Regional
Online Education Booming in Asia
With the spread of internet connectivity across Asia, the number of people taking online classes has grown considerably, especially as the learning medium gains credibility. However, in a recent New York Times article experts warned that there remain challenges, including a lack of internet access in many areas, and the difficulty faced by prospective students in distinguishing between legitimate and questionable providers of distance education.
According to Wong Tat Meng, president of the Asian Association of Open Universities [1], the internet has led to a “quantum leap” for distance education providers, particularly in places with good broadband infrastructure like South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. South Korea, Mr. Wong said, was the most advanced Asian country in terms of e-learning, with a number of universities delivering courses entirely online. He also noted that China, which is home to 68 online colleges, is rapidly becoming a major player.
One university in particular is looking to capitalize on the apparent demand for online classes, reports The New York Times. Asia e University [2] was established in 2008 under the Asia Cooperation Dialogue [3], a grouping of 31 countries, with the aim of giving more students the opportunity to complete higher education. The Malaysian government finances the university’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, while public and private partners finance the operations in the various countries where its courses are offered. Its motto is “by Asians for Asians.”
Some students, like some of those in India and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, already study entirely online. However, most of the university’s 5,000 students are enrolled in a blend of online learning and face-to-face classes at learning centers in the students’ home countries. The university expects the online-only path to become increasingly popular, but according to officials the extent to which students completed their studies online was often determined by broadband access and their proficiency in English.
– The New York Times [4]
May 16, 2011
Australia
Macquarie U. Warns of China Enrollment Crisis
Macquarie University [5] Vice-chancellor Steven Schwartz has said that his institution will face a funding crisis next year if forecasts for falling Chinese student enrollments are accurate. Immigration officials have said that visa applications from China are down 20 percent on last year, but education industry insiders believe the slump could be even more severe.
Sources told the Australian Higher Education Supplement that some institutions were experiencing falls as high as 40 percent, as students choose the United States, Britain and Canada ahead of Australia.
Universities began the current academic year with an increase in the number of Chinese students, defying gloomy expectations. However, higher education was the only sector still growing in otherwise bleak official statistics for the year to March, suggesting a tough second semester ahead. According to figures [6] from Australian Education International [7], higher education universities commencements in the year to March were up 5 percent to 59,632. Chinese student enrollment was up 6.3 percent to 24,640.
– The Australian Higher Education Supplement [8]
April 27, 2011
Record University Enrollment
A record number of students have enrolled in Australian universities this year, 50,000 more than in 2009. Minister for Tertiary Education Chris Evans said that in 2011, more than 480,000 undergraduate places were being funded, an increase of 10 percent since 2009.
– Ministry of Education [9]
April 23, 2011
China
Former Leader Questions Education Reform Plans
During a lecture at Beijing’s Tsinghua University [10] in April, Zhu Rongji, who was the country’s premier from 1998 to 2003, dismissed the Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-Term Education Reform and Development [11] (2010-2020) as nothing but “empty talk.”
Among other things, the plan seeks to increase enrollment in higher education to 40 percent of the school-leaving population by 2020, while also creating a network of world-class institutions. The critical remarks by Zhu have raised questions about the current leadership’s policy of pursuing world-class status for universities and ignited calls for academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
Criticism of major policy from such a prominent political figure is extremely rare in China. Zhu, 82, who rarely appears in public, was the founding dean of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management. During his visit to the university he also criticized the expansion of university and college enrollment, which increased from less than a million in 1998 to more than six million last year. The expansion was intended to stimulate the economy. However, it has also led to rampant academic plagiarism and rising unemployment of university graduates.
At the same time, Zhu lamented the lack of state support for rural education. He notes that the bid to create world-class institutions benefits young people in the cities with the opportunities and funds to prepare for tough university entrance examinations, but not those in rural areas.
– University World News [12]
April 29, 2011
College-Educated Population Doubles in 10 Years
The number of college-educated Chinese has more than doubled since 2000, according to new government census data. The new figures [13] show that, in the last 10 years, for every 100,000 people, the “number of people with university education increased from 3,611 to 8,930.” With 1.3 billion people, this means there are currently more than 116 million college graduates in China now.
