England: 'We pay £20 for each hour of contact time'

International students complain of information overload and lack of value

International students in the UK, who pay fees of up to £5,500 a term, complain that universities here expect them to absorb too much knowledge when term starts, then just leave them to self-directed study. They say class sizes should be smaller, so that their tutors know them better. And what, they ask, is the point of lectures in which all academics do is read out bullet points of a PowerPoint presentation and then leave?……."International students are paying much more than home students. Few contact hours means we are getting less value for our money. Someone I know calculated that we pay £20 for each hour of contact time." [View Full Article]

Europe Falls Short in Higher Education

U.S. and British universities consistently win kudos, and that could spell trouble for the Continent's competitiveness

Europe is renowned for taking good care of its citizens. Universal health care, a generous safety net for the unemployed, and free education from preschool through graduate studies—all are widely available in the Old World, thanks to a long tradition of social protection. But one area where Europe falls short is higher education. Rankings of the world's top universities are consistently dominated by U.S. institutions. Indeed, in the 2007 edition of a respected annual survey ………… the U.S. took 8 of the top 10 slots—the same number as last year. U.S. schools also grabbed 7 of the top 10 positions in a recent ranking by the Times of London Higher Education Supplement in Britain. …………Lack of financing is a key weakness. …………European leaders are aware of the global race for brainpower, and educational reform is already under way in some countries. [View Full Article]

Growing Number of Young Children Studying Overseas

The number of Korean middle and high school students studying overseas is setting new record highs every year, and now it appears a growing number of elementary students are also heading abroad.……….."These days parents tend to think it would be better for children to learn English as early as possible and they're very active in sending their children to study abroad," an overseas study agency said………Meanwhile, the number of Korean students studying in foreign universities or higher education institutes has topped 200,000 for the first time. This year 217,959 Koreans went abroad to study at overseas universities, graduate schools or language institutes for adults, up from 190,364 in 2006. As of April 1, 2007, there were 59,022 Korean college or higher institute students in the U.S., 42,269 in China and 19,056 in Japan. [View Full Article]

University funding among lowest in OECD

PUBLIC spending on higher education remains well below the levels in other developed countries, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development says.………….Australia ranked with the United States, Korea, Chile and Japan as countries with more than half their annual investment in universities from private sources.
Australia's public spending on higher education was among the lowest of the 34 developed countries covered by the OECD report, with only Russia, Brazil, Japan, Italy, Korea and Chile spending less in public funds on their institutions as a proportion of their economic output.…….. Australia and Korea as spending a very small amount of public money on pre-primary education - just 0.1 per cent of the country's total output - eight times less than countries such as Denmark, Hungary and Israel. Australia also has the highest proportion of international students, with 17.3 per cent of the campus population coming from abroad. In contrast, the US has just 3.4 per cent of overseas students. Almost all these students are full-fee paying. ……….Universities could use international students to bump up their numbers in the face of fewer domestic students... {View Full Article]

Quest for International Measures of Higher-Education Learning Results Raises Concerns

A fledgling international effort to develop comparable assessment standards for measuring how much students are learning at higher-education institutions throughout the world is provoking concern from several quarters, even though the project is still in its preliminary stages.
The push is being led by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, whose 30 member countries include many of the world's most advanced economies, such as Australia, Japan, the United States, and several European nations. The effort grew out of a meeting last year of the group's education ministers and secretaries, at which the apparent dearth of available data on student-learning outcomes prompted discussion about how to fill that void. [View Full Article - By Subscription - The Chronicle]

International spouse redefines identity in U.S.

…..I came to State College from Taiwan to join my husband three years ago. I’m like many of the international women I meet here — new brides, new moms or new job-quitters out of necessity. Before leaving Taiwan, I dreamt that in America, I would have a big kitchen with fancy, high-tech cooking equipment. But while the first few weeks after arrival were very exciting for me, I realized my honeymoon was over. I had what Americans call a “reality check.” Maybe you can’t imagine how stressful it could be. I had brought my personal savings and wanted to deposit it in a bank. Surprisingly, no bank would let me open an ac¬cunt. The reason is very simple but not understandable to me: I don’t have a Social Security number. International students’ spouses can’t have a Social Security number because they are not allowed to work. Still, I didn’t understand why I couldn’t save my own savings in a bank. …… all household bills are addressed to my husband. …… it is risky…… I’m forced to depend on my husband ….., the Social Security number problem doesn’t affect my eligibility to obtain a driver’s license. However, a similar story happened again when I applied for a license. At the center, I was asked for proof of residency. I showed the attendant two mailed thank-you letters from Global Connections, where I volunteer, but he didn’t approve. Legally, I have many restrictions to follow, but there is no restriction to stop my desire to learn. [View Full Article]

