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| November/December 2004 | Volume
17, Issue 6 |
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PRACTICAL
INFORMATION REGIONAL
NEWS FEATURE
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Regional
News
Asia/Pacific
Afghanistan Signs of Progress, Frustration The problems associated with education are myriad. Among them, hundreds of villages have no schools at all and, in the majority that do, children sit on dirt floors under plastic sheets. Classes are overcrowded — the country would need another 30,000 teachers to bring average class sizes down to 40. In addition, 75 percent of the nearly 102,000 teachers have neither completed high school nor two years of teacher training, the minimum professional qualifications; and although girls were allowed to attend school in spring 2002 for the first time in five years, some are back at home because of repeated attacks on their schools. The introduction of the new textbooks does, however, represent a start to the process of rebuilding a system that needs to be built from the ground up. The books will address one of the key constraints to educational development: the poor quality of teaching and learning materials. The new textbooks will place greater emphasis on interaction between teacher and pupil, and will encourage students to talk and think about the subject matter. New designs, illustrations and modern techniques, such as group work and classroom discussions, are all built into the new textbooks. If these new teaching materials can raise the perceived value of education for Afghan families, then hopefully a new generation of teachers and scholars will emerge. That generation, given a supportive political environment, will be able to continue the process of rebuilding the Afghan educational system. — UNICEF Press Center — Institute for War and Peace Reporting AustraliaStudy: Nation’s Comparative Advantage Gone The report, “Comparative Costs of Higher Education for International Students 2004,” by researchers at IDP, Australia’s education marketing division, compared the five main English-speaking destination countries – the UK, Australia, the United States, Canada and New Zealand – with emerging Asian study destinations Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Thailand and India. Annual living costs for students in the UK were estimated at US$11,152 and US$9,519 in Australia in 2003, while in Canada and the United States, annual living costs were just under US$9,000. In New Zealand, they were US$8,686. In contrast, Asian study destinations are posing increasing competition because of the region’s lower cost of living and studying. The cost of living in Hong Kong, for example, was US$7,081 and in India just US$1,515. Officials from IDP attribute the rising costs to the increased value of the Australian dollar since 2001, coupled with an average annual increase of 12 percent in tuition fees and generally increasing health and living expenses. Another negative factor affecting Australia’s international recruitment is the length of its courses, according to the study. Whereas in the UK, for example, a full-time master’s program typically runs for a year, in Australia it is more often 18 months to two years. According to another recent IDP report, the higher education sector is already beginning to suffer, with the first half of 2004 witnessing a year-on-year decline of 8 percent in international student applications (see September/October 2004 WENR).The study recommends as an antidote a major marketing initiative by its international education industry to highlight a mix of quality education, employment prospects and affordability in the future. — The Guardian Immigration Reforms a Key Factor in Education Export Success Changes enacted in 1998 that gave immigration priority to overseas students who completed their education or training in Australia were a leading inducement for students from Asia to study and live in Australia. Immigration reforms were prompted by labor shortages in accounting and information technology in the 1990s. Amendments included awarding credit points for completing studies in Australia, dropping occupational experience requirements and waiving the condition that hopefuls must go offshore to apply for residency. Successful onshore visa applications soared from 5,480 in 2001-02 to an estimated 12,000 in 2003-04, according to the research performed by Monash University demographer Bob Birrell and presented at the IDP Australian International Education Conference in October. But while immigration policies gave the industry traction in the market, other forces (discussed above) are now causing Australian universities to lose ground to competitors in the multibillion-dollar market, a trend IDP is trying to reverse. — The Australian Carnegie Mellon May Back Adelaide Campus Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon is a well-regarded private U.S. university with a strong reputation in computer science, business, art and design. It has a campus in California and another in Doha, Qatar. However, Carnegie Mellon would not be establishing another campus in Adelaide; rather it would be backing the new private university, and its School of Public Administration would assist the establishment of the new institution. The South Australian government has stated it will introduce into the state Parliament early next year legislation allowing for the establishment of the university. The new campus is expected to open by early 2006. The school would be competing with three public universities already operating in the state: Adelaide University, University of South Australia and Flinders University. The promoters of the new university say they aim to attract international students who would not otherwise enroll in an Australian university. The institution would seek to enroll students from Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Carnegie Mellon would provide institutional services and support for the new university, as well as assistance in delivering Carnegie Mellon-based curriculums. Rann indicated the new university would have specialized faculties in science (particularly information technology and computer science), business and public policy and government. — The Australian China Diploma Equivalency Established With Hong Kong — People’s Daily ‘Confucius Study Centers’ Take Global Approach The purpose of the institutes is to develop and promote the global teaching of Chinese and China-related subjects, to promote cultural and academic exchanges and also to promote overseas investment and business opportunities. The new institute in Stockholm, for example, will work closely with Fudan University, Stockholm University and other northern European universities. China’s National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language