The new data is in line with government efforts to greatly increase college enrollment and expand the higher-education system. There were 599 colleges with bachelor’s programs in 2000, and 1,079 in 2008. But in its recent 10-year education plan, China’s State Council, the country’s cabinet, authorized steps to curb problems, such as poor-quality institutions, caused by this rapid growth.
– National Bureau of Statistics [13]
April 28, 2011
Duke Report Suggests Lackluster Demand for Foreign Branch Campuses in China
According to the findings of a report commissioned by Duke University [14], the demand for foreign university campuses in China may not be as high as some would like to think in the West, especially among those looking to develop a presence there.
The report was conducted by the China Market Research Group [15], a Shanghai-based consulting firm. The report found that Chinese students generally believe that the quality of education at branch campuses is inferior to that offered at domestic campuses, and therefore high tuition price tags are unwarranted. Students suggested they would only pay a premium for an education if it came with the opportunity to travel abroad.
Duke recently partnered with the city of Kunshan in China and Wuhan University [16] to develop a full-fledged university in China that would grant Duke degrees. The report was one of several proprietary studies Duke conducted to help plan the campus. The Chinese Market Research Group interviewed 50 undergraduate students at four different Chinese universities about Duke, its China campus, and a graduate program in management studies, which would be the campus’s first degree program.
It found that only 10 percent of students surveyed said they would consider the management studies program at Duke’s China campus directly after college, citing the lack of an international component and a perceived difference in quality between programs based in the U.S. and in China. Sixteen percent said they would consider the program if it offered the chance to study in the U.S. for at least two months, and 30 percent said they would consider it if half the program took place in the U.S.
The report could help explain why some efforts to establish branch campuses in the past have failed. Just because there’s demand among the residents of another country for a university’s services doesn’t mean a university should necessarily bring those services to them. Most students, the report states, want the cultural, linguistic, and social experiences of attending a Western university in the West.
– InsideHigherEd [17]
May 10, 2011
India
Engineering Grads Lack Requisite Labor-Market Skills
Many recent engineering grads in India say that after months of job hunting they are still unemployed and lack the skills necessary to join the workforce. Critics say corruption and low standards are to blame.
India’s economic expansion was supposed to create opportunities for millions to rise out of poverty, get an education and land good jobs. But, in 1991 after decades of socialism, India liberalized its economy but failed to reform its heavily regulated education system. Executives in the private sector say schools are bogged down by bureaucracy and a focus on rote learning rather than critical thinking and comprehension. Government keeps tuition low, which makes schools accessible to more students, but also keeps teacher salaries and budgets low. What’s more, educators and business leaders say that the curriculum in most places is outdated and disconnected from the real world.
Making things worse, India appears to have met the demand for more educated workers with a massive rise in university graduates. Engineering colleges in India now have seats for 1.5 million students, nearly four times the 390,000 available in 2000, according to the National Association of Software and Services Companies, a trade group.
But 75 percent of technical graduates and more than 85 percent of general graduates are unemployable by India’s high-growth global industries, including information technology and call centers, according to results from assessment tests administered by the group. At stake is India’s ability to sustain growth—its economy is projected to expand 9 percent this year—while maintaining its advantages as a low-cost place to do business.
Demand for skilled labor continues to grow. Tata Consultancy Services, part of the Tata Group, expects to hire 65,000 people this year, up from 38,000 last year and 700 in 1986. Part of the hiring process will involve training fresh graduates in a 72-day program, which is now double the duration it was in 1986, says Tata chief executive N. Chandrasekaran. Tata has a special campus in south India where it trains 9,000 recruits at a time, and has plans to bump that up to 10,000. Other big business have similar programs for under-prepared college graduates.
– The Wall Street Journal [18]
April 5, 2011
Deemed Universities Facing De-recognition Given Lifeline
India’s supreme court in April issued a reprieve to 44 deemed universities that had been facing de-recognition on the basis of deficiencies pointed out by a government committee. The court extended the status quo order: in other words, it restrained the government from taking further action on the basis of the report.