U.S. Continues to Slip in Educational-Attainment Levels, Says Report Comparing OECD Countries

The United States boasts one of the most highly educated populations in the world, but other countries are overtaking it by turning out young college graduates at a faster rate, especially in the sciences, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD.
The annual report, "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators," presents comprehensive data on the education systems in the Paris-based organization's 30 member democracies, and is scheduled to be released today. [View Full Article - by subscription - The Chronicle]

Overseas students’ £130m economy boost

Overseas students contribute nearly £130m to Scotland's economy in tuition fees alone, according to a report published yesterday. A study by the British Council, the UK's international body for cultural relations, found that higher education now makes more money for the UK economy than financial services or the vehicle trade.…….The education sector has soared in value from £23bn in 2001-2, partly due to growing numbers of international students. They pay full fees at a market rate - money which is in addition to that coming from the public purse to fund the education of UK students - which allows universities greater flexibility in the courses they teach and the research they pursue.………. Scottish universities first courted students from the EU and now India and Asia. [View Full Article]

University augments foreign aid packages

Some international students say they receive little help from their governments when it comes to school, ………..Hai Yen Nguyen and Kaushal Amatya , both international students, said their countries do not provide federal financial aid for students seeking an education in the U.S.…….. Vietnam…….. government provides only a few scholarships for students studying in other countries and for two to three years.……government officials believe students who come to the U.S. for school will want to stay awhile before returning to Vietnam and working in the country. ………. Nepalese government does not provide scholarships because of the complications involved with the visa application. "When you apply for a loan and then a visa, your visa application can be denied because it appears that you don't actually have enough money to afford school," Amatya said. Private loans can be taken through students' parents but it can be difficult to adjust their savings according to the changes in tuition,………."Tuition increases each year," Amatya said, "but the scholarships don't increase. It is hard to save up for what the scholarship doesn't cover." [View Full Article]

Nepalese student discovers comfort, hospitality in America

Taking on a heavy course load, balancing social, academic and recreational life, and cramming for the ever-dreaded class exams is a reality for college students. As if that was not enough, adding a language barrier is only expected to make things more difficult.………………Seeking a degree in the United States was the only option for Bhandary, as “the [higher] education of females is not promoted in Nepal - it ends with the completion of high school.”This educational experience for Bhandary does not come without a price, however. At an exchange rate of one American dollar for 75 Rupee, the Nepalese currency, the cost of tuition, twenty thousand dollars per academic year, is a burden on her family. Scholarships are not offered for out-of-country students attending public universities.[View Full Article]

IAU launches MBA course for Indian students

DAVANAGERE: This college want local students to get a degree in MBA from USA and also get a fine job in multinational company to lead a happy life at Indian cost. According to B S Gupta, Director of Gupta College of Management and Technology, Bangalore, pointed out his college was first in country to offer the MBA degree from International American University (IAU), Los Angeles California, USA, to the Indian students. There were three management programs available to students, Doctor in business administration, equivalent to PhD and two years full term MBA and executive MBA for people who have two years experience in their fields. The degrees offered by IAU are worldwide accepted as this was dynamic and modern university with high standard of teaching. Here the faculty from USA will come to teach one subject every semester to students… the students will be taught regular MBA course in four semesters. [View Full Article]

Foreign-Student Boom Both Helps and Hurts British Universities

A report published today by the umbrella organization representing the chief executives of all British universities highlights the growing importance of international students to both their financial heath and the survival of certain subjects that the government has deemed to have “strategic importance.”………..The level of foreign enrollment in strategic subjects such as biological sciences, engineering, and technology is much higher than in other disciplines, the report says, with 21 percent of undergraduates and 71 percent of graduate students coming from outside Britain.………. the large number of foreign students, particularly at the graduate level, is “worrying because it raises the question of whether we can renew our academic and research base from within the U.K.” —Aisha Labi [View Full Article]

