I’ve learned a few lessons about educational administration during my time in the Marshall Islands. Some of these lessons I will share with you in person if you ask. But two that I’ll publicly voice regard efficiently administering the education budget.
WORKSHOP OVERLOAD
A workshop or conference can be useful if you learn a new skill and then apply it, or meet new people that will potentially help you be more successful at your job. But if I told you how much time people at the Ministry of Education spend on workshops and conferences, you would think it’s irresponsible.
If I told you how much money all that traveling costs (since a lot of conferences are in Hawaii, Fiji or Guam), then you would be abhorred.
I would never even consider telling you what percentage of the total education budget is spent on travel, workshops and conferences. Your health is too important to me.
Lesson: Ministry staff should quit traveling so much while the RMI’s children are in lousy schools.
Less talk – more chalk.
MY STAB AT EFFICIENCY
My Masters project here in the Marshalls was to compare the cost-effectiveness between three approaches to printing Marshallese curriculum materials. I have unequivocally found that the efficient choice is to off-shore printing to a publisher or print shop. A Ministry run print shop would attain no economies of scale – and paper and ink can drive costs way up. Over a ten year period, including shipping costs to Majuro, the MOE would save close to $400,000 by printing books through a publisher in Canada.
How much did my study cost?
I devoted the equivalent of about 3 months of full time work to this project. My salary was simply housing and utilities, since this was to fulfill my Masters degree, but even a paid consultant wouldn’t cost 20% of that $400,000 value. So my advice to the MOE would be, if you want to save money, hire somebody (full-time) to economically test different approaches to expensive programs and then streamline the expenses. This will also bring accountability to the budgetary decision-making process.
The Ministry’s budget will be decreasing over the next 15 years because the US will decrease its aid by $100,000 each year until the end of the Compact of Free Association in 2023. The Marshall Islands spends the most money on education per capita in the Pacific islands, but has some of the lowest test scores.
Lesson: The Ministry of Education should take more stabs at efficiency.
P.S.
If you would like a copy of my Masters paper on printing Marshallese curriculum materials, please request by e-mail.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Comedy of Errors - part 2
Iakwe yuk,
Dan the Man Caccavano has managed to upload (in two parts) the 2nd installment of the documentary about the putting on of Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors at Marshall Islands High School.
In Dan's words:
"This is a very exciting project for many reasons, but mainly because my Media Team consists of Marshallese High School Students. That's right, I am teaching Marshallese students that have never used computers or cameras before, how to shoot film, conduct interviews, and edit on the computers. It is a really great project and the team is learning a lot of great skills."
"Here are the links to the three movies that we do have up so far."
trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akHfCEu_iDg
episode 2 pt. 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1_MEPgIAC0
episode 2 part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajtQbm_lB6g
Each Episode will focus on a different aspect of the team
Episode 1: Promotional Trailer
Episode 2: The Student Perspective
Episode 3: Leadership and Sustainability
Episode 4: A Community Event
Episode 5: The Big Show
Dan the Man Caccavano has managed to upload (in two parts) the 2nd installment of the documentary about the putting on of Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors at Marshall Islands High School.
In Dan's words:
"This is a very exciting project for many reasons, but mainly because my Media Team consists of Marshallese High School Students. That's right, I am teaching Marshallese students that have never used computers or cameras before, how to shoot film, conduct interviews, and edit on the computers. It is a really great project and the team is learning a lot of great skills."
"Here are the links to the three movies that we do have up so far."
trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akHfCEu_iDg
episode 2 pt. 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1_MEPgIAC0
episode 2 part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajtQbm_lB6g
Each Episode will focus on a different aspect of the team
Episode 1: Promotional Trailer
Episode 2: The Student Perspective
Episode 3: Leadership and Sustainability
Episode 4: A Community Event
Episode 5: The Big Show
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Aquarium
I sat on the edge of the boat as we jetted across the lagoon. Sufficiently slathered in waterproof sun block, I fearlessly enjoyed the hot sun on my head and back. It was a windy day so there were waves in the lagoon and the boat hopped them one by one.
My matching blue mask, snorkel and fins were behind my legs. My rented BCD (buoyancy control device) vest, regulator and eight pound weight belt were also next to me. 16 scuba tanks all lay on their sides, mostly at the front and back of the boat.
This would be the furthest I’d boated on the north side of the lagoon. I’d driven a number of times to Laura, the edge of Majuro Island and the point furthest south-west on the edge of the lagoon.
Our target: The Aquarium.
There is only one place where a heavy boat (like an open ocean fishing vessel) can enter the Majuro lagoon. Most people refer to this deep enough gap between the Majuro islands as the Pass. We scuba divers call it the Aquarium. It’s well known to be the best place to dive in Majuro – though not the Marshall Islands. There is such a strong current due to the changing of the tides that a lot of sea life comes in and out of the lagoon through this spot. All a diver has to do is sit on its edge, hold on to a rock, and watch the show.
Our first dive was not actually in the Aquarium. Some of us were inexperienced or hadn’t dived in a while, so we chose an easier location. I connected my regulator to the air tank and turned the valve. I had already strapped the tank to the BCD vest. Now I had to get it on. I heaved and managed to put on the vest – really heavy out of water. The last thing was to clean out my mask and put it on. There were six of us diving with two Marshallese dive operators tagging along to guide and help where needed.