This means that the 44 deemed universities, which have a degree of autonomy, will be allowed to admit students for the academic year 2011-12. The court also directed the federal government to reconstitute the three-member committee to examine the responses submitted by the deemed universities to their deficiencies outlined by the Tandon Committee.
– The Hindu [19]
April 12, 2011
UK University in Bangalore
The UK’s University of Exeter [20] has established a presence in Bangalore under the auspices of Sannam S4’s ‘base camp’ [21] scheme. Exeter is the first U.K. university to establish such an operation in the city. The university also established a presence in China last year with the launch of project offices in Shanghai and Beijing.
The university’s office in Bangalore will facilitate partnership development, build industry and research links, support the university’s Indian alumni, and provide an exploratory employment placement service for Indian students returning from study at the university.
– International Focus [22]
April 20, 2011
Accredited Institutions
The Indian body responsible for the accreditation and evaluation of the nation’s universities recently released a list of accredited and de-accredited institutions under its new methodology [23] (2007). They can be found on the National Assessment and Accreditation Council [24]’s website at: Accredited Institutions De-accredited Institutions [25]
– NAAC [26]
November 2010
Looking to Keep up with Other BRIC Nations, India Announces a Doubling of Its R&D Budget
The Indian government has said it will double its spending on science and technology research and development over the next five years, as it seeks to keep up with other major developing countries such as China and Brazil.
The government has also said that it will increase the number of research scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships in the pure and applied sciences by a factor of five to arrest a decline in student interest. The move is aimed at attracting the best students into science and technology research and making India a hub for innovation. The government also wants its scientists to find solutions to India’s problems.
According to OECD data, India has 119 researchers per million of the population, compared to 1,564 in China, 2,706 in the UK, 4,605 in the US and 6,807 in Iceland. Even in terms of the number of researchers per 1,000 people employed, India, with 24 researchers, ranks below China (115), Japan (131), the European Union (231) and the US (324).
– University World News [27]
May 8, 2011
Government Launches Website to Bring Back Overseas Indian Academics
As part of a broader strategy to lure top talent into higher education and research, the Indian government recently launched a website targeting talented Indians working in the West, and making it easier for them to find out about job opportunities in the country.
The new website [28] is being hosted by the Ministry of Education and will provide updates about vacancies in faculty positions across all of India’s higher education institutions. The website will also provide information about reforms in higher education and keep academics and researchers of Indian origin informed about important policy and legislation changes. In addition, the website will act as a platform for extending foreign collaborations, especially with government institutions.
– Ministry of Human Resource Development [28]
May 2011
Japan
U.S. Universities Resume Study Abroad Programs
Some American universities resumed Japan-based study-abroad programs in late April after the U.S. State Department modified its post-earthquake travel warning for the country. The department eased its travel restriction on April 14 and now “strongly urges” U.S. citizens to remain outside the 50-mile radius around the damaged Fukushima nuclear-power plant. The University of Michigan [29] says it is moving [30] ahead with its spring and summer Japan programs, and the University of Missouri [31] says it will resume [32] its summer program there.
Temple University’s Japan campus [33] also resumed classes in April, although many students who left the country plan on finishing their courses using distance-learning technologies or on the main campus in Philadelphia, reports [34] The Temple News.
– The Chronicle of Higher Education [35]
April 26, 2011
Foreign Students Flee
Although the full impact of the March earthquake on Japan’s universities is yet to be fully realized, initial signs suggests that there has been a significant exodus of foreign students and academics. While roughly 5 percent of 353,000 full-time professors in Japan are from overseas, and 140,000 foreign students were studying in Japan before March 11, the previously ambitious government goal of doubling international students to 300,000 by the end of the decade appears increasingly unlikely after the disaster.
The ministry of education [36] is yet to publish any data related to the disaster, so most evidence is currently anecdotal. It is known that dozens of international student exchange programs and research projects have been postponed or cancelled, although it should also be pointed out that some have resumed (see above).
Fearing the effects of increased radiation levels, thousands of foreign students evacuated in March, a potentially crushing blow to a higher education system already reeling from a domestic demographic crisis. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University [37], home to 2,800 foreign students, mostly from China and South Korea, has fielded about 300 calls from abroad on safety issues since March 11.
