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July/August
2002
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PAGE PRACTICAL
INFORMATION REGIONAL
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Regional
News
FRANCEEducation Minister Decries Poor Pass Rate
In an interview,
Ferry said that while higher education in France is now more available
to the masses, the quality of that education needs improvement. Currently,
there are more than 1.5 million university students, half of them studying
for the initial two-year diploma, the Diplômes d'Études Universitaires
Générales (DEUG). "The
pass rate," he said, "remains one of the weakest in countries
of the developed world: only 45 percent of French students get their DEUG
in two years; 68 percent in three years." Ferry proposed
five major policy areas for higher education and research: • Universities
will be encouraged to introduce general culture studies for each major
branch of studies. • Better
guidance is needed for new students on their choice of subject, as are
greater care and monitoring of undergraduates. • Continue
efforts to open students' horizons beyond France. • Provide
more autonomy and decentralization of universities. • Emphasize the positive role of science and technology to halt student disaffection and reverse the drop in graduates entering research. This should
start at primary school, and universities should organize courses in the
history of science for all students. —
The
Times Higher Education Supplement ITALYChicago, Rome Schools Team Up for Engineering Degree
The courses will be offered in Rome, taught in English and will specialize in two areas: energy engineering and thermal and fluids engineering. The program
is open to full- and part-time students. Full-time students can complete
the program in one academic year. Applicants must have a university degree
in a scientific field, equivalent to the Italian laurea or laurea specialistica.
They must be fluent in English and must have scored at least 213 on the
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants whose university
degrees are from English-speaking countries are exempted from the TOEFL
certificate. —
Tor
Vergata UNITED KINGDOM
Newcastle
School Reinvents Image
"We've
been up and running for 10 years and everybody knows we're in Newcastle,"
a spokeswoman said. "The students say they're at Northumbria, so
it makes sense to reflect that." The university
plans to partition its five schools into 11, beginning in September. It
is also looking to expand the number of vocational courses it offers to
widen participation and encourage life-long learning. The changes
were devised over an 18-month period, with students having a chance to
voice their opinions. —
The
BBC Muslim Students Pass on Britain
The researchers
asked more than 5,000 Muslims between the ages of 15 and 25 living in
different countries where they would most like to study. Of those surveyed,
16 percent said, "Britain." In a similar survey carried out
two years ago, 32 percent had the same answer. Likewise,
researchers for Connecting Futures, a government backed project aimed
at promoting understanding between Britain and the Islamic World, found
that after Sept. 11, students in countries with large Muslim populations
were more interested in Japan, Australia and Canada. At present, there are more than 10,000 Muslims studying in Britain. —
The
Straits Times 'Cool' Campus Would Offer Play-stations, PhDs
If established,
Doncaster hopes to attract 70,000 students with an entertainment-based
approach to higher education that was initially pioneered in Australia.
The university would be the first in the United Kingdom to cater to students
(14-year-olds through adults) by combining leisure and business with school,
further education and degree-level study on one campus. The Higher
Education Funding Council for England has given backing for the project
to proceed to the next phase. The university
would offer a broad range of qualifications, from adult literacy to doctorates.
—
The
Times Higher Education Supplement
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your comments to the editor.
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Luc Ferry, education and research minister of France, said recently his
country has one of the worst pass rates in the developed world for undergraduate
students because French courses do not include general culture and because
students have to specialize too soon.