Overcoming Language Anxiety

The symptoms are familiar: a lack of confidence, a reluctance to speak, even insomnia in some cases. What appears to be a kind of anxiety attack or extreme phobia could become debilitating for a student’s well-being, let alone participation grade.

What sounds like a case of chronic stage fright could be occurring on college campuses every day, according to a growing but contested body of research about foreign language classes.
It’s called “language anxiety.” The reasons people disagree about it are clear: students might not be aware of their problem, for example, and the number of factors that affect learning could cloud researchers’ analyses. And who hasn’t felt a little nervous learning a foreign tongue? [View Full Article]

Pune a hub for foreign students

Pune: We have heard of students from India going abroad for higher education, but India is also attracting lots of foreign students itself.
Hard working and ambitious, Lee Juien came from South Korea to study philosophy at Pune University. ………….
Lee is not alone, Pune accomodates a huge 40 per cent of foreign students who come to India for higher education…………………
"In 2001 under Dr Kolaskar it was suggested that we become like an American university or any international university. ……………………….
Educationalists also feel that the mix of culture would help better competition amongst students……………..
It is not just good education that is attracting foreign students to the city. For many, Pune's ability to accept different cultures has taken it a step ahead.[View Full Article]

Indians among qualified immigrants in OECD countries

Indians are among the most qualified immigrants in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)countries, while their country is the second biggest source after China for foreign students coming to these nations, says OECD's annual migration outlook 2007
"A particular characteristic of Chinese and Indian immigrants is the fact that they are relatively highly educated. This is especially the case of Indians," OECD said. ………………………………….
Chinese and Indian students are particularly present in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. [View Full Article]

Koreans aim for 1,000 missionaries

An intense focus on "Empowering the church to be on mission" marked the 26th annual meeting of the Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in America. Korea-born missionaries serving in the Mideast, Ukraine, Brazil, Venezuela, Guatemala and Canada were on hand for the June 18-20 sessions in Houston, along with the presidents of the Korea Baptist Convention and the Korea Baptist Seminary and other guests from Korea….The missions focus was in keeping with the Korean Council's emphasis during the past year: to have 1,000 Korean missionaries appointed by the SBC by the year 2010. Rankin reported that 280 have been appointed to date; another 200 are in the process….Nearly 600 Korean students are studying at one of the six Southern Baptist seminaries: 350 at Southwestern, 115 at Southern, 60 at Golden Gate, 38 at New Orleans, 20 at Southeastern and 10 at Midwestern. [View Full Article]

A Roadmap for Creating the Global Campus

Colleges and universities are increasingly spending resources to become more global. For more than 20 years, I have participated in, or served as a consultant to, the internationalization efforts of a broad range of institutions — research universities, regional state universities, private liberal-arts colleges, and community colleges — and have witnessed a variety of approaches and outcomes. Some institutions experienced significant, transformative change, while others merely developed documents that were forgotten within months of their unveiling.
[View Full Article: Subscription - The Chronicle]

God vs. Country

When Chinese scholars arrive at Cal, Christian ministers help them get settled. But church involvement may set the visitors up for trouble back home.
On a clear spring evening in Berkeley, Ying, a former atheist, goes to church. Inside the building's fluorescent-lit dining room, she sets out folding chairs for a dinner that will precede the evening's Bible study. [View Full Article]

Not just a source of revenue

Chinese students still want British degrees, but they are becoming more demanding, says a new report. John Crace investigates ……………… many Chinese students come to this country with their expectations framed in a 19th-century gentility.
No wonder, then, that so many students have their preconceptions shattered when they get here. Most say they feel unsafe out walking on the streets and are shocked at the behaviour of young people, whom they describe as drunk and out of control. More than half also felt they had suffered discrimination [View Full Article]

How the Chinese Consulate Took Control at the University of Minnesota

Arrangements made for a Chinese New Year's celebration in 2004 by a former president of the University of Minnesota Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) set in motion a series of events that illustrate how Chinese consular officials control and manipulate Chinese students in the United States. ...That control includes using Chinese students to fight here in the United States those the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers its enemies and acting as spies for the CCP. It involves both open and subtle intimidation, and the payment of bribes. [View Full Article]

China Deepens Its Involvement With African Higher Education

China will assist with major projects at universities in South Africa and Liberia. The ventures, announced this month, illustrate the Asian country's deepening economic involvement in Africa.
The Tshwane University of Technology, in South Africa, signed an agreement with the Chinese deputy minister of education, Yuan Guiren, this month to establish a new Confucius Institute for Business on the campus, geared toward promoting a greater understanding of the Chinese language and business culture. [View Full Article: Subscription - The Chronicle]

Actions by Congress and State Dept. May Ease International Student Exchanges

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would greatly increase the number of American students studying abroad. The bill has bipartisan support in Congress, and a sponsor of the Senate version said he would work to secure its passage in that chamber...Also last week, the State Department proposed a new rule regarding the eligibility of foreign students to work as interns in the United States. That rule could help American colleges establish student exchanges with institutions overseas.
[View Full Article]

A Roadmap for Creating the Global Campus

Colleges and universities are increasingly spending resources to become more global. For more than 20 years, I have participated in, or served as a consultant to, the internationalization efforts of a broad range of institutions — research universities, regional state universities, private liberal-arts colleges, and community colleges — and have witnessed a variety of approaches and outcomes. Some institutions experienced significant, transformative change, while others merely developed documents that were forgotten within months of their unveiling. [View Full Aricle: Subscription - Chronicle]

