Australia

The Costs of Doing Business Overseas

A recent article in the Australian newspaper suggests that recruiting overseas comes at a high price, and that Australian universities are spending more than US$53 million a year in offshore-agent commissions to recruit international students in a market that is becoming increasingly competitive.

While agents are paid up to a 25 percent commission on first-year enrollment fees, even existing students are offered incentives by some universities to recruit family and friends, with one university offering vouchers for “educational products” for referrals.

Agents are responsible for recruiting more than 50 percent of all the international students that enroll at Australian universities, and often agents have contracts with multiple institutions. Commissions for university students average out at 10 percent, 12 to 15 percent for technical and further education (TAFE) and foundation studies, and 15 to 20 percent for English language courses. Some private vocational schools reportedly pay as much as 25 percent commissions to agents, leading to concern that agents are directing students to the highest bidder and not necessarily the best institution for the students’ individual needs.

According to the Australian Universities International Directors Forum, 33 universities paid $53 million in commissions in 2005, which was equal to 3.8 percent of their total international student revenue.

– The Australian
August 29, 2007

Sino-Indian Educational Collaboration

A 24-member delegation from India traveled to the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenyang in June under the banner of the India China Alliance Centre’s “ 3rd Mission to China for Universities, Business Schools and Institutes of Engineering and Technology.” The fact-finding visit allowed the Indian delegation to familiarize itself with the Chinese higher education environment and build collaborative relationships with Chinese institutions.

Through the three delegation visits to China a number of agreements have materialized, including initiatives between the Shenyang University School of Information Engineering and the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad; Kamaraj University in Madurai and the University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, Tsinghua University and Northeastern University in Shenyang; and QAI, a leading Asian consultancy organization, and the National Institute of Technical Education, China, in addition to an arrangement with Fudan University to teach Master of Software Engineering programs.

The number of cross-border educational initiatives and academic exchanges are still small – approximately 5,000 Chinese students study in India and 50,000 Indian students study in China, mainly for medical studies. However, proximity, cost and increasing quality suggests that the numbers will only increase in the future.

– ICAC
June 24, 2007

Universities to Turn Away Foreign Students

New research suggests that fears of future declines in international enrollments in Australia are totally unfounded. IDP Education Australia, a recruiter representing 38 Australian universities, predicts in a new study that applications from overseas will nearly double by 2025, so rapidly that within two decades universities will start turning qualified international applicants away. The analysis of economic and demographic projections found overseas students at Australian universities will soar from 163,000 in 2005 to 291,000 by 2025.

– The Age
September 18, 2007

Visa Rules Tightened for Foreign Students

International students will need to have a higher standard of English when applying to stay in Australia under visa changes that take effect soon. The changes to Australia’s general skilled migration program mean migrants with professional, technical or managerial skills will be required to achieve a score of six or “competent English” on an international testing system. The previous requirement was a score of five and a vocational level of English.

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the change would have the greatest impact on international students, many of whom seek residency and work in Australia after studying at university there. Mr. Andrews said visa applicants with advanced Australian university qualifications, skilled work experience and strong English-language skills would gain extra points towards being granted residency. A temporary visa will be created to enable overseas students already studying in Australia to remain there while they gain skilled work experience, improve their English language or undertake a professional year. A new temporary visa will also be created for recent graduates from recognized overseas institutions with skills in demand in Australia.

– Sydney Morning Herald
September 1, 2007

Chinese Institute in Negotiations with Australia’s Oldest University

Chinese education authorities and the University of Sydney have an “in-principle agreement” and are “negotiating on details” on a plan that would bring a Chinese language and cultural institute to the campus, according to an interview with John Hearn, Sydney’s deputy vice chancellor, in the Australian newspaper. Details under negotiation include the need to separate between an institute and Sydney’s Chinese studies department and other points of contention raised by academic critics of the proposal.

Jocelyn Chey, a visiting professor at Sydney and former diplomat, regards the Confucius institute as a propaganda vehicle for the Chinese communist party, and not a counterpart to the Goethe Institute or Alliance Française. She was especially worried by an early suggestion that the institute would be “integrated” with undergraduate and postgraduate programs delivered by Sydney’s well-regarded Chinese studies department. Because of similar academic disquiet at the University of Melbourne, Asialink, a non-academic department, rather than an academic department presided over the creation of its Confucius Institute.

– The Australian
August 22, 2007

Bangladesh

Universities Reopen Following Weeks of Government-Mandated Closure

Academic activities at universities across Bangladesh resumed September 10 after clashes between students and law enforcers at Dhaka University and other universities and colleges caused the government to shutter all institutions of higher education on August 22.

