Afghanistan
Education Struggles to Rebuild
After almost 25 years of warfare, Afghanistan is now battling to restore a shattered educational infrastructure. The central challenge is coping with the so-called “lost generation” of students who have had their education put on hold by conflict. Education was the largest item in the Afghan government’s development budget last year and is slated to double this year. However, its status remains shaky: It seems the necessity of the reconstruction of education in a country that boasts 90 percent illiteracy is not fully appreciated.
Inevitably, the budget — which is mainly in the form of donor pledges — falls short of what the Ministry of Education needs. Education Minister Yunus Qanooni warned in 2002 that shortfalls might force closures in the provinces, and indeed an answer to these closures was to cram students into the remaining open schools. Unfortunately, there are areas where all local schools have closed, leaving no alternative. Conflicting statements from the ministry and the provinces leave the reality of the situation unclear.
The number of enrollments in 2002 — 2.9 million students — far exceeded original projections of 1.7 million. Enrollment rates for 2003 were expected to reach 4 million, close to the estimated 4.5 million school-age children. However, a large percentage of those who enrolled are from the so-called “lost generation.” Qanooni sees three main challenges to the future of Afghan education: resources for construction of schools, furnishing schools and the shortage of teachers. Organizations such as UNICEF [1] are working to address these issues, but more must be done, as even in Kabul children do not have adequate learning environments. In addition, statistics suggest the system is facing an educational bottleneck, with up to 50 percent of all students enrolled in 2002 being in first grade.
— Eurasianet [2]
Sept. 12, 2003
Winter Classes Fast-Track Education
Children who were deprived an education by years of war are being given a chance to catch up this winter through an accelerated learning program. With the help of UNICEF, the Afghan Ministry of Education has initiated a series of courses in five provinces during the three-month school holidays. Approximately 46,000 students are said to be attending the free classes. The learning program was introduced to girls in December 2002; 92 percent of them were subsequently able to enroll for school at least one grade higher.
December also saw the final phase of a national teacher-training program. Key teachers were trained in the principles of learning, methodology and core curriculum subjects. These teachers then passed their skills to provincial trainers, who in turn are currently training small groups of teachers. This cascade method has proved highly effective. In December, 25,000 primary-school teachers underwent training, and the final winter round hopes to reach a further 25,000.
— The Guardian [3]
Dec. 9, 2003
Australia
New Higher-Education Law Passed
Parliament approved in December sweeping changes to Australia’s system of higher education, focusing on university tuition fees and how students will pay for them. The historic legislation allows universities to increase their fees up to 25 percent, and will require more than one-third of all students to pay all of their university costs.
The highly contentious piece of legislation, in a country that promotes the widest-possible access to its institutions of higher education, also makes new provisions for the availability of government scholarships
and low-interest loans. It is expected that most universities will introduce the new fee package as soon as possible.
— The Australian [4]
Dec. 5, 2003
China
Merger Creates New University
Xihua University [5] was established in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, in December through the merger of Sichuan Institute of Industries and Chengdu Normal College. The school currently has 20,000 students and teachers.
In recent years, the Ministry of Education has been reorganizing and streamlining higher education institutions across the country in an attempt to streamline the effectiveness and competitiveness of Chinese universities.
— People’s Daily [6]
Dec. 8, 2003
Scottish Degree Program Established
The Scottish Qualifications Authority [7] has agreed to a deal with the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange [8]. The initiative will see students at Chinese universities study for Higher National Diplomas in business, computing, hospitality, tourism and finance. These qualifications will be recognized in Scotland and give students the opportunity to study at Scottish higher education institutions.
The Scottish Executive recently launched its Fresh Talent initiative, which aims to address Scotland’s population decline and increase its skilled work force.
— BBC [9]
Feb. 15, 2004
Beijing to Boost Foreign-Student Enrollment
According to a recent report in the Beijing Morning Post, universities in Beijing are planning to enroll an additional 10,000 foreign students in 2004, a 30.3 percent increase over 2003. The 33,000 foreign students currently in Beijing account for 40 percent of the national total. Official surveys show that foreign students are increasingly enrolling in subjects other than Chinese language and traditional medicine.
