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  Europe  FRANCE A record number of students (644,128) took the baccalauréat exam in June to qualify for a university place. Although most students still take the general baccalauréat (choosing papers in science, literature, economics/social studies), the technical baccalauréat and the vocational baccalauréat are gaining in popularity. Statistics show that 46 percent of students choose either the technical or the vocational exam over the general exam. The number of general baccalauréat students choosing literature has declined by more than 4 percent compared with last year to 76,500. In comparison 98,000 chose economics while 170,000 took science. In 1970, only 167,307 candidates, a mere fifth of the age group, passed the exam. Last year, more than three-fifths (489,358) passed. In 1985 the Ministry of Education set a goal for 80 percent of the age group to reach baccalauréat standard by the year 2000. The baccalauréat exam is administered each year in June. Papers are graded and the results posted less than three weeks after the exam. -- Times Higher Education Supplement Aug. 11, 2000 GERMANY The International University of Bremen (IUB) was founded jointly in 1999 by the city-state of Bremen, Rice University and the University of Bremen. IUB plans to enroll its first students in the fall of 2001 and will be Europe's first private, English-language institution offering bachelor's and master's degrees in addition to PhDs. The student body will be international. IUB was founded as part of the ongoing effort to reform Germany's system of higher education by offering a private alternative to state-run universities. The campus is equipped with an international digital library and will feature faculty- and student- exchange programs. Joint educational and research projects between IUB and institutions on all four continents are also being planned. Unlike other German universities, IUB will charge tuition, its faculty will be hired on a contractual -- as opposed to a tenured -- basis, and enrollment will be limited (1,200 students by 2005). In addition, all courses will be taught in English and admission will be highly selective. --International Higher Education Summer 2000 In September, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder announced a 10-point plan for increasing the number of students studying information technology in Germany. Under the new scheme, universities will create 60,000 additional places for people who want to specialize in this discipline. German universities currently enroll about 2 million students each year. However, critics maintain that Germany, which practically invented the research university, is lagging behind other Western countries in information technology. -- The Chronicle of Higher Education Oct. 6, 2000 NORWAY A recent government report has recommended greater autonomy, higher quality and the establishment of more specialized universities as the key ingredients to reforming Norway's system of higher education. In particular, the authors of the report emphasized the need to enhance the quality of research and teaching. Increased competition in higher education means Norwegian universities will have to enhance the quality of their programs to attract the best and the brightest. Higher quality is expected to shorten the program's length of study: to three or three-and-a-half years for lower degrees, and to five years for higher degrees from the current six years. The report does not advocate the need for more classically based universities (there are currently four), but it does recommend creating "narrow universities" based on regional needs, such as petroleum or geology. The report is expected to lead to a bill on higher education next year, which means that these reforms could be implemented sometime in 2002. -- Times Higher Education Supplement June 9, 2000 ROMANIA Reforms are currently being implemented to bring Romania's system of higher education closer to the European model. Master's programs have been introduced for the first time, and license examinations and doctoral programs have undergone modifications. A credit system has also been approved and will soon be implemented. Until recently, all scientific research was conducted under the auspices of government bodies of the Romanian Academy. Under the current reforms, however, this research is carried out in universities and is funded by the National Council for University Scientific Research. The number of universities has increased significantly during the past decade to accommodate the growing number of students. The student boom is partly the result of the trend towards privatization after the collapse of the communist bloc in 1989. The private sector had established 44 new universities between 1996 and 1997; before 1990 there were no private institutions of higher education in Romania. To combat the growing tide of private colleges, the state established 19 additional institutions of higher education during the last decade. Unlike their counterparts in other countries, private universities in Romania are considered inferior to the largely tuition-free state institutions and tend to enroll lower-income students. This apparent paradox can be explained by the fact that private lessons among students in public universities are becoming increasingly expensive (US$600 to $700 per year). The decline in the quality of secondary education and the expansion of costly private lessons are making it difficult for lower-income students to pass the competitive entrance examinations required to enter public universities. -- International Higher Education Summer 2000 UNITED KINGDOM A new framework for higher education is expected to significantly alter the structure of degrees in the United Kingdom. Under the new plan, higher education awards will be divided into five distinct categories: higher education certificates; higher diplomas; bachelor degrees; master's degrees; and PhDs. The national framework will ensure that awards with similar names reflect comparable levels of achievement. Hence, many degrees are expected to be phased out, renamed or restructured. These include the four-year undergraduate Master of Arts awarded by Scottish universities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St. Andrews) as well as the Master of Arts often given to BA students who complete industrial placements. Masters degrees with too many undergraduate level courses and requirements are also threatened. The decision to reform Britain's degree structure is largely the result of a recent study, which revealed that most employers are thoroughly confused about higher education qualifications. About half the employers interviewed said they could not clearly differentiate between a master's and bachelor's degree. -- Times Higher Education Supplement June 30, 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