Regional
News
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Degree
Mills Update
For
an extensive guide to active, emerging and recent degree mills and
officially unaccredited universities, compiled from original research
by the Higher Education Supplement of The Australian Newspaper,
visit the Bogus
Institutions Web site.
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AFGHANISTAN
Police
Reaction to Student Unrest Leaves 4 Dead
 Protests
broke out Nov. 11 at Kabul University after students began complaining
about the ongoing lack of electricity, poor living conditions and lack
of food. The protests evolved into a march and eventually into chaos as
police fired live rounds into the crowd, which, according to Human Rights
Watch, left four students dead and 20 injured.
A demonstration
took place the next day protesting the police violence. Demonstrations
again turned violent after police used water canons to disperse the crowd
and then fired directly into the crowd, wounding three more students.
Students say six people died in the two days of unrest.
The demonstrations
came exactly a year after Kabul was liberated from the hard-line Taliban
regime.
Another protest
Nov. 13 was more muted, with many students apparently mollified by government
pledges to improve conditions and investigate the police handling of the
situation.
—
Human
Rights Watch
Nov. 14, 2002
AUSTRALIA
Revisions
Relax Student Visa Regulations
New
revisions to student visa legislation went into effect Nov. 1, 2002, with
revised assessment levels for a number of countries. Australia has five
assessment levels (AL) categories that prospective students fall into
according to their nationality. The higher the AL, the more stringent
the requirements that applicants have to meet. Under the new revisions,
AL4 has been downgraded to AL3 for some countries and education sectors.
Schools in Australia had been concerned that the high International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) score needed by potential English
language students from AL 4-rated countries was a deterrent to study.
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Many
TOEFL Test Centers
to Close Worldwide
The
Educational Testing Service (ETS),
which runs testing centers around the world for academic and language
proficiency exams such as TOEFL and the Graduate Management Admission
Test (GMAT), is closing 84 of its 195 overseas computer-based testing
centers.
ETS
will close centers with low testing volumes. Instead, handwritten
tests will be made available at local schools, universities and
advising centers. Closures began in April and will continue until
June 2003.
ETS
remains committed to computer-based testing and says new online
services and products will be introduced soon. Students taking the
GMAT will, more than likely, be taking it on a mobile computer-based
service. Less than 1 percent of GMATs will be delivered as a handwritten
test.
—
Hothouse
Media
August 2002
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Students
from Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Iran, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka
are all now AL3, although students from Vietnam, China, Laos, Lebanon,
Jordan and Pakistan remain AL4. Other countries, including South Korea,
Mexico and South Africa, have been downgraded from AL3 to AL2. This means
there are fewer restrictions on the acceptable sources of funds that students
need to demonstrate and no requirements to have the funds for at least
three months prior to application.
All AL3 students
can now enter the country to study English. Once they are in the country
and can demonstrate sufficient funds for 12 months of study, these students
can apply for a further study visa.
—
Language
Travel
November 2002
Australian,
Irish Institutions to Collaborate
Australia
and Ireland signed a three-year academic collaboration agreement in Melbourne
recently. The agreement between the Australian
Vice Chancellors Committee and the Conference
of Heads of Irish Universities involves information sharing, staff
and student exchanges, mutual recognition of qualifications, staff development,
researcher exchange programs and university management.
—
Australian
Vice Chancellors Committee
Nov. 4, 2002
CHINA
Diploma
Forgery Becoming an Epidemic
Since
the 1990s, when it reformed its educational system, the Chinese government
has been trying to persuade college students that degrees are worth paying
for. That effort seems to be working, but as a result, the trend has spawned
an unwanted market in fake diplomas.
In the back
streets of big East Coast cities, diploma dealers are offering high-quality
fake diplomas for as little as US$25. Diplomas are not the only things
being faked. With the increase in competition in this new market-based
society, transcripts and reference letters are routinely being forged,
and outright cheating is rampant on international standardized tests,
such as the Graduate Record Examinations
(GRE).
In August,
the Educational Testing Service announced
it was canceling its GRE computer science subject test in China (and also
India) because of widespread cheating. This came after a suspension of
the service in Asia after investigators found that students were sharing
test questions on the Internet.
