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A majority of EU Member States have made progress on the Europe 2020 education targets to reduce the rate of early school leaving to below 10% and increase the share of young people with higher education (tertiary or equivalent) qualifications to above 40% by 2020, according to new figures for 2012 released by Eurostat today.
However, there are still wide disparities between Member States and between males and females. The share of young people leaving school early now stands at 12.8% on average in the EU, down from 13.5% in 2011. In 2012, 35.8% of 30-34 year olds in the EU had completed tertiary education, compared with 34.6% in the previous year.
Androulla Vassiliou, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said: "The progress in achieving our education targets is a positive message in a time of economic uncertainty. The jobs of the future will demand higher qualifications and these figures show that more young people are determined to achieve their full potential. We are also seeing that efforts to improve Europe's education systems and increase accessibility are paying off. I encourage all Member States to sustain their efforts so that we reach our 2020 targets; this is especially true for countries which have not made progress or whose performance was worse than in the previous year. I invite them to increase their efforts and follow the many examples of good practices."
12 Member States (Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden) now have early school leaving rates below the 10% Europe 2020 target, with Ireland reaching this level for the first time. Spain (24.9%), Malta (22.6%) and Portugal (20.8%) have the highest rates of early school leaving, but made progress compared to 2011. Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia and the UK reduced early school leaving by at least one percentage point, but the rate increased in Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden.
In 2012, the share of 30-34 year olds with a higher education degree was above the Europe 2020 target of 40% in 12 Member States (Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK). Poland and Slovenia are set to exceed 40% next year. The proportion of young people with a higher education qualification remains low in Italy (21.7%), Slovakia (23.7%), Romania (21.8%), Malta (22.4%), the Czech Republic (25.6%) and Portugal (27.2%). Worryingly, the already low rate of tertiary attainment in Bulgaria (26.9%) fell slightly in 2012.
Overall, girls tend to do better: the rate of early school leavers among girls is 24% lower than for boys. The disparity is greatest in Cyprus (+58%), Latvia (+57%), Luxembourg (+57%) and Poland (+55%), where the school drop-out rate for boys is more than twice as high as for girls. Women are also 27% more likely to have completed higher education. The gender divide is biggest in Latvia (+85%), Estonia (+79%), Slovenia (+68%) and Bulgaria (+67%).
Read the full press release "Progress in tackling early school leaving and raising higher education attainment - but males are increasingly left behind".

Improving Vocational Education Training: Call for Book Chapters
EFQUEL invites contributions to a book about improving the quality of Vocational Educational Training (VET).
The call for chapters, which will examine the tools, frameworks and current practices necessary to enhance VET, is supported by the Teacher Quality Management project. As the book will address two different topics, participants are asked to tailor their submissions to the following categories:

IAU was pleased to welcome the following New Members and one Observer, in March 2013: University of Melbourne, Australia; Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU), China; Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education (NICE), India; S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Kazakhstan; Greenwich University, Pakistan; University of West London, UK; Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Saoudi Arabia and the American University in the Emirates (AUE), Dubaï.
University of Melbourne, Australia. Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement.
Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an international university jointly founded by Xi’an Jiaotong University China and the University of Liverpool UK. As an independent Sino-British venture, XJTLU is a pioneer in the field of higher education in mainland China. The campus is located in the city of Suzhou on China’s Eastern seaboard. In addition to our many local students and staff, XJTLU is rapidly developing its cosmopolitan image and global academic potential by welcoming students and professors from all over the world.
Noorul Islam Centre for Higher Education (NICE) - with University status, India. It aims at contributing to the engineering education systems of India, promotes research and innovation, focuses on building linkages with the industry and community. NICE provides instruction and training in Engineering and Technology, Management, Applied sciences, Medical Sciences, Dental Science and Para-Medical Sciences.
S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Kazakhstan, provides teaching and research in the fields of therapeutic treatments, pediatry, public health, management in public health and pharmacy, general medicine, professional training.
Greenwich University, Pakistan. GU's Study programs ranges from Short Courses to Post-Doctoral Fellowships in disciplines fitting the needs of today while choosing the best possible technologies in order to deliver the knowledge required and educate interactively. All study programmes and fields of study are presented online.
Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Saudi Arabia. The vision of the founders is to ensure that the University participates in: Preparing future leaders in various fields of human knowledge and its application; Enriching and developing intelligence; Exploring innovative methodologies and technologies to achieve its objectives; Breaking the barrier between the academic and business society. Academic disciplines taught are : Business, Engineering, Arts & Sciences, Computer Engineering & Sciences, Graduate Programs, Undergraduate Programs, IT.
The University of West London, United Kingdom's mission is to raise aspiration through the pursuit of excellence. UWL’ vision is to be one of the leading employer engaged universities in the country, playing a major role in taking forward the world class skills agenda; be a business-facing University with a demand-led portfolio, delivered flexibly; continue to be a 'University of choice and opportunity' reaching out to students of all ages and backgrounds; be the leading modern University in London specialising in the generation, application, and transfer of knowledge. UWL’s values are: Creativity; Quality; Inclusiveness; Enabling and empowering all to access education that meets their needs; Diversity; Integrity.
OBSERVER
American University in the Emirates (AUE), Dubai, UAE is one of the largest private not-for-profit liberal higher educational institution in the region with a wide portfolio of programs both Bachelors and Masters, in six colleges namely College of Business Administration, College of Computer Information Technology, College of Fashion Arts and Design, College of Education and College of Media and Mass Communication. AUE is committed to fostering a research-intensive culture and knowledge transfer through student-centered activities.
More about Membership in IAU.