International students to be covered under province’s medical care plan

As a key commitment of the Provincial Immigration Strategy, 2007, the provincial government will extend health-care coverage under the province’s Medical Care Plan (MCP) to international students undertaking post-secondary studies in Newfoundland and Labrador. This initiative will take effect June 11….“There are approximately 1,000 international students studying in the province annually each contributing between $18,000 and $25,000 to the provincial economy each year,” Health Minister Ross Wiseman said. “Providing health-care coverage for these individuals will give them peace of mind in knowing that they will not have to pay for their health care services, which further enhances our province’s ability to recruit international students.” …The program applies to any foreign individual issued an official study permit by Citizenship and Immigration Canada before entering the country. [View Full Article]

The Face of Racism in Germany

More and more Nepalese are coming to Germany to study these days. Although English speaking nations like the United States and the United Kingdom are still top destinations, Germany is picking up rapidly. ........because the universities are run on state funds, there is a fair chance of free education here. ...........and a high standard of living in Germany rather than pushing desperately hard for a place in the United States or other attractive destinations. ................ However, learning the German language will yield further benefits.
At present there are thousands of Nepalese students all over Germany. .............. students ...... in Germany have the opportunity to concentrate their time and energy fully on their study and research. ……It is obvious for people to remember the history of Germany before they make up their minds to come here. But the truth is history has changed upside down in Germany. Today this is a land which provides equal opportunity for all. So there is a lot in the offing for the Nepalese students here. [View Full Article]

High-Tech Cheating Continues to Plague China

A high level of competition to enter Chinese universities once again forces students to cheat… The national college entrance exam allows 10 million students to compete for only 5.7M university openings. Entrance exams are so competitive that the government considers exam questions state secrets before the exam takes place. [View Full Article]

Aging Japan struggles to fill universities

Japan's postwar baby boom started earlier than in the US. As a result, according to census statistics, the number of 18-year-olds in Japan peaked in 1992 at 2.05 million, when the baby boomers' children were entering universities, and has fallen steadily to 1.3 million this year. Estimates show it dropping to 1.21 million in two years….This year, as a result, nearly one-third of the nation's 707 public and private four-year universities cannot fill their openings, the Education Ministry and university groups have said…Roughly half of college-age Japanese attend universities. Only three universities have gone bankrupt for lack of students. Three years ago, Hiroshima's Risshikan University became the first Japanese university to fail since World War II. But the Education Ministry and university groups are busily writing guidelines to help them deal with a retrenchment that few developed nations have had to face.
[View Full Article]

India's Prime Minister Assails Universities as Below Average and 'Dysfunctional'

India's prime minister revealed on Friday that almost two-thirds of the nation's universities and 90 percent of its degree-granting colleges are rated as below average and that university curricula are typically not synchronized with the needs of employers or job seekers.
The prime minister, Manmohan Singh, also criticized faltering levels of enrollment. "In almost half the districts in the country, higher-education enrollments are abysmally low," Mr. Singh said in an address at a 150th-anniversary celebration at the University of Mumbai. "Less than 50 percent of secondary-school students continue into college education in any form," he said. [View Full Article - Subscription - The Chronicle]

How the Chinese Embassy Works Through Chinese Student Organizations

On June 21, Sound of Hope (SOH) interviewed Ms. Chen Ying, the former wife of a staff member of the Chinese Embassy in France. Chen revealed how the Chinese communist regime manipulates the overseas student associations and turns them into spy agencies…"The education section in the Embassy is responsible for overseas student-related work. Many student associations and some scholar associations were established under the direction of the Embassy's education section. Those organizations are actually the communist regime's organizations," said Chen.
[View Full Article]

Former Student Leader Traces History of Consular Control

Recently the Chinese Cultural Club of New York University (NYUCCC) in a statement posted on its Web site attacked New Tang Dynasty TV's International Chinese Classical Dance Competition, attempting to prevent the contest from being held in an NYU auditorium. The NYUCCC's actions have attracted attention to how the Chinese consular officials control and manipulate the student bodies in the universities and colleges in the U.S…Dr. Frank Xie knows something about the role the Chinese consular officials play in Chinese student associations. Now a professor at the College of Business of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Xie once served as Vice President of Chinese Student and Scholars Association of Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the first Chief Executive of the American Midwest Chinese Student and Scholars Solidarity Union, representing Chinese student groups from 40 universities in 11 states in the Midwest United States. [View Full Article]

Tragedy in USA not putting off international students

The recent tragedy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA in the USA, where 32 people were shot dead by a lone gunman, has not deterred international students from studying in the USA, according to sources........................................
However, Amaresh Shanker from Target Counselling Services in India said that the incident would not put off Indian students from pursuing their studies in the USA. “Over 80,000 Indian students go to the USA every year to study, more than any other nationality,” he said. “The shootings may make some students rethink their plans but it’ll take a lot more than this for most to let go of their American dream. I am yet to see any of my students changing his/her plans and most of my students and their parents still believe that US campuses are a safe study destination.”
Umesh Pandey from Nobel Institute in Nepal said, “The USA is the first choice for serious students from Nepal as it offers quality education, scholarships and much more. Even after the Virginia Tech shootings, we have been receiving numerous applications from Nepalese students who are willing to study in the USA. I don’t think that the USA is a less safe study destination even after the Virginia Tech shootings.”[View Full Article]