Such fraud
has a huge impact inside China. State media reported in September on a
nationwide campaign to hunt down thousands of party and government officials
who had been promoted on the basis of fake diplomas or other falsehoods
in their resumes.
The crackdown
is going to be far from easy. According to the latest national census,
the number of people in China claiming to hold degrees is more than 500,000
higher than the number of diplomas that have been legally awarded.
The response
is a two-pronged one. Police are hitting the streets to go after vendors,
and education officials are establishing "authentication centers"
so that academic admissions officers and prospective employers can check
any resumes that look dodgy.
Education
officials say Chinese institutions are only beginning to get familiar
with the idea of checking credentials. They say building a trustworthy
accreditation system is costly and difficult in any environment, but even
more so in China, where fake receipts and counterfeit products are commonplace.
—
The
International Herald Tribune
Oct.15, 2002
Reforms
Result in Many University Mergers
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Test
of Professional English Gets Trial Run
The
Test of Professional English (TOPE), a new test product developed
by the Educational Testing Services
(ETS), was given a test run on Nov. 16 at Beijing Foreign Studies
University and Beijing Language
and Culture University.
The
test, which includes listening, speaking, reading and writing components,
gauges a candidate's knowledge of business English. It was designed
as a human resources tool for companies and governments competing
in the global arena.
ETS
will first launch the TOPE in China next year and then introduce
it throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world.
The test will be scheduled four or five times a year.
—
People's
Daily
Nov. 15, 2002
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Reforms
in the Chinese higher education system have brought tremendous changes
to educational institutes. Qinghua
University announced its merger with the Chinese
Central Academy of Arts and Design in 1999, and a few months later,
Beijing Medical University
became the Health Science Center of Beijing University.
According
to official statistics there were 387 colleges and universities in China
in 1996; however, by 2000, mergers had reduced that number to 212. Faculty:student
ratios have also dropped to 1:14.
—
Xinhua
News Agency
July 2002
London,
Shanghai Schools Launch Executive Program
An
international executive master's in business administration was launched
Oct. 24 at the Bank of China's
Institute of International Finance in Shanghai. The program, jointly
sponsored by the Bank of China, Central
University of Finance and Economics and London-based
City University, is enrolling 40 to 50 students in its first year.
The program
was launched in response to China's entry into the World Trade Organization
and because the country needs to nurture top management personnel with
knowledge of international economic and banking environments.
London officials
involved in the project say the program will not only help establish close
ties between London and Shanghai, but also greatly promote economic exchanges
between China and Great Britain.
—
People's
Daily
Oct. 25, 2002
Agreement
OKs Academic Exchange
Guizhou
University of Technology and Dakota State
University (DSU) have agreed on a reciprocal exchange of two to four
members of each school's faculty for research and learning. The two schools
will also cooperate in creating distance education links using the campus
network and Internet to benefit on-campus U.S. and Chinese students.
DSU was one
of five universities chosen to be a host of the pilot project by the American
Association of State Colleges and Universities. The Chinese university
wants its administrators to study how other universities around the world
are run.
—
Xinhua
News Agency
Oct. 28, 2002
Software
College Opens in Shandong Province
Qilu
Software College was unveiled recently in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.
The college, designed to accommodate 10,000 students, is part of the country's
drive to increase the number of home-grown technology experts.
Through an
affiliation with Shandong
University, the college will offer computer software courses.
—
Xinhua
News Agency
Nov. 15, 2002
INDIA
UGC Declares
18 Institutions Illegal
The
University Grants Commission of India
has declared these institutions illegal:
Maithili
University, Darbanhga (Bihar province); Mahila Gram Vidyapeeth, Prayag,
Allahabad (UP); Varanasi Sanskrit College, Varanasi (UP); JagatPuri, Delhi;
Commercial University Limited, Daryaganj, Delhi; Indian Education Council
of UP, Lucknow (UP); Gandhi Hindi Vidyapeeth, Prayag, Allahabad (UP);
Natejaji Subash Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltall,
Aligarh (UP); DDB Sanskrit University, Putoor Trichi (Tamilnadu); St.
