Day: June 2, 2022

Harini Logan was eliminated from the Scripps National Spelling Bee once, then reinstated. She missed four words in a grueling standoff against Vikram Raju, including one that would have given her the title.

In the first-ever lightning-round tiebreaker, Harini finally claimed the trophy.

The 14-year-old eighth grade student from San Antonio, Texas, who competed in the last fully in-person bee three years ago and endured the pandemic to make it back, spelled 21 words correctly during a 90-second spell-off, beating Vikram by six.

Harini, one of the best-known spellers entering the bee and a crowd favorite for her poise and positivity, wins more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

Perhaps no champion has ever had more final-round flubs, but Harini was no less deserving.

She is the fifth Scripps champion to be coached by Grace Walters, a former speller, fellow Texan and student at Rice University who is considering bowing out of the coaching business. If so, she will depart on top.

The key moment came during the bee’s much-debated multiple-choice vocabulary round, when Harini defined the word “pullulation” as the nesting of mating birds. Scripps said the correct answer was the swarming of bees.

But wait!

“We did a little sleuthing after you finished, which is what our job is, to make sure we’ve made the right decision,” head judge Mary Brooks said to Harini. “We (did) a little deep dive in that word and actually the answer you gave to that word is considered correct, so we’re going to reinstate you.”

From there, Harini breezed into the finals against Vikram. They each spelled two words correctly. Then Scripps brought out the toughest words of the night.

Both misspelled. Then Vikram missed again and Harini got “sereh” right, putting her one word away from the title. The word was “drimys,” and she got it wrong.

Two more rounds, two more misspelled words by each, and Scripps brought out the podium and buzzer for the lightning round that all the finalists had practiced for in the mostly empty ballroom hours earlier.

Harini was faster and sharper throughout, and the judges’ final tally confirmed her victory.

The last fully in-person version of the bee had no tiebreaker and ended in an eight-way tie. The 2020 bee was canceled because of the pandemic, and in 2021 it was mostly virtual, with only 11 finalists gathering in Florida as Zaila Avant-garde became the first Black American champion.

The changes continued this year with Scripps ending its deal with longtime partner ESPN and producing its own telecast for its networks ION and Bounce, with actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton as host. The transition was bumpy at times, with long and uneven commercial breaks that broke up the action and audio glitches that exposed the inner workings of the broadcast to the in-person crowd.

The bee itself was leaner, with fewer than half the participants it had in 2019 because of sponsors dropping out and the end of a wild-card program. And spellers had to answer vocabulary questions live on stage for the first time, resulting in several surprising eliminations during the semifinals.

Harini bowing out on a vocabulary word was briefly the biggest shock of all. Then she was back on stage, and at the end, she was still there.

Source: Voice of America

American children under age 5 could receive their first COVID-19 vaccines as early as June 21, the White House’s top COVID official said Thursday — if the two vaccines under review are approved by both U.S. government bodies responsible for such authorizations.

“We know that many, many parents are eager to vaccinate their youngest kids,” said White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. “And it’s important to do this right. And that’s what this process has been all about.”

Starting Friday, he said, the federal government will make 10 million doses available for order by states, pharmacies, community health centers and federal entities. Once the Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccine, those doses can be shipped, and once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives its approval, children can start to get vaccinated. He predicted that if the process unfolds smoothly, children could begin receiving shots on June 21.

Currently, only children 5 or older are eligible for two-dose vaccines and for booster shots. If the vaccine is approved, the doses will be smaller than adult doses, Jha said, and the government has encouraged suppliers to make vaccinations available outside work and school hours, so parents can easily access them.

“We are prepared,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. “We’re working with states, local health departments, pediatricians, family doctors, other health providers and pharmacies to get ready, as we did with kids that are between 5 and 11. So we want to make sure that we get this done swiftly but also safely and … follow CDC recommendations.”

Last month, during the Quad leaders summit in Tokyo, the U.S. committed to providing COVID-19 boosters and pediatric doses to countries in greatest need, including in the Indo-Pacific. But it’s not clear whether the administration has firm plans to donate the vaccines for young children at this point.

“One of the things that the Quad partners are committed to is making sure that doses are safe and effective, and not trying to do anything to try and prejudge the approval process,” a senior administration official told VOA.

Moderna asked for authorization for pediatric vaccines in late April; Pfizer asked last month. The most recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 18% of parents of under-5 children will get their children vaccinated quickly. But 38% say they will wait and observe how others take the vaccine. And another 38% say they will either “definitely not” pursue the vaccine or will do so only if required.