– The Daily Star
September 7, 2007

China

Universities Face Mountainous Debt

Some of China’s top public universities carry heavy debt burdens, according to a yearlong survey carried out by Peking University. A total of 76 colleges and universities affiliated with the Ministry of Education were involved in the survey, which found that the institutions were heavily reliant on bank loans and government funds, according to a report in the China Daily, quoting a report in the Chinese-language 21st-Century Business Herald.

The survey also found that the 76 institutions of higher education had a total income of US$8.14-billion in 2005, the bulk of which came from government funds and tuition. That same year, debt was about $4.17-billion, or an average of $54.8-million per institution. The report said that the government was the main source of funds for universities, providing more than 49 percent of their income. Jilin University was reported to be carrying the most debt among the institutions surveyed, with a debt-to-income ratio of 55 percent in 2005.

The China Daily said that universities’ debt began to escalate after the government started merging them into “supersize” institutions, which in turn forced them to undertake building projects to accommodate the rising number of students. Major universities around China, such as Fudan, Nanjing, Peking, Shanghai Jiaotong, and Tsinghua Universities, which receive special support from the central government, enjoyed a “relatively good financial situation,” the newspaper said.

– China Daily
August 15, 2007

Graduate Enrollments Capped

Fearing further increases in the number of unemployed university graduates, and the potential they bring for civic unrest, the Chinese government announced through the state-run media that growth in graduate enrollments in the coming years will be limited to five percent. The Ministry of Education called for a similar slowdown in undergraduate enrollments last year, keeping growth to just five percent over the previous year after a period of booming enrollment growth led to rising unemployment among new graduates.

Many university officials said they opposed the expansion in graduate enrollments ordered in 1999 by the ministry, citing growing demand. The officials said they lacked the faculties and facilities needed to handle the increases.

– The Chronicle of Higher Education
August 29, 2007

Chinese Interests in Africa Extended to the Academic with Opening of Institute of African Studies

China’s first, comprehensive university institute of African studies has been established at Zhejiang Normal University. Inaugurated in early September and co-established by the Zhejiang Normal University and the China Education Association for International Exchange, the institute will focus on politics and international relations, economy, and education on the affairs of African countries.

China has less than 10 faculties of African studies, according to Mei Xinlin, president of Zhejiang Normal University and head of the new institute, who noted that the establishment of the institute has been prompted by the rapid development of Sino-African relations in recent years.

At last November’s Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, attended by an astonishing 48 of Africa’s 53 heads of state, educational cooperation between China and African countries, while playing second fiddle to trade negotiations, was boosted by a Chinese pledge to train 15,000 African professionals and increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from the current 2,000 per year to 4,000 by 2009.

– BuaNews
September 4, 2007

Private Universities in Shanghai Opened to Foreign Students

From this academic year, foreign students are now allowed to study at privately run colleges and research institutes in Shanghai, in addition to public institutions. From the beginning of September, the private Shanghai Jianqiao College, Shanghai Shanda College and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences started recruiting foreign students, following authorization from the Ministry of Education.

According to local education administration figures, by the end of 2010 the number of foreign students studying in the city will surpass 70,000. Since 2000, the number of foreign students in Shanghai has increased 30 percent year on year. Last year the city’s 24 public-run universities enrolled a record 31,636 foreign students.

– People’s Daily
September 6, 2007

R&D Investment Increases 22.6% in 2006

China invested US$39.9 billion in research and development (R&D) in 2006, in a bid to develop a more sustainable economy. R&D investment increased by an annual rate of 22.6 percent, according to a statement jointly released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance in September. R&D spending accounted for 1.42 percent of gross domestic product.

China has set the target of investing 2 percent of its GDP in R&D by 2010, according to the 11th Five-Year Program for National Economic and Social Development (2006–2010). R&D spending by companies accounted for 71.1 percent of the total, according to the statement. Government research agencies accounted for 18.9 percent of the total while higher education institutions accounted for 9.2 percent.

– Xinhua News Agency
September 12, 2007

(Hong Kong)

Portal for Accredited Certificate Programs Launched

The Hong Kong Education Bureau has launched a website, known as the Information Portal for Accredited Self-financing Sub-degree Programmes, which lists accredited sub-degree programs offered at 17 institutions.

– Government of Hong Kong
August 2007

India

Fifth-Century University Granted Approval to Re-Open

The state government of Bihar has granted approval to the establishment of Nalanda International University, which will be located close to the ruins of the fifth-century Nalanda University, one of the world’s oldest and once home to more than 10,000 students and 2,000 instructors from around the region.

A launch date of 2009 has been set in the Bihari capital of Patna. Graduate programs will be offered in a variety of disciplines. Funding for the US$250-500 million construction project is coming not only from the Indian government, but also from those in China, Japan and Singapore.

