Text 28650, 76 rader
Skriven 2006-05-03 07:39:38 av Björn Forsström (2:203/614.61)
     Kommentar till en text av Roy Witt
Ärende: 
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Is this what you are reffering to when you say that you have the worlds
best education system?
Jeeeezzzzz.......
Even I know that the capital in Copenhagen is Sweden.



Young Americans shaky on geographic smarts
 Study finds that many fare poorly at finding Louisiana and Iraq on a map
 The Associated Press
 Updated: 10:52 a.m. ET May 2, 2006

 WASHINGTON - Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the damage from
 Hurricane Katrina, nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled
 couldn't locate Louisiana on a map and nearly half were unable to identify
 Mississippi.

 Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 fared even worse with foreign
 locations: six in 10 couldn't find Iraq, according to a Roper poll
 conducted for National Geographic.

 "Geographic illiteracy impacts our economic well-being, our relationships
 with other nations and the environment, and isolates us from the world,"
 National Geographic president John Fahey said in announcing a program to
 help remedy the problem. It's hoping to enlist businesses, nonprofit
 groups and educators in a bid to improve geographic literacy.

 Planned is a five-year, multimedia campaign called My Wonderful World that
 will target children 8 to 17. The goal is to motivate parents and
 educators to expand geographic offerings in school, at home and in their
 communities.

 They will have their task cut out for them, judging by the results of the
 survey of 510 people interviewed in December and January.

 Among the findings:
 # One-third of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map and 48
 percent were unable to locate Mississippi.

 # Fewer than three in 10 think it important to know the locations of
 countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another
 language is a necessary skill.

 # Two-thirds didn't know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in
 October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.

 # Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.

 # While the outsourcing of jobs to India has been a major U.S. business
 story, 47 percent could not find the Indian subcontinent on a map of Asia.

 # While Israeli-Palestinian strife has been in the news for the entire
 lives of the respondents, 75 percent were unable to locate Israel on a map
 of the Middle East.

 # Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely
 spoken native language.

 # Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the
 most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most
 heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

 Joining in the effort to improve geographic knowledge will be the 4-H,
 American Federation of Teachers, Asia Society, Association of American
 Geographers, National Basketball Association, National Council of La Raza,
 National PTA, Smithsonian Institution and others.

 "Geography exposes children and adults to diverse cultures, different
 ideas and the exchange of knowledge from around the world," said Anna
 Marie Weselak, president of the National PTA. "This campaign will help
 make sure our children get their geography - so they can become familiar
 with other cultures during their school years and move comfortably and
 confidently in a global economy as adults."

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