Sizing up China: Beijing-backed culture centers teaching the world Chinese

Be it Belgrade, Tel Aviv or Auckland, New Zealand, millions of people around the world have taken up learning Chinese… There are now 156 Confucius Institutes in 55 countries and regions. Beijing aims to have 200 up and running by the end of the year... Japan hosts seven institutes… China's Ministry of Education estimates that 100 million people will be studying Chinese as a foreign language by 2010... [View Full Article]

Foreign univs contact students via SMS

NEW DELHI: Widespread use of IT tools has made it easier for counsellors and representatives of foreign universities to contact Indian students. So much so that students are now receiving SMSes carrying details of on-the-spot registration for foreign universities. While university representatives are sending messages to students, mobile operators are negotiating data space with counsellors. International Placewell Consultants, for instance, sends out text messages that convey details of on the spot registration, scholarships offered and even information on work permits. ………………………….Reliance Communications, for instance, is going to launch an application on R World by means of which a student can shoot questions which will be answered by experts. “We are also planning to communicate through live voice chat,” said Krishna Durbha, head of business and marketing at Reliance Communications. ……………………………Ritu Dhingra, a Delhi-based career counsellor, uses internet chats to counsel her students. “Students find its convenient and feel more free while penning down questions and prefer internet chatting to face to face meetings,” she said. [View Full Article]

South Africa: Looking Abroad to Bridge the Skills Gap

THE Standard Bank is expanding its recruitment campaigns to suck in talent from India because it cannot find enough information technology staff locally. It has up to 100 vacancies to fill instantly and will need 300 recruits by the end of the year, including programmers, project managers and business analysts. Last year it hired 600 IT staff, and its total of 2500 means its in-house IT department eclipses many of SA's specialist IT groups……………
"We want to try to complement our IT shop with Indian resources. We are always looking at the South African market, and we need to look beyond our borders," he says…………………………
He expects many other local firms will follow suit to combat the skills crunch. The number of students studying IT at universities in SA, Europe and the US has decreased for three years, so the skills base is depleting. In comparison, India pumps out about 400000 IT graduates a year. [View Full Article]

Vietnamese Leaders, on U.S. Visit, Discuss Ambitious Overhaul of Higher Education.

At a forum here on Wednesday, Vietnam's president and minister of education outlined an ambitious plan to overhaul their country's troubled educational system, while a panel of American academics and scientists highlighted the importance of higher education to Vietnam's rapidly growing economy and suggested potential models for reform….The forum, held at the New School, came on the second day of the officials' visit to the United States, the first by a Vietnamese head of state since the Vietnam War. The president, Nguyen Minh Triet, is scheduled to meet with President Bush later this week….Mr. Triet said he would appeal to President Bush for American support of that effort. "We want to learn from your experience and want your assistance and support for our endeavors in higher education," he said through a translator.…The minister said he anticipated that 2,500 of those new Ph.D.'s would be educated in the United States and would form a core group of faculty members who would lead the county's efforts to create a tiered system of national higher education. At its pinnacle would be a new science and technology research university in Hanoi that Mr. Nhan said he hoped would open in 2008. [View Full Article]

US centre organizing meet to guide student hopefuls

New Delhi: Indian graduates of various American universities as well as students still pursuing their studies there will gather for special alumni fair at the American Centre here on Friday to interact with students interested in going to the US for higher studies.
An initiative of the United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), the fair will be open to the public and those planning to pursue studies in America can get their queries answered by those already studying there.[View Full Article]

Ed. min. urges more US scholarships for Taiwan students

Taiwan's Education minister is calling for more American scholarships for Taiwanese students. He said that would balance out the increasing number of Chinese students in the United States. Tu was speaking in Washington D.C., one stop on his current tour of North America….Last week, Tu met with education officials in Vancouver and Chicago. He spoke about language teaching and establishing Taiwanese studies seminars at local colleges. [View Full Article]

"Students Should Not Follow School Labels"

Harvard-Westlake School President and CEO Thomas C. Hudnut advised Korean students not to follow school labels when they choose U.S. universities…``Everyone knows about Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Berkeley but there are many good colleges in the U.S. that you have not heard of like Bowdoin, Amherst, Carleton, Grinnell and Reed. They are wonderful colleges,'' Hudnut said during his visit to Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies affiliated with Hankuk University, Tuesday…``They don't get as many applicants from East Asia as the other schools do and so a Korean student could stand out more in their applicant pool,'' he added….Located in Los Angeles in the United States, Harvard-Westlake, a college preparatory day school for grades 7-12, is the most demanding school among students who aim to advance into top U.S. universities and boasts a 100 year history.
[View Full Article]

American University Partnering For Educational Exchange In China

The Office of Extended Education and International Programs of California State University Monterey Bay and China Education Resources have signed a three-year memorandum of intent for educational exchange. "This is an incredible opportunity for students and instructors of both the United States and China to immerse themselves in a culture through new and alternative methods," said Dr. Chris Hasegawa, dean of Extended Education and International Programs at CSUMB. "We are excited that CSUMB is among the first higher education institutions to join CER in this outreach effort." This new partnership offers CSUMB and CER an opportunity to provide teachers in the United States and China, with the ability to interact with one another through CER's website at cersp.com. By connecting classrooms in China to classrooms in the U.S., American and Chinese teachers and their students will have the opportunity to help each other learn a second language, study a new culture using authentic artifacts and personal interaction, and share best teaching practices in a variety of subject areas.
[View Full Article]

