcm/careers-in-healthcare-management">healthcare administration and management jobs</a> need those who have a strong motivation and dedication to make a life impact for their surroundings. Working in health care industry will give you more opportunities to change lives, save people, and provide health care. Plunging yourself to work at health care industry will urge you to always do good deeds and make your life more meaningful. In addition, you can work not only in a hospital or a doctor’s office but also in big corporations and government entities. Since you will deal with life and death situations, you will never have a chance to get bored. That is why you need to be fast and able to work quickly. It can be very challenging for those looking for excitement in dealing with unexpected moments. Furthermore, the salaries will be surely helping you to make a living for you and your entire family. The more you are skilled and educated, the higher the salaries you will receive.<br /></div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-58534541268714740882012-07-09T05:16:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:19:24.649-07:00Online Education Is Not For EverybodyOnline education has become very popular. You can study just about any subject online, without ever stepping foot into a classroom. Everywhere you look there are advertisements for online programs to get your Masters of Business Management or your law degree online. Before you enroll in an online degree program, you have to consider some things.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Depending on what you want to study, online education may not be right for you. Many of the online programs that are offered today are provided by for-profit schools. For-profit schools exist to make money for their owners, often their owners are stockholders who expect a dividend to be paid or the stock price to increase. The fact that an online program is provided by a for-profit school doesn't mean that the program doesn't deliver a good education, it is simply a factor to consider when researching different programs. The reason I mentioned for-profit schools is because I believe that certain subjects should never be taught entirely online, they just do not fit into the online format.<br /><br />A perfect example of a subject that does not lend itself to the online format would be chemistry. Chemistry requires students to spend time in a laboratory. The laboratory has specialized equipment and is set up to allow students to conduct experiments, these lessons cannot be taught online with the same degree of competence. A student can watch videos of other people conducting experiments but it is not as effective as actually conducting the experiment.<br /><br />Other subjects that are difficult to learn online are law, architecture, and medicine, to name a few. If you are unsure if the field you are considering is conducive to online education, check out U.S. News and World Report's College Rankings. If you cannot find an online program in the field that you are researching that is ranked by U.S. News, then that field is probably not appropriate for online education.<br /><br />Another reason online education is not right for some people is the discipline required. The attractive flexibility of online education also means that a teacher will not tell you when you should start working on your final project or when to read the required reading. It can be tempting to procrastinate and fall behind in class. It is very difficult, if not impossible to catch up once you have fallen behind in an online class.<br /><br />If you need the structure and guidance of in-class instruction to avoid procrastination, online education is not right for you. Your going to have to be realistic with yourself, only you know if you are the kind of person that can stay focused and disciplined for the couple of years it is going to take to complete the program.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-25654428600331317042012-07-03T05:32:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:33:25.064-07:00Technology Improved Education<div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Teaching and learning have taken on a whole new dimension due to the major impact of technology in schools. Teachers now have a medium to communicate effectively with one another and share ideas to better their teaching skills. They now have a pool of endless resources they can utilize to offer students the assistance they need to develop their ability and advance. The computer has improved education in many ways. There is now the reduced use of paper, which plays a role in environmental conservation. This positively supports what teachers are trying to instill in their pupils; it is important to preserve the natural environment and take care of our surroundings. There is no better way to do it than putting a stop to cutting down trees.<br /><br />Other notable areas of improvements as a result of technology are;<br /><br />- Information on different subject matter is readily accessible. This is not only beneficial to teachers, but students as well. There is no limit to the knowledge one can attain from the internet. What's more, the material available is diverse since it's presented by people from different parts of the world. This opens up a student's viewpoint and allows for fresh, new ideas to arise.<br /><br />- There is a lot of software that schools can use to create far more interesting presentations and programs. Students can use the software on projects thus they have a way to express their tasks effectively and in detail.