World Education News and Reviews

May/June 2002

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Regional News

UNESCO Council Tackles Digital Divide In 2000, only 0.4 percent of people living in sub-Saharan Africa were Internet users, compared to 54.3 percent of U.S. residents. Seeking ways to redress the imbalance, experts from 26 countries recently gathered in Paris for the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme. The council plans to meet annually to explore ways of bridging the digital divide and propose activities for implementation under UNESCO's Information for All Programme. The program was established in 2001 to foster debate on the political, ethical and societal challenges of the emerging global knowledge society and to carry out projects promoting equal access to digital information. — UNESCO Press April 15, 2002

ETHIOPIA

Selam Nurses College Graduates Another Class

Selam Nurses College recently graduated its 2002 class of 33 female students. Established in 1996, the school was created as a modern, high-tech hospital and health-care facility, and to provide a large number of nurses for a soon-to-be-opened high-tech hospital in Selam.

The college is the first private nursing college in the country and provides free education, lodging, books and a small stipend. There are currently 120 students enrolled at the college. This year's graduation is yet another indication that the institution is growing in reputation and numbers. College officials said they soon plan to open it up to male students as well.

— The Addis Tribune
May 10, 2002

GHANA

Mandela Gets Honorary Doctorate

Former South African President Nelson Mandela was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghana, in a country that, according to Mandela, holds a very special place among Africans.

"When we think of Ghana," said Mandela, "we think of freedom for Africans, African self-determination, pride and dignity of African people. We think of Kwame Nkrumah and his deep love for the people and continent of Africa and his passionate belief that we are one people despite national and geographic borders that separate and seek to divide us."
Mandela also praised the university for playing a pivotal role in nurturing the Ghanian national spirit. "I am proud to be associated with this great institution," he said.

— South African Press Association
April 24, 2002

Changes for UCEW

The University College of Education, Winneba (UCEW) is to be upgraded to a full-fledged university, and will change its name to the University of Winneba.

A university official said the government has put in place a program for the next 30 months to rehabilitate distressed schools and build teachers' living quarters in a bid to improve the quality of education in the country.

— Accra Mail
May 6, 2002

MALAWI

Malawi's Free Education Benefits Poor

A new report published by the World Bank says the Malawi government's 1994 decision to abolish primary-school fees and increase education spending has led to a dramatic increase in enrollment rates for both primary and secondary schools. The report also suggests the decision had a significant impact on access to education for the poor.

Education's share of the country's budget rose from 13 percent in 1994-95 (3.5 percent of gross domestic product) to 20 percent in 1997-98 (4.7 percent of GDP). In 1990-91, primary-school enrollment among the richest 20 percent of the population was almost double that of the poorest households. By 1997-98, the difference had been nearly eliminated. Secondary-school enrollments also increased remarkably over the period, and again, poorer families benefited.

The World Bank report, "The Changing Distribution of Public Education Expenditure in Malawi," concludes that "the education reforms undertaken in 1994 have clearly been pro-poor." It also points out that the "first-generation" reforms of abolishing fees for primary education was a "first step."

— The News 24
May 14, 2002

MAURITANIA

University Uses Online Methods to Bolster Standards

The University of Nouakchott wants to find a way for its students to take full advantage of its distance-learning program. As Mauritania's only institution of higher education, the university is trying to deliver high-quality education from North America via teleconferencing and the Internet through a branch of African Virtual University (AVU).

But unlike other distance-learning programs, which target people in rural areas or in the work force, Nouakchott instead seeks out those already in university. Some program administrators hope to build an infrastructure that is less reliant on AVU, with which it has been working for four years. The university has signed agreements allowing it to provide non-degree training and is hoping to use AVU's infrastructure for its own programs.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 14, 2002

KENYA

Women's University to Open in Nairobi

A new private women's university called the Kiriri Women University of Science and Technology is scheduled to open soon in Nairobi.

In its first four years, the university will offer courses in business administration, information systems and foreign languages at the Centre for African Family Studies. It will then relocate to a 20.25-acre site in Githurai Kimbo after construction there is completed.

Officials said the new institution is badly needed as women are poorly represented at public universities. In 2000-01, women comprised 31.6 percent of enrollment in public universities. They also accounted for only 21.1 percent of the total enrollment (in both public and private schools).

The university will endeavor to breach the gender gap in university education in general and in science-related courses in particular. It will offer degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in science and technology, with supporting courses in the humanities.

— The East African Standard
May 11, 2002

Alumni Group Hopes to Attract More East African Students

Graduates of the University of Warwick in Great Britain have formed an alumni association to attract more students from East African countries. In May, University of Warwick alumni gathered in Nairobi to elect officers to steer the new Warwick Graduates Association, Kenya Chapter. A similar association exists in Uganda, and another one is organizing in Tanzania.

On average an estimated 55 Kenyans are admitted to the University of Warwick every year, according to the school's Representative Office for Eastern Africa. In 2002, however, the number of students from Kenya surged to 208. Currently, there are also 56 Ugandans and 69 Tanzanians attending the university.

The school has a permanent office at the Braeburn Group of Schools' headquarters in Nairobi, which provides information about the university. Also at the headquarters, qualified researchers can enroll in a distance-learning degree program and obtain a bachelor of philosophy in education through the Braeburn Center for Professional Development.

— The East African (Nairobi)
May 6, 2002

Kabarak University to Open in September

Kabarak University will open its doors to its first group of students in September. It initially will operate from Moi High School in Kabarak, but will soon relocate to an adjacent site donated by President Daniel Arap Moi.

The university will offer degree courses in three main departments: theology, education and arts; business and economic studies; and science, communication and technology.
The university has invited scholars to apply for teaching posts in theology, business studies, computer science, music and education. The university is seeking scholars with doctorates, and only those with master's degrees and at least two years of teaching at university level and research experience will be considered.

— The East African Standard
April 27, 2002

NAMIBIA

Fraud Costs University Huge Sums of Money

A scam uncovered at the University of Namibia earlier this year has cost the institution approximately US$150,000. To date, eight administrative staff members have been suspended in connection with the scam, while dozens of students have been implicated.

In April, the university asked auditing firm Niehaus and Co. to determine the magnitude of the fraud, in which staff and students allegedly cooperated to bilk the school of thousands in student fees.

Staff members allegedly altered student accounts to show payment when, in fact, the students still owed money. Up to 75 students then withdrew the credited amounts and shared the cash with the employees, who apparently gave them "commission." Some students may have pocketed more than US$25,000, while some teachers and university staff allegedly stole more than $12,000 each. Initial reports also claim that a suspended staff member had circumvented procurement procedures by opening his own company, from which the university bought its stationery and other goods.

A university spokesman said the institution would issue a detailed statement once it is presented with all the findings. Niehaus and Co. is still conducting its investigation.

— The Namibian Newspaper
April 30, 2002

SOUTH AFRICA

Belhar Training College Opens

Several new institutions of higher education have been opened recently in South Africa. On of these new schools is Belhar Training College.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the college in Cape Town, Labor Minister Membathisi Mdladlana said the former apartheid system had wreaked havoc on the country's labor market, which still suffers from discrimination and neglect.

Belhar Training College will offer practical skills courses in construction.

The college, previously known as the Building Industries Federation of South Africa, is accredited through the Construction Education and Training Authority, which trains students in accordance to the needs of various sectors of the economy.

Mdladlana said the government hopes to register 80,000 students by March 2005. Approximately 3,000 students have registered already.

— Bua News
May 13, 2002

SANDF to Introduce Distance Education

The South African National Defense Force (SANDF), through its Military Academy, plans to offer distance military and university education at its Military Academy starting sometime next year.

All qualifying candidates will be evaluated, selected and assigned to either a pilot project or a waiting list. If the program is approved, candidates on the waiting list will commence their studies in 2004. The course lasts six years and will be available only to serving members of the SANDF and other public servants in the Department of Defense.

— Bua News
May 27, 2002

TANZANIA

Country Among World Bank Beneficiaries

Tanzania may be in line to benefit from a US$1 billion aid package earmarked to help African countries achieve universal primary education.

Sources close to the Education for All campaign say Tanzania is expected to be among 10 poor countries selected for a "fast-track" program, to be launched this month. The chosen 10 will likely be given roughly equal shares of an initial US$1 billion donor allocation, intended to be renewed annually for a decade or more. Education for All's goal is to ensure six years of schooling for all children by 2015.

According to World Bank statements, criteria for participation in the fast-track program have not yet been formulated, but countries will not be eligible for the new aid unless they have developed their own comprehensive and credible plans for providing all their children with a primary education. This will involve a concrete financial commitment on the part of countries vying for inclusion in the program.

Tanzania's progress toward meeting that requirement has already earned the country recognition from the World Bank. In October, the Bank approved a US$150 million interest-free loan to support the Tanzanian government's efforts to expand access to schools, to improve educational quality and to increase the school-retention rate. About one-third of the country's children still do not attend primary school.

The new funds would be used to train and employ teachers as well as to purchase textbooks and other supplies. Financial backing for the initiative is expected to come largely from traditional donor sources, primarily the European Union and the United States.

The fast-track version of Education for All is intended to kick-start efforts to reach the program's goal. Eventually, the World Bank hopes to persuade donors to provide billions of additional dollars per year in order to assist more than just 10 countries.

— The East African
May 13, 2002

UGANDA

Government to Open 11 Polytechnics

The government will open 11 community polytechnics this year, a government education official recently announced. These are the first such institutions to be opened in Uganda.

Originally proposed in 1996, the community polytechnics were designed to provide low-cost, accessible, multi-skills training opportunities for primary-school graduates.

The same official said that school principals to head the new institutions had already been appointed, specialized instructors were being trained and the guidelines for establishing the polytechnics were being laid down.

— New Vision
May 10, 2002

Agricultural Curriculum Under Development

The government is developing a strategic agricultural-education plan, according to the agriculture minister.

Under the plan, a new agricultural training curriculum for secondary and tertiary institutions is currently being developed. An agricultural curriculum has already been adopted by more than 2,000 primary schools countrywide.

— New Vision
May 3, 2002

Virtual library To Host World's Oldest Texts Online A handful of historians are using the Internet to assemble a virtual library of thousands of clay tablets inscribed with the world's oldest written language, cuneiform. Started in 1998, the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative has recently taken on new urgency as experts fear the texts could be lost forever if they aren't electronically cataloged soon. Some 120,000 cuneiform, or "wedge-shape," tablets from the third millennium BC alone are scattered throughout the world, and thousands more are plundered each year in Iraq and dumped on the world antiquities market. Some have been sold over eBay. Robert Englund, professor of Near Eastern languages and cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles. believes the only solution to get control of the tablets is to put them on the Internet. Over the next year or two, he plans to finish gathering, cataloging and photographing 120,000 tablets, which will then be posted on the Web. The project, which is being conducted jointly by UCLA and Germany's Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, is funded in part by a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation through its Digital Libraries Initiative. When completed, the virtual cuneiform library will include publication, excavation, and collection information about each tablet where available, as well as images and a description of its content. About 60,000 texts are already online. — The Union Tribune May 17, 2002

CANADA

Online Service Speeds Transcript Exchange

To save time and money, several universities in British Columbia recently unveiled a new service that allows them to transfer student transcripts online.

The first phase of the project has seven of the 27 universities participating; most of the others will likely join later in the year. It cost nearly US$100,000 to set up, but some say the future savings in postal stamps will recoup those expenses - there are about 250,000 requests for transcripts every year in the province, all of which were formally transported via snail mail. As transcripts can now be sent electronically, officials say admissions decisions will take place at a much faster pace.

The seven institutions included in the first phase of the project are British Columbia Institute of Technology, Douglas College, Kwantlen University College, Malaspina University-College, Okanagan University College, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 30, 2002

Web-Based Learning Initiative to Debut at LaSalle College

LaSalle College, Canada's largest multilingual private technical training establishment, has selected Centra and its CentraOne™ eLearning platform to introduce a new distance-learning initiative known as iLasalleCampus.

The program will enable instructors and students to connect from remote locations and engage in an interactive classroom environment. LaSalle will also offer self-paced training modules so students can go at their own speed.

The LaSalle College Group, comprised of 23 educational institutions in Canada, serves more than 10,000 students a year, is based in Montreal and offers its instruction in English, French and Spanish. LaSalle expects that by fall 2003, more than 200 students will be participating in its distance-learning program.

— La Salle College
May 14, 2002

UNITED STATES

Schools Get First Look at System for Tracking Students

Some 100 university administrators and advisers responsible for ushering foreign students through the visa process at their respective schools visited the University of Minnesota in May to witness a demonstration of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Created by the Justice Department, SEVIS will connect 74,000 U.S. colleges, universities, trade schools and other institutions to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and give them instant and detailed information about the foreign students.

Before a foreign student can apply for a visa, he or she will have to be accepted by a school, which will enter the student's name and identifying information into the database. The student then must pay a $95 registration fee and be issued a paper receipt. That receipt will have to be presented, along with the school's acceptance letter, to a U.S. Embassy or Consulate when the student seeks a visa. SEVIS will monitor a foreign student's arrival in the country, if the student enrolls and shows up for class at the beginning of the term and it will also track whether the student takes a required course load, drops out, is expelled or commits a crime.

Starting the system will cost nearly $37 million, and there is speculation as to whether SEVIS will be ready by the proposed Jan 30 deadline. Schools will be able to use the new system voluntarily as early as July 1. All institutions that admit foreign students will be required to use it by Jan. 30.

— The Star Tribune
May 21, 2002

Portrait of U.S. College Students is Changing

Students who go straight from high school to college and leave the same campus four years later with a degree paid for by their parents are quickly becoming a minority according to a new study.

A report entitled "Access & Persistence", published in May by the American Council on Education reveals that about three-quarters of all students currently work while earning a four-year degree. A quarter of all students hold full-time jobs.

Some of the report's other findings include:

• Among 9 million students earning bachelor's degrees, 40 percent came straight from high school, attended classes full time and worked part time — or not at all — while their parents paid the cost of school.

• While 64 percent of students earned a bachelor's degree within five years, another 16 percent were still enrolled five years later. The remaining 20 percent had left school.

• Less than half of college students, 47 percent, stayed enrolled at the school where their studies began and earned a degree there within five years.

— The Pioneer Press
May 06, 2002

New Policy Bars Part-Time Students from Mexico, Canada

Under a new federal policy, Mexicans and Canadians are now prohibited from enrolling part time at colleges in the United States. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) announced the policy on May 22 in a memo to INS field offices and to the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), a nonprofit organization that supports international education and exchange in higher education.

Officials at some institutions complained about the lack of warning with regard to the announcement. Under the new policy, part-time students in continuing education programs that started before May 22 may be allowed to complete their courses through the end of their current session, but will not be permitted to sign up for courses on a part-time basis after that.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 29, 2002

'New Mindset' Needed to Help Latino Students

Latinos, the nation's fastest-growing minority group, continue to fall through the cracks in the current education system, says a report from the Hispanic Border Leadership Institute.

The report asserts that despite enormous increases in Latino populations in the United States, Latino students continually lag behind in everything from high school-graduation rates to college enrollment. It proposes a need for widespread adoption of "a totally new mindset" among policymakers and educators alike, a mindset that sees Latino students not as disadvantaged and deficient, but as capable of learning.

The report also suggests the situation is getting worse, and that the Southwest is no longer an isolated hotbed of Latino students but a beacon for the entire country. Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in Arizona grew 88 percent. Latinos now make up one-third of the state's school-age population. The state also has the highest high school-dropout rate in the country, led in large part by Latinos — of last year's 26,000 dropouts, 42 percent were Latinos.

— The Arizona Republic
April 2, 2002

MEXICO

Graduate Program Teaches Educational Technology Online

The University of British Columbia (UBC) and Mexico's Tec de Monterrey have teamed up to offer a joint master's degree. Applications are now being accepted for the new Master of Educational Technology (MET) Program, opening in September. All courses will be delivered online.

The MET Program is a professional development program aimed at education professionals working in technology-supported learning environments and/or interested in exploring issues related to education and technology. The program was designed to allow students to focus on their area of teaching/education expertise — either the adult/postsecondary sector or the primary/secondary (K-12) sector. Students can choose between the 10-course master's degree or one of two five-course certificate programs: the postgraduate certificate in technology-based distributed learning, or the postgraduate certificate in technology-based learning for schools. Students can also opt for individual courses, as well.

Not only will students have access to knowledge from two institutions, they will be able to participate in the course regardless of their location. Classes will be offered in both English and Spanish.

— UB Faculty of Education
April 15, 2002

PERU

Campus Officials Say Maoist Rebels are Back

Peruvian authorities fear that the country's public universities are becoming breeding grounds for terrorists.

In May, a government official announced he had credible evidence that members of the Shining Path guerilla movement, a militant Maoist group, are attempting to organize on college campuses. Terrorism experts and university officials share the government's concerns.

Sources familiar with the Shining Path movement say the guerrilla group is attempting to make inroads with students at several institutions, including San Marcos National University, where Shining Path pamphlets and graffiti have turned up recently. Other institutions mentioned were Daniel Alcides Carrión National University in Cerro de Pasco, in the central highlands, and the National University of the Altiplano, in Puno.

Shining Path, which declared war on the Peruvian government in 1980, was a powerful force on campuses around the country in the early 1990s. The rebel group began losing its grip on students in 1992, when most of its leaders were arrested. The Peruvian military occupied San Marcos and several other campuses for most of the 1990s.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 29, 2002

AUSTRALIA

Online Program Covers Aboriginal Group's Language, Culture

Northern Territory University in Darwin has created a distance-education program to teach students one of the world's oldest aboriginal languages. The program began this year, and some 50 students are currently enrolled, the majority of whom are based in Australia.

The university is working with the Yolngu people to study their language and culture, and also is using the latest technology to teach courses about the aboriginal tribe, a people in northeastern Australia whose history on the continent dates back 40,000 years. While the university has offered both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Yolngu studies, this marks the first time that an institution of higher education has offered the studies online. The cost for the entire program is around US$1,740.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
March 1, 2002

Dramatic Surge in Visa Applications and Foreign Student Enrollment

More than 200,000 foreign fee-paying students are expected to enroll in Australian institutions of higher education this year, with well over 100,000 studying on the continent itself.

In 2000, universities enrolled 72,000 foreign students on their Australian campuses, with about 25,000 more studying offshore. In the past decade, Australian higher education enrollment has witnessed an increase of 230 percent. While the spike has come from many countries across Europe and Africa, the largest number of students is from China. That number alone has jumped 66 percent since the previous year.

Officials say the recent surge can be attributed to the July 2001 amendments in the country's visa policies.

— Campus Review
March 12, 2002

CHINA

Int'l Education Expo Held in North China Province

Some 50 overseas schools of higher learning and educational organizations attended the first China International Education Expo, held between June 6-9 in Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province.

These overseas universities and educational organizations are from 18 countries and regions including Britain, the United States, Russia, France, Germany and Japan. Hebei's 75 universities, key secondary schools and foreign languages schools have also signed up for the expo.

The event was jointly sponsored by the State Overseas Study Fund Commission and Hebei Province.

Participants discussed the educational systems of different countries, development trends in education, the role of international cooperation in higher education, educational development in China since it joined the World Trade Organization, international cooperation in the educational field and new openings for exchanges.

— Xinhua News Agency
June 03, 2002

Vice Premier Stumps for Improved Rural Education System

At a teleconference held April 26, Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing said two shifts in responsibility are crucial for the improvement of the rural compulsory education-management system - from farmers to government and from township level to county level. To further improve the system, he added, people need to focus on a few key points:

1. Establish a stable and effective system to guarantee funds necessary for rural compulsory education.

2. Create a comprehensive monitoring system to ensure effective and legitimate use of all funds.

3. Concentrate on poverty-stricken areas to keep their development of the compulsory education program abreast with everywhere else.

Li also stressed that student-work programs need strengthening so students from financially strapped families can complete their studies.

— People's Daily
April 27, 2002

NEPAL

Rebels Torch Sanskrit College

Maoist rebels set fire to Mahendra Sanskrit University Nepal's only Sanskrit-language university in May, destroying administration buildings and damaging the college's valuable collection of ancient texts. All student records, kept since the university opened in 1986, were destroyed, as well as an unknown number of Sanskrit books.

The rebels, who are fighting to overthrow the country's constitutional monarchy, have demanded the government stop teaching Sanskrit, the language of Nepal's aristocracy. This demand has been among the rebels' priorities since their rebellion began in 1996. The fire was the second attack on the campus in six months.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 31, 2002

PAKISTAN

Musharraf Blocks Aid to 115 Islamic Schools for Alleged Links to Terrorism

Pakistan has blocked financial assistance to 115 Islamic schools because of their alleged involvement in militancy, sectarian violence and terrorism, a senior cleric said Monday.

``The government will not release funds to those 115 madrassas whose students or heads have been linked to militancy,'' said Mufti Abdul Qavi, a member of the Pakistan Madrassa Education Board, authorized recently by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to purge Islamic schools of extremism. ``How can we provide funds to those who are involved in militancy?''

Over the next three years, the government will release $250 million to some 8,000 Islamic schools - known as madrassas - but those on the blacklist will not get any money.

Heeding appeals from pro-Taliban clerics, thousands of students at Islamic schools opposed the decision, calling it a betrayal and demanding that coalition forces in Pakistan be sent home.

— Boston Herald
June 3, 2002

PHILIPPINES

Educated Filipinos Look Abroad for Better Life

Educated young professionals and their families continue to leave the Philippines in large numbers. Despite promises from successive governments for a stronger economy at home, the exodus began before the downfall of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and has not abated.

This mass exodus is quickly eroding hopes of building a stable middle class and restructuring the political system, which is still encrusted with the oligarchs of the past. While all types of people flee - nurses, doctors, and computer analysts among them - the most recent trend appears to be young female graduates going to Japan.

Reluctant to compromise the interests of the country's power elite, the successive governments during the 1990s did not encourage foreign investment in important industries, a practice that hindered job creation. Hence, increasing numbers of Filipinos have left their homeland in search of greener pastures overseas. The majority of them go to the Middle East, Australia, Japan or the United States. Official government statistics show that 5 million Filipinos currently live abroad, while economists put that number around 7.5 million.

Their remittances - the money they send to friends and family - make up the nation's second-largest source of foreign exchange, behind the nation's exportation of electronic goods.

— The New York Times
April 8, 2002

TAIWAN

Taipei Launches Cyber-Academy for Civil Servants

The Taiwanese government has introduced a US$76.5 million, six-year, national-development program that aims to turn Taiwan into a "digitalized state." In early May, it launched the cornerstone of the program, a cyber-academy designed to encourage civil servants to enroll in life-long learning courses.

"We hope," said Lin Chia-cheng, chairman of the government's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, "that the inauguration of the e-learning academy will help materialize the building of a digitalized Taiwan."

The E-learning Civil Servant Academy offers 10 courses to the nation's 600,000 civil servants. "To respond to a fast-changing world, it's important to provide civil servants — whoever they are and wherever they work — with a new way of learning, so they'll remain abreast of the most updated information," Lin said. The online academy was in development for nine months.

According to one official, 67 of Taiwan's 200 universities, or about 30 percent, acknowledge the credentials of online programs (about 44 percent of the 3,000 universities in the United States offer online programs and acknowledge their credentials). That same official suggested the government needed to significantly raise this percentage if this "digitized Taiwan" is to take shape.

— http://www.taipeitimes.com
May 11, 2002

THAILAND

Thai Government to Recruit More Foreign Students

The Ministry of Education plans to spearhead a massive drive to attract more foreign students to study in Thailand, and at the same time to try to prevent Thai students from studying abroad.

Education officials recently announced that a conference entitled "Studying in the International System in Thailand -- Better than Studying Abroad" was scheduled to take place near the end of June. It is hoped that the conference will serve to promote Thailand's education system, encouraging it to meet quality standards that would give it greater appeal both domestically and internationally.

According to the same officials, there is growing interest among students from Myanmar, Nepal, China and Bhutan to study in Thailand. Furthermore, the government hopes to instill Thai parents with greater confidence in Thai-based education, making them think twice about sending their children abroad to study.

At present, the international education industry pulls in US$169 million a year for Thailand, but more money leaves the country on account of Thai students pursuing their studies abroad.

— Xinhua News Agency
June 3, 2002

Kingdom to Recruit Retired English Teachers

Plans are underway to entice retired native English teachers to move to Thailand and teach in state-run schools situated in touristic regions where language skills are poor, according to education sources.

"We will give them incentives", promised Prapatpong Senarit, head of the Ministry of Education's Curriculum and Instruction Development Department. "The Education Ministry will help find cheap accommodation for them. They will be employed for one semester or two."

The project is expected to begin in 2003 and is aimed at raising the teaching standards in tourism-dependent provinces like the southern island of Phuket and Chiang Mai in the north.

While English has been taught in Thailand for more than a century, nearly all of the language teachers in primary schools lack the training to teach effectively, said one official in the ministry . Embassies of English-speaking countries might be asked to help entice retired teachers to join the project.

— The News Mexico
March 24, 2002

Three Universities Team Up for European MBA Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom, the University of Mannheim in Germany and ESSEC in France are set to launch the first master's in business administration program tailored specifically for the European market in September. The European MBA is a one-year, full-time program, and comprises the following modules: Core courses from September to December at ESSEC or Warwick. These provide an extensive overview of general management topics such as marketing, finance, human resource management, strategy and accounting. Advanced, elective courses from January to March at ESSEC or Warwick. "European topics" from April to June at Mannheim. During this module, participants prepare for the team project to be carried out during the summer for selected international corporations. Three-month project-management experience. Teams of three students, each of a different nationality, participate in this final module. — ESSEC Business School April 2, 2002

FINLAND

Official Suggests Lowering Threshold for Adult Education

Minister of Education Maija Rask suggested recently that adult education should be more accessible to the groups that need it most — in particular immigrants and the unemployed. "The threshold for participating in education is clearly higher, and the opportunities less abundant, for those with low level of educational attainment, the unemployed and immigrants," Rask said.

She further noted inadequate vocational skills are clearly a major reason why people in Finland retire comparatively young — on average — at age 59. She also noted that poor computer literacy and reading skills are leading factors in deterring Finns from pursuing in adult education.

— Finland's Ministry of Education
March, 2002

GERMANY

German Academic Leaders meet with Blackboard Reps

Academic leaders from all over Germany, the birthplace of the modern university system, recently converged in several cities to share ideas and discuss practices concerning e-learning. The event was hosted by Blackboard Inc., and participants (comprised mostly of faculty and academic IT staff) were previewed the latest developments in e-learning technology provided by Blackboard.

German academic institutions have similar needs that must be met for an e-Education implementation to be successful: an accessible and easy-to-use e-Education platform, a software platform able to support multiple languages and third-party applications.

— Distance-Educator.com
June 03, 2002

IRELAND

Battle Looms Over Scots E-learning Market

Enterprise Ireland, the Republic of Ireland's leading development agency, is poised to mount a coordinated attack on the Scottish e-learning sector. The hope is that they will soon control the US$17.52 million market.

However, the Irish move comes as five Scottish e-learning companies have created a new joint venture called Scottish Online Learning Consortium (SOLC).

The company has access to more than 75 educational technologists, developers, content producers and designers, and currently has a combined US$2.92 million turnover, along with nationwide sales teams.

SOLC is made up of Digital Stream, eCom Scotland, MediaCorp, Multiverse Solutions and Bob Christies Associates — all companies that specialize in particular areas of the online learning market.

— The Sunday Herald
May 21, 2002

ITALY

Italy Waivers on Bologna Reforms

Italy appears to be backing away from higher education reforms set down in the Bologna Declaration. The Italian Ministry of Education recently announced that bachelor's and master's degrees would be offered in the scientific and technical fields where they have already been implemented, but would not be offered in some or all of the humanities.

Italy was one of the signatories to the 1998 Bologna Declaration, which called on European countries to adopt a three-plus-two-year degree system as part of the greater plan to create a unified European system of higher education.

According to education sources, the ministry is under tremendous pressure from the more conservative academics in the humanities who fear that the reforms could undermine their time-honored prestige.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
April 4, 2002

SLOVAKIA

New Law Makes Distance Learning Free, Creates Rift

A new higher education law in Slovakia prohibits universities from charging fees to students enrolled in distance-learning programs, but some universities vehemently oppose it, calling it counterproductive.

Before the law was passed, the country's 92,000 day-students studied free of charge, while some 40,000 students enrolled as "external students" paid anywhere from $250 to $600 per year.

The external-study programs brought in important income to Slovakia's universities and helped accommodate the growing number of students who were unable to get a full-time slot in school.

The new law took effect in April, forcing universities to offer their external-study programs free of charge, beginning this fall. Some universities may discontinue their external-study programs in retaliation.

University officials say they hope the law can be changed after the next general election, scheduled for September.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
April 11, 2002

SWITZERLAND

Swiss students and university planners are divided over the implementation of reforms stemming from the Bologna Declaration. Students feel they have not been properly consulted on the proposed changes, which would significantly restructure the country's system of higher education in part by introducing internationally recognized bachelors and masters degrees. The issues that concern the students most are lack of transparency, educational quality, lack of transparency, and political motivations behind the reforms.

After several protests organized by the National Union of Swiss Students, the rectors' conference recently announced that student unions would be invited to participate in meetings this summer.

A few Swiss universities have already adopted the Bologna reforms. These include the University of St Gallen and the University of Basel, as well as the law school at the University of Lucerne and the Technical Institute in Zurich.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
May 10, 2002

UNITED KINGDOM

Universities Demand More Funding

A November pre-budget statement promised little to education, and university chiefs say they need extra funds if they are to achieve the government's target to increase the number of places in higher education. The schools will undoubtedly be looking to Chancellor Gordon Brown's budget to tackle what they say is a serious funding shortfall.
Universities UK, the organization that speaks for all universities in the United Kingdom, has written to Education Secretary Estelle Morris, warning her that many vice chancellors are "deeply unhappy" with funding allocations.

They say funding arrangements will mean cutbacks for some universities and departments. The government wants universities to expand to provide places for at least 50 percent of young people by the end of the decade. But universities argue they are not receiving budget increases to match these ambitions, which they say will require an additional 17,000 staff.

With little promised for education in the pre-budget statement last fall, teachers were also looking to the spending review for extra funds, rather than April's budget. Teachers unions have threatened industrial action unless the government resolves a long-running dispute over workload.

— BBC News
April 17, 2002

University Applications Increase

The United Kingdom is witnessing a large increase in the number of higher education applications for the fall 2002 semester. A significant portion of the applications are from overseas . Official figures show the number of people who applied to both degree and non-degree programs by late March was up 1.5% compared with the 0.8% annual increase registered at the same time last year.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) said that of the 5,625 applications this year 3,000 of them were from other countries. The biggest increase came from China, with applications up 77 percent over 2001. Nigerian applications were also up from last year (68 percent), as were those from Ghana (43 percent) and the United States (30 percent).

— BBC News
April 11, 2002

AUT Boycotts E-Learning Elite

The Association of University Teachers (AUT) is boycotting online courses offered by Universitas 21, a consortium of top universities from around the world. Universitas 21 is scheduled to launch its business administration program in 2003. AUT has called on academics not to become involved on any level with Universitas 21. The union's main concern is that academic standards will be compromised.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
April 25, 2002

Middle East

BAHRAIN

Education Makeover Planned

A complete overhaul is planned for Bahrain's education system according to the Ministry of Education.

The project will be evaluated and discussed at a national conference before being presented to the national cabinet for ratification. It is hoped the overhaul will be implemented in September, at the start of the new academic year.

"The aim," said Education Minister Mohammed Al Ghatam, "is to nurture students with total personality competence. We want the student to move from being the consumer of ready-made knowledge to a producer of knowledge."

— Arabic News
April 27, 2002

IRAN

Official Fears Brain Drain of Educated Young People

Roughly 420,000 young, educated Iranians have left the country in recent years, raising fears of a "brain drain" in the Islamic republic, said Parliament member Esmail Jabbarzadeh in April.

Iran's high unemployment rate can largely be attributed to students who have graduated from the country's top universities and then left. Official statistics put the jobless rate at 13 percent in March. By 2005, this rate could reach "5 million," or 16.6 percent of the working population, according to a recent forecast by Economy Minister Tahmaseb Mazaheri.

In a country where 70 percent of the population is under 30 years old and where approximately 1.5 million young students are enrolled in universities, the emigration trend is cause for concern. This year, the government has allocated US$12.5 million to stem the emigration.

— IranMania
May 14, 2002

JORDAN

Government Bolsters Distance Ed Programs

As part of a sweeping strategy to bolster the technology aspect of Jordan's educational infrastructure, King Abdullah's government recently announced plans to introduce distance-learning programs throughout the country's public and private colleges.

Jordan University and the new Jordanian branch of the multinational Arab Open University will be among the first to offer the new distance-learning programs, which are expected to begin this fall. Other institutions are expected to join later. Education officials believe distance learning will become highly popular in the coming decade and will be adopted by most universities in the nation.

Officials expect to attract students from all backgrounds as distance learners, though they anticipate that working professionals will fill the first class. At Arab Open University, founded in Kuwait in 2001 as the Middle East's first pan-Arab university, recruiting begins this June, and officials expect to get some 600 students. University officials foresee the enrollment of 70,000 students within 10 years, and 200,000 at maximum capacity.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 07, 2002

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES

Palestinian Schools Assess Damage and the Future

Now that many of the schools in the West Bank are open again, Palestinians are assessing the damage inflicted on the education system as a result of multiple Israeli incursions into the region.

Despite the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces, Palestinian towns and villages have been cordoned off, making it difficult for students to get to classes at their universities. Primary and secondary education has also been affected. During the recent incursions schools were taken over, damaged and even destroyed. The Palestinian Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Higher Education were extensively searched. Computer hard drives and files were confiscated and erased. "All the information we have gathered since 1994 is gone," said one school official. "The injured body of our ministries [remains], but the brain is gone."

Many observers say the damage to the education system will negatively impact children for years to come, and without education, Palestinian youths risk being further radicalized.

Munib Younan, bishop of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, agrees. "In the long term, we will be dealing not only with traumatized children, but children who have missed education that can help them to learn that violence is not the best weapon against occupation."

— The CS Monitor
April 23, 2002

SYRIA

British-Syrian Dialogue Covers Education

The British Council plans to bolster its country's relations with Syria by opening up a dialogue that includes education and culture.

As a follow-up to Blair's trip to Syria last fall, the British Council invited the head of the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education Hassan Reshe to Britain, where officials focused on exploring opportunities for higher education exchanges between the two countries.

As a result of the meeting, officials from both countries are currently planning to set up links between Syria's four major universities and British institutions of higher education to facilitate staff exchanges and to establish joint training courses and research projects. The joint projects will focus on the following fields of study: information technology (IT), biotechnology, engineering, the environment, and English.

— Arabic News
April 29, 2002

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Swiss Education Fair Visits Dubai

Fifteen universities from Switzerland put their academic programs on display at the second Swiss Education Fair in Dubai, attended by more than 300 students.

In addition, the fair included exhibitions from, various secondary schools, boarding schools, a hotel management school, finishing schools and summer camps. The Swiss Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai held the fair in cooperation with the Dubai Swiss Business Council.

— Arabic News
April 26, 2002

First Virtual University Launches

The UAE's first virtual university, Abu Dhabi Petroleum University (ADPU), began accepting students for its first master's program in petroleum engineering, a university official announced recently.

ADPU is expected to enroll 25 students for the program that will start this September. Admission is open to both UAE nationals and expatriates, the official said, adding that the UAE is in need of better-qualified and skilled manpower in the oil and gas sector, since petroleum is the county's most vital resource.

The university has already entered into a partnership with a number of reputable international universities, companies and training institutions, and has been working to get accreditation with internationally renowned educational institutions. The programs that will be offered through the university will include postgraduate degrees at the master's level, applied doctoral programs, continuing education programs, executive development programs and elective courses.

The university, based at the Center of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) in Abu Dhabi, will be managed electronically, and student registration, instruction, training and research will be done through specific Web sites on the Internet.

— Gulf News
April 4, 2002

Russia & The Commonwealth of Independent States

AZERBAIJAN

Veil Banned at Universities

Baku State University and the Azerbaijan State Medical University are among the handful of institutions in Azerbaijan that have banned female students from wearing the headscarf on campus.

Although the universities claim to be adhering to the country's secular constitution, the Centre for the Protection of Religion and Freedom of Conscience condemned the move as a violation of religious rights. The centre has threatened to prosecute administrators of the Medical University who announced on May 10 that female students wearing headscarfs would be banned from attending classes.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
May 24, 2002

RUSSIA

Research Institutes Face Changes

Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991 the number of researchers in Russia has plummeted by half. It is estimated that approximately 200,000 researchers have left the country for greener pastures in the past 10 years.

To curb the drain brain, the government announced plans to overhaul the country's faltering system of research institutes. Under the proposed reforms, the government would financially reward those disciplines that adopted free market approaches and contributed to the country's economic prosperity while cutting off funding to those that do not.

At a meeting held last March, it was decided that over the next eight years funding would be allocated to research fields and areas of technology that were deemed essential to Russia's interests. These research and technical fields include telecommunications and electronics, aviation and space, new materials and chemistry, military technology, energy conservation and transportation. Government spending on the sciences would be increased from 1.7 percent to 4 percent of the federal budget.

— Chronicle of Higher Education
April 12, 2002

UZBEKISTAN

Research Institutes Face Changes

A new degree structure is slowly being adopted by institutions of higher education in Uzbekistan. In the past, earning a first university-level degree (called a diploma) required five years of full-time study at universities and some institutes.

Under new reforms however, the duration time has been reduced to four years, except for medical institutes, which offer five-to-six year programs depending on the area of specialization.

The first graduate level degree is called a kandidat's degree, which takes between two and three years of study beyond the diploma. The Kandidat is usually considered to be somewhere between a master degree and Ph.D. in the United States.

The Doctor of Science Ph.D. is awarded after three-to-four years of research work beyond the master's level, which includes a dissertation.

The last degree, called the professorship, is awarded after several years of leadership in a given field, publications and experience.

— OSEAS-Europe
Summer, 2002

Practical Information

Education in the Republic of Korea

The current higher education system in Korea is derived from both Eastern and Western traditions. After centuries of Confucian influence, the advent of missionaries from Europe and the United States facilitated a shift towards Western-oriented education in the late 1800s. In addition to establishing many colleges and universities in the region, early American missionaries introduced modern scientific curriculum and teaching methods to Korean higher education. However, such influences were temporarily curbed when Korea was formally annexed to the Japanese Empire in 1910.

The new colonial government attempted to control the populace through education and imposed a policy of 'Japanization', which — among other things — outlawed the teaching of the Korean language in schools. Higher education was considered superfluous, and practical and vocational training were emphasized instead. Consequently, research and other functions associated with general education suffered greatly. Professional schools, called junmoon hakkyo in Korean, were the most common type of higher education institution during the Japanese occupation.

Korea was liberated from Japanese rule in 1945, but independence came with a heavy price. Following World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States divided the country along the 38th parallel into two nations: the Republic of Korea in the south and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the north. In 1950 the peninsula burst into civil war after the north invaded the south in an attempt to unify the two countries under communist rule. The conflict stymied the development of higher education, and at the war's end, more than 70 percent of South Korea's elementary schools had either been completely or at least partially destroyed.

When peace was restored in 1953, the government launched a massive rehabilitation effort, laying the foundation for the country's current system of higher education.

Beginning in the early 1960s, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, thanks largely to massive infusions of aid from the United States. The country's per capita income rose to 13 times the level of North Korea. During this time, many schools and universities were built or upgraded. In 1945 there were only 19 institutions of higher education; by 1994 this number had increased to 295.

South Korea's system of education is based largely on the American model (six years of primary school, six years of secondary school and four years of college). In other ways, however, it remains very distinct from the American system, as demonstrated by the country's rigorous college entrance process (see below).

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Duration: Ages six to 12 (grades 1 to 6)

Curriculum: Korean, mathematics, moral education, natural science, fine arts, music and physical education

Leaving certificate: None

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Middle School

Duration: Ages 12 to 15 (grades 7 to 9)

Curriculum: Korean, English and mathematics

Leaving certificate: Diploma

High School (Academic)

Entrance Exam: Kodung Hakkyo Iphak Sihom (nationwide preliminary examination)

Duration: Ages 16 to 18 (grades 10 to 12)

Curriculum: During the final two years of high school, students choose to specialize in humanities or sciences

Leaving certificate: Immumgye Kodung Hakkyo Choreup Chung (general high school diploma)

Vocational High School

Entrance exam: Silopgye Kodung Hakkyo Sunbal Chedo (qualifying examination)

Duration: Ages 16 to 18 (grades 10 to 12)

Curriculum: Specialized subjects (agricultural, technical, commercial, fishery and marine, and home economics) as well as general academic subjects.

Leaving certificate: Silopgye Kodung Hakkyo Choreup Chung (vocational high school diploma)

HIGHER EDUCATION

There are seven types of higher education institutions that operate under the auspices of the Korean Ministry of Education:

1) Colleges and universities offering four-year degree programs and six-year medical and dental colleges

2) Graduate schools

3) Teacher colleges

4) Junior colleges

5) Air and correspondence universities

6) Open universities

7) Miscellaneous schools (mainly theological or single-purpose institutions)

The Korean Air and Correspondent University was opened in 1972 as a junior college affiliated with Seoul University. It later gained full autonomy and in 1992 began offering four-year bachelor's degrees.

Open universities offer flexible programs in vocational and technical fields. Two-year programs lead to a diploma; four-year programs to a bachelor's degree.

The miscellaneous schools category was devised by the Ministry of Education to classify institutions that are highly specialized in the programs they offer. These schools generally do not provide a liberal arts core requirement to meet the standards for accepted undergraduate education in South Korea. Students who graduate from these programs receive a diploma and may be eligible to do graduate work in their fields at some colleges and universities.

Two-year junior colleges are either being upgraded to four-year colleges, merged with four-year institutions or phased out altogether. Currently, the most popular fields of study at the tertiary level are engineering technologies and nursing.

UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION

Entrance Exam

The university entrance system in South Korea is highly competitive and has undergone many changes since the country gained independence from Japanese rule in 1945. Students are selected for admission to an institution of higher education based on the results of the Scholastic Achievement Examination for College Entrance (SAECE).

This score, plus the student's high school transcript, determines admission. Preparation for the SAECE is a grueling ordeal and it is not uncommon for some families to shell out as much as US$2,000 a month for tutorials outside the classroom to ensure their children's success on the exam.

Programs and Degrees

Stage 1A: The chonmun taehak chorupchang (associate degree) awarded at junior colleges and special schools after two to three years of study.

Stage 1B: The haksa (bachelor's degree) is awarded after four to six years of study.

Stage 2: The suksa (master's degree) is awarded after two or three years of study, following the bachelor's degree. A thesis and comprehensive exam are required.

Stage 3: The paksa (Ph.D.) requires three or more years of study beyond the master's level. Candidates must demonstrate fluency in English and one other foreign language, pass on oral exam and write a dissertation.

NON-UNIVERSITY HIGHER EDUCATION

Junior vocational colleges offer technical and vocational training and have their own entrance exams. Students from either academic or vocational high schools are eligible to apply for admission to these institutions.

Courses offered: Health education, early childhood education, engineering, arts and textiles

Duration: Two- and three-year programs

Certificate awarded: Certificate of completion

TEACHER EDUCATION

Primary school teachers are trained at specialized four-year universities called national teachers' colleges. Graduates are awarded a bachelor's degree and certification to teach at the primary school level.

Secondary school teachers are taught in the faculties of four-year universities. Certification is awarded to graduates who have completed the required courses of study in education as part of their university program.

WES GRADING SCALE

For a list of higher education institutions in South Korea go HERE

Sources

Asian Higher Education: An International Handbook and Reference Guide. 1997. Edited by Gerard Postiglione and Grace Mak. Greenwood Press, USA.

British Council. 1996. International Guide to Qualifications in Education. Great Britain.

Higher Education in Korea: Tradition and Adaptation. 2000. Edited by John Weidman and Namgi Park. Falmer Press, USA.

National Office of Overseas Recognition. 1991. "Country Education Profiles: Republic of Korea." Australia.

Feature

Recent Trends and Developments in Education in the Republic of Korea

by John C. Weidman (University of Pittsburgh)
and Namgi Park (Kwangju National University of Education, South Korea)

Higher Education in Korea: Tradition and Adaption, Edited by John C. Weidman and Namgi Park Price: $75 BUY THIS BOOK

1. Introduction

Education is one of the hottest topics in Korea at the moment and frequently makes headline news in the mass media. Most Koreans believe that human capital developed through education is their most valuable resource. Over the years, the Ministry of Education has endeavored to implement various policies aimed at expanding the country's system of higher education and increasing access for students regardless of economic background. Although many of these policies have been very effective in other countries, they have met with only partial success at home. There have been so many reform measures and laws introduced within the last 50 years or so that educational policies in Korea are generally referred to as "forever changing policies." The university entrance examination system, for example, has been changed nearly 20 times since 1945.

This article focuses on some recent trends and developments in Korean education in order to provide readers a brief overview of the current situation. For a more comprehensive analysis readers should refer to our book Higher Education in Korea: Tradition and Adaptation.

2. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE)

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MOE) was established in January 2001 by restructuring and expanding the scope of the former Ministry of Education. The minister of education was upgraded to the rank of deputy prime minister and is now responsible for formulating and coordinating policies on education and human-resource development in South Korea.

The new ministry was developed specifically to meet the challenges of the emerging information- and knowledge-based economy by better preparing students to participate in the global community of entrepreneurs, technicians and researchers. It is still too early however, to determine whether or not the MOE will succeed in its mission.

3. Elementary and Secondary Education

The MOE has implemented a variety of reform measures in recent years, including the 7th National Curriculum Standards and Performance Assessment. In an effort to appease the well-to-do families that send their children to foreign countries for education, the MOE recently promulgated an independent private high school policy aimed at keeping more students at home. In addition, the ministry implemented an "alternative school" policy for students with special needs, and was instrumental in facilitating the passage of laws designed to promote both educational development in remote areas and educational programs for gifted students.

Beginning in 1998, several new evaluation techniques were devised in the name of the overarching concept of performance assessment. Unlike the former written tests, a variety of performance-based evaluation methods are now used to develop the student's abilities to understand and think in comprehensive and creative ways. These include written exams, oral tests, discussions, demonstrations, lab experiments, interviews, clinical observations, self-evaluations, peer evaluations, written reports, research papers and portfolios.

Not surprisingly, the new assessment techniques have brought significant changes to elementary and secondary education. In particular, they have significantly increased the burden on teachers to successfully evaluate their students. To ameliorate this burden, the MOE is planning to decrease the number of students per classroom to less than 35. The ministry also plans to hire 23,600 additional teachers by 2003. This initiative is called the "7.20 Educational Condition Improvement Project."

Another big change in education concerns independent private high schools. Until recently affluent parents whose children did not score high enough to enter an elite school at home sent their children to private secondary schools in foreign countries. To curb the outflow of these students the MOE established new regulations for the establishment of independent private high schools, granting them unprecedented autonomy in deciding tuition rates, admission policies and curricula.

The current policy on student discipline has also been reevaluated. In 1995 the implementation of a new education law forbade the use of physical punishment in schools, largely due to protests from parents. As a result, many teachers found that without the right to physically discipline their students they could no longer effectively control their classrooms. Beginning in March of this year, however, the MOE decided to re-allow the use of corporal punishment, despite the ongoing protests from parents. This time the ministry has formulated a detailed set of rules on procedure and methods governing the use of such punishment.

4. Higher Education

Higher education reform in Korea is geared mainly towards stimulating competition, assuring accountability, globalization and encouraging online university offerings. Perhaps the number one priority of the higher education sector in Korea today is to educate and train highly qualified people who will become leaders in an increasingly globalized information economy. To help achieve this objective, the MOE is offering universities financial support to conduct program and institutional self-evaluations.

Other reform initiatives include: no longer automatically granting tenure to newly hired professors, but requiring a probationary period instead; adopting a merit-based pay system for instructors; and strengthening program and institutional evaluation. Not surprisingly, the changes in tenure and salary restrictions are facing strong resistance from faculty. The majority of Koreans, however, appear to support the changes.

In addition, initiatives are currently underway to establish an online university, encourage the development of internationally competitive graduate programs, and support the basic sciences. One alarming trend that is on the rise is a noticeable decline in the number of students who choose to specialize in natural sciences and engineering. In an attempt to reverse this trend the Korean government is establishing an incentive program to encourage enrollments in these fields.

In 1999, the Ministry of Education launched a higher education reform project called Brain Korea 21, with the goal of training world-class research scholars needed for the 21st century. The project is geared towards reorganizing the overall higher education system in order to successfully meet the challenges of the new century, and will require an investment of $US 1.2 billion over the next seven years.

According to the MOE home page, the major objectives of the project are to:

Foster world-class research universities, which will serve as the infrastructure to produce ideas and technology that are creative and original.
Strengthen the competitiveness of local universities.
Introduce professional graduate schools for training in critical fields.
Create an environment in which universities compete with each other based not on name value, but on the quality of research outcomes and student performance.

Also in 1999, the Korean government commenced a seven-year project aimed at nurturing regional universities that meet the demands and needs of local economies. The overall goal of the project is to develop specialized programs in each regional university that will be highly competitive both nationally and internationally, so that these universities can attract more students. It is hoped this project reduces the overwhelming student demand on Seoul-area colleges.

Funding for each task area is provided through a rigorous evaluation of universities and colleges. Applicants for the funds must form either a research team within a university or a consortium among universities. Universities are selected based on proven ability to provide world-class research opportunities and education, and demonstrated willingness to reform. Through this project, the government anticipates the development of three-to-four internationally renowned high-tech research universities. However, a recent mid-term evaluation on this project indicated it has not been as successful as expected so far. Specifically, critics argued that the process for choosing the programs to be funded was unfair. It was noted, for instance, that almost 50 percent of the project funds were allocated to a single elite institution, Seoul National University.

5. Teacher and Teacher-Training Reforms

One of the biggest changes affecting teachers in recent years has been the government's decision to grant legal rights to the Korean Teachers' Union. Until 1999, it was illegal for teachers to join the union, and nearly 2,000 teachers lost their jobs because of their unwillingness to give up their union membership. In 1999, the government of Kim Dae Jung legalized the Teachers Union and allowed the dismissed teachers to return to their jobs. The new law brought about major changes in schools as union members began to actively participate in policymaking and management decisions. Although this has led to disagreements at times, schools are now being managed in an increasingly democratic manner.

To enhance the quality of teaching in South Korea, the MOE lowered the retirement age of teachers, required systematic evaluation of teacher education programs and institutions, and established a merit-based promotion and reward system. The mandatory teacher retirement age was changed from 65 to 62 in the fall of 1998. As a result, an estimated 16,000 teachers left the profession and were replaced. However, the implementation of this reform measure also resulted in unwanted side effects such as the lowering of teacher morale and an unanticipated shortage of elementary school teachers.

One of the unexpected benefits stemming from the implementation the new reform measures has been a noticeable increase in the quality of students graduating from the elementary teacher training programs. While graduates of other programs often have difficulty in finding jobs, the students coming out of elementary teacher training programs are hired on the spot.

The social prestige and salary of teachers at all levels in Korea are relatively high compared to other countries. Consequently, teacher-training programs attract the top 5 percent of students. Because research has shown that the quality of education is highly dependent on the quality of teachers, this situation promises a bright future for the country.

Not all recently adopted teacher-training policies have been successful however. A 1998 policy designed to improve teacher-training through a comprehensive evaluation of teacher- training colleges and graduate faculties of education was not as effective as anticipated. A merit-based promotion and reward system in which competent teachers would be given preferential treatment in promotion was implemented in 2000, but this policy is now undergoing fundamental changes because of resistance from teachers. In general, policies initiated by the central government without the agreement and cooperation of the pertinent organizations or groups have had limited success.