Afghanistan
Fraud Forces Government to Toss Exam Results
In February, the Afghan government invalidated the results of university-entrance examinations for more than 6,000 students in Kabul and surrounding provinces after evidence turned up of leaked answer keys. More than 30,000 Afghan students sat for the annual exam, the sole determinant in admissions. Consisting of 220 questions in the Afghan languages of Pashto and Dari, with a short section in English, the exam exerts enormous pressure on prospective university students.
According to Education Minister Mohammad Shereif Fayaz, Afghanistan has developed a culture of forgery that did not exist when he was a student or teacher. “We have a culture of forgery, and I don’t know where it came from,” he said. “It’s so common that it presents a great challenge to higher education. We often see forged documents, certificates and diplomas.”
The examinations were rescheduled for two weeks later, with much tighter security. In the meantime, the investigation of the fraud continued, and the minister promised the perpetrators will be put out of business.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education [1]
Feb. 4, 2004
Australia
Foreign Enrollments Continue to Grow
New data released by the Australian government in March show that Australia’s popularity among foreign students as a study destination continues to rise. In 2003, an estimated 303,324 international students enrolled in the country’s high schools and higher education institutions, an 11 percent increase compared with 2002. In the tertiary sector, there was a 16.5 percent increase to approximately 167,000 foreign college students. The largest group of overseas students, approximately 32,000, was from China, a 20 percent increase over the previous year. Australia also saw big increases in the number of students from India (27 percent) and South Korea (19 percent).
— Department of Education Science and Training [2] News Release
March 9, 2004
Free Trade Deal Alarms Some Academics
Australian academics are concerned that a free-trade agreement with the United States signed in February could lead to U.S. universities establishing operations in Australia and receiving the same benefits as local institutions. Although the details could be months in coming, there is a strong chance that U.S. institutions will be able to claim the same treatment by state governments in such areas as land grants to set up their campuses, and will be able to compete for staff and also students who could be eligible for the federal government’s loan program.
There is speculation that U.S. universities will use Australia as a springboard into the lucrative Asian market. Australian universities already operate under what is fairly close to a free trade arrangement with offshore operations in Asia, and in cost terms Australia has a comparative advantage over U.S. institutions, suggesting that these concerns might not amount to anything more than speculation. The Australian Vice Chancellors Committee [3] said the agreement could boost U.S. investment in Australian research funds, venture capital and markets. But it could also expose Australian institutions to U.S. litigation and other costs.
Australia is a signatory to the General Agreement on Trade in Services, which allows private foreign institutions to operate in Australia if they meet accreditation and quality standards. But Australia reserves the right to treat local public institutions and their students more favorably than foreigners.
— The Australian [4]
Feb. 11, 2004
Bangladesh
Proliferation of Private Universities a Concern
The emergence of private universities in Bangladesh began with the enactment of a series of laws governing higher education in 1992. The old model of centralized control over university education has given way to a new world in which a burgeoning array of more than 50 private universities of variable quality operate, mainly in and around the capital, Dhaka. While there are undoubtedly some excellent private universities, such as Independent University of Bangladesh [5], North-South University [6] and East-West University [7], a rising concern about the quality of education offered at newly established private universities recently resulted in a pessimistic report by the Ministry of Education.
It is now expected that the University Grants Commission [8] (UGC), which is responsible for the issuance of licenses, will launch a full-scale investigation to determine which operators have been observing UGC guidelines. A number of commentators also hope the UGC will be able to overcome cronyism and conduct an objective survey of the private schools and accredit them as universities or withhold the accreditation of those that do not meet the required standards.
In 1993, an estimated 80,000 Bangladeshi students were enrolled at Indian colleges; since then, the country has witnessed a mushrooming of private universities. This indicates there is strong demand for wider access to tertiary education. Whether this alternative is a credible and sustainable option will depend on the regulators and how private universities position themselves in the future.
— The New Nation [9]
Jan. 18, 2004
China
Jobs Failing to Track Growing Number of University Graduates
China has been churning out increasing numbers of graduates since 1999, when the government launched an initiative to increase university enrollments and improve the quality of the nation’s work force. Job growth, however, is struggling to keep up. Last year saw a 46 percent increase in the number of graduates leaving Chinese institutions of higher education. In June, officials expect the number will increase a further 680,000 to reach 2.8 million.