<br /><br />- Technology has helped do away with distance and time restrictions. Online education has opened numerous possibilities for students and teachers alike. You can now school or teach from anywhere in the world. Many online schools are accredited and registered with the necessary government bodies. This means that every individual interested in acquiring a higher education has the opportunity to do so now. Many people who have jobs also have the chance to pursue further studies without giving up their careers.<br /><br />- The introduction of schools online has made education more enjoyable and achievable. Because this allows a visual and audio mode of communicating, everyone can share ideas, knowledge, as well as information and make others the better for it.<br /><br />Through technology, education has been transformed. Learning and teaching has become more interactive. It has also done away with barriers as knowledge can now be shared across borders. Different cultures can now openly appreciate one another as they learn the various ways of life. Technology has undoubtedly improved the scope of education and through this there will be more technological advancements. Thus, technology and education are correlated; they work together to develop each other.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-51204212173589257272012-07-03T05:07:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:14:05.961-07:00The Importance of Value Education<div style="text-align: justify;">The world will start learning from the mistakes done in the past which few leaders did because a little misunderstanding can bring instability in the world, due to this misunderstanding and bad politics the most powerful country of its time, i.e. Soviet Union fell down, it is the mistakes which had turned the whole world into the battleground during the world wars. America is not able to control the number of its enemies. India and Pakistan are fighting with each other since the day they came into existence. But the third world will be free from all these problems, These things will be unaccepted in the third world.<br /><br />But for all this, we need nice people. The third world needs nice people who are strong in morals, because it is they who are going to make the difference, and their demand will be fulfilled by the universities, the university should provide moral and value education to the students beside the professional studies.<br /><br />Character is the basic thing, the man with good character is all that this current world needs, who will drive this world to the third world, the world of dreams, where everybody would love to live. The third world is very far from us, but it is possible to reach there.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-64690432565608708732012-06-25T05:14:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:16:40.379-07:00A World Of Fun And EducationAre you bored at work and you don't know what to do in order to kill time until you'll be able to head home? You are not the only one when it comes to this and there are millions of people just like you. But if you don't want to feel this way ever again, it is suggested that you take a look at the free online games or other online games that are available. There are plenty of categories out there you can delve into, some of them include soccer games, dress up, fashion, magic tricks, parking cars, cool math games and many more. Let's take a look at some of them.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Games For Girls<br /><br />These games will most of the time abound in colors and shiny things. And this is because they are generally designed for girls between six and twelve years old, but girls who are a little older can still play them and have tons of fun. Some of these games might include categories such as cooking games, dress up games and the like. You know, things that girls usually love to do and are interested in. Some of these games will also teach you some things that you will then be able to try out and do in real life, like cooking some food or baking a pie.<br /><br />The fashion games are also on this list and with these games, girls will need to find a way to dress up their model as best as they can for certain occasions. There are many bonuses they will get depending on how fast they will be able to achieve this and how well they will have dressed up their model. It's a very fun and entertaining game and on top of dressing up a model, girls will also learn how to dress up in real life when they themselves will participate to similar events to those in their favorite fashion game.<br /><br />Games For Boys<br /><br />Now let's head over to the boys camp now and talk about some of the games that were created for them. Most of the time you will see boys on computers at work and they will choose to play car games such as truck driving games or racing games. This is because boys have a strange attraction to cars, maybe due to their looks and overall brute power. It's something that's just deeply ingrained in the male brain which eventually entices guys to go looking for and playing such games.<br /><br />Some boys, who will even want to practice for their driver's license, can try out the parking games. Depending on the titles they choose, they will be let in on real life situations in which they will have to park a car according to certain rules. What this means is that they need to have a good knowledge of driving and the rules of driving and that is how such games can train them to becoming better drivers on the road.<br /><br />Last but not least, the hidden object games can be played by both girls and boys, as they are fun, addictive and will always allow you to lose the stress you have accumulated during the daytime. The good news is that these titles will most of the time have a good story behind them, so you will not just have to look for things in strange places.