One of them counted to three and we plunged backwards out of the boat. I had both hands on my mask to keep it from coming loose and letting water in. It was disorienting because the momentum of the backward fall caused me to flip while I started to sink. I righted myself and then continued to sink slowly, feet first, depending on my weight belt and tank to drag me downwards. Every few feet I pinched my nose and blew – as you would do on a plane – to equalize the air in my nasal and ear passages.
On the first dive I unfortunately had fogging problems. It isn’t easy to clear your mask at 45ft under water. But I managed to see one of the eagle rays that the group saw and lots of fish up close. I saw coral I’d never even seen in pictures.
After a 45 minute bottom time, we swam up to 15ft below the surface and waited for 3 minutes. This is to avoid getting the bends, which is caused by excess nitrogen in the blood (a side effect of breathing tank air under water). I inflated some of my remaining air into my BCD so that I could float on the surface. The boat picked us up within seconds of emerging.
We had lunch on a beautiful island. After heat loss and the exertion of diving, we were all starving. After an hour break we jumped back onto the boat for our second dive, this time in the deep water pass that connects Majuro to the Pacific.
This time we dove down 70ft and couldn’t see the surface anymore. It was easy to even forget about the outside world. Our first show was a huge school of bright blue fish with yellow tails. Another school of silver fish went by. Then I saw a white tip shark, about 4ft long. It moved slowly and gracefully. I’ve always dreaded sharks. I’m even scared of them in fresh water lakes (and I know, I know, there’s no sharks in fresh water lakes), but like many of you, I have one or two irrational fears. So coming to the Pacific and spending a lot of time in the water, I expected to run into a few of em, and I both dreaded and looked forward to it. Being with seven divers did make me feel safer. It helped that none of the sharks got too close (none that I saw anyway!).
The number of interesting fish and coral that I saw was pretty overwhelming. I saw another shark, also white tipped. Somebody else saw a grey reef shark, but I must have been staring at a purple fish or something.
We had such a nice time, and since I leave in about two weeks, some of us decided to commit to more of the same next week. My friend Kristen, who had been to the Aquarium four previous times, said that this was kind of ho-hum for the Aquarium. If so, I should be in for quite an experience next week.
My matching blue mask, snorkel and fins were behind my legs. My rented BCD (buoyancy control device) vest, regulator and eight pound weight belt were also next to me. 16 scuba tanks all lay on their sides, mostly at the front and back of the boat.
This would be the furthest I’d boated on the north side of the lagoon. I’d driven a number of times to Laura, the edge of Majuro Island and the point furthest south-west on the edge of the lagoon.
Our target: The Aquarium.
There is only one place where a heavy boat (like an open ocean fishing vessel) can enter the Majuro lagoon. Most people refer to this deep enough gap between the Majuro islands as the Pass. We scuba divers call it the Aquarium. It’s well known to be the best place to dive in Majuro – though not the Marshall Islands. There is such a strong current due to the changing of the tides that a lot of sea life comes in and out of the lagoon through this spot. All a diver has to do is sit on its edge, hold on to a rock, and watch the show.
Our first dive was not actually in the Aquarium. Some of us were inexperienced or hadn’t dived in a while, so we chose an easier location. I connected my regulator to the air tank and turned the valve. I had already strapped the tank to the BCD vest. Now I had to get it on. I heaved and managed to put on the vest – really heavy out of water. The last thing was to clean out my mask and put it on. There were six of us diving with two Marshallese dive operators tagging along to guide and help where needed.
One of them counted to three and we plunged backwards out of the boat. I had both hands on my mask to keep it from coming loose and letting water in. It was disorienting because the momentum of the backward fall caused me to flip while I started to sink. I righted myself and then continued to sink slowly, feet first, depending on my weight belt and tank to drag me downwards. Every few feet I pinched my nose and blew – as you would do on a plane – to equalize the air in my nasal and ear passages.
On the first dive I unfortunately had fogging problems. It isn’t easy to clear your mask at 45ft under water. But I managed to see one of the eagle rays that the group saw and lots of fish up close. I saw coral I’d never even seen in pictures.
After a 45 minute bottom time, we swam up to 15ft below the surface and waited for 3 minutes. This is to avoid getting the bends, which is caused by excess nitrogen in the blood (a side effect of breathing tank air under water). I inflated some of my remaining air into my BCD so that I could float on the surface. The boat picked us up within seconds of emerging.
We had lunch on a beautiful island. After heat loss and the exertion of diving, we were all starving. After an hour break we jumped back onto the boat for our second dive, this time in the deep water pass that connects Majuro to the Pacific.
This time we dove down 70ft and couldn’t see the surface anymore. It was easy to even forget about the outside world. Our first show was a huge school of bright blue fish with yellow tails. Another school of silver fish went by. Then I saw a white tip shark, about 4ft long. It moved slowly and gracefully. I’ve always dreaded sharks. I’m even scared of them in fresh water lakes (and I know, I know, there’s no sharks in fresh water lakes), but like many of you, I have one or two irrational fears. So coming to the Pacific and spending a lot of time in the water, I expected to run into a few of em, and I both dreaded and looked forward to it. Being with seven divers did make me feel safer. It helped that none of the sharks got too close (none that I saw anyway!).
The number of interesting fish and coral that I saw was pretty overwhelming. I saw another shark, also white tipped. Somebody else saw a grey reef shark, but I must have been staring at a purple fish or something.
We had such a nice time, and since I leave in about two weeks, some of us decided to commit to more of the same next week. My friend Kristen, who had been to the Aquarium four previous times, said that this was kind of ho-hum for the Aquarium. If so, I should be in for quite an experience next week.
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