29 September 4753
____________________________________________________________________________________________Federal Senate Passes Education Overhaul
____________________________________________________________________________________________SEONGTAEK: The Federal Senate voted today to pass the Federal Education Restructuring Act (FERA), comprehensive legislation that completely overhauls the Dranian education system. The FERA touches every level of education, from kindergarten to university, and it includes provisions to ensure that all Dranians can pursue a public education at all levels with minimal cost.
The legislation’s most dramatic adjustments are in secondary and tertiary education with the FERA now clearly defining a variety of different educational pathways at those levels. In particular, apprenticeships and vocational education have received a significant boost as an option for secondary education. Premier Hyun Alfaro’s Innovative Dankuk, the party behind the legislation, has sought to highlight these pathways as alternatives to the strictly university-focused education of the past. Premier Alfaro commented that a university education is still something that is strongly encouraged but that such sentiment should not detract from the opportunity that may exist for some students if they focus towards an apprenticeship or vocational profession. “Students should not feel discouraged in their personal choice to not attend university if their goals and passions do not require such a commitment. There are viable opportunities in the trades for example and a person can still find success without a four-year post-secondary degree. The FERA will ensure that any and all pathways, whichever a student may choose, are accessible and affordable.”
The FERA has also renewed full funding for the Greater National University System and its five universities. Additionally, all provincial- and municipal-run public institutions will receive federal funding that ensures that those institutions can also be operated tuition-free for residents of those regions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________Crime & Inequality in Gongmangdo
____________________________________________________________________________________________GONGMANGDO: The Federal City of Gongmangdo has struggled over the past decade and as economic opportunity has mostly emerged elsewhere in the nation, more and more people have been moving away from Gongmangdo. Once the primary economic center and home to innumerable corporations, places like Seongtaek or Port Rhynach now lead the way and many businesses have moved their headquarters away from Gongmangdo.
While the rich city center and historic districts remain largely unaffected, it is many of the surrounding inner and outer districts which have seen major population declines. Businesses have shuttered, apartments have been vacated, and some buildings have even started to decay. Gongmangdo Metropolitan Police have also faced new crime problems and some vacant buildings have become hotbeds for homeless congregations.
Aside from things being business as usual for the rich residents of central Gongmangdo, there also has been minimal change for the poorest citizens living on the furthest edges of the city. Conditions in these particular districts weren’t great to begin with and many relied on employment at locations closer to the city core. They don’t possess the ability to easily relocate away from Gongmangdo and are now trapped dealing with shrinking employment opportunities.
And to make matters worse, the Gongmangdo elite haven’t reacted well to the growing crime problem in their city. The outer district poor have been blamed as a whole for the crime and homeless problems of the decline of the inner districts. In recent months the city core has grown increasingly unwelcoming to travelers from the outer district and socioeconomic discrimination has become quite blatant. Just this week, the city council was pressured into shutting down some metro stations after initially refusing to act on a petition from an alliance of city core condominium residents that demanded these closures. It is no secret that the closures are a direct attempt to stop the transit of poor people from the outskirts. The city council now defends their actions, citing lower ridership due to the population decline and an interest in achieving greater efficiency for the city railways.