Member of the European Parliament for Bulgaria
2007 - 2009
(first direct EP elections in Bulgaria);
LEED to OECD partner (Nanotech)
Reflections
*People have the right to defend their civilisational identity. Throughout history the European Union has pursued its own path to make it happen. So have other nations and countries.
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*Differences have persisted. Yet, they are not to set nations and countries apart.
*Diversity and the commitment to inclusion are vital to human civilisation. Values, per se, capture the complex nature of any society. Complementarity in their exchange and/or integration may prove to be an achievement of humanity.
*The EU’s understanding of these peculiarities may help transport into the future the idea of free expression of national identity, components of which are culture, religion, moral and ethical standards… They open the way to a holistic view of human development in any part of the world. This approach is worthy of respect, right?
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WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN? (by OECD)
Both the experience from previous economic crises and first indications on labour market and social outcomes during the current pandemic suggest that the COVID-19 crisis is likely to have a disproportionate impact on immigrants and their children. Please read the analysis: https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=137_137245-8saheqv0k3&title=What-is-the-impact-of-the-COVID-19-pandemic-on-immigrants-and-their-children%3F
Education at a Glance 2020 by OECD
How have countries dealt with coronavirus school closures and what’s next for education? (OECD)
With schools closed around the world, students and teachers are having to find new ways of learning outside of the classroom. Meanwhile, governments are working hard to assess the impact of school closures and make plans for education in a post-crisis world – a world that may well be fundamentally altered. What have the government responses been like so far? Have they worked? And does the crisis imply that we need to change the way we educate the next generation?
Oxford diversity jumps *
A record 70% of Oxford University’s undergraduates next year will come from state schools. Five years ago state school applicants to Oxford received just 56% of undergraduate offers and 43% went to those educated at independent schools, despite a substantial imbalance in the numbers applying. The university found itself regularly criticised for ignoring well-qualified, state-educated students, especially from black or disadvantaged backgrounds. Target Oxbridge – a diversity recruitment programme which has the author Zadie Smith as a patron – says it has helped a record number of British students of black heritage gain places at Oxford and Cambridge. Naomi Kellman, one of its founders, said: “We started with just six students in 2012, and so it is amazing to see the programme now supporting over 70 black British students to secure Oxbridge offers.”
*The Guardian
How to be Human: The Manual by Ruby Wax*
Probably as many science-fiction books will tell you, it was all part of the ‘bigger plan’ that we evolved to this moment in time to build computers that can take over from the old worn-out models called ‘us’. What’s coming in the future is coming. You can’t stop evolution, and the technological add-ons that are here, or almost here, are becoming extensions of us. Continue reading
Facing the Unknown: Does ICT exclude or include?*
As we probably all know by now, the digital transformation is not a trend but a deep change in our societies, economic models and ways to communicate and consume; a rising world of robotics to replace human muscles and artificial intelligence (AI) to replace human brains. Everyone is facing this revolution, all sectors, all people, all countries. Everyone is feeling the consequences: jobs will evolve or disappear, knowledge is available to all for the best and the worst and relationships and social hierarchy are being shaken up. Continue reading