PSU negotiates to offer China's first online MBA

…Portland State's School of Business Administration is poised to beat better-known U.S. graduate schools to offer the "eMBA" degree in cooperation with the Beijing university, known as China's Harvard. The program would address a growing need, for middle managers trained in business leadership in China's booming economy. As many as 55 students, most likely Chinese workers accessing the Internet at their companies, would enter the program next March. After a year of studies in China, the first class would come to Portland for a second and final year, said Sully Taylor, Portland State business school associate dean for academic affairs. "This gives us experience delivering the eMBA in an international setting," said Taylor, who added that the program could be replicated in other countries. "Saudi Arabia's interested" …[View Full Article]

Indian students step closer to US

Mumbai: Going to the US for higher education has become easier for students.
………………….The US Consulate has allowed students to apply for visas four months before the American colleges begin their new academic year.
"The whole idea is to facilitate travel of bona fide students to the US. The extension will give students more time to prepare," US Consul General, Michael Owen says.
The consulate has also increased the number of interview slots for students between June and August, when the pressure is the most. ………………………………
And fortunately it has no cap on the number of student visas it will issue. So it's party time for Indian students.[View Full Article]

Changes in applying for a U.S. Non-Immigrant VISA

The U.S. Embassy is changing its non-immigrant visa application system effective April 1, 2007. The change will enable applicants outside of Kathmandu to submit their applications from five Nabil Bank branches across Nepal, thus eliminating the need to travel to the capital. Applicants in Kathmandu, also using the new system, will continue to apply from the Nabil Bank, Maharajgunj. Beginning April 1, all applicants for non-immigrant visas (tourists, students, etc.) will be required to submit Electronic Visa Application Forms (EVAF) when applying for an interview appointment through Nabil Bank. Typed or handwritten applications will no longer be accepted. ………………………
The Electronic Visa Application enables the Embassy to offer a more convenient option for applicants. Instead of traveling to Kathmandu early, as has been the case, applicants residing outside Kathmandu can now submit their application for a visa appointment at one of the five Nabil Bank branches throughout Nepal – in Biratnagar, Birgunj, Butwal, Pokhara, and Nepalgunj.………………….
Based on increasing numbers of student visa applicants over the past year, the Embassy expects a significant increase in applications in the summer of 2007. The waiting time for all visa appointments will likely increase. Students should apply as early as possible, up to 120 days ahead of the reporting date listed on the I-20. Students must have an original I-20 to apply for a visa (fax or scanned copies will not be accepted). [View Full Article]

India, one of world's biggest job-creators

India may be lagging behind China in terms of economic growth or becoming a global manufacturing hub, but it has outpaced the Communist giant in creating the maximum number of jobs among the BRIC nations.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its Employment Outlook 2007 report released on Tuesday said that India, the world's second-fastest growing economy after China, generated more than 11 million new jobs every year during 2000 to 2005 -- higher than Brazil, Russia and China.
The four countries together created over 22 million net new jobs on an average per year during 2000 and 2005, which is more than five times the net employment gains recorded in the OECD area as a whole over the same period.
India generated 11.3 million net new jobs per year on an average during this period, higher than 7 million in China, 2.7 million in Brazil and 0.7 million in Russia. In contrast, the average was 3.7 million in the OECD area as a whole.[View Full Article]

UK's University offers £200,000 worth of Int'l Scholarships

The University of Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom, is today announcing the launch of a new international scholarships scheme, the 'Chancellor's International Scholarships' to help prepare students in India for the global economy.

Under the scheme, the University will award 100 scholarships worth £2,000 each to students taking up a place in 2007-8. The scholarships will give students a unique opportunity to experience a high quality and rewarding international education which will boost their employability and skills for today's global marketplace.

The Chancellor's International Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to candidates who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and the potential ability to make a significant ongoing contribution to the University.

The successful candidates will join more than 2,000 overseas students of which there are more than 400 from India.

The Chancellor’s International Scholarships are available across the full range of the University’s full-time undergraduate and postgraduate taught degree programmes including: Business, Computer Science, Engineering, Life Sciences, Psychology, Pharmacy, Art and Design, Film, Music and Media, Humanities and Law. [View Full Article]

Bond with Harvard getting stronger

Harvard University's syllabus and the subjects its students choose for their dissertation and research reflect the level of its interest in China…

... Fifty-four of its professors teach or conduct research on China…

Last month, at the invitation of President Hu Jintao, 100 faculty members and students of Yale University visited China. Also, it was the largest contingent from a US university
to visit the country...

