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England's schools should take lessons from Japan and the Far East on how to improve performance, the shadow education secretary says. Stephen Twigg says despite many school reforms, there has been little change to the style of classroom teaching since Victorian times.

SHENYANG, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Educational authorities across the nation are embracing newly amended rules to prevent cheating on upcoming college entrance exams.

MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy thousands of its personnel to assist in the cleaning and renovation of all the public schools across the country in preparation for the opening of the classes on June 4. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa said that his deployment order is in support of the week-long "Brigada Eskwela 2012" launched by the Department of Education which will kick-off on Monday. In Metro Manila alone, Dellosa said at least 1,000 soldiers will be tapped in preparing schools in the metropolis, adding that the military contingent is composed of active and reservists which will come from the AFP's three major services command.

As students and teachers again face a shortage of classrooms this year, one of the country's most populated school divisions is turning to home schooling to ease overcrowding. The Quezon City school division is placing some 10,000 students from six high schools on a home schooling program, the biggest number to be covered in a single area since the Department of Education adopted this alternative mode of teaching. "There are 10,000 students from six high schools that will go on home study. Our city government has already allocated P20 million for that," said assistant division superintendent Rowena Cacanindin.

DUBAI // A group of Grade 6 pupils in Dubai want to convince schools across the country to convert to solar energy - and save up to Dh1 million a year on their electricity bills. Related ■ Weaving the sun's power into life's fabric ■ Utility bills sent out to show waste If their mission, under the banner "Make A Difference", is successful, the students at Emirates International School Jumeirah estimate that schools can reduce electricity usage by 20 per cent.

TEACHERS SHOULD not befriend their students on Facebook and other social networking sites, according to a new code of conduct agreed by the Teaching Council, the group that regulates the profession. The new code is the first attempt to set down clear guidelines on use of social media for 70,000 primary and second-level teachers in the State. It comes amid growing concern in school communities about bullying of students and teachers on Facebook and Twitter.

Fewer students are applying to become teachers since the government began to reduce bursaries for those with 2:2 degrees and turn away applicants with thirds. Applications to teacher training courses are down by 15% on last year, after the number of bursaries was also cut back for those applying to teach non-priority subjects. But research shows more students want to join the profession. Over 80% of final-year students think teaching is a high-status career choice, according to research released today by the Teaching Agency, while a separate survey shows schools and universities are the second most popular type of employer