– The Chronicle of Higher Education
August 24, 2007

Universities to Recruit Professors Overseas

According to statements from India’s minister in charge of higher education, the ministry has “no problem” with Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Institutes of Management (IIM) hiring foreign faculty members, a practice that until now has been restricted to part-time and contract arrangements.

Arjun Singh, minister of human-resource development told reporters in late August that because of a “dearth of qualified teachers in the field of higher education, we have no problem inviting foreign nationals or people with Indian origin as teachers for IIT’s and IIM’s provided they fulfill the stipulated legal formalities.” The country’s seven IITs and six IIMs have in recent years sought just such approval in a bid to fill vacant faculty spots.

– Indian Express

Japan

Ministry to Advise on Stiffer Graduation Standards, Easier Entry Requirements

According to reports in the Japanese media, the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture’s Central Advisory Council, which is preparing reforms in university education, will request that universities strengthen their requisites for graduation by administering a graduation exam. The reforms will also include a recommendation that the government draft a set of competencies that students must acquire before graduating.

According to this plan, universities will not only hold graduation exams, but also set new goals and grading standards for classes, and come up with methods to assess the achievements of their students. According to commentary in the Japanese media, the number of university students is on the rise, but the quality of university education is falling, therefore, the request is being made to bolster the credibility of academic standards at Japanese universities.

Due to a low birth rate and a relaxation of entry requirements, the number of university applicants and the number of entrants are almost the same. Universities accepted 698,000 or 90.5 percent of 772,000 applicants in 2007. In 2006, some 40 percent of four-year universities could not find enough entrants and 32 percent of applicants were admitted after just handing in thesis papers and without an entrance exam or interview.

– Donga
September 12, 2007

Universities May Move to Western Academic Calendar

Japan may allow universities to start their academic years in the fall instead of the spring, bringing the Japanese higher-education calendar into line with those in the United States and Europe. According to a report in the Yomiuri Shinbun, the education ministry would give university presidents the power to decide when the academic year starts, following a recommendation from the government’s powerful Education Rebuilding Council. The Japanese academic year, which now starts in April, “is regarded as a major obstacle for foreign teachers and students who want to work or study at Japanese educational institutions,” the newspaper said.

– Yomiuri Shinbun
September 19, 2007

Malaysia

Institutional Autonomy, Accountability and Elitism Promoted under New Ministry Plans

The Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education launched two plans in early September designed to promote autonomy and accountability in the higher education sector, while also allowing for the creation of apex, or elite, institutions of higher education, as part of plans to re-energize the sector’s goal of becoming a regional education hub and attracting 100,000 international students by 2010.

The development of EduCity in the country’s south, where different faculties and schools from international universities will be located on one site in Nusajaya, will serve as the main draw for international students, which Malaysia hopes to lure from neighboring Singapore and Australia.

Under the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010, the boards of all public universities will be given greater autonomy over financial decisions with immediate effect, according to the ministry. However, the grant of autonomy does not stretch much beyond the financial. The ministry also announced it would be establishing an independent audit unit to monitor academic quality standards. In addition, the government will identify a number of apex universities that will be awarded additional funding in a bid to promote their international standing (see August issue of WENR).

– The Star
September 2, 2007

Australian University Opens New Purpose-Built Campus

Australia’s largest university officially opened its new US$66 million Malaysia campus in September. Located in Sunway, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, the expanded Monash University campus, which includes an Australian-accredited medical school, will contribute to Malaysia’s development as a regional education hub, Monash vice-chancellor Richard Larkins told the Australian newspaper.

The opening comes months after the University of New South Wales pulled out of its Singapore campus, three months after it opened, amid problems with fees and enrollments. Professor Larkins said of the Monash venture: “I think Australia has to be very innovative and forward-looking because we are geographically isolated, have 0.3 percent of the world’s population and we do 2 percent of the world’s scientific research. So although we think we are pretty important, it is very easy for the rest of the world to ignore us.”

Monash University has been in Malaysia for almost 10 years. The new campus can accommodate 5,000 students.

– The Australian
September 5, 2007

Pakistan

Top Chinese University Builds Relationship in Lahore

China’s Peking University has agreed to enter into a cooperation agreement with the Lahore University of Management Sciences to jointly offer an MBA program, according to news reports from the Associated Press of Pakistan. The two-year program will be conducted between the two campuses on a rotating semester basis.

– Associated Press of Pakistan
May 26, 2007

Singapore

Duke Medical Students Tied to Singapore after Graduation

Students who attend the medical school newly set up by Duke University in Singapore will be required to pay the Singaporean government US$380,000 if they do not stay in country and work at least four years after they graduate. Students are required to sign an agreement to pay the costs of subsidizing medical studies at Duke if they leave the country. Singapore will pay Duke $310-million over seven years to operate the school.

