China steps up its brain gain drive to attract and retain overseas talent

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Features, Yojana Sharma outlines new measures taken by China to lure overseas talent – including international students and Chinese who left for a foreign education – in its bid to become an innovation economy. And Tunde Fatunde reports on calls for government action in Nigeria after university students emerge as prime targets in a fraudulent Ponzi scheme.
   In Commentary, Anand Kulkarni says the Global Talent Competitiveness Index shows the importance of a broader set of capabilities in attracting and retaining the best talent than are covered in university rankings, such as lifestyle and tolerance for immigrants. Futao Huang outlines the changes that have occurred in doctoral education in China in the past decades – including a considerable shift from Soviet to US influence – and some of the challenges ahead. Robert Coelen describes how proposed changes to Dutch legislation will enhance higher education internationalisation, encouraging recruitment of young international scholars to the Netherlands and of more students at offshore campuses. Ruwayshid Ali wonders if dramatic cuts to student admissions and scholarships in Saudi Arabia amid falling oil prices are the right strategy. And Rahul Choudaha says universities will need to be innovative to overcome the challenges to international student mobility posed by the collision of political changes in leading destination countries with economic changes in major source countries.
   In World Blog, Nita Temmerman cautions university teachers to be aware of the effect their feedback to students has on the motivation and morale of the student.
   In our Q&A section, Ramadhan Rajab interviews Professor Mohamed Ahmed Jimale about the state of higher education in Somalia, which is beginning to recover after a 23-year civil war.
   Last but not least, you are invited to register for the upcoming free webinar on “International Student Mobility Trends: Shifting recruitment priorities and strategies”, to be held on 12 April, hosted by University World News in partnership with DrEducation and StudyPortals. More...