The number of Chinese students grew from 19 in 1992 to 312 in 2002, with their present number being 403. [View Full Article]

Korean Exchange Student Excels in the US

…The South Korean exchange student graduated recently from Salisbury's North Hills Christian School, where she's been a student since her sophomore year…Having English as a second language has certainly not been a barrier to success. She holds an enormous scrapbook documenting her three years at North Hills, and it's brimming with mementos, honors and awards…Because of her win at the state level, she was awarded a $10,000 per year scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan University…In South Korea, academics are heavily stressed, and the university one attends is considered a vital determining factor in a student's future success. Competition is fierce to gain admittance into the three most prestigious schools in South Korea, called the "SKY schools." SKY is an acronym comprised of the first letter of these schools' names: Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University. Many regard a degree from one of the schools as a ticket to success and honor in Korean society. [View Full Article]

Links Between India and Australia in Focus

Government and business leaders will meet at the University on 22 June to discuss future links between India and Australia in the Asia-Pacific Region.............................
The forum will look at opportunities for engagement in international trade, research, sports, mining and agriculture, as well as the continuing rise in the number of Indian students coming to Australia for higher education.
The forum is the latest in a series held by the University bringing together leaders and thinkers from around the world to present their views on strategic international issues and the way in which these issues impact on Australia and the globe. -University of Sydney [View Full Article]

Keeping China's best and brightest at home

As Western countries worry over China's rise on the international stage, they hold a key advantage in the competition for power and influence: many of China's best and brightest go abroad for a university education, enjoy their lives in the West, and never return home to share their knowledge and expertise with the motherland.

… More than 70% of the Chinese students who go abroad to study don't return home…

… Shanghai… survey showed that 36.9% of the city's middle-school students hope to become US citizens one day. [View Full Article]

Multicultural Korean Universities

...With more than 1,000 students with diverse nationalities, it is fair to say that Korean universities are globalized. However, it is not true globalization in a sense because Korean students tend to stay in small groups and do not actively mingle with foreign students. So much so that Korean and non-Korean students are effectively separate in their own small groups in cafeterias and libraries...Korean Universities are actively adopting such multicultural policies because they have become in essence multiracial universities thanks to the influx of large numbers of foreign students...Korean universities are actively working to improve the situation. Departing from the existing strategy focusing on learning the language and culture of the U.S., including “English Only Classes,” they are rushing to adopt “multicultural campus” policies that are aimed at educating students in the languages and cultures of various countries.
[View Full Article]

Chinese Students at American Colleges and Universities

Here are the headlines: Colleges and universities in the United States welcome foreign students. America continues to be the top destination for Chinese students seeking higher education overseas. American universities support even those who fund their own education, through public money and endowments. Visa issuance rates are rising....Chinese students have responded to these opportunities, to the welcome, and to the good value.
[View Full Article]

Present education system full of flaws: Prof R P Misra

What do you think about the present education system in India?

The present education system in India is in flux and full of contradictions. While there are world-class institutions of higher education like JNU, DU, IITs, IIITs and IIMs, most others are nothing but degree awarding institutions. They neither prepare the youth for advanced research in social science, physical and biological sciences, engineering, technology and management nor for employment in various productive sectors of the economy.

One can ascribe two reasons for it. Universities in India have not changed their colonial mode of functioning. First, they still aim at producing administrators and clerks. They tend to feed the students information more than knowledge and skill. And second, the weak secondary education base forces the universities to lower their standards. Added to the problem are mushrooming private universities/institutions, most of which are no better than teaching shops and coaching centers. A newly created state, I am told, permitted the opening of scores of one-room universities just by one stroke of pen. [View Full Article]

HIV/AIDS awareness among recently migrated Indian students to the United States.

According to the World Health Organization, by 1995 India will have the fastest growing HIV seropositive population in the world. The goal of this study was to show the need for extensive AIDS education in India. This was a pilot survey done on recently migrated college students of Indian origin, between the ages of 18-26 years, who have been in the United States for less than four years. Thirty-four students from various disciplines were randomly surveyed. 64.7% males and 29.4% were females. Although 11.8% personally knew people with HIV/AIDS, only 52.9% knew that HIV is the causative agent of AIDS. 8.8% thought HIV infection is a consequence of a chronic illness, such as tuberculosis. 2.9% thought that AIDS was completely curable and 20.6% felt that the infection can be medically/surgically cured. 8.8% did not identify DEATH as a consequence of AIDS. 52.9% felt that their knowledge about AIDS is inadequate. 79.4% felt that Indian people in general have inadequate HIV/AIDS knowledge. 79.4% felt that governmental support is inadequate. Our study clearly indicates inadequate understanding regarding the fatality of this disease among Indian students. However, these young adults acknowledge the fact that AIDS will have a devastating effect in India. [View Full Article]

Death of nine Nepali students in the U.S. is not an epidemic

January 2006

In a recent article on nepalnews.com, a few professionals talked about the safety, and even the economics of death, for young Nepali adults in the U.S. The article was triggered by a series of unfortunate events that claimed the lives of nine Nepali students over a span of 4 weeks, ranging from car accidents to a robbery. All of the consulted professionals—who I respect, but it may have to be pointed out that their experiences of being a young adult in the U.S. are not recent—noted that Nepali students are somewhat reckless in their driving and perhaps not well-adjusted to American traffic rules, while the author noted that the government hasn't taken any notice of what seemed to be an escalation of such incidents. However, what the author fails to realize is that the accidents are no indication of an epidemic, especially not one that has resulted from a changed behavior or disorientation specific to Nepali students. She asks a valid question ("Are Nepali students in the U.S. safe?") but implies the questionable—that the lack of safety is somehow attributable to Nepali students……………………………………….
It has not been very long since the Nepali diaspora in the U.S. established themselves with organized communal networks, and the competition amongst Nepali media for the coverage of issues related to the diaspora and "studying abroad" occurred. It's quite clear that the last 15 years have seen a drastic growth in Nepalis studying, working and living abroad, especially a rise in the ambition amongst parents and students for "further education in the U.S." The socio-political crisis in Nepal has also aided greatly to convince young Nepalis and their parents that leaving the country is, indeed, the most fruitful choice. As the Nepali diaspora in the U.S. grew in the 90s, so did the "virtual" or "online" Nepali communities, most of which were developed and utilized by young Nepalis, particularly those who were abroad at the time.[View Full Article]

