Regional
Erasmus Mundus Hoped to Rival Fullbright
The European Commission (EC) is considering a huge expansion of its Erasmus Mundus [1] student-exchange program in a bid to make the 230 million euro (US$276.6 million) initiative competitive with the Fulbright program by the end of its first phase in 2008. There are currently plans to award up to 5,000 scholarships to students from non-European Union (EU) countries to join EU core master programs. An additional 4,200 students from the EU are expected to receive grants to study in third countries as part of their master programs.
The external affairs directorate in Brussels is expected to fund additional scholarships for outgoing students, concentrating on Asian nations that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The EC will have an advisory group investigate how to make the expanded EU more attractive to international students in the increasingly competitive higher education market. The plan envisages 90 to 100 European master programs, each offered by at least three universities in three countries. Universities submitted bids at the end of May to be selected for the project’s first phase, which begins this fall. Erasmus Mundus aims to work in concert with the Bologna Process, whose goal is to converge the different national systems of education in Europe, making them more understandable and attractive to foreign students.
— The Times Higher Education Supplement [2]
May 7, 2004
Bosnia and Herzegovina
University of Delaware to Establish Graduate Business School
The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics [3] has entered into a partnership with the University of Sarajevo [4] to establish a new graduate business school in the Bosnian capital. The Delaware school is using a US$10 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development to facilitate the process.
The new business school, a joint venture between the two universities, will offer a master’s in business administration (MBA) this fall, with instruction provided by 10-12 members of the Lerner faculty, lecturers from the economics department of the University of Sarajevo and other faculty from the region. Graduates are expected to earn both a University of Delaware MBA and a graduate degree in business from the University of Sarajevo.
— University of Delaware news release [5]
June 13, 2004
Education Laws Face Resistance
Local education authorities’ resistance to a proposed unification of the Bosnian education system has left many in the country with two schools, divided by ethnicity (if not language), often operating under one roof. The 1995 Dayton Agreement, which ended 3½ years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, left two entities — Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina — with their distinct education systems. While the RS education system is unified, the federation’s is not. Under the federation’s constitution, all 11 cantons have jurisdiction over science and culture, including schools. Critics complain that local authorities run by Croats and Bosnian Muslims use the system to promote their own sectarian history and language curriculums (See May/June issue WENR [6]).
Education reforms started late in 2002, when local authorities presented the Peace Implementation Council in Brussels with a strategy to develop a modern, depoliticized and quality education system. In July 2003, Bosnia adopted the Framework Law on Primary and Secondary Education, including a core curriculum. Cantonal ministries were given six months to harmonize their legislation with that of the state. Nine months later, only half of the ministries had done so, and according to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there were at least 52 cases of “two schools under one roof.”
Officials believe local failures to adopt the law do not mean there have not been any advances. Aside from adopting a common core curriculum, a key reform was the decision to set up joint expert bodies at the federal level for the implementation of a nine-year-long school system, which should be applied from the start of the next school year. However, the State Parliament’s continued failure to pass the Higher Education Law means the country’s eight hard-pressed universities were recently denied US$ 12 million in funding from the World Bank.
— The Institute for War and Peace [7]
June 3, 2004
Czech Republic
Proposed School-Leaving Exams Entail Compromises
Under an education bill approved by the Chamber of Deputies in June, high school leaving exams will consist of two parts: one drawn up by schools themselves and a new component that will be fixed by the Ministry of Education. The common national test will be in three disciplines: the Czech language, a foreign language and another subject chosen by the student. At academically oriented gymnasia, students will have to study mathematics as their third subject.
If the Upper House and president approve the bill, the examination system would be effective in 2008. Another important part of the reforms would be greater autonomy for schools in the design of their curriculums. The changes are a compromise between demands for a national standardized test and concerns that uniform exams would not be flexible enough to meet the differing needs of students.
— The Prague Post [8]
July 8, 2004
Estonia
Russian Degrees Lose Equivalence
Estonia has withdrawn from an agreement with Russia that provides for the mutual recognition of university degrees, in effect since 1998. Officials say the agreement is no longer valid, now that Estonia is moving toward the standards of the European Union, which it joined May 1.
Government officials, quoted anonymously in local media, have said they also feel that academic standards have slipped in Russia, and that corruption in both state and private institutions had rendered Russian credentials unreliable as a measure of academic achievement. The move applies to degrees awarded after 1992.
— The Chronicle of Higher Education [9]
June 25, 2004
France
Catalog Touts English-Taught University Programs
EduFrance [10], the government agency charged to promote French education abroad, has recently published a catalog of 285 English-taught, higher-education programs. The guide — the most comprehensive of its kind to date in France — presents the programs according to subject area. The aim of the catalog is to convince talented, non-French-speaking students of the value of studying in France. The catalog reflects the growing number of programs taught in English now available in France.
— ACA [11]
June 18, 2004
Germany
Parliament Approves Immigration Law
German lawmakers have passed the country’s first law on immigration. The new law, which comes after years of heated discussion and negotiation, will ease the entry of highly qualified immigrants and promote their integration into German society. It will replace a patchwork of rules with a modern law meant to signal openness and tolerance.