<br /><br />A story will make everything more amazing and it will allow you to delve more into the game, thus forget about your worries and problems. You will not only feel better, but you will also acquire some skills which will certainly help you when you will have put your apartment or car keys someplace in your home, but you don't quite remember where.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-82450214413027817012012-06-14T05:27:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:29:37.800-07:00Education in the Third World<div style="text-align: justify;">When born into this world, the future of each child is a blank canvas - in terms of intellectual capability or imagination there is no discrepancy between a First and Third World child. It is the environment and opportunities available to them that then begin to mark and shape that canvas and determine the life path of each child. Will they get an education? Will they be fed, housed, healthy and looked after? Opportunity, education and environment become barriers in a<br /><br />Third World child's life - what's to say that given an education and the opportunity these children couldn't be sporting heroes, politicians or the doctors of tomorrow?<br /><br />While education forms the foundation of many Western societies, in the Third World there are endless obstacles to school attendance, whether they be school fees, illegal child labour issues, illness, lack of parental guidance or political conflict. Reversing this trend is crucial, because education is not only the key to alleviating poverty on an individual or family level, but can also break the cycle of poverty for an entire country.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-12910746368150402962012-05-21T05:26:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:27:13.103-07:00Educate Your Special Needs ChildEducating your special-needs child is extremely important, if they are to ever grow up and participate in the real world. There are many learning disabilities that children will grow out of, and they will be able to overcome in order to live normal lives, active lives, and participate fine in society. Of course, there are some things which are almost impossible to predict, which just goes to prove that your special-needs child's education never really stops.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The other day I was discussing this with a very nice couple whose special need teen was not really cut out to go to college, and they didn't graduate HS in the regular class, nevertheless they got the appropriate education for their particular child, and they would have to continually work with their offspring to prepare them for the real world. Luckily, there are other social services available to help them through this process, but life will always be somewhat of a challenge.<br /><br />There was an interesting piece not long ago, on FOX News titled; "TSA Admits 'Bad Judgment' After Disabled Man Subjected to Airport Pat-Down" which was published on June 10, 2011. The news segment noted;<br /><br />"A Detroit father told FOX that the TSA singled out his special-needs son for a pat-down while the family was headed to Disney World. The TSA admitted was a case of bad judgment. The Detroit Metro Airport took his son Drew, 29, and asked him about the padding underneath his pants, which turned out to be adult diapers. Drew, who is severely mentally disabled, had trouble understanding the agents' orders because his family said he has the mental capacity of a 2-year-old."<br /><br />When the father intervened to explain, the TSA folks said to step back, let them do their job, they knew what they were doing, and not to interfere. Perhaps, you can understand how difficult this was for the family, but it gets back to my main point, and that is; just because your child can understand how to perhaps count money, dress themselves, do limited cooking, and perhaps live on their own, doesn't mean they are prepared for all the things that might occur in their lives.<br /><br />In this case it turned out to be quite an event, and perhaps a traumatic one for the mentally disabled individual. Maybe the biggest problem here is that many people in our society do not understand how tough it is, but maybe some good will come out of this story in the news, and remind us all, that these special needs folks are also members of our society, and we need to look out for them as well. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-80754773012839153602012-05-10T05:19:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:23:54.913-07:00Writing News PiecesThe intro of a news story should not be more than 25 words. It should be powerful enough to get the eyes of the reader. It is very important that the intro should gain the reader's attention so that the reader will want to read the news story. The intro should be in a problem/ solution combination. It should contain a brief highlighted problem with a brief solution in the news story. For example, thousands of asthma patients can have a relief after the new drug has been approved by the NHS.<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The second and third paragraphs of the news story must contain a lot of key facts such as What, When, How, Why, Who, etc.<br /><br />The fourth and fifth paragraphs should contain a quote from the major part of the story. These paragraphs should contain an opinion or a comment. It should not contain any factual quote from the main source of the story. For example, Mr. John said; "This is outrageous. They are ruining this highway. They should clean it up right away."