— Beijing Morning Post [10]
Feb. 4, 2004
Exploding Enrollments Leading to ‘Professor Crunch’
China expects 2.8 million college graduates in 2004, an increase of 680,000, or 22 percent, from 2003. This comes on top of a 46 percent increase in the number of graduates who left higher education institutions in 2003. Student numbers have been exploding since 1999, when the government launched an initiative to increase university enrollment and improve the quality of the work force. However, there has not been a proportionate increase in faculty numbers to meet student needs, which, according to the Xinhua News Agency, is leading to a “professor crunch.”
Education experts now warn the teaching shortage may lead to a regional brain drain as the nationwide competition for quality professors heats up. The booming provinces in the east are attracting the most talented professors, leaving a deficiency in less-developed regions of the interior, where an increase in the knowledge base is vital for development and poverty reduction.
— Xinhua News Agency [11]
Feb. 4, 2004
India
Institutes of Management Seek Higher Visibility
In October, The Economist magazine ranked the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad [12] (IIM-A) as the world’s 45th best business school. Not content with being the first Asian business school to appear in the list’s top 50, IIM-A has set its sights on a top-20 placement in the near future by improving its international components and attracting foreign applicants through not only exchange but also to full-time programs.
To attract the kind of student it is looking for, the institution is attempting to increase its visibility. One step it has taken is to collaborate with such foreign universities as Canada’s McGill [13] and the United States’ Stanford [14] and Columbia [15] in areas such as telecom, power and energy. It is also asking professors to not only conduct research and publish but to present papers at international conferences so the visibility of the institution increases.
Meanwhile, the Bangalore branch (IIM-B) recently announced plans to take its brand appeal to foreign destinations, beginning with Sri Lanka. At IIM-B, the approach is of a more populist nature: The school plans to offer condensed programs in management studies. Officials have stated that in addition to Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also shown keen interest in IIM-B. Singapore and Malaysia are also said to be on the radar screen. As the institution increases its faculty, the number of foreign initiatives is expected to expand.
— Ahmedabad Newsline [16]
Nov. 19, 2003
Common Entrance Exam for Professional Courses in 2005
The University Grants Commission [17] recently announced plans directing universities to admit students in professional programs through a common entrance exam. Management students will soon have to appear for only one national-level or state-level exam.
Admission to national quota seats will be made through an all-India common entrance exam, while states will hold their own state-level entrance exams for the state quota seats. Common entrance to engineering, architecture and pharmacy programs will be through the All-India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE). Despite objections from institutions and politicians, the commission maintains that the new exam will not encroach on university autonomy. After introducing a three-tier entrance examination system for engineering courses in 2001, the Ministry of Education — armed with a Supreme Court order — decided to make AIEEE mandatory for all educational institutions admitting students on an all-India basis in October 2003.
Beginning in 2005-06, a similar common entrance test will become mandatory for all management courses where admissions are made on an all-India basis, eliminating the multiplicity of entrance examinations.
— The Hindu [18]
Jan. 14, 2004
New Top-Tier Science Schools to Be Established
In an effort to boost the number of top science graduates, the University Grants Commission [17] announced in December the establishment of four National Institutes of Science and 1,000 annual scholarships to postgraduate students attending the institutions. The institutes will be in Chennai, Pune, Allahabad and Bhubaneshwar.
— Expressindia [19]
Dec. 28, 2003
Distance Education to Be Regulated
The Distance Education Council (DEC) is planning to regulate all university open-learning courses. The move is regarded as the first step toward bringing accountability to distance education, with only DEC-approved correspondence courses being recognized, starting in 2005. All universities offering courses through correspondence will have to have their programs accredited by the DEC. The regulatory body instituted by Indira Gandhi National Open University [20] has already begun the assessment process.
After sending institutions a questionnaire on benchmarks and norms, a DEC team will begin the process of verification. The council also plans to start a “resource pool,” from which an institution can select and initiate an academic program after paying a specified amount to the university that constructed the program.
— The Times of India [21]
Jan. 8, 2004
UGC Rethinks Recruitment Strategy to Combat Enrollment Trend
A recent study by the University of Delhi [22] reveals a negative trend in the number of foreign students at Indian institutions of higher education. According to the results of the study, 8,145 foreign students studied in India in 2003, compared to 11,888 in 1995. Foreign-student adviser at Delhi University A.S. Nang, who conducted the study, believes a lack of initiative by Indian universities to promote and market their programs abroad is to blame for the diminishing numbers.
In an apparent attempt to counter the trend, the University Grants Commission [17] (UGC) has suggested that special economic zones be used to promote higher education. The “special education zones” at selected locations around the country would house both Indian and foreign higher education institutions in close proximity to scientific and research and development centers. The UGC committee in charge of the project, which has already short-listed 25 universities to participate in a series of global education fairs, feels there is a tremendous market to attract more foreign students to the country.
Elsewhere on the continent, the trend seems to be the opposite: in China, enrollments from overseas students have risen from 22,755 in 1995 to more than 40,000 in 2003, and in Japan, the numbers have risen from 53,511 to 100,000 over the same period.
— New Kerala [23]
Feb. 9, 2004
— The Times of India [21]
Jan. 28, 2004
Students Protest Cut in IIM Fees
Students at India’s six elite business schools are protesting a reduction in tuition fees. The Supreme Court has upheld a government decision to increase access to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Management [12] (IIM) by cutting tuition fees 80 percent. The Ministry of Human Resources Development, in what some deem a political maneuver with elections pending, intends to slash annual fees from 150,000 rupees (US$3,317) a year to 30,000 (US$663) through government subsidies, maintaining an IIM education cannot be the monopoly of the elite.
Detractors of the plan say it amounts to renationalization, which could result in a loss of autonomy over curricular content to the Human Resources Development Ministry. The ministry is headed by Murli Manohar Josh, a self-proclaimed religious revivalist who has been accused of attempting to give education a more “Hindu” flavor. For his part, the minister says the plans are in line with the government policy of widening access to higher education.
The Economist magazine rated the IIM-Ahmedabad [12] as the “toughest business school in the world to get into” – not in terms of cost, but of competition. There were 127,000 applicants this year for 260 places. Student protests have received support from top Indian industrialists who argue the government should be concentrating its resources on primary education or expanding quality management education, rather than subsidizing education at the IIMs.
— The Guardian [3]
Feb. 26, 2004
Chhattisgarh Begins Review of Private Institutions
The Chhattisgarh government has begun reviewing its private universities, which have mushroomed in number since the passing of the Chhattisgarh Private Universities Act two years ago and the subsequent “reckless sanctioning” of new institutions.
The University Grants Commission [17] (UGC) passed the Establishment and Maintenance of Standards in Private Universities Regulations late in 2003, which led to the establishment of the Regulatory Commission in Chhattisgarh. The commission has been charged with the quality assessment of an estimated 108 private universities, a large proportion of which are said to be operating out of hotel rooms and private residences as “e-universities.” It is estimated only a handful of the new institutions have physical campuses. The most important provision in the regulations is that “each private university shall be established by a separate State Act and shall conform to the relevant provisions of the UGC Act.”
Another important provision of the act concerns the establishment of branch campuses, which now are only eligible after the main campus has proved to have operated successfully for five years. Currently, more than 20 of the unlicensed institutions in Chhattisgarh are operating study centers in a number of other states across the country.
— The Hindu [24]
Jan. 7, 2004
Japan
Visa Rules to Tighten in April
The Japanese government will tighten visa requirements for foreign students in April in light of a recent series of crimes allegedly committed by students who overstayed their visas, Justice Ministry officials said in December. The ministry will require foreign students to submit documents on their parents’ income and bank account statements for the past three years to ensure that they have sufficient funds to live in Japan and that the primary purpose of their stay is for study, the officials said.
The new measures will be applied to universities and Japanese-language schools, where large numbers of students have overstayed their visas, as well as to prospective students from countries with a record of students that overstay their welcome, according to the officials. Applicants from China, in particular, will be targeted, because 80 percent of students who overstay their visas are Chinese. The murder of a family of four in Fukuoka, allegedly by three former Chinese students, was a factor in the decision.