The United States-South Korea FTA: The Foreign Policy Implications

The United States’ relationship with South Korea is changing and growing. It is transforming into a mature, healthy and balanced partnership. One of the greatest examples of the dynamism in our bilateral relationship is the recently concluded United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (or KORUS FTA) …there are now over two million Americans of Korean descent living in the United States. They have had a huge positive impact on our country and continue to provide a vital and unique link between the two nations. U.S.-ROK academic ties have also blossomed; in 2006, more than 58,000 South Korean students studied in the U.S., and South Korean students are now the third largest group of foreign students in the U.S. The FTA has the potential to join our two countries together even more closely.
[View Full Article]

Mandarin Chinese is the talk of this classroom's future

Aiming to get students ready for a global future, Pasco school officials are looking at offering a new language - Mandarin Chinese. Nothing keeps students from communicating internationally because, says Jeff Morgenstein, Pasco's Supervisor of Curriculum and Instructional Services for ESOL and World Languages, "the barriers aren't there. Technology has flattened them." As technology makes the world smaller, it's more important than ever to bolster communication skills, even though some may view China as a rival on the global stage...
[View Full Article]

Option of Studying Many Subjects Brings Indian Student to the United States

10 January 2005

When it came to deciding whether to stay in India or come to the United States to further his education, Sandeep Pandita says the education system in the United States would provide more flexibility and options for him.

“The education over here is totally different from the one back home. It’s like there is no comparison and all because in India once you choose your major you have to finish like that. If you go as a Chemical Engineering as a freshman, you come out as a Chemical Engineering in your senior year. Otherwise you have to start school over from the beginning,” he says. “But people over here go as Chemical Engineering and they can come out as a Business major. You can shift your major and do whatever. There is no option like this in India. Over here it is a lot more flexible and formal. In India it is really strict and it really goes by the rules,” he adds. “After I graduated from India in Chemical Engineering I wanted to pursue my higher studies and I applied to a couple of places I was thinking of applying in Europe and in the U-S, but then I thought of coming to the U-S because if I had to go to Europe then I had to learn a totally different language and learning a different language is kind of hard and I heard that it is kind of hard to get a scholarship in Europe while if you come to the U-S it is easier to get a scholarship and its easier to payoff and that is the whole story of my coming to the U-S.” [View Full Article]

Studies in the U.S. demystified

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Consumerist approach to education was one of the downsides of American system of education, said Sreenath Sreenivasan, Dean of Students of Columbia Journalism School. ………………….
"Education in the U.S. is an expensive affair. Your child's one year in kindergarten can set you back by a cool Rs. 10 lakhs," said Mr. Sreenivasan who was named one of the 20 most influential South Asians in America by `Newsweek Magazine.' ………
"There is a great interest in American colleges to recruit Indian students," said Mr. Sreenivasan who criticised the Bollywood for presenting a distorted image about Indians in the U.S. "Indians are either super-rich or extremely poor. There is no middle class." [View Full Article]

Singapore institute eyes Indian students

CHENNAI: Republic Polytechnic (RP), one of the five polytechnic institutes in Singapore, is looking at enrolling more students from India for the next academic year.......................
Students who do well could get up to 80 percent scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Singapore. [View full Article]

Don't be shy about study abroad

A recent report has found that fewer Japanese students than ever are studying abroad. After a peak in the early 1990s, the numbers have declined to the lowest level in years. Remaining in Japan without experiencing life abroad will have repercussions that may last far into the future. More students should be encouraged to set aside the immediate demands of the next entrance exam or job hunt and experience the world….Most importantly, studying abroad implants an active and open approach to learning, and to life. Maturity, thoughtfulness and ability to make decisions are just several of the many qualities that students can acquire abroad. When added up student by student, they have the potential to change the nature of Japan's future national character, for the better.
[View Full Article]

Education, Technology and the Future of India Mumbai

Jun 12, 2007

By Bill Gates, For me and anyone else who is passionate about using technology to help create opportunities for people, trends in India today are tremendously exciting and encouraging. …………………People have been the key to Microsoft's success in India, and our experience may be illustrative. We entered the country 17 years ago, working closely with the government, IT industry, academia, and the local developer community. Over the years, the people of Microsoft India have had end-to-end responsibility for the development of many Microsoft technologies. They have made important contributions to many other products, including Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. [View Full Article]

5,000 more students a year to study overseas

The Ministry of Education has launched a five-year graduate program to send about 5,000 students a year to the world's best universities, including Harvard and Yale in the U.S., and Oxford and Cambridge in England.
Vice-Minister Yuan Guiren said Monday: "The country has expanded its national scholarship program in a bid to cultivate more top-level talent."
The number of graduate students granted a national scholarship this year will be roughly five times that in 2006, Yuan said. [View Full Article]

The Prospective (Foreign) Student

Where international students study and why, what key motivators and barriers students from different countries might be most likely to consider, and how colleges can build on that knowledge to better recruit and serve students from around the globe were some of the key questions considered Tuesday as the 59th Annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators Annual Conference & Expo got under way in Minneapolis....The landscape for recruiting and retaining international students is changing, said Line Verbik, research manager at Hobsons. Given changes in student mobility — Verbik pointed to declines in international student enrollment in the United States post September 11 and the slowing of growth in international enrollments in the United Kingdom and Australia in recent years — presenters stressed the need to have greater information about prospective students’ decision-making processes and the factors they consider. [View Full Article]