<br /><br />Then comes the secondary quotes, it should be quoted in long news pieces. This will give a balance to the story. For an example, if you making a news story about a new asthma drug that has been launched in the market, you should include the voices from a variety of sources which can include, scientists, patients, GP's, drug companies, etc. The quotes from these sources can be directly or indirectly. Direct quotes can be for example Mr. John said:".....................". Indirect quotes are for example -Mr. John said the drug is very effective against asthma and has been tested to give fruitful results. Indirect quotes are the lines which the reporter paraphrases the lines of the source as if they have told them.<br /><br />All these rules are followed by people writing on websites like Forestlaneshul, which has made it extremely popular to people searching for news from the world of entertainment, technology etc.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-71725407781373551652012-05-03T05:29:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:31:17.651-07:00Education Reform May Provide Better Incentives For Those With Education Degrees<div style="text-align: justify;">Students in education degree programs might enter professions that, in the long run, are the most important to a successful economy. That's at least how President Barack Obama, interviewed by Matt Lauer for the Today Show in September, described teachers. Students who are working toward education degrees might also enter a field that's very different by the time they graduate.<br /><br />The difference has to do with education reform. Last year, the federal government announced a $4 billion "Race to the Top" program designed to award $4 billion in grants to states that encourage education reform. Much of the news with regard to education these days has to do with enhanced college and university readiness and improved science and math education. Students in education degree programs might learn that America's K-12 students lag behind other countries in these subject areas particularly.<br /><br />The American Federation of Teachers is on board with education reform. Math and science, many say, can enhance innovation, help the economy and help the country retain its role as a world leader. But where Obama in the Today Show interview announced plans to recruit thousands of science and math teachers over the coming two years, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten in an opinion piece on AOL News suggested that training and retaining teachers, as they do in Finland, might benefit the education system.<br /><br />BBC World News America earlier this year reported on how representatives from throughout the world visited Finland to determine what makes the country$27s schools so successful. Finland's schools rank- highly on a worldwide scale, even though students there spend some of the least amount of time in class, according to the BBC article. The article explained about when students start school there and when they move to different schools and teachers. Among other things, the BBC World News article mentioned immigration and additional teachers who fill highly respected roles.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8140673945323386241.post-37204924822152290372012-04-27T05:24:00.000-07:002012-07-10T05:25:16.191-07:00Nurse Practitioner Programs<div style="text-align: justify;">It is a well-known fact that all people dream to become a successful person and obtain a good job. While being at high school a lot of students think about their future lives and careers. Almost all of them know about their possibilities and likings. They try to pay more attention to the subjects which will be very necessary for their future career.<br /><br />When a person knows who he or she would like to become, then he or she strives and tries to do everything to achieve the aim. In order to make the first steps forward to your dream you have to make sure that your decision is right and you really want to become this or that professional. Then, you have to get a proper education in the very field you like. It should be definitely a certified education, because only qualified higher educational establishments will give you the proper knowledge. If you have a certified diploma, then you will be definitely given a good job.<br /><br />If to say about decisions, some of students are likely to devote their lives to the lives of other people. They would like to help people and try to save their health and live. In such a way they prefer to obtain a medical education. This field of medicine is very difficult but requirable. If a person obtains the education in the field of medicine, then he or she may become a doctor or a nurse. Both of these professions are very important nowadays.<br /><br />If a person would like to become a nurse, then he or she has to obtain the proper nursery education. It is not an easy task because a certified registered nurse has to obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing, then master's degree in nursing and finally he or she is obliged to have some practical skills.<br /><br />If you would like to become a practitioner nurse, you have to obtain a nurse practitioner education. This education is available in all nursery schools. They provide you with nurse practitioner programs after graduation of which you will be able to get a good job.<br /><br />When you realize that your wish is to become a Nurse Practitioner, then you will have to know the colleges which provide you with the best education. These colleges provide you with the nurse practitioner programs and you can find three top colleges listed below. There you can find their contact details. This will help you to become closer to your dream.</div>adoexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042410007176028887noreply@blogger.com