Post-MBA plans stymied for many International students attending US B-Schools

Come August, hundreds of students travel abroad for their Master’s education. If you are one of those seeking an MBA from a top business school or any school for that matter in the US, you might want to consider your decision carefully. Interesting turn of events with respect to H1B visas and limitations faced by highly skilled people may be something you want to ponder about for a while. Hold onto that job back home or start your job search afresh; it is better than being left bereft after two years with a huge debt hanging on your shoulder.
………..If you have been following MBA related news, you might have heard about the H1 debacle this year and which will probably get worse next year. 65,000 plus another 20,000 Masters quota of H1B visas are given out every year and should ideally last for 2-3 months. This gave some freedom and time to post-graduate international students to explore diverse careers and make wise choices.,………. MBA does not allow you to pre-pone or post-pone your graduation date. Some proactive students succeeded in completing their exams earlier, getting a completion certificate which allowed them to jump lines in order to be eligible for advanced degree quota of H1Bs. [View Full Article]

One in every two students drop out of school in India

Even as India observes International Literacy Day Saturday, a study has found that one out of every two students enrolled in schools drop out before reaching ninth standard.
According to the revealing study carried out by the human resource development (HRD) ministry, one out of every four students does not go beyond class five. By class eight the dropout rate gets worse at 50.8 percent.………...It further underlined that as many as 60 percent of SC and 67 percent ST girls leave school without completing upper primary cycle of education, compared to 51 percent of girls from the general population.………….'Government is implementing the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (Education for All) programme for universalisation of elementary education by 2010………….Even as India is increasingly being recognised internationally as a knowledge hub, on the flip side only 10 percent of its total student strength is enrolled in higher education. [View Full Article]

Taking a Short cut

The land Down Under is coming out tops. Australia is now among the most exciting destinations for Indian students looking to go overseas to study, with New Zealand too rapidly gaining popularity. And traditional graduate or post-grad degrees isn’t what everyone is making a beeline for, with the new trend in both countries being of a large number of students opting for vocational courses such as chefs, hairdressers, physiotherapists and in veterinary services and hospitality.

“One year diploma courses give international students a specific industry based training after which they are very likely to get jobs. Besides, students also have the portability to get back to undergrad courses whenever they want to,” explains April Amosa. [View Full Article]

[Column] An equal playing field in higher education

"Academic cliques and the ranking of universities lead to secondary education that is all about university entrance exams, which ruins the bodies and souls of our children. The only way to resolve the contradictions of education is to abolish the university entrance exam system and implement university 'equalization…….
Korean education is madness itself. It is the result of a "crazy world where you take one test that determines your life." The country has been overtaken by the scandalous discovery that many prominent members of society have falsified their educational background, but that story is little more than a splinter in the harsh realities faced by the whole country when it comes to education, from students, parents, and teachers. [View Full Article]

Number of foreign students in UK rising

The number of students from China studying in Britain has soared in the past decade, figures show today.
Almost 51,000 Chinese students are taking courses at UK universities - accounting for almost one in six of overseas students.
According to the study published today, the number of students from outside the European Union has more than doubled in the past decade.
……….
In the past 12 months alone, postgraduate students from India have soared by a third, while numbers from the United States and Hong Kong are also on the rise.
Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said many were taking up places in "economically important" degree courses - such as engineering and the sciences - which were shunned by home-grown school leavers.
………….
This comes as business leaders complain that too few British teenagers are taking shortage subjects at GCSE and A-level - leaving the economy exposed to China and India. [View Full Article]

Private Deemed Universities in India

Though the third-largest system in terms of enrollment, with more than 10 million students, India has almost half of the world's institutions of higher education—almost four times more than in the United States and Europe and over seven times the number of institutions in China. Most of the 18,000 institutions in India are colleges and only around 370 are universities. While universities award their own degrees, the colleges award degrees through the university to which they are affiliated. ……….. Academic degrees in India can only be awarded by a university. Both the national Parliament and the state legislatures can authorize the establishment of universities. …………. The distinction between a private and public institution in Indian higher education is somewhat blurred. ………..
Private Growth
Over the past 20 years, the higher education capacity in the country has increased largely through private institutions. [View Full Article]
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How Education Pays: College Board Report Lists Benefits for Individuals and Society

A college education pays in more ways than one, according to a report released by the College Board on Wednesday. In addition to higher personal earnings for the graduates themselves, the report says, society at large benefits. College graduates are more likely to volunteer, vote, and donate blood, according to the report, and they have a higher tolerance of differing views.
The report, "Education Pays 2007: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society," is the latest in an annual series from the College Board. Based on data from a variety of sources, it gives a broad overview of the benefits of various levels of educational attainment, from less than a high-school degree to the highest professional degrees, and how those benefits vary by gender and race or ethnicity.