According to the Education Ministry, there are enough new jobs nationwide to accommodate the graduates, so long as they are not too choosy. Statistics show that jobs in marketing, management, computer science and architecture remain abundant in China’s less-developed western region. Unfortunately, graduates seem to be overwhelmingly drawn to such prosperous eastern cities as Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing is home to 900,000 university students, but municipal officials say they likely will end the enrollment expansion at city-run public universities.
Those who do find appropriate jobs, meanwhile, are settling for less pay. According to survey results published in state-run media, starting pay for university graduates has dropped a third in the past year alone.
— The International Herald Tribune [10]
Feb. 19, 2004
SARS Blamed for Latest Foreign Enrollment Numbers
The number of foreign students enrolled at Chinese institutions of education dropped to 77,715 in 2003, a decline of 9.5 percent, according to Vice Minister of Education Zhang Xinsheng. South Korea constitutes the largest source market, comprising nearly half the total, followed by Japan and the United States, respectively. Zhang blamed the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic for the downturn in student numbers.
— People’s Daily [11]
March 18, 2004
India
NIT Opens in Bihar Province
The country’s 18th national institution of technology (NIT) opened in Patna in February. The erstwhile Bihar College of Engineering, long associated with Patna University [12], became an autonomous institution with its new NIT status. The institution’s upgrade is part of the Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi’s plan to emphasize qualitative improvement in technical education.
— The Times of India [13]
Feb. 20, 2004
Sylvan’s Subcontinent Adventure Ends in Closure
Sylvan, which operates a network of universities in Europe and the Americas, has closed its trailblazing institution in India. A spokesman for the company said in February the for-profit regulatory climate in India for non-Indian institutions has become “much less welcoming” since Sylvan opened its South Asia International Institute. The institution had been seeking accreditation but said it had become apparent in the last few months that its application would not soon receive consideration.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education [1]
Feb. 3, 2004
New CBSE Grading System Announced
The Central Board of Secondary Education [14] (CBSE), which administers more than 2,700 government-funded schools in India and abroad, is planning changes to its grading structure and curriculum. The board wants to make mathematics a more practical-oriented subject by introducing mathematics laboratories for students in grades 3 to 8 by next year. A new grading system will go into effect for grade 9 in the next academic term and in grade 10 by March 2005.
In February, CBSE Chairman Ashok Ganguly announced that a 9-point grading system would be introduced alongside a policy for continuous evaluation consisting of six internal assessments throughout the year. The board examinations will now have a 20-80 split between internal and external evaluation, respectively. Officials believe the lightened significance of final examinations will help ease the stress students experience during examination periods. What remains to be seen is how the state boards and private institutions react to the grading system.
— The Hindu [15]
March 16, 2004
India Seeks to Recruit Middle Eastern Students
Every year, the Central Government of India funds a number of seats to 17 national institutes of technology (formerly regional engineering colleges) and five other institutions under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) program. For academic year 2004-05 the program has 1,026 seats available, and DASA officials were recently in Abu Dhabi to encourage students to apply. They say the program already has attracted African and Asian students, and now the focus is on the Middle East.
The program has been very successful in Syria and Iran, according to officials, who added that students from the United Arab Emirates and the Persian Gulf region had been less inclined to study in India, and those that do come to India largely tend to be of Indian heritage, a trend they hope to reverse.
— Gulf News [16]
Feb. 23, 2004
UGC Outlines Roadmap to Increase Education Exports
Tailor-made, short-term study programs, twinning arrangements and education excellence and export zones are some of the key recommendations outlined by a University Grants Commission [17] (UGC) committee on the Promotion of Higher Education Abroad to internationalize Indian higher education.
The report states that although there is a sizeable presence of international students in India, the number appears to be stagnant. “Students from developed countries are not attracted to the full degree programs, and are only looking for short-term, semester-abroad modules to study about various aspects of India,” the report states, adding that the problem is compounded by the lack of a nationally coordinated marketing program. The report also mentions that although several Indian universities are being approached by foreign universities for twinning arrangements, the Indian education system still does not have sufficient knowledge and experience to enter into such alliances.
Government procedures for admitting foreign students into the country should be simplified, and all obstacles regarding visa issuance should be immediately removed, according to the report. Moreover, it says, the All India Council for Technical Education [18] and UGC must examine and revise their guidelines for collaboration.