— Japan Today [25]
Dec. 12, 2003
Reforms to Push Research and Mergers
Japan’s public universities, modeled on late 19th-century Western academic institutions, are undergoing profound change. Taking effect in April, reforms will influence the future of research in Japan.
The law enabling the structural reform of the universities was approved by Parliament in July and allows Japan to stimulate the creativity of its researchers and to invest heavily in such sectors as medical research and biotechnology, where it lags other countries.
Japanese research and development spending is already high by global standards, enabling Japan to become a world leader in such fields as robotics and nanotechnology. The restructured universities, which in the future will be more private-sector, partnership-oriented, are expected to play a key role in the research domain.
The reforms aim to bring about mergers of universities in order to strengthen their position in global rankings based on assessments by third parties. Twelve of the 99 major public universities have already merged since October 2003, and the trend is expected to extend to the 525 private institutions and 76 run by regional or local authorities. Under the reforms, the national universities will acquire the status of a corporation, which will bring greater “freedom in allocating funds [and] increased accountability on the part of their management,” as well allowing them to recruit staff from outside academic circles or the bureaucracy.
— Agence France Presse [26]
Dec. 12, 2003
New Law Schools Pass Final Test
A panel from the Education Ministry recently approved the opening of graduate law programs at 66 universities, beginning in April (see WENR [27] July/August 2003) — the start of the Japanese academic year. The new schools will be central to the overhaul of the Japanese legal system, which will introduce a partial jury system, emphasize practical rather than theoretical training in legal education and give more rights to individuals.
— Japan Today [28]
Jan. 15, 2004
South Korea
Number of Students Abroad Continues to Grow
The number of South Korean students studying abroad has soared to record levels of nearly 160,000. Government statistics released in December, however, contrast the boom in students studying abroad with a relatively anemic presence of foreign students studying in Korea. At last count, there were 12,000 foreign students in the country — just 7.7 percent of the number of Koreans studying abroad.
By region, 45.5 percent are based in the Asia-Pacific region, 39.5 percent in North America and 14.8 percent in Europe. While South Korean students’ preference for the North American market has diminished somewhat, the United States is still the unrivaled destination for Korean students. The number of Korean students studying in the U.S. has dropped from 58,500, in 2001 to 49,047 in 2003.
— Korea Herald [29]
Dec. 16, 2003
Malaysia
8-Nation Tour Highlights Malaysian Education
As part of the drive to establish itself as an educational hub, 30 delegates representing 10 universities embark on an eight-country road show to promote Malaysian tertiary education. The government hopes to raise the number of foreign students from the current 36,000 to 50,000 by 2005. The tour kicks off in Mali and the Maldives this month before moving to Sri Lanka and South Africa in March, Bangladesh in July, Iran and Yemen in August, Mauritius in September and Indonesia in October.
— The Star [30]
Jan. 18, 2004
Technology University Gets Boost From Japan
Japan and Malaysia have agreed to open a technical university in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur in June as a center for human resources development in Southeast Asia. According to Japanese Foreign Ministry officials, approximately half of the 30-member faculty will be comprised of reassigned Japanese faculty. In the first academic year, Malaysia-Japan International University of Technology will admit 250 students from Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries to its electronics, mechanical engineering and business administration departments.
— Daily Yomiuri [31]
Jan. 7, 2004
Regulations Tightened for Foreign Distance-Learning Degrees
All courses, including master’s and doctoral programs, offered by foreign institutions via distance or e-learning will not be recognized by the government until they are accredited by the National Accreditation Board [32] (LAN). Education Minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad said companies or institutions that continue to offer these e-degrees in the absence of accreditation will be operating illegally.
In the past, companies were allowed to enroll students for part-time studies via distance and e-learning without LAN accreditation. Musa, at a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in December, said the new regulations are necessary in light of the increased number of substandard degrees available in the market. He added that some foreign universities even claim their part-time distance and e-learning programs are officially recognized, when it is the full-time ones that are recognized.
Graduates with degrees obtained through unaccredited part-time distance and e-learning programs are no longer eligible for government jobs, according to the minister, who added that the move isn’t denying people the right to education but is ensuring that qualifications obtained in Malaysia are of the highest quality.
— The Star [33]
Dec. 4, 2003
New Zealand
New Laws to Protect International Students
The government has announced new laws that will increase protection for international students in New Zealand, according to Education Minister Trevor Mallard. The move came in the wake of two controversial school closures — the Carich Computer Training School in November and the Modern Age Institute of Learning in September — that left thousands of international students stranded. Most of the students are among the 30,000 mainland Chinese studying in New Zealand.
An amendment to the Export Education Levy will allow the government to widen collection funds from education providers in New Zealand so they can be used to reimburse international students if providers go out of business.
— Scoop [34]
Dec. 3, 2003
Dramatic Slump in Visa Applications Worries Export Industry
New Zealand’s education export industry is bracing for the worst in early 2004 after a large drop in visa applications from Chinese students. Trade Commissioner Grant Fuller says there has been a “significant falloff” in visa applications.
About 20,000 new visa applications were made by Chinese students in 2002, but figures for 2003 were likely to be closer to 12,000. Fuller says universities are well-placed for next year, but the drop will affect private training providers, language schools and some secondary schools. The high-profile collapse of two private schools in 2003, followed by negative statements from Chinese officials, is widely thought to be largely to blame for the decline.
— Fairfax New Zealand Ltd [35]
Dec. 22, 2003
Pakistan
3 Institutes Earn Official Recognition
The following schools have been officially recognized by the Higher Education Commission [36] as private, degree-granting institutions: Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education [37] in Karachi, on Aug. 23; Institute of Business & Technology in Karachi, on Sept. 20; and the Institute of South Asia in Lahore, on July 27.
For a full list of recognized, higher-education institutions in Pakistan, please visit: http://www.hec.gov.pk/collunilist.htm [38]
Sri Lanka
Tertiary Education Reform Program Under Way
Tertiary education reforms in Sri Lanka were officially launched in October. The Improving Relevance and Quality of Undergraduate Education (IRQUE) project aims to support Sri Lanka’s tertiary education system so it can more effectively contribute to economic and social development. The project is supported by US$40.3 million in credit approved by the World Bank in June 2003.
The IRQUE project provides grants to support the strengthening of public universities. It is intended to transform Sri Lanka’s predominantly publicly run, campus-based higher education system — which is inaccessible to the majority of the population — into a more broad-based system providing increased support of vocational and private institutions and the use of online learning. The program also finances a program that provides training and helps place unemployed graduates in companies for work experience. The Jobs-Net [39] Web site will be used to facilitate access to the program for unemployed graduates and companies from all parts of the country.
— Daily News [40]
Oct. 29, 2003
Thailand
Chinese University to Open Branch in Bangkok
Officials from Guangzhou-based Jinan University [41] have indicated the university will open China’s first foreign branch school in downtown Bangkok in 2005. The school is expecting to welcome an initial enrollment of 600 to 800 undergraduate students, and later will offer graduate-level courses. The school hopes to offer five or six business management courses.
Jinan University is one of two universities in China that specifically educates overseas Chinese students from such areas as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The other is Overseas Chinese University in Quanzhou, Fujian province.
— Xinhua News agency [42]
Nov. 17, 2003
Vietnam
Plans for International University Announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in late December that funding for construction of Vietnam’s first international university has been approved. To be located in Ho Chi Minh City and Di An, Viet Nam International University will include undergraduate and graduate training for both Vietnamese and foreign students. The university hopes to attract up to half of its faculty from abroad, the majority of whom will be lecturing in English. The curriculums will be created in cooperation with foreign universities, and programs will be offered in information technology, biotechnology, telecommunications, business management and law. The university plans to recruit approximately 200 students for the fall term.
The announcement came on the heels of an announcement by Australian-owned RMIT Vietnam that it will begin construction of a second campus in the Saigon area. Although RMIT enrolled only 700 students in its first two years, the second campus expects to accommodate up to 10,000 students.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs [43]
Dec. 29, 2003