says it plans to open 100 such colleges globally over the next few years. — People’s Daily Online British University Inks Double-Degree Deal According to a Queen Mary news release, the agreement will result in the first offering of double degrees in China. Programs will be offered in telecommunications with business management, and e-commerce engineering with management and law — areas of priority for China and combinations of subjects not available at Chinese universities. More than 1,000 students are expected to enroll by 2006. All teaching will take place in China, and students will receive degrees from both institutions. The syllabus and teaching materials will be based on Queen Mary’s existing electronic engineering curriculums and will be subject to University of London quality-assurance systems. More than 500 Chinese students are enrolled at Queen Mary, predominantly for under- and postgraduate courses in materials and electronic engineering. Students generally complete two years of study at a Chinese university and go to the United Kingdom (UK) to finish their studies and graduate with a University of London bachelor’s degree. Postgraduates usually complete their first degree in China before coming to the UK. A two-year research master’s in electronic engineering and computer science will also be offered, with students spending their first year at BUPT and the second at Queen Mary, consolidating existing research links between the two institutions. The university has also set up a joint research laboratory with the Beijing institution, a move that will help give it access to a potentially huge research market. — China Education Daily — Queen Mary news release MBA Programs Look at Ways Around Quality Concerns While acknowledging that China cannot compete internationally in terms of the quality of its MBA programs, the government is encouraging the idea of regional specialization, providing business training specific to Chinese concerns. According to official sources, overseas students made up 20 percent of the intake at Shanghai’s business schools in 2003. The government would like to see that percentage increase. The hope is that instruction specific to China will outweigh concerns over the comparatively low standard of teaching. — The Times Higher Education Supplement India IT Training Companies Take Advantage of New Legislation Aptech, a company with more than 3,000 IT training centers and a presence in 52 nations, commenced bachelor and graduate-level classes in IT, management and media studies this semester at its campus in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Admission procedures for its colleges in Chennai and Mumbai are also reportedly underway. In addition, NIIT, another leader in IT education and training, has announced plans to establish university-level programs through licensure with the state of Madhya Pradesh. Full details of the proposal are still unclear. A third company that has voiced similar plans is computer and networking institute Jetking. That company plans to establish Jetking University by March 2005 by purchasing an existing private university in Uttaranchal or Chattisgarh, or setting up its own. Legislation for the establishment of private universities currently exists in only a handful of states, including Sikkim, Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal. The credibility of private universities has been under fire, especially in Chattisgarh, where institutions of dubious quality have been mushrooming under somewhat hurriedly-prepared legislation. Hindu Business Line suggests that while the companies’ plans are welcome, they must be implemented in such a way that they can serve as industry benchmarks and as effective substitutes for programs available through the public sector. — Hindu Business Line Education-Only Satellite May Provide Education to Millions Approximately 35 percent of the country’s billion-plus residents are illiterate, according to a 2001 government census. India launched the US$20 million EDUSAT from a tiny island in the Bay of Bengal. To date, India has used its two multipurpose INSAT satellites to provide long-distance education information alongside their telecommunications, broadcasting and weather-forecasting functions. EDUSAT will use the virtual classroom concept to offer education to children in remote villages, quality higher education to students in areas without access to good technical institutes, adult literacy programs and training modules for teachers. — New Scientist Japan4 Tokyo Universities to Merge The merging institutions are Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology, Tokyo Metropolitan University of Health Sciences and Tokyo Metropolitan College of Aeronautical Engineering. The government has recommended that the newly merged university open in April. As a result of the merger, faculty members will lose their status as civil servants, will cease to have automatic tenure and will be subjected to limited-term contracts. — The Chronicle of Higher Education Applications to New Law Schools Plummet Of 46 schools that have stopped accepting applications for the coming academic year, 20 received less than half of what they received for the current year, the newspaper survey found, and at one school the number of applicants nose-dived to 10 percent of 2003’s figure of 755. The drop is blamed on growing concern over future job prospects for law school graduates as the ratio of those passing the new state bar examination is expected to be much lower than originally thought. In the exam’s first year, 2006, the Justice Ministry now plans to limit the passing percentage to just 34 percent because of bigger than expected enrollment figures in 2003. Judicial system reformers had initially expected pass ratios of 70 percent to 80 percent. Given the chances of success, many students believe it makes economic sense to study for the bar examination on their own. Students who have completed two years of college have until 2010 to prepare for and take the bar exam. After that, only law-school graduates can take the test. Education Ministry officials quoted in the Asahi Shimbun expressed confidence that the number of applicants would stabilize over the coming years. — Asahi Shimbun Foreign Branch Campuses Recognized According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the recognition is a result of education reforms pushed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. It is also attributed to pressure from the World Trade Organization to expand the Japanese education market. To gain recognition in Japan, the home institution of the foreign branch campus must be accredited in its home country and have a status verified by the nation’s embassy. Few expect many new branch campuses to arrive in Japan, however, as most higher education institutions in the country have