The law, which was almost defeated due to security measures that had been added in the wake of the March 11 bombings in Madrid, allows foreign students to remain in the country to seek employment upon graduation. The number of new immigrants authorized to enter or remain after graduation, however, will be tightly monitored and limited to highly qualified professionals such as engineers, computer specialists and scientists. In addition, self-employed people who offer jobs to locals will be allowed to immigrate. The law is expected to go into effect Jan. 1.
— Deutsche Welle [12]
July 15, 2004
Marketing Campaign Pays Enrollment Dividends
A US$19 million-dollar publicity campaign to market German universities overseas has been rewarded by recent statistics that show a record number of overseas students attended German universities in 2003.
Figures compiled by the German Academic Exchange Service [13] (DAAD) show that nearly 230,000 international students studied in Germany last year. Of those, more than 163,000 attended universities, a 63 percent increase over the past six years. The latest figures place Germany in third place behind the United States and United Kingdom in terms of countries favored by international students. Foreign students now comprise 12 percent of Germany’s total student body. China is the single biggest supplier of students to the country, with 20,000, while Germany’s neighbor, Poland, constitutes the second biggest market, with 10,000 students.
— DAAD newsletter [13]
July 15, 2004
Companies Back New Bachelors
Many of Germany’s leading companies have signed a document pledging their support of bachelor program graduates. In it, they promise attractive openings and promotion opportunities and acknowledge their willingness to cooperate with universities and to offer business concepts in program development.
The document also addresses in concrete terms what companies expect both from the government and from universities. The companies expect that vocational aspects of programs as well as their international orientation be guaranteed.
The document is part of the “Bachelor Welcome” effort organized, among others, by the Founders’ Association for German Scholarship.
— Campus-Germany [14]
June 23, 2004
‘Elite Universities’ Plan Delayed
The formal announcement of a plan to develop a group of elite universities in Germany (see May/June issue of WENR [15]) has been delayed because of objections over funding. State politicians from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party claim the federal government has no business regulating the funding of higher-education institutions. The Constitution stipulates that such funding is a Länder (states) responsibility. The CDU also fears that financing would draw funds from other programs rather than being in addition to normal funding. The federal government does, however, share financial responsibility for such education-related areas as research and training, which appears to fit with the proposed plan.
The plan would have universities across Germany compete for elite status, which would result in a slice of US$2.3 billion in funding over five years to improve higher-education research and training. Seventy-five percent of the money would come from the federal government, with the rest coming from the Länder. A final decision on the plan has been shelved until the next conference of federal and state officials in November.
— The Week in Germany [16]
July 2, 2004
Italy
Scandals Reveal System Flaws
A recent spate of scandals within the Italian education system has revealed that many qualifications, including degrees, are for sale. The scandals involved two professors who were alleged to have been offering high grades for sex, and a vast trade in bogus exam passes involving 34 private high schools. The going rate for a Diploma di Maturita, Italy’s school-leaving certificate, was said by prosecutors to range from US$2,500 to US$10,000.
The organization behind the diploma scam, Diploma No Problem, supplied answers in advance for written and oral exams and forged attendance records. Police-taped conversations suggest the company even booked flights and hotels for “clients” so they could sit exams in places where the outcome was assured. One school south of Rome seems to have existed solely to produce study-free passes. It had 40 attending students and approximately 1,000 external ones.
Diploma No Problem was able to operate because of a reform that extended to private schools the right to hold examinations that had previously been confined to the state. In universities, results have been open to fraud because of a reliance on oral exams. In 2003, police in Rome discovered a ring based in the law faculty at Sapienza University that was said to be offering exam passes for US$1,250 to US$1,400 (see Sept/Oct issue of WENR [17]). Education Minister Letizia Moratti has asked a panel of officials to investigate the entire phenomenon.
— The Economist [18]
June 12, 2004
Macedonia
Education Pact with Kosovo Furthers Cooperation
Macedonian Education Minister Aziz Pollozhani and his counterpart in the Kosovar government, Rexhep Osmani, signed an agreement June 5 to work together to design curriculums and train teachers, as well as to exchange expertise and personnel. Osmani said the pact can serve as an example to other countries in the region. Pollozhani stressed that the agreement shows the Macedonian government’s willingness to improve relations with the Kosovar authorities. An unnamed United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo representative said cooperation in education is important for regional stability.
— RFE/RL [19]
June 7, 2004
Slovenia
Higher Education Act Amended
The Slovenian Parliament has adopted amendments to the Act on Higher Education aimed at fulfilling the three so-called Bergen objectives. The objectives are designed to further harmonize the national systems of education of those countries that are signatory to the Bologna Process. They aim to improve national systems of quality assurance, speed the adoption of a new, two-cycle system and further the implementation of easily readable and comparable degrees.
