Regional

Popularity of Study Destinations Shifting

A 2002 survey suggests the popularity of the United Kingdom and the United States as study destinations for a number of major markets has fallen sharply over recent years. The findings are the result of a British Council report called “Connecting Futures.” Published in June, the report surveyed more than 5,000 people aged 15 to 25 in nine countries with substantial Muslim populations: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Comparisons to a similar British Council study carried out in 1999 and 2000 show that while the United States was the first-choice destination for 49 percent of interviewees and the United Kingdom for 32 percent in the earlier report, those figures have fallen to 35 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

The report also shows the popularity of Australia, Canada and Japan as first-choice destinations is increasing. Collectively, the percentage of people choosing Australia, Canada or Japan as their first choice destination increased from 11 percent to 26 percent in the most recent report. Political factors are likely to have played a part in the United States’ declining popularity; Canada was the most popular first-choice destination for people in the Palestinian Territories.

However, the report says the biggest changes in preference “are not due to political factors, which might have waned in the medium to long term.” The number of Malaysians and Egyptians choosing the United Kingdom as their first choice has halved since the 1999-2000 report, while its popularity in Pakistan has increased.

The full 65-page report can be found on the British Council’s Web site.

— British Council
June 2002

Report: English-Taught Programs Increase Across Europe

A December paper published by the Academic Cooperation Association reports that colleges in non-English-speaking European countries are offering more degree programs in English than they did 10 years ago.

Of the 1,500 institutions surveyed, 30 percent of them offer programs in English, almost all of them established since 1990. Nearly half are in two fields: business administration and engineering.

Finland and the Netherlands supply the most English programs per capita, followed closely by other countries in the North and West. Southern European countries offer few such programs, and Central European countries fall in the middle.

More information about the paper, titled “English-Language-Taught Degree Programs in European Higher Education,” can be found HERE.

E-Learning Portal Launched

European Union (EU) Education Commissioner Viviane Reading announced in February the launch of an Internet portal that provides information on European and national initiatives in e-learning.

The portal provides information on community initiatives in the field, such as the 2004-06 eLearning program, which is currently being adopted. It also links with both public and private national initiatives, and provides contributions from experts on subjects ranging form e-literacy to the conditions in EU candidate countries.

— European Union news release
Feb. 5, 2003

European Higher Education Off GATS Agenda – For Now

The European Commission, in the first week of February, agreed to rule out any immediate commitments to liberalize higher education.

The current pan-European negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) are focusing on which sectors will allow other countries to compete for the provision of domestic services. Ultimately for universities, GATS may lead to the end of state subsidization.

Although the commission has exempted education from this round of negotiations, more rounds are to follow and education could well top the list in the future.

Ten of the 15 European Union member states requested that higher education be included in the package of liberalization, meaning that they could be keen to provide the service at competitive rates in other countries. Under the mechanisms of GATS negotiations, the names of the countries cannot be revealed.

So far in this round of negotiations, private education services have been included under the rules of Gats. However, there is no clear definition of what a privately funded university is, leaving it up to interpretation in this era of increased student funding of education in Europe.

— The Guardian
Feb. 7, 2003

Bulgaria

Unaccredited Departments Closing

Unaccredited university departments are being forced to close in March as amendments to the Higher Education Law are put into effect. It is estimated that 20 departments, with a total enrollment of 5,000 students, are affected. In April, these departments will be to apply for accreditation.

— The Standart News
Jan. 31, 2003

France

First Virtual University of Medicine Launched

The first Francophone Virtual University of Medicine is now operational. Based at Lille-2 University, the operation brings together 36 French medical faculties in a public-interest company, supported by the Ministries of Education and Health and by companies in the health industry. Partnerships have so far been established with French-language institutions in Belgium, Canada, Lebanon and Switzerland.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
Dec. 20/27, 2002

Ministry Recruiting More Foreign Students

In his quest for more foreign students, Minister of Education Luc Ferry recently visited Russia in hopes of adding 5,000 Russian students, among other nationalities, to the higher education student body in France.

The number of international students in French universities has increased more than 30 percent in the last four years. More are expected as the French Ministry of Education begins to implement a number of changes that should simplify the administrative process for international students. One of the more important changes is a plan to make it easier for students to obtain permission to work during and after their studies.

More than 195,000 foreign students enrolled at French universities in 2002.

— French Embassy, Washington D.C.
Sept. 25, 2002

Financial Mismanagement Shutters 2 Universities

The University of Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier and the University of Paris IX-Sud were forced to suspend academic activities from Feb. 5-10 and from Feb. 11 to March 3, respectively. In both cases, the French Ministry of Education said the financial crises were due to mismanagement, rather than to insufficient budgets.

— Educationews
Feb. 12, 2003

Germany

New Immigration Laws Halted on Technicality

New immigration laws set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2003 (see WENR Sept/Oct, 2002) were cancelled in December by the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe due to a technicality in voting procedures. The new laws were designed to facilitate study and employment procedures for foreign students and scientists.

