By Hans de Wit and Philip G Altbach. The rapidly escalating refugee crisis in Europe has been dominating the international news for several weeks, but surprisingly it is only very recently that the higher education community has become alert to its role and to the considerable dilemmas it will have to face. It is relevant to speculate about the needs and challenges of higher education as a result of this crisis. Read more...
A profile of Sub-Saharan African students in America
By Wachira Kigotho. The United States is by far the most popular destination country for potential students from Sub-Saharan Africa, with high quality education being the main drawcard, according to a recent study. Interestingly, America’s African-born population has higher levels of education attainment than the overall foreign population. Read more...
Students’ compulsory military training loses rigour
By Yojana Sharma. More than seven million students about to enter China’s universities are undergoing several weeks of intense annual military training that is compulsory for all students, male and female. But the purpose of military training for students is changing, as students and others consider whether the gruelling routines are really necessary. Read more...
Open and distance learning – Access and success
By Yojana Sharma. As the world conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education approaches, ICDE President Tian Belawati – rector of Indonesia’s enormous open institution Universitas Terbuka – says that the twin messages of open, distance and flexible learning are “access and success”. Read more...
First Euro-Mediterranean engineer training institute
By Wagdy Sawahel. Morocco’s new Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Technology or INSA Euro-Méditerranée, which is part of the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fez and was developed in collaboration with top engineering schools in France, received its first intake of students this month. Read more...
Three new universities as country becomes a federal republic
By Binod Ghimire. The government of Nepal has decided to add three more universities including an open university in an attempt to decentralise higher education as Nepal becomes a federal republic. Read more...
Research body calls for more funding for ‘free research’
By Jan Petter Myklebust. A greater share of research funds should be spent on free research or researcher initiated projects rather than being prioritised for particular subjects, according to the Swedish Research Council, or SRC, in its contribution to the Löfven government’s white paper on the future of research. Read more...
150 shortlisted for EC’s science advisory group
By Jan Petter Myklebust. More than 150 names have been put forward for membership of the high level group of scientific advisors being created under a new system for providing independent scientific advice in European Commission, or EC, policy-making. Read more...
Obama unveils long-awaited college scorecard
By Mary Beth Marklein. The much-anticipated scorecard is a watered-down version of the plan promoted two years ago, when President Barack Obama asked the Education Department to develop a ratings system that had the potential to embarrass colleges that received low scores and put at risk their eligibility to receive federal student aid money. Read more...
Government withdraws VAT on private universities' fees
By Mushfique Wadud. The Bangladesh government last week caved in after countrywide protests by private university students and announced it would withdraw a VAT – or value added tax – levy on tuition fees of private universities, medical and engineering colleges that had been agreed in its budget this June. Read more...