The new Slovenian two-cycle system has a first degree of 180-240 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits (3-4 years), and a second degree of 60-120 ECTS credits (1-2 years). The first cycle remains binary, while the second is unitary. Transition between cycles is encouraged and aided, where necessary, with bridging programs and electives. There are new definitions supporting the establishment of joint degrees and lifelong learning. The act also envisages the establishment of a national framework of higher education qualifications. The use of ECTS to define program workloads is now required by law, as is the free provision of the Diploma Supplement to all graduates upon demand.
New provisions in the amendment foresee the establishment of a National Agency for Higher Education. In addition, the structure, composition and responsibilities of the Council for Higher Education and the Commission for Quality in Higher Education as accreditation and evaluation bodies, respectively, were altered to fit more closely the Bologna action lines.
— Bologna-Bergen Web site [20]
May 21, 2004
Turkey
Agreement Details Full Participation in European Exchange Programs
A memorandum of understanding between Turkish authorities and the European Commission, retroactive from April 1, establishes Turkey as a full participant in the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and youth exchange programs designed to promote student and teacher exchanges between European nations.
Eligible institutions of education in Turkey were already entitled to apply in the Socrates Call for Proposals 2004 either as partners or coordinators. Turkish participation in Socrates activities is expected to start, in most cases, at the beginning of the 2004-05 academic year.
— ACA Newsletter [11]
May 14, 2003
The United Kingdom
Raids Precede Clampdown on Bogus Schools
The government announced in June the details of a new register designed in part to stop people gaining visas by posing as students. From now on, all colleges and other educational establishments will have to register with the Department for Education and Skills [21]. Visas will be granted only to students enrolling at registered establishments.
The announcement came after a series of police raids in June resulted in the arrest of 20 people. The raids were an effort to smash an alleged student-visa immigration scam estimated to have brought approximately 1,000 people into London. The scam involved more than 100 bogus language schools, most of which are no more than an address, telephone number and Web site.
The register is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year. Officials say education providers who receive public funding or are accredited will automatically be added to the register. Private colleges that are not accredited will need to register over the next few months. Private language schools are being encouraged to seek accreditation with existing bodies such as the British Council [22] or the Association of British Language Schools [23]. They will then be added to the register automatically, according to officials. The measures may also include a requirement to tell the Home Office when students do not turn up for classes.
— BBC [24]
June 22, 2004
EU Students Boost Foreign Applications
The number of people applying to British universities has increased, boosted by a dramatic increase in interest from overseas students, according to recent figures reflecting applications received by June 30, the closing date for the bulk of this year’s applicants.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service [25] (UCAS) reported that 450,147 people applied for degree courses this year, an increase of 12,532 (2.9 %) over 2003. The number of applicants from non-United Kingdom countries within the European Union (EU) increased by 7,103 to 66,275, a rise of 12 percent. Applications from the 10 countries that joined the EU in May were up 138 percent, although the number is still relatively small at 3,174. UCAS also reported the number of applications from outside the EU has risen 5.6 percent to 42,947.
The report and full figures can bee seen at: www.ucas.ac.uk/new/press/news150704/index.html [26].
— UCAS news release [25]
July 15, 2004
University Status Awarded
The Privy Council in June granted the former Roehampton Institute, which has been part of the federated Surrey University [27] since 2000, a Royal Charter. The institute became Roehampton University [28] on Aug. 1.
— The Times Higher Education Supplement [2]
June 25, 2004
Private Provision Grows in Legal Field
The teaching of undergraduates in Britain is an unprofitable business subsidized by hefty fees paid by foreign and postgraduate students. Many complain postgraduate students do not get their money’s worth, which has created a gap in the market that a private company, BPP Professional Education [29], has begun to fill. The country’s largest provider of professional training, BPP has 32 learning centers that prepare approximately 20,000 students annually for examinations in fields such as accounting and law.
The Economist newspaper reports that beginning in 2006, one of Britain’s five largest law firms will contract its training exclusively to BPP. In addition, beginning this September, BPP — which cannot officially award degrees — will offer a postgraduate law degree. That degree will function as a hybrid academic/professional qualification by including the classes necessary to become a solicitor. The degree will not technically be from BPP, but from the University of Central Lancashire [30], which is “validating” the program for an undisclosed sum.
Some view the arrangement with puzzlement, since BPP’s law teaching is one of only five institutions rated “excellent” by the Law Society [31], a self-regulating body, compared to Lancashire’s average rating of “very good.” In 2008, once new rules governing teaching-only universities are in place, Chief Executive Carl Lygo expects BPP will apply for university status.
The College of Law [32], the country’s biggest law school, also has a strong customer focus. It has persuaded the Law Society to approve tailor-made courses for the big three law firms that it serves exclusively. BPP says if the idea works, it will replicate it. With its better-paid staff concentrating on high-quality teaching, leaner business model and higher fees, BPP and other similar companies might begin to make the kind of inroads into the higher-education business that for-profit universities such as the University of Phoenix [33] have in the United States.
— The Economist [18]
June 12, 2004