The Federal Minister of the Interior, Otto Schily regretted the decision of the court and announced he would reintroduce the law in the Bundestag. The president of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation, Professor Wolfgang Frühwald, stated that urgent action was required, especially in regard to laws for top foreign academics, if Germany wants to compete internationally as a venue for research.

— Hi!
Dec.24, 2002

Academics Up in Arms Over British Equivalency

A recent statement by British academic authorities that a German bachelor degree is only equivalent to an “ordinary bachelor degree” gained at a U.K university and not an “honors bachelor degree,” which automatically qualifies students for enrollment into master’s programs, has angered German academics and students.

The bachelor title was introduced in Germany in 1998 as part of the implementation of the Bologna Process. It was an attempt to make it easier for German students to enter foreign labor markets and degree programs. There are now almost 1,000 degree courses in Germany that offer the bachelor study program, heavily based on the Anglo-American model. However, student enrollment in these programs only represents 2 percent of total enrollment.

The stance taken by Britain’s National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) has drawn fierce criticism from German academic bodies, which argue that the international mobility of German students will be endangered.

Secretary General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Dr. Christian Bode has downplayed the controversy. In a recent statement Bode commented that British universities have pledged their cooperation with the Bologna Declaration, but they also have their own minimum standards from other European countries. Bode said it is both natural and acceptable and is nothing to get excited about. It has always been Britain’s practice, like in other countries, to not just accept students because they have a bachelor’s degree, but to first look at their individual qualifications.

— Frankfurter Allgemeine
Jan. 31, 2003

Merger Creates New University

The universities of Duisburg and Essen have merged to form the University of Duisburg-Essen.

— Deutsche Welle
Dec. 23, 2002

Italy

University Rectors Quit Over Funding Cuts

The heads of all of Italy’s 77 universities announced their resignations Dec. 10 in protest of funding cuts in the 2003 budget, which they claim threatens the future of higher education.

An embarrassment to the Silvio Berlusconi government, the resignations were announced by the chairman of the association of university heads, Piero Tosi, who stated that universities could not survive for more than two or three years at the current level of funding.

The budget before Parliament cuts university funding by more than US$190 million to US$6 billion. The rectors said they cannot guarantee essential services unless funding is restored to 2002 levels.

— The Guardian
Dec. 11, 2002

University Adding English to 3rd Program

Bocconi University’s undergraduate degree program in economics and management of arts, culture and communication will have an English-speaking international section next year, intended for international students.

Three of Bocconi’s nine undergraduate degrees will then be available entirely in English.

— Educationews
Feb. 5, 2003

Romania

University Receives Official Accreditation

Universitatea Crestina Dimitrie Cantemir din Bucuresti, which received provisional permission to operate in 1993, was granted official recognition as a degree-granting institution in September 2002.

— Correspondence from Ministry of Education and Research, Romania
November, 2003

Sweden

Web Site Seeks to Recruit Foreign Students

The Swedish Institute has launched a new Web site aimed at providing information for individuals wishing to come to Sweden as foreign students. The Web site is part of a wider strategy by the Swedish government to attract more foreign students.

There are approximately 13,000 foreign students enrolled at Swedish universities. The country is the third most popular destination for Erasmus students.

— News release
Jan. 15, 2003

The United Kingdom

Global University Lands in London

Warnborough University – a global university with campuses in Ireland, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines – has opened a campus at the London College of Management and Information Technology.

The campus opened in November and offers business English, pre-degree study, undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees in a wide range of programs. It is focusing its recruitment on Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America.

— Education Travel
January 2003

Bradford Merger to Set Example

After several meetings among Higher Education Minister Margaret Hodge and senior Bradford College and Bradford University staff, expectations are high that the proposed merger can lead the way as an example of best practice.

The institutions are set to merge in August 2004, and by 2009 it is hoped the institution will be teaching 50,000 students. The aim is a seamless progression for students working their way from high school to degree level. The two institutions hope the merger will encourage more young people into higher education in a region that performs poorly in overall educational attainment.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
Dec. 13, 2002

University Gets New Name

The University of Lincolnshire and Humberside was renamed the University of Lincoln in 2002.

— University of Lincoln News
October 2002

Highly Anticipated White Paper Published

On the 22nd January, delayed by several months, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills Charles Clarke announced publication of the White Paper “The Future of Higher Education”, which sets out the Government’s plans for reform and investment in universities and HE colleges. The Paper includes proposals for changes in the student finance system, and plans for making higher education accessible to more young people.

The key proposal in the White Paper is for increased flexibility in fee-setting, embracing the belief that those who benefit most from higher education should pay for it: students are to be co-partners with government as “principal funders” of higher education. The Paper notes that average earnings over the past decade have grown faster than academic salaries, leading, in part, to recruitment and retention problems: 60 percent of institutions have reported problems in recruiting in some fields. Staff student ratios have risen from 1:10 in 1983 to 1:18 in 2000.