IAU is seeking partner institutions/organisations within its Membership to organise one of the four IAU Collaborative Workshops: A three-step activity to envisage Higher Education for Education for All locally. Workshops will be held in 2013 or 2014.
Since 2005, IAU has been advocating for and advancing the idea for the need of greater inclusion of higher education in the United Nations Education for All (EFA) initiative, both at the global and local levels. In view of this objective, the Workshop brings together high-level representatives from the higher education and research community, the Ministry of Education and other levels/sectors of education, civil society and UNESCO. Challenged to think out of box, participants reflect on their own experience, analyse the local context, and collectively development a concrete plan for a way forward to ensure greater higher education input in achieving EFA. This Workshop is part of the more comprehensive IAU Project on higher education for EFA (HEEFA).
Interested Member institutions/organisations must be located in a non-OECD country. Working language is English or French. Interested parties are invited to read the Partnership Protocol on responsibilities and working modalities and to return a completed application form.
To learn more about IAU's work in HEEFA, visit the IAU HEEFA website and read about previous Workshops.
Deadline for applications: 30 April
Contact: Nadja Kymlicka or Isabelle Turmaine.

Non-continuation rates at English HEIs: Trends for entrants 2005-06 to 2010-11
A report presenting new data on the non-continuation rates of different groups of students at English higher education institutions (HEIs) has been published today.
The data and report can be viewed in more detail on our new interactive web pages.
The report shows non-continuation rates for full-time first degree UK domiciled entrants to HEIs in England, split by student and course characteristics, between 2005-06 and 2010-11.
Key findings include:
- The overall trend in the percentage of entrants no longer in higher education has remained steady (around 8.2 per cent since 2005-06).
- Female entrants were less likely to leave higher education one year after entry compared to their male counterparts.  However, transfer rates were similar for male and female entrants.
- Entrants from areas where there is low participation in higher education were more likely to have left higher education one year after entry.

1. Further to our letter of November 2012, ‘Plans for the 2013 Destinations of Leavers in Higher Education survey in further education colleges’ (HEFCE Circular letter 28/2012), we are writing to provide information on the next steps in the process, including a timeline and the options for institutional engagement in the DLHE.
2. HEFCE Circular letter 28/2012 stated that 2013 would be a transition year in which further education colleges (FECs) should begin preparations to administer and fund the survey themselves in 2014. During this transition year, HEFCE will pay the full costs of the survey for the first tranche for leavers between 1 August and 31 December (the survey conducted in April 2013), and subsidise the cost for the second tranche for leavers between 1 January and 31 July (the survey conducted in January 2014) at a rate of 50 per cent. The survey will be conducted as usual by our contractors, I-Graduate. After both tranches, in July 2014, HEFCE will invoice each college for 50 per cent of the total cost of the second tranche. This will amount to approximately £5 per eligible student.
3. From March 2014, further education colleges will be expected to fully fund and administer the survey for themselves. We hosted a roundtable event in January 2013 and invited a number of FECs to discuss the options for administering the survey, including informing them of the development of a ‘framework’ (or preferred list of contractors). Using contractors from the framework will enable colleges to contract out the survey administration should they so wish, thus benefitting from using providers familiar with administering the survey who can achieve economies of scale. The options available for conducting the DLHE survey are outlined below. Read more...