— The Times of India [13]
March 9, 2004
Japan
Compulsory-Education Reform a Balancing Act
Japan is deregulating its compulsory-education system to bring more diversification and competition to schools. According to Japan Times, it will take a delicate balancing act. As an experiment, the government has allowed for-profit companies to run elementary and junior high schools, and some local governments have allowed parents to choose their children’s public schools. Supporters say the reforms will help diversify the uniform education system and motivate schools to offer more attractive programs. Critics warn that such deregulation runs the risk of destabilizing compulsory education and widening the academic gap between rich and poor.
Under the current Private School Law, independent schools cannot be administered by profit-seeking entities and they have to conform to stipulated standards in such areas as curriculum, facilities, teacher qualifications and financial stability. These regulations have been eased, however, in deregulation zones established in April 2003 for education projects, to allow for more flexible and diverse programs. Under the traditional system, children who do not go to a private elementary or junior high school are assigned a school by their local board of education. But to cope with the rise in truancy and other problems, even the conservative Education Ministry [19] is gradually embracing diversification, although it seems less eager to adopt the radical changes involving school operators due to worries of their financial stability and fears of the infiltration of extremist cult ideologies.
— The Japan Times [20]
Feb. 20, 2004
Reforms to Boost Autonomy in Higher Education
As of April and the start of the new academic term, in what is being billed as the biggest higher-education reform project in more than 100 years, public universities are being given increased independence (see July/August 2003 issue of WENR [21]). After decades of micromanagement from the Education Ministry, the reforms promise university presidents the power to set budgets, academic standards and programs, and hire and fire employees, including lecturers. Educators’ salaries and tenure will now be performance-based, in contrast to the traditional seniority, job-for-life approach. In return, the government demands that universities improve their academic programs, particularly at the graduate level; cooperate in more research with private industry; and file six-year plans describing goals and targets, to which future government funding will be attached.
With the Japanese economy in the doldrums, businesses that no longer offer employees lifelong employment are eager to see more professionally oriented and adaptable curriculums. The poor economy in recent years has made them less willing to incur the cost of training fresh recruits, who, due to stagnation in the university system, have typically finished their education with few useful skills. Key changes are already being made at the graduate level, where many graduates are moving away from theoretical pedagogy to practical approaches. This month, about 70 U.S.-style law schools (see July/August 2003 WENR [21]) are scheduled to open at national and private universities, with judges and lawyers teaching alongside professors.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education [1]
March 12, 2004
Malaysia
Teacher Training Colleges May Get Upgrade
It is hoped all 17 teacher-training colleges soon will be upgraded to education institutes (institut pendidikan). Students of the newly upgraded institutions would graduate with a degree, rather than the current diploma. The ministry is still waiting for approval from the Public Services Department — the upgrade would lead to changes in salary scales for newly qualified teachers — but it is confident the change will happen soon. The upgrade is essential to Education Ministry [22] plans to staff all primary schools with degree-level teachers by 2010.
— The Star Online [23]
Feb. 22, 2004
Number of Saudi Students Explodes
The number of Saudi students studying in Malaysia has jumped from 20 to more than 200 in the last 16 months, according to the Arab News newspaper.
Saudis who can afford it have traditionally preferred to send their children to study in the West, with the United States a long-standing favorite. But Malaysia recently has made a name for itself as a moderate Islamic country able to provide quality education at significantly lower cost. According to Shushilil Azam of the Malaysian Education Promotion Center for the Middle East in Dubai, the increase is mainly in English-language programs. Currently, there are 3,726 students from the Middle East studying in Malaysia, the majority from Yemen (800), Libya and Oman.
— Arab News [24]
March 17, 2004
Sunway College Invited to Upgrade to University College Status
Sunway College [25] has been invited by the Ministry of Education [22] to apply for an upgrade to university-college status. A relatively new development, the status allows private colleges to offer their own bachelor- and master- level degrees. In 2001, Kolej Universiti Teknologi dan Pengurusan Malaysia [26] was the first private institution to be granted such a status. However, other colleges were hesitant to seek a status upgrade because they would have to give up their staple of franchised foreign degree programs and offer their own degrees instead. A recent policy change allowing university colleges to offer franchised programs in addition to their own courses has changed all that, and there are currently four private university colleges operating in the country. The long-term goal for university colleges is to phase out the franchised foreign programs and offer their own degrees in the hope that the Malaysian degree will be just as sought after as the foreign one.