John's University, Kisanatyam, Kerala; United National University, Delhi;
Uttar Pradesh University, Kosikala, Mathura (UP); Mahrana Pratap Shiksha
Niketan University, Pratapgarh (UP); Rja Arbik University, Nagpur; Keshravani
Vidyapeeth, Jabalpur (MP); Delhi Vishav Vidyapeeth, Tagore Park, Model
Town, Delhi; Badarganavi Sarkar World Open University Education Society,
Gokak, Beilgaon (Karnataka); Bhartiya Shiksha Parisad UP, Lucknow; National
University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur; and Vocational University,
Delhi.
—
National
Network of Education
Bangalore-Ohio
Master's Program to Begin in June
The
Bangalore-based Asian Business School has teamed up with the College of
Health and Human Services at Ohio
University to introduce a postgraduate degree in master of health
administration.
The two educational
institutions signed a "memorandum of understanding" on Nov.
8, 2002. Forty students will enroll in the first program, which will begin
classes in June 2003. The program is to be a full-time, 18-month course
and includes an internship. Students will have an option to complete two
quarters at Ohio University.
—
Indiaedunews
Nov. 8, 2002
Joint
Venture Global MBA Launched
The
Institute of Management Technology (IMT)
in Ghaziabad recently launched a global MBA program in association with
Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU).
Indian students
will undertake the first five months of the course in India at IMT and
the second half at FDU. Of the 27 credits taken in the United States,
six will be covered by a six-month paid internship.
Students
who successfully complete the course will graduate with an FDU MBA and
an IMT postgraduate diploma. The program commences in August 2003.
—
The
Times of India
Nov. 11, 2002
'Education
India' to Host Student Recruitment Events
Two
three-day exhibitions in Mumbai and New Delhi will give home-based and
international educational suppliers a chance to showcase their institutions
and products to the huge Indian market of prospective postsecondary students.
The Mumbai
event, which will include a one-day conference on "Borderless Education,"
will be March 29-31, 2003 at the Nehru Center.
The New Delhi
event will take place April 3-5, 2003 at the Pragati Maiden and includes
a conference on "Education in the Emerging Knowledge Society."
For more
information, visit http://www.educationindia-online.com,
or contact colin.hulmes@educationindia-online.com.
—
Correspondence,
International Aid and Trade
JAPAN
Panel
Seeks to Add Patriotic Terms to 'Education Constitution'
The
concepts of patriotism and cultural awareness, not contained in the 1947
Fundamental Law of Education, are likely to be added to the de facto "Education
Constitution."
The Central
Council for Education, a government advisory panel, in a draft report
is recommending amendments to the law that will allow children to bolster
their Japanese identity and acquire "love for the nation and respect
for tradition and culture of our country." The draft also states
the current law's emphasis on self-esteem and peace should be maintained.
The draft
will be hammered into a final report to be submitted to the Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry before the end of
the year.
Those in
favor of the revisions point out that the current law lacks indispensable
principles such as patriotism and respect for tradition. The concept of
patriotism was not included in the 1947 law due to strong pressure from
U.S. Occupation powers, which also ordered that "tradition"
be omitted.
The draft
is regarded skeptically by some, who fear the term "patriotism"
could lead to accusations of ethnocentrism. Concerns raised in subcommittee
meetings have noted that nationalism under the guise of patriotism once
led Japan to war.
The ministry
has said it hopes to submit a bill to the Diet in 2003.
—
The Japan Times
Oct. 31, 2002
MALAYSIA
Controversy
Erupts Over English-Immersion Plan
Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad has proposed an education revolution that would
see all elementary school-level mathematics and science instruction in
English. The proposal comes as part of his package to improve standards
of English, mathematics and science to make Malaysia more competitive
globally.
This proposal
is proving to be a hot political potato, causing rifts within Mohamad's
multi-ethnic National Front coalition and bringing unity to opposition
parties.
The idea
was first aired a few months ago, but real controversy erupted in August,
when the prime minister announced that he wanted to introduce his proposal
in 2003. He hopes to propel Malaysian university students to the cutting
edge of international education as quickly as possible.
Arguments
against Mohamad's policy come from many quarters, with probably the loudest
critics being the Chinese community, who argue the plan will dilute the
cultural identity of the Chinese education community and at the same time
lower education standards.