eLearning Africa 2013 - 8e Conférence internationale consacrée aux TIC appliquées au développement, à l'enseignement et à la formation - Tradition, changement et innovation
Date: du 29-05-2013 au 31-05-2013
Lieu: Windhoek
Organisation: sous le patronage du Ministère de l'Education de la République de Namibie, avec le soutien du Ministère de l'Information et des Technologies de la Communication (TIC)
Programme:
Répondant aux besoins de mise en réseau du secteur panafricain du eLearning et de l'éducation à distance, la conférence annuelle eLearning Africa est le lieu de rendez-vous principal pour les utilisateurs et professionnels d'Afrique et du monde entier.
Les participants sont des décideurs et des professionnels de haut niveau venant des trois secteurs clefs de la mise en œuvre du eLearning et de l'innovation: l'éducation, l'entreprise et le secteur public.
La conférence est bilingue anglais et français. Elle comprend des sessions plénières avec des experts de renommée mondiale, de plus petites présentations et des sessions à thème précis ainsi que des démonstrations pratiques et des débats sur des matières spécifiques. Elle offre également de nombreuses opportunités de networking (mise en réseau) informel où les usagers partagent leurs expériences, leurs idées, informations et perspectives.
Placée cette année sous le signe de la Tradition, du Changement et de l'Innovation, la Conférence eLearning Africa 2013 explorera les différentes expériences, les projets mis en place, les investissements consentis, les politiques menées, les partenariats entrepris de même que la recherche, autant de points qui façonnent le paysage de la formation et de l'apprentissage du continent Africain.
Les nouvelles technologies couplées à un esprit visionnaire tendant à l'amélioration de la vie modifient déjà profondément nos méthodes d'apprentissage et de travail, nos manières de jouer et de penser. Comment les jeunes Africaines et Africains façonnent-ils leurs identités, comment se meuvent-ils dans les nouveaux espaces éducatifs, à l'aide de ces nouvelles technologies ? Comment les universités, les gouvernements et le secteur privé collaborent en vue de développer une culture de l'innovation sur le Continent ? Les nouvelles technologies sont-elles fondamentalement attentatoires à la tradition ou sont-elles, au contraire, à même d'ouvrir un espace où la numérisation de la tradition est possible?
Les trois entrées thématiques suivantes structurent le programme:
A- Le présent : innovation et apprentissage sous le ciel africain
B- Le passé : les riches traditions et héritages d'apprentissage africains
C- Le futur de l'apprentissage en Afrique
Les principaux conférenciers sont:
- Donald Clark, UfI (University for Industry), Royaume-Uni
- Prof Dr Johannes Cronje, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Afrique Du Sud
- Mark East, Microsoft, Royaume-Uni
- Mark Kaigwa, Partner, Afrinnovator, Kenya
- Prof Sugata Mitra, Newcastle University, Royaume-Uni
- Mark Pilgrim, NComputing, Royaume-Uni
- Prof Kwesi Kwaa Prah, Director of the Africa-wide Centre for Advanced Studies of African Society (CASAS), Afrique Du Sud
- Stewart van Graan, Dell Southern & Central Africa.
URL: http://www.elearning-africa.com/.

COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION - SCHEDULE FOR RECOGNITION REVIEW OF ACCREDITING ORGANIZATIONS and CALL FOR THIRD-PARTY COMMENT
These organizations will be reviewed at the June 10-11, 2013 meeting of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Committee on Recognition. Third-party comment must be received in the CHEA office no later than May 10, 2013 and may be submitted by mail, fax or email to:
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-955-6126 - Fax: 202-955-6129 - Email: recognition@chea.org
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
National Recreation and Park Association Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions.
New England Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.
The Committee on Recognition meeting will take place at One Dupont Circle, Level 1B in Conference Room A.
CHEA recognition review includes an opportunity for parties independent of the accrediting organization under review to comment on whether the organization meets the CHEA recognition standards. Third-party comment may be either oral or written and is limited to the accrediting organization's efforts to meet the CHEA recognition standards. This may include commentary from many different sources, such as other accrediting organizations, institutions and programs, or professional or higher education associations. The comments will assist the CHEA Committee on Recognition as it considers the applications for recognition. A list of the committee on recognition members is provided here.
CHEA staff will review any third-party comment to assess its applicability to the recognition review. As provided in the 2006 and 2010 CHEA Recognition Policy and Procedures, third-party comments are reviewed by the CHEA Committee on Recognition.
"THIRD-PARTY COMMENT. Third-party comment may be either oral or written and is limited to the accrediting organization's efforts to meet the CHEA recognition standards.  All third parties requesting the opportunity to make comment related to an accrediting organization's recognition review are to notify CHEA staff and provide the names and affiliations of the persons requesting the opportunity to make third-party comment and a description of the organization(s) they represent. CHEA staff will review third-party requests for oral or written comment for completeness and applicability to eligibility and recognition standards.
Third parties who wish to appear for oral comment before the CHEA Committee on Recognition are to provide an outline of the proposed oral comment.  Where in the judgment of the Committee doing so may be useful, the Committee may invite third parties to appear before the Committee.  The accrediting organization will receive the outline of the proposed oral comment of third parties invited to appear.  Accrediting organizations will have the opportunity to review and respond to proposed oral comment.
Third parties wishing to make written comment are to provide the text of the third-party comment.  After review by CHEA staff, written comment will be provided to the Committee and the accrediting organization.  Accrediting organizations will have the opportunity to review and respond to written comment.
Third parties are to provide an outline of their oral comment or the text of their written comment in sufficient time to provide for review by CHEA staff, review and response by the accrediting organization, and for the outline or text to be provided to the Committee.
CHEA staff will notify all concerned parties of the location, date, and time of the public presentation."