International Education Foundation Nepal Finally Came Into the Mainstream

International Education Foundation Nepal (IEFN), an educational service oriented organization, was established with a vision of providing quality education and educational services to Nepalese students who are willing to pursue their further studies abroad and excel in their respective fields…………….IEFN is committed to providing the best educational guidance and helping students to explore the new avenues of education and lay the foundations for more advanced studies in specialized universities so as to broaden their knowledge and succeed in making difference to the world around them. [View Full Article]

An Unlikely Success Story in China

… A graduate program in international studies jointly run by two universities, even two such prestigious ones as Johns Hopkins and Nanjing University, was certainly not assured of success in the early 1980s.

… United States and China relations were not what they are today, and China had only just opened its doors to the outside world.

… "We also felt that the new center should not be in the capital city, Beijing, or Shanghai but another major city with a prominent university that would be our partner," Muller said last week. "We saw that Nanjing [University] could be that for us." [View Full Article]

How foreign countries to attract Chinese students?

In 2006, the number of Chinese students studying abroad reached 134,000, a record high. According to a survey by Chivast Education International Co. Ltd. and Beijing JJL Overseas Education, there are more than twenty countries selected as "the most favored nations by Chinese students for studying abroad in 2006," including the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, and South Korea. These countries are attracting students in different ways.

In recent years, the United States has become so attractive for many Chinese students with its first-class institutions and universities, and superpower status in the world....Previously, students needed to get entry permits from customs and make a claim on their duration of stay. If they needed to go back to their homeland during vacations, they had to provide a visiting certificate. After the vacation ended, they needed to apply for another visa for re-entry into the United States. Sometimes, the whole procedure took more than half a year to complete. Today, as long as their student ID cards remain unchanged, they can return to their homeland within one year, without showing a visiting certificate and applying for a re-entry visa. [View Full Article]

Indian Students Pursuing Excellence in U.S. Higher Education

20 November 2006

Washington -- India remains the leading country of origin for international students studying at U.S. universities, according to Open Doors 2006, an annual report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE), with support from the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Although the report shows a decline of 4.9 percent in the 2005-2006 academic year from the previous year in the total number of students from India studying in the United States, other recent reports have indicated totals may increase in the coming years. …………………
“The strong Indo-U.S. relationship, illustrated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s July 2005 visit to the U.S. and President Bush’s March 2006 visit to India, encourages Indian students pursuing excellence in higher education to continue to enroll in U.S. colleges and universities,” Schukoske said. [View Full Article]

Higher education, lowest standards

New Delhi, June 9

In this season of celebrating toppers and staggering cut-offs in college admissions across the country, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with a startling admission: Over half of the students who pass Class XII don’t even enter the higher-education sector; 90 per cent of colleges and 68 per cent of universities across the country are of middling or poor quality. On almost all indicators, from faculty standards to library facilities, from computer availability to student-teacher ratio, higher education is in crying need for an upgrade.
The “quality gap” in both universities and colleges is alarming: 25 per cent faculty positions in universities remain vacant; 57 per cent teachers in colleges do not have either an M Phil or PhD; there is only one computer for 229 students, on an average, in colleges. [View Full Article]

An Examination of Latina/o Transfer Students in Cal ifornia’s Postsecondary Institutions

California’s three-tier public postsecondary system is meant
to provide equal access to higher education for all students
in the state. Yet even though Latina/os will soon make up
the majority of students in K-12 education, the enrollment
of Latina/os in the state’s postsecondary institutions
remains low. When compared to the percentage of Latina/
os enrolled in grades K-12, Latina/os are underrepresented
in all three segments of the state’s postsecondary education
system: California Community Colleges (CCC), the
California State University (CSU), and the University
of California (UC) (Ornelas and Solorzano 2004). For
example, figure 1 shows that in 2003, 47 percent of K-12
students in public California schools were Latina/o, yet
only 14 percent were enrolled at a UC campus and 25
percent at a CSU campus. The majority of these students
were concentrated in the community college system. This
brief examines the transfer function from community
college to four-year institutions as a critical segment of the
education pipeline for Latina/o students. [View Full Report]

Students’ questions on education, career options: Fair answers

Kolkata, June 10:

It is that time of the year again when parents and students brave the heat to explore opportunities of higher education, keeping in mind a prospective career.

“There has been a 21 per cent increase in the number of Indian students going to the US for study after 9/11. Till date, Indians constitute 17 per cent of the student population in the US, while 13 per cent are Chinese.” [View Full Article]

Number of Nepali students in USA climbs by 25 percent

November 14, 2006

The number of Nepali students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities grew 25 percent last year (2005/2006) to 6,061, according to a new annual report published by the Institute of International Education (IIE) with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The increase places Nepal among the top 20 countries sending students to study in the United States. In 2004/2005, Nepal had 4,861 students in the United States. In 2005/2006, Nepal rose from number 23 to number 19 in the ranking of countries, outpacing Pakistan, which is in 20th place with 5,759 students, and Malaysia, which dropped out of the top 20 with 5,515 students in the U.S. in 2005/06. India, with 76,503 students in the United States, is ranked number one. [View Full Article]

Academic achievement and quality of overseas study among Taiwanese students in the United States

Using a multidimensional model and a longitudinal design, the study examined academic performance and quality of overseas study in a group of 155 Taiwanese graduate students at approximately one year after arriving in the United States. The international students' academic performance was significantly predicted by better English writing skills and pursuit of an engineering degree, while the quality of their overseas study was predicted by more relationships with Americans, fewer problems with loneliness, and majoring in engineering or social sciences and humanities. Implications for programs that may enhance their academic performance and quality of overall study are discussed. [View Full Article]

21st Century Student: The Problem

ORLANDO, Fla. -- For the first time in U.S. history, the next generation of Americans may be less educated than the previous one.

