Afghanistan

Twenty years of war and the more recent Taliban government restrictions have deprived many Afghan children and young people of basic education.

The BBC has launched a new radio series aimed at children in Afghanistan called REACH (Radio Education for Afghan Children). REACH broadcasts informative and inspiring programs to children who have few other opportunities for learning. The series is not intended as a substitute for classroom-based education, but aims to stimulate curiosity by helping children to ask questions about the world and understand what’s happening around them. Programs are broadcast in Pashto and Persian.

REACH is funded by Britain’s Department for International Development, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project is managed by the BBC Afghan Education Projects in Peshawar.

— BBC World Service
July 11, 2001

Australia

The Australian Catholic University’s St. Patrick’s campus in Melbourne recently added two media study programs to its curriculum:

• New Media Services explores the growing development of alternative media systems.
• Regulation Policy and the Australian Media examines issues of censorship and possible regulation of media services.

In addition, Australian Catholic University is launching a new visual arts and design program, scheduled to commence in February at both the St. Patrick’s campus and at Sydney’s Strathfield campus. This three-year program offers a combination of courses in two-, three- and four-dimensional visual arts projects, graphic design studies and art and design theory. The program will also include courses in marketing principles, ethics and self-directed studies.

— Campus Review
May 8, 2001

China

For many years now, Taiwanese students from prosperous families have often been educated at Western universities. More recently, however, students have been flocking to mainland China for their higher education. According to Chinese sources, there are currently 1,700 students from Taiwan studying on the mainland. Popular destinations are Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian and Guangdong.

At present, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education does not recognize degrees and qualifications earned on the mainland. However, this is changing. By the end of the year, Taiwan plans to recognize 40 to 70 institutions of higher education in China.

It is expected that Taipei’s recognition of mainland degrees will encourage even more Taiwanese students to enroll in Chinese universities.

Incentives drawing students to the mainland include: cheaper tuition; better courses on Chinese history, art and medicine; and the opportunity for students to make business connections and familiarize themselves with China’s legal system.

— Chinaonline
June 8, 2001

China (Macau)

A new private university, the Macau University of Science and Technology, is scheduled for completion in 2006. It is being funded by wealthy local celebrities and universities in mainland China. Construction costs are estimated at US$33.87 million.

— Times Higher Education Supplement
May 4, 2001

India

Nagaland University, with campuses in Lumami and Kohima, is now offering postgraduate study programs to qualified degree holders in botany, chemistry, commerce, economics, education, English, geography, geology, history and archaeology, political science, sociology, Tenyidie and zoology.

— University News
July 16-22, 2001

Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education is currently offering the following programs:

The Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education has been approved as a university by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.

— University News
July 23-29, 2001

Indonesia

Indonesia’s universities suffer from neglect and overcrowding. As a result, many students are leaving the country to pursue higher education elsewhere. There are about 1,400 universities in Indonesia. Fewer than 50 of these are funded by the state. Individual ministries run 80 universities to train their staff. The rest are privately funded institutions.

Money remains the big factor in all this. According to the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report 2000, Indonesia spends only 1.4 percent of its gross national product on public education, compared with 3 percent in Singapore, 4.9 percent in Malaysia and 4.8 percent in Thailand.

Despite these bleak statistics, some institutions are striving to meet current economic demands. The Bandung Technological Institute, the University of Gadjah Mada, the University of Indonesia and the privately owned Atma Jaya University are in the process of establishing new research centers, have implemented administrative reforms and are signing research contracts with international companies and organizations.

In addition, government decentralization has given universities more autonomy over their own curriculums.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
June 1, 2001

Malaysia

The government recently approved the establishment of four technology-based colleges and announced that every state in Malaysia will have its own university by 2002.

Plans are in the works to set up universities in Pahang, Malacca and Perlis. In addition, Kuala Lumpur’s Kolej Universiti Islam Malaysia will be moved to a new campus in Negri Sembilan.

— Times Higher Education Supplement
April 6, 2001

Australia’s University of Wollongong, in association with INTI College Malaysia, has recently introduced an offshore bachelor’s degree in accountancy. The new program allows Malaysian students to complete this qualification entirely at INTI College of Malaysia.

This is a joint degree program with courses taught by instructors from both the University of Wollongong and INTI College.

INTI is one of Malaysia’s largest private colleges. Established in 1986, it has a main campus in Bandar Baru Nilai and branches in Subang Jaya, Penang, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Beijing and Bangkok.

— Campus Review
April 11-17, 2001

Pakistan

Many Pakistani institutions are aggressively marketing degree programs for foreign universities without authorization. However, only the following institutions have been allowed foreign collaboration:

Ziauddin Medical University in Karachi is running a one-year master of public health degree program in collaboration with Wollongong University, an accredited university in Australia. This program has met with the approval of the Pakistani government.

The Karachi Institute of Information Technology is allowed to run degree programs in collaboration with the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom.

Griffith College Dublin’s Karachi campus is authorized to run national certificate/degree programs of the National Council for Educational Awards, under joint collaboration between the Academic Services Pakistan in Karachi and Griffith College Dublin.

Ibadat Foundation and Ibadat Educational Trust of Islamabad are allowed to run an undergraduate degree program in collaboration with Western Michigan University in the United States.

— Pakistan Link
June 22, 2001

The Philippines

The Philippine Commission on Educational Reform is introducing a pre-baccalaureate year following high school for students who plan to go on to college. At present, Philippine children usually have only 10 years of education before entering college, compared with 12 years in most countries. However, students who already have more than 10 years of schooling or have a proven aptitude will be exempt from the pre-baccalaureate year.

The government is also trying to create a more effective accreditation system. Currently, there are several accrediting agencies in the country, all of them using different standards and criteria.

The postsecondary student population in the Philippines today is close to 2 million. Of the 1,357 colleges and universities in that country, 1,147 of them are private and 210 are public.

— International Higher Education
Summer 2001

Sri Lanka

Eager to match the success of its Indian neighbor, Sri Lanka has authorized Britain’s University of Keele to offer a master’s degree program in information technology at the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at the Informatics Institute of Technology in Colombo.

The computing department heads from four of Sri Lanka’s main universities will be among the new program’s instructors.

Students who have a first-level university degree in any academic field are eligible for the program even if they have no previous experience in information technology. Even those without degrees but with adequate job-related experience are encouraged to apply.

— Times Higher Education Supplement
May 11, 2001

Tibet

Tibet is turning out more college graduates than ever before. Over the past 10 years the rate of students graduating from Tibetan institutions of higher education has doubled to 1,262 per 100,000 people.

— Times Higher Education Supplement
June 1, 2001