Johns Hopkins University, a leading tracker of the pandemic, notes that parental uptake of child vaccinations has been “stubbornly slow,” with less than 30% of children receiving the vaccine.

“The consistent message throughout the pandemic has been that the virus is mild for children,” said Rupali Limaye, deputy director of the International Vaccine Access Center.

The CDC emphasizes that the child-sized vaccine is safe and effective.

While severe cases among children are less prevalent than among adults, the CDC notes that since the pandemic began, COVID-19 has taken the lives of 479 American children under age 5.

Source: Voice of America

To celebrate International Children’s Day this year, the Government of the Lao PDR, UNICEF, development partners, and children united to promote child rights and welfare under the theme “A Better Future for Every Child.”

The pinnacle of the celebrations was the two high-level events organised in Vientiane and Attapeu Province. In Vientiane, nearly 300 people, including children, youth, and a delegation led by the Government of the Lao PDR and development partners, gathered at Nongkhamsan, Hadxayfong district.

To kick-start the celebrations, children performed a traditional Lao dance. This was followed by children presenting their views and vision on four selected topics, namely child marriage, online media, road accidents, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seedling of a tree was planted to symbolize the nurturing of children and investment in the future.

“Children are the future of the Lao PDR. Just like the seeds we are planting today, investment in our younger populations will bring positive results for many years to come. As the Lao PDR is set to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2026, we must focus on empowering children and youths to be productive members of society as we transit into a new stage of national development,” said Deputy Prime Minister, Chairperson of the National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Mothers and Children (NCAWMC) Mr. Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune.

Additionally, an exhibition was set up by the youth representatives to raise awareness on topics relevant to them, such as the prevention of violence against children, reproductive health and birth registration among others, with Vientiane Mayor Mr. Athsaphangthong Siphandone leading all participants on a booth tour.

The celebrations in Attapeu province focused on child marriage prevention as it remains one of the more prominent issues. Children and youth had been discussing over the past week issues concerning them, before presenting their views with recommendations to the visiting Government officials and representatives.

Performances of traditional dance, theatrical play, singing, and an ethnic costume show were done by children to showcase their artistic talents and cultural roots, in front of nearly 400 guests.

“Today reminds us of the importance of putting children first. We must continue to work together to ensure that families and children are protected from violence and other harmful practices. All children should have a childhood filled with love and care. The NCAWMC extend our sincerest thanks to UNICEF and all development partners for the ongoing support in protecting and supporting Lao children, including the most vulnerable,” said President of the Lao Women’s Union and Vice Chair of the NCAWMC Ms. Inlavanh Keobounphanh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed irreversible impacts on the world over the course of two years. In the Lao PDR, countless families faced unprecedented challenges. The pandemic risks increasing levels of harmful practices, such as child marriage and child labour, as a way to combat economic distress. Nationwide school closure hindered children’s learning and threatened their psychosocial well-being, while disruption of health and social services left those in need more vulnerable than ever.

However, under the leadership of the Government of the Lao PDR, the country is reopening with adequate safety measures to protect the people of the Lao PDR. “As we move towards a post-pandemic world, we must ensure that children and parents are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to overcome challenges and realize their full potential. The International Children’s Day marks a great opportunity to reinforce our commitments to re-imagine a better future for every child, who will be the leaders of our world,” said UNICEF Representative a.i. to the Lao PDR Ms. Beate Dastel.

The series of events are organized with support from UNICEF, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), ChildFund, and the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Source: Lao News Agency

The Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Ministry of Health, is holding a meeting on collaboration on the increasing of Covid-19 vaccination coverage in northern Laos under CONNECT initiative (Community Network Engagement for Essential Healthcare and COVID-19 Responses through Trust).

Held in Luang Prabang Province on Jun 2-3, the meeting is seeing the participation of Deputy Governors of Luang Prabang, Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Luang Namtha and Xayaboury, as well as health officials from relevant localities.

Over 5.8 million people across the country have been vaccinated against Covid-19 including 5.05 million people given all recommended doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the Centre of Information and Education for Health, Ministry of Health.

Participants of the meeting also discussed the devising of an action plan on promoting community participation in efforts to increase Covid-19 vaccine coverage.

Source: Lao News Agency

The E-learning team from the Research Institute of Educational Sciences has just released a new video on how to make and use flashcards.

With more than 1.6 million views, the ???????????????????????? Teacher Development Videos YouTube channel launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Education and Sports with the support of Australia, through their BEQUAL programme, is a veritable success. It contains training videos and audio materials for primary teachers and their trainers and pedagogical advisors.