To continue reading this premium article, you must have a Chronicle account AND a subscription or an online pass. [View Full Article - By Subscription - The Chronicle]

More Indians going to New Zealand for higher studies

Chennai, Sept. 11 (PTI): The number of Indian students opting for higher studies in New Zealand is on the rise, according to an official of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
Jugnu Roy, Trade Development Manager, told PTI at a New Zealand Education Fair here today that 2,800 applications were received last year and an increase of 45 per cent this year was expected this year.
New Zealand offered high quality education in engineering, especially bio-technology and computer science, she said.
"Recently, the government changed the rules to encourage more PhD scholars to come to New Zealand when it announced that foreign students could pay the domestic fee and not the international fee," Roy said.
The education fair today was the seventh consecutive one held here. [View Full Article]

Have Degree: Can Work

With the revision of work rules in a number of foreign countries, the most recent being Australia, Indian students are now being presented with the option of staying back in the country where they receive their degree in order to gain that elusive international work experience. Educators in the United States regard these revisions as the latest in a series of attempts by other countries to chip away at the dominance of American higher education. The country also claims to be the first to offer international students the opportunity to gain work experience after completion of studies.

No matter what the reason, the fact remains that these work revisions are opening up lucrative and challenging professional avenues for Indian students studying across the globe. [View Full Article]

Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD touts new seventh grade Hindi, Mandarin language, history classes

………..“All the Chinese students want to attend college in the United States, which creates extra competition for American students trying to attend college here. Our new programs give our students that extra edge to compete,” Parpia said.………..“Because of the population explosion in China and India, their universities cannot enroll all the students who want to attend college,” Parpia said. “ They cannot keep up with demand.”
…….. more of America’s top colleges and universities are reserving slots for Chinese and Indian students.
“They know how to study, they have a great work ethic, and they are bilingual, because they learn English in their home country. They make great students at any university. Our students need to be able to compete with that.” [View Full Article]

Which colour? Too much choice!

There you stand, thinking, "So which one shall I buy?" It doesn't matter very much whether you select red, blue or pink - or does it?
Most students who decide to study abroad already know where they want to go. Well, almost. The obvious choices are Australia, the UK, the US and maybe the lesser-chosen destinations of New Zealand and Canada. There are even a few who opt for France, Germany or Japan, which is a bit like choosing mauve or cerise (is that a colour?).
What about Sweden, Malta (guess where?) or South Africa; surprisingly, once in a blue moon (why that colour?), someone does ask for such an alternative.
It's a strange thing, fashion. While we all pride ourselves on being individual, fashion drives us to all follow the crowd. So if all of my friends are going to the US, it must be a good idea, and thus so will I. But that's like saying all of your friends are buying red this season, and so now you will, too, whether or not it actually suits you.
Now, maybe I've taken this colour thing a bit too far. After all, choosing your country of study is a serious decision. [View Full Article]

Estonian Youth in a Global Context, Kairos Future

Today’s youth live in an increasingly globalized world, communication channels become wider and distances become shorter, but more and more young people trust only themselves and their loved ones. This is the conclusion of the new survey ”Global Youth”, made by Kairos Future, an international futures research and strategy firm with headquarters in Stockholm. The aim of the survey is to provide companies, authorities and organizations with strategic information concerning future consumers, employees and citizens. Quality of life and status – that’s what the young ones want
– Most young people in the world want quality of life and they choose a nice living environment to good work opportunities. However, the long-term trend is moving in the direction towards work with high status and good career opportunities, ……..The world’s youth believe it is important to get higher education. Seven out of ten 16-29 year olds want to study at university and one out of eight is going for a doctor’s degree, but they have different motivation factors. [View Full Article]

Turkish students still prefer U.S. schools

Increased visa restrictions and questionable practices of U.S. universities do not deter Turkish students who still prefer to cross the Atlantic in pursuit of post-secondary and graduate education. Experts believe that the United States will continue to have a pull, but will have to contend with other countries also vying for Turkish students. Fewer Turks traveled to the United States to study in the past year, but recent data shows that U.S. universities still lead the list for study-abroad opportunities. Data from the Institute for International Education indicates that the number of Turkish students choosing U.S. universities fell in the last year. In the 2005-2006 academic year about 11,600 Turkish students studied in the United States, down from less than 12,500 the year before.
This places Turkey as the eighth most important country sending students to U.S. higher education institutions. In the academic year 2005-2006, 2.1 percent of all foreign students in the U.S. were Turks.
Turkey falls behind India, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Taiwan and Mexico in sending students to the U.S. [View Full Article]