Some within Japan think the exodus is temporary. Nori Morita, dean of the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University [38], which has about 1,000 foreign students, told Japan Times that while the disaster “will have an impact on the recruitment of students from China, Korea and Taiwan … they will come back to us next year or the year after next and the negative impact will be not permanent.”
Observers are also quick to note that the disaster struck the mainly rural and coastal northeast — responsible for about 7 percent of the country’s entire gross domestic product. The west and south are untouched. Tohoku [39] and Tsukuba [40] universities are the only two institutions of global note in or near the disaster zone. Greater Tokyo, where over 40 percent of the economy and a third of Japan’s population is concentrated, have been largely unscathed.
Universities outside the immediate area affected by the earthquake stress that they have seen very little impact in relation to student recruitment and retention. Sophia University [41], one of Japan’s top private universities has seen very few withdrawals, according to John Tokarz, chair of the institution’s Faculty of Liberal Arts in reports to the Japan Times, “Students have called and said ‘My family is concerned for my safety.’ But most have come back.”
– Japan Times [42]
May 10, 2011
Laos
Chinese Campus to Open in Laos
Soochow University, Laos, an overseas affiliate of Soochow University [43], Suzhou, in Jiangsu province of eastern China, is expected to officially open in 2012. It will be the first overseas campus run by a higher education institution from mainland China.
According to commentary in the People’s Daily, starting a school outside China is an important strategy for Soochow University if it is to reach the goal of developing into a world-renowned university. Soochow University began education cooperation with Laos in 2007 and has since been laying the groundwork for the opening of the affiliate. In 2010, the university obtained approval from the Laos government to provide undergraduate and graduate education in the country, becoming the first foreign educational institution to gain such approval.
Wang Jiexian, Director of the representative office of Soochow University in Laos, said it had US$25 million in investment, with Soochow University as the main investor. Initially Soochow University will send Chinese teachers to Laos, but plans to gradually employ more local teachers. Soochow University has more than 50,000 students in China, including some 1,300 international students.
– People’s Daily [44]
April 20, 2011
Malaysia
Malaysia, China Ink Deal on Mutual Recognition of Academic Credentials
The Malaysian and Chinese governments have announced the signing of an agreement between the two countries to facilitate mutual recognition of higher education qualifications.
Industry executives in Malaysia are hopeful that the signing of the framework on a government-to-government basis would increase the capacity and opportunities for students to study and work between the two nations. In addition, the agreement should help academic mobility and institutional tie-ups between the two countries.
– The Star [45]
May 5, 2011
Brain Drain Intensifies
According to a recent report from the World Bank, in 2010, the number of Malaysians residing overseas is estimated to have reached one million — indicating a serious brain drain from the country.
Philip Schellekens, the bank’s senior economist for Malaysia and author of the Malaysia Economic Monitor [46] report, said that a third of those Malaysians living overseas are thought to have tertiary-level training. Over half are residing in Singapore, with other popular destinations being Australia, Brunei, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and New Zealand.
“Malaysia can address the brain drain comprehensively by boosting productivity and strengthening inclusiveness,” he said at the launch of the World Bank’s Malaysia Economic Monitor-Brain Drain report. He added that allowing in more international students could help, but more pressing was the need to entice skilled Malaysians to come home, especially those from ethnic minority groups.
For every 10 skilled Malaysians born in the country, one of them elects to leave. This, according to the World Bank, is double the world average. The number of skilled Malaysians living abroad has tripled in the last two decades, with one in five Malaysians with higher education opting to leave for the West. Of those that have left to Singapore, a massive 88 percent are of Chinese ethnicity. The country’s policies favor ethnic Malays (Bhumiputras) over other groups such as Chinese and Indians, promoting emigration of these groups with the hopes of better opportunities.
– Bernama [47]
April 28, 2011
No More Medical Schools Until 2016
Malaysia has placed a five-year moratorium on the building of new medical schools over concerns related to the quality of graduates. The freeze will not affect the recruitment of students, but is meant so that the 33 existing medical schools can concentrate on improving their programs. According to Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, minister of higher education, the country has 33 tertiary institutions offering medical programs, 10 of which are public universities and the rest private.