Another common
criticism is that the proposal is elitist, because the majority of Malaysians
will not be able to handle the change, as English-language proficiency
is inadequate. Many see it as discriminatory against rural communities
and do not understand why, if English is the problem, mathematics and
science have to be dragged into it.
Among the
alternative solutions that have been voiced, the most popular is the call
for a one-year delay in the plan. Another alternative is to have the plan
implemented at the secondary-school level -- not the primary level.
—
The Guardian
Sept. 26, 2002
Prominent
Colleges Ordered Shut
Malaysia
is struggling with the competitive education marketplace that it has created,
and quality seems to be suffering as a consequence. Recently, two prominent
colleges, Brickfields
College and Nirwana Institute, were ordered shut for running courses
that had not been approved by the Private Education Department, thereby
breaching regulations under the Private Higher Educational Institutions
Act of 1996.
The government
has closed 26 private colleges, including Institut Mestika Kulim (formerly
known as Institute Teknologi Midas) in Kedah; Institut Makanan, Kelana
Jaya branch in Petaling Jaya and Institut
Teknologi in Butterworth.
—
Overseas, Overwhelmed
Nov. 20, 2002
NEW ZEALAND
Former
Prime Minister to Build Education Exports
One-time
schoolteacher and former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley is back working
in education. Rather than returning to the classroom, Shipley will be
instrumental in developing the exports of New Zealand's educational services,
particularly to China.
The former
politician has accepted a position with The Cambridge Group, an executive
search and business development consultancy with offices in New Zealand,
Australia, the United Kingdom, India and Asia. Shipley's role with the
group will include brokering deals to get local educational institutions
established in Asia. The connections she developed as prime minister make
her the ideal candidate for such a position.
Her appointment
comes at a time of an increasing Chinese thirst to import Western education,
as the government has put great weight on English-language learning over
the last 10 years. Demand far exceeds supply at almost every point, which
provides New Zealand with a great opportunity to build its already booming
education market. New Zealand earns about NZ$1.5 billion (US$ 750 million)
a year from educational services, and Shipley says she considers Prime
Minister Helen Clark's prediction that the sector could double to NZ$3
billion (US$ 1.5 billion)"quite conservative."
—
The New Zealand Herald
Nov. 1, 2002
PAKISTAN
Denmark,
UK Schools Plan Virtual IT University
Denmark's
Selandia College and the University
of Central Lancashire are collaborating in a European-funded project
to create a virtual university in Pakistan, specializing in information
technology. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2004.
—
Times Higher Education Supplement
Sept. 27, 2002
REPUBLIC of KOREA
3 UK
Universities Join Forces to Market Programs
The
universities of Manchester, Nottingham
and Warwick have opened an office
in Seoul to jointly market their courses to Korean students.
The move
comes in an attempt to lure Korean students away from U.S. institutions,
traditionally the first choice for students wishing to study abroad.
—
Hothouse media
August 2002
SINGAPORE
Shanghai
University Opens Graduate School
Shanghai
Jiao Tong University (SJTU), one of China's top schools, officially
inaugurated its graduate school at Singapore's Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) in October 2002.
The SJTU
Graduate School at NTU's Nanyang Business School will conduct SJTU's MBA
program, which will be taught in both Chinese and English by professors
from both institutions.
This is the
first overseas endeavor of its kind to be approved by the Chinese Ministry
of Education. SJTU is the first Asian institution and the ninth international
university to house a school in Singapore.
—
Xinhua News Agency
Oct. 30, 2002
SRI LANKA
Campus
Shut Down as Hazing Advocates Kill Student
A
student who was objecting to the practice of hazing at Sri Lankan universities
died Nov. 8 after being attacked by a group of students who want to continue
the fraternity-style abuse of freshmen. The Senate of the University
of Sri Jayewardenepura, where the incident happened, met and decided
to shut the university indefinitely.
The student
was killed as he met with the director of student welfare to complain
about the practice, known as "ragging." The hazing ritual typically
involves starving and beating students, as well as having them perform
embarrassing sexual acts.
Located on
the outskirts of capital city Colombo, the university is one of Sri Lanka's
major institutions of higher education. The school with 7,000 students
has previously experienced clashes between groups that advocate ragging
and those that oppose it.
—
Sri Lanka Page
Nov. 11, 2002
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