seen a sharp decline in enrollment over the past 10 years. — The Chronicle of Higher Education Malaysia Government’s Call for Mergers Finally Bearing Fruit Now, the government’s call is beginning to bear fruit. Leading the pack is the Inti Group of Colleges, which, over the last few months, has incorporated three colleges into its group. Inti has entered into a collaboration with Resorts World Bhd to run hospitality programs at Kolej Antarabangsa Genting Inti, and it has acquired Metropolitan College, an institution that runs a number of Australian-twinned programs. Most recently, Inti signed an agreement with PJ College of Art and Design. Since its inception in 1986, Inti has grown to include a main campus in Nilai, four branch campuses in Malaysia and international campuses in Beijing, Bangkok, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Other recent mergers include SEG International’s acquisition of the Prime Group of colleges, Summit International College, MSC International College and the Institute of Business Management Studies in early 2001. In addition, a merger between Disted Stamford College in Penang and Disted College created Disted-Stamford College. — The Star New Zealand New Rules for Establishing Universities In 2000, the Auckland Institute of Technology similar in many respects to Unitec — became the country's eighth university and was renamed Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The government promptly introduced legislation to limit the number to eight. The bill was shelved, but in the interim Unitec and AUT began merger talks. When AUT backed out in 2003, Unitec revived its application for full university status. Unitec describes itself as a “dual-sector” institution, offering trades and technical training from certificate to doctorate level rather than more traditional research-led university disciplines. — The Times Higher Education Supplement Pakistan HEC Targets Diploma Mills Illegal institutions, according to the HEC, are those that have been granted region-specific charters but have opened branch campuses beyond their legal jurisdiction; those that have neither applied nor intend to apply for charters; and those that falsely claim affiliation with international institutions or with international institutions not recognized by the HEC. Recent news stories have reported on the dissolution of two fake-degree rings, with alleged connections to the Punjab Education Ministry. — Dawn Philippines 23 Nursing Programs Shuttered in Quality Crackdown The move came as a response to the rapidly increasing number of students failing the national nursing examination, a rate that stands at approximately 50 percent. Just a few years ago, the pass rate was 70 percent to 80 percent. The programs’ closings appear to be the enforcement of an announcement in August (see September/October 2004 issue WENR) by President Gloria Macapagal Arroya that “diploma mills” with a poor record of students passing professional licensure examinations would be closed down. — The Chronicle of Higher Education South Korea Ministry Announces University Admissions Reform Under the revised system, universities will be expected to give extra weight to school coursework and lighten the weighting given to the national university entrance examination. The reform initiative aims to equalize admissions for those students who cannot afford the high tutoring rates for private test preparation. Beginning in 2008, a hierarchical system of grade distribution will require that the top grade be awarded to the top 4 percent of students, followed by the second bracket going to the next 7 percent of students. It is hoped this measure will prevent schools from inflating grades across the board to achieve higher levels of university entrants. The reform plan also will require foreign language and science highs schools to have more curriculums related to their expertise so they will be more vocationally oriented rather than merely serving as stepping stones to prestigious universities. — Korea Herald Cheating Schemes on University-Placement Exam Uncovered More than 140 high school students and seven university students in the city of Gwangju originally were implicated in the cheating. After further police investigations, cheating rings were uncovered in South Chungcheong, Seoul and North Jeolla province, which lifted the total number of students accused of cheating to more than 270. In the scheme, students text messaged questions into their cell phones from the exam floor. Other students outside the building received the messages, calculated the most likely correct answers and relayed them to other students taking the exam. Those students reportedly paid $285 to $850 to participate in the scam, which collected a total of $20,000, authorities said. The placement exam, called the College Scholastic Ability Test, is of huge importance to South Koreans, who view attending a famous university as critical for success in the job market. Approximately 600,000 prospective college students took the test in November. — Korea Herald ThailandUniversities to Set Entrance Exams It is hoped the new system will encourage greater specialization in high school because students would only be required to sit for subjects relevant to the department to which they are applying. Other details of the reform plan were unavailable. — The Nation Teacher Training Colleges Upgraded — The Observatory on Borderless Education Vietnam Banknote Technology Used to Battle Diploma Counterfeiting Securency claims its technology is tamper proof. To combat counterfeiting, the security features include a complex transparent window as used in polymer banknotes, shadow images on the certificate to confuse copying and chemically reactive ink on the certificate to show tampering. The RMIT educational certificate will be given to students completing corporate training and short courses at RMIT Vietnam. The polymer technology was first used for banknotes in Australia and is currently used in the currencies of 23 nations. The State Bank of Vietnam recently adopted the technology for the Vietnamese currency. RMIT Vietnam is the first fully foreign-owned university in Vietnam (see July/August 2001 issue WENR) and operates two campuses (see January/February 2004 issue WENR) there. — RMIT Vietnam news release
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UNICEF recently reported on the progress being made toward the release next March of new textbooks in 11 subjects. Currently being field-tested, the new textbooks will be the result of a process that has lasted over a year, with teams of Afghan and international experts revising, updating and rewriting curriculum content and textbooks for primary school students at all levels. The imminent release of the new textbooks gives great cause for optimism in Afghanistan; however, a report from the 