Almost 40 universities have indicated that they will seek to apply as soon as possible the maximum £3,000 fees proposed in the White Paper. From 2006 universities will be able to set the so-called ‘top-up fees’. The Government has ruled out a fully deregulated fee system. The Paper suggests that universities should not focus on any single source of funding, rather they should look at endowments, fund-raising and other sources such as the disposal of under-used assets. Professionalism of fund-raising activities is also seen as important.

From 2004 students from lower income families will be able to apply for annual grants of £1,000 in addition to student loan entitlements for which the annual income threshold for repayment of loans has been upped to £15,000 from £10,000.

A renewed focus on university teaching is a key element of the White Paper. Teaching is to become more central to funding criteria. Some additional funding will be conditional on universities adopting ” human resource strategies that explicitly value teaching and reward and promote good teachers”. A national teaching quality academy is to be established, possibly in 2004. This will be alongside the foundation of Centres of Excellence in teaching. Up to 70 centers are to be established by 2006.

The right to use the title of ‘university’ may be dependent on undergraduate degree awarding power – and therefore on the quality of teaching – rather than research degree awarding as it is at present.

The Paper calls for more economically and socially relevant education and research through increased collaboration, cross-sector linkages including incentives for less research-intensive universities to develop links with local business.

Another key proposal of the White Paper is the development of “employer-focused” two-year foundation degrees, which are to become “the standard two-year qualification”. Further Education Colleges are to be involved in their development and to be awarding institutions (as well as universities). The two-year foundation degrees are to be an important means for the Government to meet its stated objective that 50 percent of those aged 18-30 will participate in higher education by the end of the decade. Overcoming student and employer bias against two-year qualifications is a major secondary objective. This will in part involve the establishment of a national network of providers, as well as a national ‘validation service’.

The White Paper has received mixed reactions. Unions, students and staff have condemned the proposed fee increases, and the Government is likely to meet strong opposition from backbenchers in relation to these measures. The Government has stipulated a 30 April 2003 deadline for comments on the White Paper, with implementation to begin in September, after the early introduction of legislation to support any changes.

The Future of Higher Education is available from HERE.

— Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee
Jan. 28, 2003

More Top Degrees Being Awarded

According to figures published in January by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of first- and upper second-class degrees awarded by universities has risen 10 percent over the past five years.

The graduating class of 2002 saw a record 56 percent gaining first- or upper second-class degrees. The increase may well come as a result of repeated pressure from the Quality Assurance Agency on individual departments in academically selective universities to award a larger proportion of firsts and upper seconds to keep up with their less selective peers. “Customer pressure” on universities to award more “good” degrees, affecting graduates’ chances of obtaining jobs, has also been cited as a possible reason for the increase.

— The Telegraph
Jan. 8, 2003

UK e-University Opens Virtual Doors

The long-awaited and often-mutated UK e-Universities Worldwide (UKeU) has opened its doors for spring courses.

The government-backed initiative offers students around the world a virtual UK education that ends with a degree from, for the time being, Cambridge, York or Sheffield Hallam universities. UKeU offers a platform for universities in the UK to offer their programs online. Students graduating from the online program will graduate with a degree issued by the university offering the course, without having to ever visit, say, Cambridge.

The project is a joint initiative between the British government and 12 universities, supported by a sophisticated software platform designed by Sun Microsystems. The British government has invested £62 million (US$99 million) in the project.

UKeU, first announced by former Education Secretary David Blunkett three years ago, is enrolling students for three specific courses this spring: a postgraduate certificate in learning in the connected economy from the Open University and Cambridge, costing £2,600 (US$4,200); a master’s in public policy and management from York University, costing £9,000 (US$14,400); and an MSc in information technology from Sheffield Hallam University, at a cost of £9,250 (US$14,800).

Chief Executive of UKeU John Beaumont hopes to have more than a dozen online courses running from different institutions by September, and more than 20 by January 2004.

— The Guardian
Dec.17, 2002

New Teaching Academy in the Works

Starting in 2006, all university teachers will be expected to meet new nationally defined professional skills standards, with compulsory teacher training for new recruits.

The government white paper released in January heralds the creation of a national Teaching Quality Academy that sets and oversees teaching standards and promotes continuing professional development.

The academy will be formed through a merger of the Institute of Learning and Teaching, the Learning and Teaching Support Network and the Higher Education Staff Development Agency.

All new teaching staff will be expected to obtain a teaching qualification that meets the standards starting in 2006.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
Jan. 23, 2003

British Universities to Team up With Indelta

Indelta, a company that builds e-learning portals that provide courses prepared by foreign universities for local students, may soon have some new partners. Currently, most of Indelta’s partner universities are American and Australian, but British institutions may soon form a significant part of the team. The University of Derby is already a partner, and Indelta indicated recently that it was in talks with Oxford and Middlesex universities.

Portals have been set up in South Korea, Nigeria, Malaysia and Thailand. Through their participation with Indelta, Western universities have a chance to create revenue and gain international exposure. Fees paid for the courses are shared out among partner universities (60 percent), in-country institutions (20 percent) and Indelta (20 percent). New portals are also in the works for Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica.

— Educationews
Feb. 5, 2003