The videos are covering a range of subjects and techniques around the new curriculum and the new active learning pedagogical approach. Teachers use them to prepare lessons, improve their teaching method, and learn or review a specific technique. They also play the audio tracks containing music, songs, English stories to students in the classroom. The videos are also broadcasted daily on the ESTV – Education and Sports TV Channel.

Flashcards are a very useful learning and teaching tool for primary teachers. They are cards with words, numbers, pictures on one or both sides.

A card may have a question on one side and the answer on the other side for example. Teachers can use flashcards to get their students more engaged and learn in a fun way. Flashcards help students better understand learning content and encourage them to take an active role in their learning.

Students learn while doing meaningful games or activities with the flashcards.

With the Grade 1 and 2 new materials, the Ministry of Education and Sports with support of Australia, provided all classes with a set of flashcards to teach Lao Language and phonics. In this new teacher development video, teachers will learn how to create more flashcards adapted to their lessons: flashcards to introduce new vocabulary, to check students’ understanding of a story, to teach spelling; flashcards to help students understand categorizing types of letters, words, animals, fruits, objects and so on; flashcards to help understand the order of a process in a Sciences and Environment experience or the order of a story in Lao language or in English lessons. The video provides guidance and practical information on how to develop those flashcards to enrich learning.

It also shows teachers how to use resources that are easily available like scrap paper, recycled cardboard, pictures from magazines or newspapers. So, they can produce low cost and environmentally friendly flashcards.

The video also explains how flashcards can help promote gender equity and inclusive education through positive representation of people from different backgrounds depicted in flashcards. It shows examples of flashcards with shared responsibilities at home between males and females, pictures challenging gender stereotypes in sports, in school, pictures representing students with special needs engaged in school activities, students with different ethnicity. The video is also dubbed in sign language to be more accessible to all.

Source: Lao News Agency

Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, accompanied by his spouse and delegation of senior officials, is visiting the Kingdom of Thailand in response to the invitation of his Thai counterpart Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Scheduled for Jun 1-2, the visit aims to strengthen the longstanding relations and cooperation between Laos and Thailand.

An official welcome ceremony in honour of Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, his spouse and delegation was held by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at Government House, Bangkok yesterday afternoon.

At a bilateral meeting, held right after the welcome ceremony, the two Prime Ministers highly valued the sound friendship and cooperation between Laos and Thailand noting that since the establishment of their diplomatic ties in December, 1950, the two countries have maintained mutual trust at certain extent, ensured equality and respected the national independence of each others.

PM’s visit reaffirmed the commitment of the Lao PDR to continue to enhance the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries, becoming a landmark of strategic partnership for sustainable growth and development thus opening a new era of cooperation between the two neighbours.

Both sides agreed to promote regular exchange of visits of the leaders of the two countries and cooperation mechanisms to strengthen the relations and implement action plans of inter-government and inter-province cooperation mechanisms.

The two leaders highly valued their cooperation on keeping peace and security along borderline including the suppression of goods smuggling and pushed forward border survey and demarcation.

They emphasized the integration and connectivity between the two countries and with the subregion by agreeing to develop land, air and rail connectivity to facilitate trade, investment and tourism.

Both sides highly valued the constant growth of economic cooperation with Thailand raking among top trade partners of the Lao PDR.

Despite of Covid-19, Thai investment in Laos reached 4.7 billion US dollars last year.

Both sides agreed to continue to facilitate transit trade and border trade according to obligations under the bilateral and multilateral agreements on the basis of mutual reliance as well as the feasibility study into the use of the Lao kip and the Thai baht for settling trades.

They expressed satisfaction on the successful cooperation on electric energy with Thailand agreeing to increase its annual electricity import from Laos to 10,500 mw.

The Lao leader also expressed thanks to Thailand for its grant assistance to Laos in priority areas of education, sports, agriculture, forestry and health.

As for cooperation in regional and international arena, both sides agreed to continue to promote mutual support and assistance especially under the United Nations, ACMECS, ASEAN, and Mekong regional frameworks.

The leaders also exchanged points of view on regional and international issues of common interest.

Prime Minister Phankham noted that the assistance from Thailand has contributed significantly to the socio-economic development of the Lao PDR and expressed his hope that the Thai government will continue to provide assistance to Laos in the future especially to help Laos host the 10th ACMECS Summit by the end of this year and take the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN in 2024.

The Lao and Thai premiers also witnessed the signing and exchange of documents namely Lao-Thai Action Plan on Strategic Partnership for Sustainable Growth and Development 2022-2026, MoU on the construction of Lao-Thai Botanic Garden, and MoU on Electric Energy Development in the Lao PDR.

Source: Lao News Agency