Denmark

New Accreditation Body Established

The Danish government has established a new Accreditation body, called ACE Denmark, which will review quality standards at the country’s institutions of higher education. Approvals will depend on whether programs meet certain quality standards and if they have relevance to Danish society and labor markets. It is hoped that by making the process more systematic, a higher level of quality will be reached, resulting in programs that are more internationally competitive.

– AEI
January 16, 2008

France

Joint Degree with Taiwan

National Taiwan Ocean University and Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille in France have agreed to offer double-track degree programs. Students of the two universities may secure degrees granted by both universities provided they complete the required credits. National Taiwan Ocean University currently offers double-track degree programs jointly with thirty-five universities, including Cheju National University in South Korea.

– Taiwan Ministry of Education
January 8, 2008

Germany

A Focus on India

Germany’s Education and Science Ministry has announced annual funding of US$6.3 million to enable German students and academics to gain more experience in India. The ‘new passage to India’ initiative follows a four-day visit to the sub continent by Chancellor Angela Merkel in November, which received extensive press coverage and was hailed a considerable success.

Education Minister Annette Schavan accompanied the Chancellor on her tour. Schavan said Germany needed more junior scientists and scholars specializing in know-how about India. The new funding measures are being provided to enable study and research stays in India in all subjects. The ministry would like to see the number of German students in India double from the current 500 over the coming years. The money is to be allocated via Germany’s Academic Exchange Service, DAAD.

The package aims to have study and research stays recognized as regular elements of academic programs, as well as to establish bi-national master’s programs, double diplomas and the setting up of a center of excellence in engineering and environmental sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Madras.

– University World News
November 17, 2007

Hungary

Economy Not Able to Match Strong Growth in University Graduate Numbers

There is an imbalance between Hungary’s higher education system, labor-market developments and employer needs. In 2006 there were more than 860,000 Hungarians with a higher education degree, compared with 680,000 in 2001. During this five-year period however, the number of jobs available has not increased at the same pace and the likelihood of graduates being unemployed has more than doubled.

– AEI
January 8, 2007

Switzerland

Public Primary Schools to Teach English

Swiss primary schools must start teaching English and one other foreign language by 2012 in order to ensure the Swiss remain competitive in the European job market.

– AEI
January 23, 2008

United Kingdom

124 Colleges Struck off Official Register of Approved Education Providers for International Students

Following a probe into a well-known and high volume degree mill, the BBC reported in January that almost half the colleges checked on an official list of approved providers for overseas students have been struck off. More alarmingly, the 124 that have lost their right to enroll foreign students came from just 256 that have been inspected since 2005. In total, there are 2,000 private colleges on the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills’ register. Students enrolled at these schools are allowed to apply for and will generally receive a student visa.

The BBC’s own investigation, which was reported on in early January, unmasked the bogus world of Ireland International University, an institution that has no recognition in Ireland and is accredited by an agency of its own imagination. The approved register of education providers was created in 2005 to prevent such abuses – requiring applicants for student visas to show that they would be attending a legitimate institution.

– The BBC
January 8, 2008

Foreign Student Enrollments Rise, Domestic Enrollments Resume Growth after Stagnating in 2006

The number of foreign students enrolling at British universities rose by more than 6 percent last year, while UK enrollments plateaued between 2005 and 2006. However, application figures for the current academic year show a 5.6 percent increase. Academics blamed increased tuition fees for the lack of growth in domestic enrollments last year, when overall UK university enrollments rose 1 percent with a 6 percent increase among EU students and a 7 percent rise in non-EU students, according to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

In England, there was a 2 percent fall in the number of full-time first year enrollments between 2005/6 and 2006/7. Variable fees were introduced there in the fall of 2006. In Northern Ireland, there was a 9 percent fall, while both Wales and Scotland showed increases of 4 percent and 3 percent respectively.

Recent figures from the University and College Admission Service (UCAS) show that 534,495 students applied to undergraduate programs for this academic year, up from 506,304 last year. The total number of students starting university in 2007 was 413,430 – up from 390,890 in 2006. The UCAS figures suggest that the rise in tuition fees has, in fact, not dampened student desire for a higher education.

From overseas, there was a 7.9 percent increase – Norway (17.5%), Malaysia (14.4%), China (12.4%), Sri Lanka (8.6%), Hong Kong (7.9%) and Canada (7.5%) saw the largest rises outside the EU.

– BBC News
January 10, 2008
– BBC News
January 17, 2008

Scotland

Four-Year Degree under Review

Scotland’s traditional four-year first degree is expected to come under review by the high-level group looking at the future of Scottish higher education. The Joint Future Taskforce said in an initial statement that the review will consider the place of Scottish universities in the global market in addition to how it serves the nation’s current priorities, including costs and resources. A Scottish Government spokesman confirmed that an examination of the four-year degree is likely to form part of the review. It has been argued by some in the sector that the degree should be reduced in length to three years, in line with the format now becoming standard across Europe through the Bologna Process.

– The Times Higher Education Supplement
January 4, 2007