The medical school, which opened in August, is the product of collaboration between the Duke University School of Medicine and the National University of Singapore. Singaporean graduates will be required to serve four years in the country’s biomedical sector; foreigners must serve five. The annual tuition, about $23,000, is only a fraction of the government’s cost per student to build the country’s second medical school.

– The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 7, 2007

South Korea

National Credentials Verification System to be Launched

The Korean Council for University Education plans to launch the nation’s first academic credentials verification system amid a series of degree scandals involving public figures in the arts, broadcasting, religion and education. The organization, which represents 201 public and private universities across the country, will work with the government in creating the center.

A number of celebrities, professors and even religious leaders were found to have forged or lied about their academic degrees over the past two months. Some made confessions, while others were caught by the schools at which they were employed. After a news agency reported in July that an important art historian at Dongguk University lied about having a Ph.D. from Yale and other degrees from the University of Kansas, a nationwide wave of allegations and confessions followed that has so far swept up a movie director, a renowned architect, the head of a performing arts center, a popular comic book writer, a celebrity chef, actors and actresses, a former TV news anchor and now a monk who heads a congregation of more than 250,000, the Venerable Jigwang, who falsely claimed to have earned a degree from the prestigious Seoul National University. Most, however, claimed degrees from institutions overseas.

Many education experts suggest such problems occur because the backgrounds of candidates are often not verified thoroughly in the hiring process. The government instructs those who receive foreign doctoral degrees to report to the state-run Korean Research Foundation within the first six months of their arrival in Korea, but new arrivals do not receive any administrative or financial restrictions if they fail to do so, officials at the foundation said.

The KCUE signed an agreement with German school officials last year to share any information that might verify the requested individual’s academic background, and is working on an agreement with Britain, according to officials. The organization also has plans to create such links with universities and university-related organizations in the nations most visited by Korean students: the United States, Australia and countries in the South East Asia region, officials told the Korea Herald.

– The Korea Herald
August 23, 2007

Seoul National University to Service Expats in California

Seoul National University (SNU) announced in August that it plans to build a branch learning center in California, either in Los Angeles or San Francisco. Both cities are home to large Korean populations. The campus would serve as a center for overseas Koreans and students to take Korean studies or as a destination for SNU students wishing to study abroad, and also as a recruitment center for overseas students wishing to study in Seoul. An announcement as to the final location is expected toward the end of this year. SNU is said to be modeling a program created by the National University of Singapore, which has 40 overseas colleges in places like Silicon Valley, to promote the exchange of people and technology.

– The Hankyoreh
August 3, 2007

New Admission’s Rule Causes Aggravation between Top University and Government

Korea University and the Korean Ministry of Education appear to be on a collision course, according to the Korean Herald, with the ministry ordering the school to cut its new enrollment by 160 students because the school did not meet the government’s required student-to-faculty ratio. The university said the measure is in fact retaliation against the school for failing to comply with the government guideline regarding the role that students’ high school records play in the school’s admissions process (see July issue of WENR).

After 199 universities nationwide announced their detailed admissions plans for 2008 in early September, the ministry renewed its threat to punish universities that failed to comply with the government’s admissions standards. It had urged universities that student records should account for at least 30 percent of the admissions criteria for next year. Korea University has weighted just 20 percent for that category. The ministry maintains that the order to cut student enrollments came because the university fell six or seven faculty members short of being able to offer a 25:1 student to teacher ratio.

– The Korea Herald
September 7, 2007

Vietnam

Foreign Investment in Education Sparked by Malaysian Deal

A Malaysian company has signed a US$3.5 billion deal with the managing board for the Northwestern urban region of Ho Chi Minh City to build an international university city. Under the deal, Berjaya Land Berhad of Malaysia will build a separate area for tertiary education, an adjacent residential area, a services center and a park for the future university city.

Under the agreement, the university park will include three universities, a library, a scientific research center and an information technology center. According to Vietnam’s WTO commitments, the country must permit foreign universities to enter the country by 2009. Currently, the university sector does not have the necessary capacity or standards to meet burgeoning demand so it is expected that there will be much interest in the Vietnamese tertiary education market from abroad in the coming years.

Three years ago, the Prime Minister approved a plan to develop Vietnamese tertiary education to at least reach regional standards by 2020. The plan focuses on reducing graft in education, the development of education networks and the expansion of vocational training. The plan also supports the opening of higher education institutions by corporations and the merging of educational establishments with scientific research centers in order to harmonize training with scientific research and production.

In addition, cooperation with foreign partners, the selective application of advanced curricula from foreign countries, and methods of training in foreign languages are other priorities. Vietnam currently has 322 universities and colleges, with a total enrollment of more than 1.5 million students.

– Vietnam News Agency
September 19, 2007