Angila and Shaponica, two young girls not even in high school yet, say they gave up on their education because the education system gave up on them. These young women aren't alone. In fact, one-third of all American ninth-graders are expected to drop out of school, creating a generation of Americans who cannot compete in a global market… Experts say Chinese students spend 12 hours in the classroom while American students only spend seven, and their work is paying off. A recent international report card revealed American students place 29th out of 33 when it comes to mathematics and problem-solving. [View Full Aricle]

Korean Educational Reform

At an awards event on June 1, Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee repeatedly stressed the importance of education reform in South Korea, emphasizing Korea’s ’need to model itself after advanced countries’ because of its position, "sandwiched" between Japan and China....When a reporter asked Lee’s opinions on problems of domestic education, the Samsung head said, "it is too uniform. We should educate children according to the needs of the 21st century. [In education], Korea should model itself after advanced countries," he continued....Such remarks by Lee seemed to emphasize his views on developing talent: "One genius feeds 100,000 persons," he has said.
[View Article]

Two-year colleges look beyond U.S.

For Dea Surjati, the lure of the United States was too strong for her to wait until the day she could afford an education at her dream school, the University of Southern California.
So she took the same route as many others her age on this side of the globe: attending a community college... Community colleges nationwide are reaching out around the world for students, drawing from a pool traditionally reserved for four-year schools. DVC, with one of the highest international enrollments in California, has students from such places as Belize, Myanmar and Albania. [View Article]

Live and learn in China

Soon after Amy Johnson graduated with a degree in education, she left Louisiana to teach English in a small town in Harbin, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. It seemed like a good way to use her degree, live in a foreign country and make a living at the same time… China usually means that anyone - even those without teaching experience, training or a degree in a related field - could find a school or recruiter to make them an offer. Consequently, some foreign language experts and observers believe the industry is in critical need of government intervention to impose a minimum standard for foreign English teachers. [View Article]

Samsung head stresses need for Korean educational reform

At an awards event on June 1, Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee repeatedly stressed the importance of education reform in South Korea, emphasizing Korea’s ’need to model itself after advanced countries’ because of its position, "sandwiched" between Japan and China.

At the ceremony of the annual Hoam Awards, given for achievement in the arts, service, and science and technology, when asked by reporters what he thought of the ‘sandwich situtation’, Lee replied, "It is increasingly getting more serious. Education matters. We should produce geniuses by properly educating the gifted."...

After making such remarks at the March speech, Lee went on a month-long visit to Samsung’s European branches while helping promote PyeongChang’s efforts to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
[Full Article]

US and South Korea - International Summer 2007 Exchange Program

Park University’s Early Childhood Education Department in the School for Education and International Education and Study Abroad Program will be hosting 17 Korean students for the US and South Korea - International Summer 2007 Exchange Program on June 25-29, 2007. The event, held in the Gibson Room of Thompson Commons, includes visits to Reggio Emilia Approach designated schools including the Berkley Child and Family Development Center, Pembroke Hill Early Childhood School, Top Flight Early Childhood Center, and Christ the King Catholic PrimarySchool. The training sessions and................

For further information, or to reserve your place in the event, contact Dong Hwa (Donna) Choi, Ph.D., assistant professor, early childhood education department, school for education, at (816)-820-7950, (816)-584-6563, or dong.choi@park.edu. [Full Article]

Number of Indian students in Scotland surges by 45%

THE number of students from India who are opting to study at Scottish universities has soared by 45 per cent in the last year, new figures have revealed… Experts believe the Scottish Executive's Fresh Talent initiative, which encourages students from abroad to come to Scotland by allowing them to work here for two years after graduation, is a key factor in the huge rise between 2004-5 and 2005-6. [View Article]

New Option for Foreign Interns

After years of lobbying on the part of international education leaders, the Department of State posted a proposed change to its J-1 exchange visitor regulations Tuesday that would create a new subcategory specifically for student interns... Potential international interns must be able to describe how the internship — which can be paid or unpaid — would enhance their educational programs in their home institutions. [View Article]

International students find education, new home in Saskatoon

Graduation day may have been a little sweeter for Yang Chen and Jung Hoon Kim, international students who learned more than just studying skills during their university years in Saskatoon.

They were among many receiving their bachelor of science in agriculture degrees at Monday's University of Saskatchewan convocation ceremony. What sets them -- and other international students -- apart is the added challenge of overcoming language barriers, culture shock and distance from family on top of a hectic university life. The first year is the hardest, they say. Both men came to Saskatoon in 2004 -- Kim from South Korea and Chen from China. [View Article]

A few points from article:
- Importance of building community and meaningful relationships
- Language challenges