China

A total of 2,300 Chinese students and scholars will be selected to study abroad this year. The Ministry of Education is also increasing the number of scholarships allocated to students destined to study in the United States and nine other western countries. In addition, 500 senior academic experts will be sent overseas for specialized training in preparation for undertaking important research programs in major Chinese universities when they return.

In 1999, China sent a total of 2,356 students and scholars to 53 countries around the world. According to the China Scholarship Council, students who go abroad study a wide range of subjects ranging from science and engineering to economics and literature.

Between 1995 and 1999, 5,776 students were sent abroad under the principle of “supporting studies abroad, encouraging scholars to return and giving them freedom to leave and return,” sources from the council reported. Of these students, 3,650 finished their studies and 90 percent returned home.

Since first implementing reforms in 1978, China has sent 320,000 students and scholars to 103 countries for education, according to the Department for International Co-operation and Exchange. Out of this total, 50,000 were government funded, 100,000 were funded through work and 170,000 sponsored themselves.

The department also reported that the number of students and scholars returning home continues to increase at an average of 13 percent each year thanks largely to the country’s rapid economic expansion.

— China Daily
Dec. 23, 1999

India

Anna University introduced Web-based short term courses in January that are designed primarily for working professionals and teachers in particular. In July, postgraduate courses will also be offered in computer science, applied electronics, power systems and structural engineering.

The first program allows faculty members who teach in engineering colleges and polytechnics to upgrade their skills. Participants can enroll in any number of courses from their respective colleges and/or take credited courses through online training, making them eligible for a degree. The program requires students to fulfill a set number of classroom hours within their respective departments. The Web-based subject material would also be supplemented with CD-ROM, audio and video inputs.

— University News
Oct. 25, 1999

The Department of Management at the University of Roorkee outlined admission requirements to its MBA program. Candidates must have a three-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline recognized by the Association of Indian Universities .

St. Francis College for Women in Hyderabad is currently conducting an insurance course in collaboration with the College of Insurance and Financial Planning, Secunderabad. The program on insurance and related subjects is designed for final-year students earning their bachelor of commerce degree.

In other news, Indira Ghandi National Open University (IGNOU) is currently engaged in 17 new collaborative projects both at home and abroad. At the international level, IGNOU has joined forces with Excel International (United Kingdom); the Asian Development Bank through Price Waterhouse; and the United Nations Development Program.

National projects include joint ventures with Care India, Catholic Bishops Conference of India and the Commonwealth Youth Programme. The objectives of the projects range from educating women through distance-learning technologies, educating and training rural youth, providing vocational training to tannery workers and strengthening local government. Projects will also focus on educating people about HIV, development programs, literacy drives, etc.

— University News
Nov. 8, 1999

The FORE School of Management (FSM) recently announced the commencement of its postgraduate diploma in business management (PGDBM) program. Admission into the PGDBM program (2000-2002) requires a 3-year bachelor’s degree or the equivalent in any discipline recognized by the Association of Indian Universities as eligible for postgraduate studies. Candidates must also take the Common Admission Test (CAT) and register at FSM on a separate registration form. Foreign nationals and non-resident Indians with a minimum GMAT score of 600 are eligible to apply to the program.

For further information about the PGDBM program, please contact the Fore School of Management, B-18, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-16, India, or visit the school’s web site at www.fsm.ac.in.

— University News
Nov. 8, 1999

Japan

It was once quite common for Japanese firms to send promising young employees (sararimen) to business school in the United States. But as more and more of these students ended up taking jobs with foreign banks and corporations rather than re-joining the companies that had sent them, the craze for overseas MBAs came to an abrupt halt.

In recent years, business schools inside Japan have been enjoying unprecedented popularity. The current downsizing trend among big domestic firms, in addition to increased competition from foreign companies, have made an MBA a necessary qualification for survival in the business world.

Although Japan has never been famous for its business schools, the rising demand for business degrees has spawned a number of new MBA programs. Waseda and Nihon — both private universities — currently offer business degrees, and Aoyama Gakuin plans to launch an MBA program later this year.

Foreign institutions of higher education are also taking advantage of the new trend. McGill University in Canada, for example, will start a part time MBA program in Tokyo this year.

Hitotsubashi University is also scheduled to open a new graduate business school this year, funded in part by the Education Ministry. The MBA program will be conducted in English and will include internships with foreign and Japanese companies. A separate evening course in financial engineering geared towards Japanese bankers will also be offered.

Although the Hitotsubashi will only admit 40 graduate students into its new school, it is confident that this number will expand in the coming years. The university hopes to transform itself into Asia’s most prestigious center for business studies and attract students throughout the region who currently go to the United States to study.

— The Economist
Nov. 13, 1999

Pakistan

The former Punjab Institute of Computer Science (PICS) in Lahore offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in computer science with several accredited universities. The bachelor’s program in computer science (BCS), for example, is affiliated with Punjab University.

Both the BCS and the master’s degree in computer science are two-year programs spanning more than 64 semester credit hours each. If the student wants an accredited degree, he or she must complete 100 semester credit hours to be eligible to take external exams at Punjab University.

PICS recently changed its name to “The Punjab College” and was granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government of Punjab, which constitutes the first step towards achieving accredited status.

— Correspondence from the Punjab Institute of Computer Science
Jan. 25, 2000