Imperfect international aid

LAST WEEK, a University representative informed me that due to a senseless post-Virginia Tech policy change, I would have to pay $66 per year for my corpse to be sent back to Malaysia in the event of my death. This, despite the fact that my family has resided in the Vienna, Virginia, for the past four years as legal resident aliens. Due to another unpublicized "policy change," the University has suddenly decided to enforce the rule that all F-1 student visa holders will not be eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of whether students and their families reside and pay taxes to the state of Virginia.
………… these policies reflect both the University's unwillingness to treat international students as a diverse group of individuals with different circumstances, and its poor record? in helping international students financially. [View Full Article]

How does it affect the common man?

While economists and policymakers are divided on the merits and demerits of a strong rupee, It has certainly wiped the smile off exporters' faces. IT/ITES companies too are not happy with their falling bottomlines. ………... Students who took study loans from India a year back to go abroad will lose out, for the dollar rates were higher then. As for students who are now planning to take a loan to go abroad, they are unlikely to gain too much in real terms. ……….. Even those who are spending more abroad now are doing it just because they can buy a few dollars more. It's more a psychological thing. In real terms, it's only a few dollars more. [View Full Article]

Market Focus: Education -- Learning the Recruitment Ropes

Higher education institutions are finding that there's more to recruitment than perfect SAT scores or glowing recommendations. Rapidly developing trends are forcing schools to make recruitment strategies more efficient, more effective, and more service-oriented. In other words, schools are starting to look a lot more like businesses. ………..The U.S. education market is facing "competition from all different angles that simply didn't exist 10 to 15 years ago……… The shrinking pool of potential college freshmen is a primary concern: Not only is the number of U.S. high school graduates anticipated to decline by 2010, but the international student pool in the U.S. is diminishing as well. Schools abroad are improving curricula and building their reputations. ……..Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Korea. "These countries have burgeoning emerging economies that need a lot of training and retooling so [they are] investing a lot on their education at all levels." [View Full Article]

In the US, mind your language

Frankly, my first day was just the way I had imagined it would be. I was clueless as I walked through the enormous campus, searching for my class, struggling with a map and walking around in circles. Your classmates will change with the lecture, making it difficult to have a set of friends you can hang out with. You are on your own all day, walking in a crowd, yet totally alone. It can be overwhelming at times, but it has taught me to be independent, focus only on studies on weekdays and keep the weekends for partying. Most people make friends during international orientation and through cultural organizations they sign up with. …………………American universities attract thousands of Indian students every year, a large number of which are vegetarian. It isn’t difficult to find an Indian restaurant or a decent sandwich joint that has vegetarian cuisine. Plus, most international students cook at home once or twice a week. ………… Hence it’s a good idea to opt for apartments rather than dormitories on campus. Apartments are cheaper and give you the freedom of cooking and sharing your space with multiple friends. In spite of that, a lot of students opt for dormitories in the first year to make friends and meet new people. [View Full Article]

U.S. Graduate Schools See Rise in International Students

The number of international students accepted by U.S. graduate schools has risen for the third consecutive year, reports The Financial Times.
Many attributed the eight percent rise in foreign graduate students to improvements by the U.S. government to the tedious student visa process. But even after three years of growth, 78 percent of U.S. graduate schools reported fewer international applicants this year than in 2003, according to a survey by the Council of Graduate Schools.
The number of foreign applicants to U.S. graduate schools declined in 2004 and 2005 after the state department imposed restrictions on students seeking visas after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. [View Full Article]

Malaysia: Center for education excellence

……. The vision of the Government is to make Malaysia a centre of educational excellence.
Malaysia's international education sector has grown tremendously during the past decade and Malaysia is fast becoming a centre of educational excellence in the region. Malaysia currently houses more than 50,000 international students from more than 100 countries. The country is set to welcome 100,000 international students in Malaysia by the year 2010. The higher education institutions in Malaysia are being provided by 18 public higher educational institutions (which include an international university), 27 private universities, 4 reputable foreign branch campus universities, more than 500 private colleges as well as various other higher educational institutions from the UK, US……….. [View Full Article]