Sept./Oct. 2000 Volume 13, Issue 5 CONTENTS COVER PAGE Return to cover page PRACTICAL INFORMATION [Free Access] Malaysia's System of Education REGIONAL NEWS [Subscribers only] Africa The Americas Asia & Pacific Europe Middle East FEATURE [Subscribers only] Book Discusses the Pros and Cons of Distance Education NEWS YOU CAN USE [Subscribers only] Cyprus: Private Tertiary Education Programs Accredited by the Ministry Of Education And Culture INFO Masthead: Learn more about eWENR and its editorial staff. Subscriptions: Don't miss future issues of eWENR. Workshops: See a listing of upcoming workshops sponsored by WES. Search or Browse WENR Archives: View back issues of this newsletter or search for specific words or terms. Useful Links: See a list of Web sites that may be helpful to eWENR readers. BREAKING NEWS WES opens new office in Toronto.

Regional News  Asia & Pacific  AUSTRALIA IDP Education Australia, the country's largest international student-recruiting organization, reported a 16 percent surge in the number of overseas students enrolled at Australian institutions of higher education. Part of this upward trend can be attributed to the economic recovery in Asia, according to IDP. There are 108,600 international students in Australia this year, up 16.2 percent from 1999 figures (93,400). The top five countries providing students were the so-called Asian tigers: Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and China. Next on the list was India, followed by the United States. IDP reports that the increasing numbers are due to "sound market research" and "sophisticated marketing strategies" combined with the upturn in the Asian economy and sizeable overseas markets. -- Campus Review June 14-20, 2000 CHINA A total of 44,711 international students enrolled in Chinese institutions of higher education last year compared to 1,700 students in 1998. These recent statistics from the Ministry of Education also revealed that the students came from 164 different countries. Japan sent the most students, followed by the Republic of Korea, the United States, Indonesia and Germany. An official from the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange credited the increase in foreign students to China's rapid economic and social development during the past two decades. Most of the students came to pursue masters' and doctoral degrees. A total of 896 students were in doctoral programs last year, an increase of 27 percent from the previous year, and 2000 students were working on master's degrees, a 14 percent increase from 1998. -- China Daily July 4, 2000 Cheating has become rampant on China's all-important college entrance exam. This year, 3.88 million students took the exam, an increase of 500,000 from last year. Those who pass are guaranteed a place in the country's university system and a good job after graduation. Failing the test could mean poor job prospects and an uncertain future. China suffers from a severe shortage of university places. Competition is tough and about 50 percent of the students do not pass. This is a vast improvement since 1973, when only 3 percent of test takers were admitted to a university. Yet despite the increase in university slots over the past 25 years, cheating is spreading. There are shops that openly sell or rent pagers that can receive exam answers and display them on their screens. Depending on the subject, these devises range in price from US$36 to $360. Students can then set the beepers on vibrate during the exam and have the answers beamed to them from an outside source. Both teachers and students from several schools have been implicated in the scam. Critics say that unless the government does something to create even more university slots, the cheating trend will continue unabated. -- Washington Post Aug. 8, 2000 EAST TIMOR East Timor's first national university is scheduled to open next month but officials are still arguing over the language of instruction. The issue is a highly politicized one because the language they choose will most probably become the fledgling nation's administrative language. Portuguese, English and Indonesian are all being considered. The new institution, located in the capital, Dili, will most probably be known as the University of East Timor. After 24 years of occupation, East Timor gained independence from Indonesia just over a year ago. Indonesian, which was forced upon the population as a result of being colonized, is the language most widely spoken among the country's educated elite. Portuguese is another colonial language, but some independence leaders have hailed it as a "language of liberation." Others, especially those who were educated abroad, want English to be the language of instruction. --The Chronicle of Higher Education Oct. 6, 2000 HONG KONG The heads of eight institutions of higher education claim they will be forced to admit fewer numbers of students unless additional funding becomes available. In May, the Education Commission proposed that three-year undergraduate programs be extended to four years. However, it made clear that no extra funding would be available and suggested that universities finance themselves. University presidents have told the commission that they need at least 20 percent more funding if they are to successfully implement the additional year of undergraduate study. The number of university places to be cut has not yet been determined, but the president of Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Poon Chungkwong, assured that it would not exceed 30 percent of the current total. In Hong Kong, only about 34 percent of the population, including those studying abroad, receive a higher education. Compare that to 81 percent in the United States and 68 percent in South Korea. In Shanghai, 70 percent of high school graduates go on to attend a post-secondary institution. Professor Cheng Kai-ming, pro-vice chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, claimed the objective of the commission's proposal was not to initiate a four-year system of higher education per se. Rather, it was to eliminate the last year of upper secondary school (form seven) by getting the universities to admit students one year earlier and to pay for it themselves. -- South China Morning Post July 17, 2000 INDIA India's University Grants Commission is introducing a degree program for the Hindu priesthood. The commission chairman said the move is necessary to meet the shortage of qualified priests at home and to provide for the spiritual needs of Hindus living abroad. There are substantial Hindu communities in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and he explained that this is a "golden opportunity to export Indian culture and earn foreign exchange." According to the commissioner, a large number of Indian priests presiding over weddings, funerals and other Hindu rituals are in reality "quacks." Many academics have criticized the decision, claiming it is merely an attempt of the nationalist Vajpayee government to further its Hindutva agenda. They say the government should not be funding programs of study to benefit a particular religious group. -- Times Higher Education Supplement Aug. 11, 2000 PAKISTAN Officials in the province of Sindh have issued a severe warning regarding universities and other institutions of higher education that have not been registered with the government. According to one source, many unrecognized private institutions are teaching curricula that have not been approved by the proper authorities and are operating illegally. Students and parents are being advised to check the legality of these institutions because the government does not recognize their certificates and degrees. In particular, many institutions of professional education, such as engineering and medical schools, are operating without the approval of the Pakistan Engineering Council or the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council. The following is a list issued by the University Grant Commission of chartered and legally established universities: Private Universities Hamdard University, Karachi Aga Khan University, Karachi Baqai Medical University, Karachi Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi Jinnah University for Women, Karachi Muhammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi Isra University, Hyderabad Iqra University, Karachi Greenwich University, Karachi Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology, Karachi Institute of Business Management, Karachi Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Karachi Karachi Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi Public Universities University of Sindh, Jamshoro University of Karachi NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam Quaid-i-Awam University of Engineering, Sciences and Technology, Nawabshah Institute of Business Administration, Karachi -- Dawn July 13, 2000 E-mail your comments to the editor The eWENR staff welcomes your feedback regarding this article or the newsletter in general.  RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS