CONTENTS

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Education in Ontario, Canada, Undergoes Changes

REGIONAL NEWS
Africa
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Middle East
Russia & CIS

FEATURE
The Trade Debate in International Higher Education

INFO

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Europe

FRANCE

Chinese, French Universities Sign Cooperation Agreement

Beijing Normal University and Ecole Supérieure de Paris have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening both universities' competitiveness. The institutions are considered top teacher-training institutes in their respective countries.

— People's Daily
Sept. 8, 2002

GERMANY

Bilateral Agreement to Aid Indian Universities

The Indo-German Export Promotion Project (IGEP), a bilateral trade program of the Indian and German governments, has developed a strategy to increase business between the two countries.

Various educational institutes across India hope to gain strong support for their human-resource development programs through the project. Currently, the IGEP is cooperating with different educational institutes in India to provide technical assistance and to help organize seminars and workshops.

— Hindustan Times
Sept. 16, 2002

Initiative Aims to Boost Number of Foreign Students

The German Ministry for Education and Research has agreed to finance the Joint Initiative for the Promotion of Study, Research and Training. The program, involving 35 different institutes and organizations, was launched in 2001 with the aim of increasing the number of international students choosing to study in Germany.

The project hopes to increase foreign students' knowledge of German culture, mentality and language and to establish future economic relationships. Toward that goal, tuition for international students in public universities is free.

Further encouragement for foreign students will include new rules governing the length of time that overseas students can work in Germany. Currently, the law allows students to work 90 days. The new law, as of January 2003, will allow students to work 180 half-days, with the possibility of an extension with permission from the local employment office. Students graduating from a German institution will be allowed to work in the country up to five years.

— Overseas, Overwhelmed
Sept. 18, 2002

IRELAND

Dublin School Teams Up with Chinese University for IT Training

A new software school at Fudan University in Shanghai is partnering with University College Dublin (UCD) for information-technology training.

The majors being offered are system software, network services and software engineering, with more than 300 students working toward their bachelor's and master's degrees.

Irish professors will teach one-third of the major classes, which will have about 50 students each. Students will receive bachelor's degrees from both institutions.

Teacher training will be a joint effort, as will cooperation with international software giants such as Microsoft, IBM and Intel.

— People's Daily
Sept. 4, 2002

ITALY

Classrooms Take On Circus Atmosphere

The University of Rome La Sapienza is using circus tents to ease classroom overcrowding. With 150,000 students, a dearth of classroom space and a new policy requiring mandatory class attendance, lecture halls are packed beyond capacity.

The first tent to be used will be large enough to accommodate 1,700 students, and will be divided into 17 lecture spaces. The tents will eventually be replaced by new buildings, part of an expansion plan, which when finished will triple the size of the university.

The University of Rome is one of Europe's largest institutions of higher education.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education
Sept. 6, 2002

MALTA

Maltese Universities Fear That EU Accession Will Leave Them Awash with Foreign Students

The University of Malta is getting ready for the country's likely accession to the European Union (EU) in 2003. Maltese citizens do not pay fees for their tertiary education, so university policymakers are concerned that membership will mean EU citizens will enjoy the same tuition-free benefits.

Currently, the university has 500 foreign students, thanks to a successful Erasmus program that allows international students to spend between a semester and a year in Malta, and Maltese students to do the same at a partner institution. Entry into the EU will bring increasing numbers of foreign students to Maltese shores, and university policymakers fear that these numbers will be more than they can cope with.

As EU nondiscrimination rules stand, once Malta becomes a member, students from EU countries will be charged fees only if Maltese students are too. A possible option is to reserve a number of places for Maltese students on the basis that the university provides the only opportunity for tertiary learning on the island.

— The Times Higher Education Supplement
June 28, 2002

SWITZERLAND

IBO Fights Fraud With New Documents

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), based in Geneva, has recently introduced a new series of documents in an effort to combat fraudulent reproduction. Diplomas, certificates and other official documents will all be redesigned to better protect the IBO and its authorized schools. A number of the new designs are printed on paper with security features, from small overall designs that are not easy to copy, to silver threads that turn black when photocopied.

More information can be found at the official Web site, which also has a listing of member IBO schools, as well as information on its programs.

— IB World
August 2002

UNITED KINGDOM

International Baccalaureate Gaining Momentum

Controversy over the revamped A-level has prompted officials to look further at possible alternatives to the current structure. According to former Education Secretary Estelle Morris, a version of the broad-based international baccalaureate is still in the mix as a possible replacement of the current AS- and A-level system.

Agreement on a broader curriculum for 16- to 18-year-olds exists among government ministers. In February, a green paper on education for 14- to 19-year-olds proposed a "matriculation diploma" for secondary-school graduates. This diploma would display an array of qualifications, including A-levels, AS-levels, GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and vocational skills. Ministers debated privately at the time whether or not to name it as a baccalaureate, but decided against it.

An estimated 45 independent schools have already begun to move toward the European style by offering the international baccalaureate. In Wales, the baccalaureate is being piloted in 19 schools ahead of its formal introduction next year, and head teachers are pressing for it to be introduced in England.

The attraction of the international baccalaureate is that it offers great breadth while retaining compulsory elements not only in core academic subjects but also in community service. Students must study six academic subjects over two years. Three subjects are taken at "standard" level (about the same as AS-level), and the other three at "higher" level. They must include English, math, science, humanities and a second language.

Debate for a new system of secondary education comes amid scandal about A-level grading and 11th-hour alterations of grade boundaries by the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA exam board.

— The Education Guardian
Sept. 23, 2002

Recent Name Changes, Mergers

• Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education is now University of Gloucestershire.

• The University of Lincolnshire and Humberside is now University of Lincoln.

• On Aug. 1, London Guildhall University and University of North London merged to become Metropolitan University.

— Department for Education and Skills
August 2002

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