– Bernama [48]
May8, 2011
New Zealand
New Agency to Promote International Education
Approximately two months after a huge earthquake devastated the city of Christchurch, killing hundreds of people (including 70 international students), the government of New Zealand has announced that it will launch a new agency to help encourage international students back into the country.
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said in a press release [49] that ensuring the government’s “efforts are well-coordinated and efficient is even more important in the post-earthquake environment.” He stressed the importance of reassuring “students, their families and countries that we remain a safe and reputable international education destination and we are very much open for business.”
Until recently, there were three agencies that shared the role of promoting New Zealand education abroad: The Ministry of Education [50], Education New Zealand [51] and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise [52]. The newly formed Crown Agency, scheduled to be operational by September 2011, will operate alongside these organizations to better coordinate their efforts directed at international students.
– Ministry of Education [53]
April 6, 2011
Taiwan
Universities Start Reviewing Applications from Mainland China
Taiwanese universities have begun accepting applications from Chinese students to study there. Starting in the fall semester, the first batch of students from China will study in Taiwan for university degrees.
Because of previously tense relations with China, Taiwan has essentially barred them from studying there. But as relations with China have improved, Taiwan has decided – despite protests – to allow up to 2,000 Chinese students to attend its universities each year.
Officials say Taiwan wants to tap into Chinese talent, but universities are also in dire need of students, because of the island’s low birthrate. However, Taiwan is opening its campuses with caution, as some fear Chinese students will steal jobs and scholarship money. Therefore, the students are banned from applying for government scholarships, working while studying or looking for work in Taiwan after graduation. They are also barred from studying subjects involving national security or key technologies. These include military technology, homeland survey and aeronautics.
Despite these restrictions, officials say they are expecting all slots for this year to be filled. Taiwan’s deputy minister of education, Tsong-Ming Lin, says Chinese students want to come to learn traditional Chinese language and culture lost in China.
– The BBC [54]
April 14, 2011
Government to Invest in Program to Double International Enrollments in 4 Years
The Taiwanese government in April approved a plan designed to double the number of foreign students studying in Taiwan from the current 45,000 to 88,000 in four years.
The Council for Economic Planning and Development signed off on the plan proposed by the Ministry of Education [55], under which the government will invest NT$5.68 billion (US$196 million) over the next four years to make it easier for students from other countries to study in Taiwan.
In 2010, Taiwan drew 45,000 students from abroad, with one-third of them in Taiwan to learn Mandarin, but ministry officials said the country still has plenty of room for improvement.
– CNA [56]
April 18, 2011
Vietnam
Universities See Fewer Applications
The number university applicants this year has fallen across Vietnam, with many of last year’s unsuccessful candidates reportedly choosing vocational schools, rather than retaking university entrance exams. Also, unlike previous years, most candidates applied to universities and colleges near their hometowns, instead of in big cities and provinces.
Preliminary figures released by local education departments show applicant numbers fell by up to half in some provinces. The province of Thanh Hoa’s Department of Education and Training said it received 90,000 applications, 2,000 less than last year. In Hai Duong province, the number plunged by nearly 50 percent. Nguyen Van Xung, head of the local education department’s vocational office, said many candidates who failed to get into universities and colleges last year joined vocational schools, which led to a dramatic fall in applications.
– Vietnam News [57]
April 18, 2011
New State of the Art Science University in the Offing
A total of US$315 million is to be invested in a new state-of-the-art science and technology university in Hanoi.
The Asian Development Bank will loan US$190 million and another $100 million will be loaned for the project by the French government. The remaining $23 million for the project will be covered by the Vietnamese government, which is intended to underpin Vietnam’s bid to become an industrialized nation within the next 10 years.
According to the World Bank, Vietnam is now a middle-income country and it is industrializing fast. However, the pool of skilled labor is not big enough to keep up with demand from industry. The government, therefore, is looking to develop the higher education sector. The new university, which is expected to accommodate 5,000 students initially, will also promote links with industry and develop modern university management systems.
– VietnamPlus [58]
May 3, 2011