By John Morgan. England has “too many” universities and some are likely to close, the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry has warned. John Cridland, the head of the business lobbying organisation, was given a rough reception over his views at a fringe meeting at the Labour conference in Brighton last night, with the Million+ group of newer universities rejecting his argument. Read more...29 septembre 2013
CBI head John Cridland: country has ‘too many’ universities
By John Morgan. England has “too many” universities and some are likely to close, the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry has warned. John Cridland, the head of the business lobbying organisation, was given a rough reception over his views at a fringe meeting at the Labour conference in Brighton last night, with the Million+ group of newer universities rejecting his argument. Read more...VCs Forum 2013: Universities seek greater academic interaction
By Riazul Haq. Scholars from the Muslim world on Tuesday resolved to work for greater academic interaction, create an Islamic universities’ pool of scholarship, and to initiate joint research and development programme.This resolution came after two-day interactive and technical sessions at Vice Chancellors Forum 2013 in which heads and representatives of 200 universities from the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) participated.
The forum was organised by COMSATS Institute of Science and Information Technology (CIIT), in collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Ministry of Science and Technology and Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).
The event provided a platform for different universities to sign mutual agreements and memorandums of understandings (MoUs) in general and specific areas of their academic interest. More...
Internationalising the curriculum – Future challenges
By Elspeth Jones. Much has been written about the purpose of internationalisation and what it means for universities, for students and for staff. My standpoint is that if internationalisation aims to enhance institutional and academic quality, the ultimate beneficiaries will be students and they should be at the heart of our efforts. We can do this, in part, through internationalising the curriculum. More...Are tuition fee rises sustainable?
By William Patrick Leonard. After decades of tuition fee increases at US tertiary institutions, the tolerance of the public and their elected officials appears to be reaching exhaustion point. I have previously noted in University World News that the primary cause of the annual fee increases lies with the unsustainable business plan employed by the bulk of the nation’s public and non-profit institutions. More...Cambridge back at the top in new-look UK league table
By David Jobbins. Cambridge University is back at the top of the national league tables – the third to be published this year in the United Kingdom. Despite the change, which relegates Oxford to second place, The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014 – published as a combined ranking for the first time – shows considerable stability in the top 10 UK universities, with the same institutions as last year represented and minimal shuffling of places. More...Africa-Japan plan to boost teaching in universities
By Maina Waruru. An initiative aimed at strengthening the teaching of science, technology and innovation, as well as sustainable development, at five African universities will be launched later this year by the African Development Bank, or AfDB, and the United Nations University. The two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-2013 that will link the public universities in Africa to the United Nations University, or UNU, in Japan and the University of Tokyo in a knowledge transfer programme. More...Regional academy to tackle Africa’s pilot shortage
By Wagdy Sawahel. Sudan has opened an academy of aviation sciences and technology, aimed at providing aviation higher education and producing highly skilled civilian pilots for the national and African airline industries. The academy, which was opened on 15 September and upgrades an existing aviation institution, will also offer practical and theoretical training for students in aviation industry areas such as safety, security, environment and operational management, in order to produce graduates who meet the broad high-skill needs of the aviation market. More...University uniforms challenge – And academic freedom
By Suluck Lamubol. Thailand’s Thammasat University, one of the few in the country that does not require students to wear uniforms, has sparked a nationwide debate after a student launched a provocative campaign challenging the need for uniforms in higher education. Now the matter has taken a new turn, transforming into an academic freedom issue. More...Report finds little progress on European Research Area
By Carmen Paun. With just three months to go before the launch of the European Research Area, or ERA, much work is still needed before a border-free international market for research projects can be established, a new report has found. The European Commission said last Monday that the European Union (EU) research market was still fragmented, with many different funding schemes for researchers in the 28 EU member countries and different policies for knowledge-sharing and open access to publicly funded research. More...Funding green light for higher education rejuvenation
By Alya Mishra. India is set to launch an ambitious higher education plan that will pump money into state universities, link university performance to funding and set up new institutions, thus creating expanded access to higher education for the country’s growing number of school-leavers. The Ministry of Finance recently approved Rs250 billion (US$4 billion) towards Rashtriya Ucchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, or RUSA, which proposes to spend Rs990 billion (US$16 billion) over the 12th Plan (2012-17) and 13th Plan (2017-22) periods. More...