Founded in 1987, Sunway College has formed a string of partnerships with universities from Australia, Britain and the United States. The college has had a long-standing agreement with Australia’s Victoria University [27] and has recently signed an agreement to jointly run Victoria University’s MBA program, which also has providers in Singapore, Bangladesh and India.
— The Star Online [23]
March 21, 2004
New Zealand
EU Exchange Program Announced
An international exchange program between New Zealand and the European Union for postgraduate students was announced in March. The three-year European Union-New Zealand Exchange Pilot Program will see the development of a joint postgraduate study program at New Zealand and European universities for their students. It will be modeled on existing EU-Australia and EU-United States projects. The program will be jointly funded by the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission [28] and the European Commission [29], with participating institutions also making a small contribution.
— Scoop [30]
March 17, 2004
Pakistan
Foreign Academics Shortlisted in Brain Gain Initiative
The Higher Education Commission [31] (HEC) has finalized a list of 30 foreign educators to serve in Pakistani public-sector universities. This is the first stage of a plan to hire 300 foreign faculty members each year for the next five years to fill what the HEC describes as the “vast gap of qualified research academics and Ph.D. supervisors in the higher education sector.”
The main aims of the project are to impart a modern and progressive outlook to research-based academic programs in Pakistani universities and to set norms of international academic standards to be emulated by local academics. Furthermore, it is hoped that increased cooperation with local and foreign institutions, which encourages long-term sustainable scientific collaboration, will be established as a byproduct of the initiative.
— Higher Education Commission [32] news release
Dec. 10, 2003
Madrassah Reform Initiative Launched
A US$100 million initiative to introduce subjects taught at mainstream schools to Pakistan’s madrassahs was launched recently. The program will provide the country’s 8,000 private seminaries with grants covering teacher salaries, textbooks, teacher training and equipment for the introduction of subjects such as English, mathematics, social studies and general science at the primary and secondary level, with English, economics, Pakistani studies and computer science to be introduced in high school.
President Pervez Musharraf has been campaigning since 2003 for the reforms; however, early attempts to enact them failed after madrassah leaders and Islamist organizations rejected government legislation requiring schools to widen their curriculums beyond rote learning of the Koran. Now that Musharraf’s leadership has been legitimized through elections, it is thought he may have extra clout to push through the reforms.
— The Middle East Times [33]
Jan. 30, 2004
Singapore
Minister: International Policy Paying Off
Acting Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen said recently that Singapore will continue its “winning” formula of attracting global human resources and academic talent to help the economy and create jobs. He said Singapore aspires to be a “plug-and-play destination” for professionals and their families around the world.
The official explained the government believes “that growth follows talent, and that jobs follow growth,” citing a 2001 Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) report showing that the 80,000 foreign professionals employed by companies in Singapore made up 9 percent of the professional work force. The MTI estimates these professionals contributed 37 percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product from 1991 to 2000. It is estimated that as many as one in four current residents is originally from abroad, and that foreign students make up 20 percent of the undergraduate population and nearly 70 percent of postgraduate research enrollments.
— The Straits Times [34]
March 3, 2004
Thailand
DEP Touts Thailand as ‘Education Hub’
In 2003, there were more than 19,000 foreign students studying in Thailand, including 13,700 in international schools and 5,500 in colleges and universities. In contrast, there were nearly 80,000 Thai students studying abroad. To counter this situation, the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) of the Ministry of Commerce has attempted to promote international education, explaining the term, “education hub,” to the Thai population.
The aim is to attract foreign students in the region and encourage Thai students to continue their education in the kingdom. For the past two years, the DEP has marketed the benefits of studying in Thailand to such neighbors as Vietnam, Burma, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea through education exhibitions and road shows. Many of the foreign students in Thailand studying at the tertiary level came from China to pursue bachelor’s degrees in business administration at Assumption University [35]. At the primary- and secondary-school levels, most of the foreign students are expatriate children from Europe. The number of foreign students is expected to increase 20 percent in 2005.
At present, there are 70 international schools in Thailand. Most follow the U.S., British or International Baccalaureate curriculums. French, Japanese and German curriculums are also in place. At the tertiary level, there are 43 universities and colleges offering 520 international programs, comprising 176 undergraduate degrees, 217 master’s degrees and 127 doctoral degrees. Quality has been raised as a concern because many of the so-called international programs are lacking an international curriculum, course structure and facilities.
— The Nation [36]
Feb. 23, 2004