ByAlan Osborn. It was a tight call but the money came through in the end and students signed up for the European Union’s (EU) Erasmus student exchange programme will get funding after all next year.
The Erasmus cash had been caught up in a budget deadlock lasting months and the issue was only resolved this week, when the European Parliament rubber-stamped a deal agreed a few days earlier by EU ministers. Among other things the agreed deal on the EU budget for next year released a €90 million (US$118 million) special corrective sum for Erasmus. At one point it had seemed likely that Erasmus would be forced to cut students’ grants from early in 2013.
"The agreement means that the commission can now transfer necessary funds to the national agencies which are responsible for running Erasmus in the member states. The agencies will then release funds to beneficiaries of the programme, including the home universities and colleges which pay the monthly grants to students," said the European Commission. Read more...

By Jan Petter Myklebust. Hundreds of students blocked a bridge over the Danube in Budapest last Monday and several thousand marched to parliament on Wednesday to protest against cutbacks in scholarships and the introduction of tuition fees for 80% of Hungarian students from 2013.
Most new entrants to Hungarian higher education institutions will have to pay fees of between HUF50,000 and HUF100,000 (US$232 to US$464) per semester from next year.
Students will also have to sign a contract with the government under the student loan scheme, Diakhitel 2.0, pledging to stay and work in Hungary for at least twice as long as their studies lasted. If they leave Hungary, they will have to pay back outstanding tuition fees. This clause will apply for 20 years after graduation. Read more...

By David Jobbins. Latest British government statistics show a 1% increase in applications for student visas for university study, but huge falls in applications for the further education and language school sectors – setting the scene for a shrinking UK global market share of international students.
Teresa May, the British Home Secretary, argues that the number of foreign applicants to British universities is actually up at the same time that moves to tackle abuse have cut student visas.
But analysts argue that the government is wrong to claim that the small rise in university student visa applications, from 154,575 to 155,821, means the higher education sector is ‘unaffected’ by its clampdown on visas and migration. Read More...

Text: Francesca Operti. Encouraging a discussion between education and development stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities for non-formal adult education: this was the aim of the advocacy workshop organised by International Council of Adult Education (ICAE), the European Association for Education of Adults (EAEA) and dvv international.
EAEA, ICAE and dvv international Advocacy Workshop The event was titled "Meeting the challenge: Skills Development and Adult Education in the informal sector" and was held on the 4th December at the EAEA premises, Brussels. By gathering representatives from the European Commission (DG EAC and the DG ENLARG), the EESC, the European Parliament and NGOs, the event was successful in initiating a dialogue among actors from different levels.
Alan Tuckett: AE and LLL in Global Perspective
Participants benefitted from an inspiring introduction given by Alan Tuckett - President of ICAE. On one hand he reported on the initiatives undertaken by the UN in the last decades and the challenges which unfortunately still exist; on the other hand he described the ICAE´s priorities and commitments towards the current situation. Mr Tuckett provoked the audience with some of the dilemmas about education in developing countries: the resistance of the idea that learning coincides with school education; the lack of funding; the weak support given to the UN Millennium Development Goals. Two case studies were then presented, with the aim to look at the challenges and similarities between two very different geographical regions.
Sonja Belete: Integrated Women Empowerment Programme
Sonja Belete from the German Adult Education Association, dvv international, illustrated a model of using Adult Education and Lifelong Learning for development by presenting the "Integrated Women Empowerment Programme" (IWEP) in Ethiopia. This interesting best practice example allowed the participants to reflect on the necessity of changing some paradigms when running education programmes in developing countries´ contexts. Some fruitful actions that European stakeholders could envisage to contribute to the improvement of the dramatic situation of education in those countries were deepened as well.
Anni Karttunen: Validation in the Nordic Countries
Thanks to Anni Karttunen -Nordic Network for Adult Learning, NVL- participants had the opportunity to learn about the Validation of non- and informal learning experiences in the Nordic Countries. Having a closer look at the validation systems in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Greenland has been instrumental to consider possible ways of proceeding towards the recognition of skills in the developing countries and to contribute to the personal and professional growth of individuals.
Uwe Gartenschlaeger: The New BMZ-Education Strategy
The discussion was further enriched by Uwe Gartenschlaeger - dvv international, who described a concept by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of using education for development. Particularly interesting was the key role the Civil Society plays in the described programme. This led to think about the responsibilities each stakeholder has in the implementation of development policies. Participants´ interest in the event´s innovative approach has strengthened EAEA´s conviction that synergies among different actors are needed for tackling global challenges of adult education. The association commits itself to be the ring of conjunction among the concerned stakeholders and is planning the next event in order to create the base for further cooperation.

By Ricarda Motschilnig. In order to support staff development activities in University Lifelong Learning (ULL), there is now an online training pack for managers and trainers in higher education available. The pack has been developed by the IMPLEMENT project.
The IMPLEMENT project, ending in December 2012, underlines the importance of staff development. It aims at the dissemination and exploitation of learning materials (developed in an earlier project, BeFlex Plus), by adding value to the existing training materials on the five topics by adapting them to national needs and using them in real training at institutional, national and transnational events. Project´s goal is to develop and deliver an online version of each topic in order to provide a sustainable and dynamic solution for the longer term exploitation of the learning resources and best practice examples.
Training pack can also be useful for adult educators
The materials encourage tackling the following questions:
    How can universities do justice to their responsibility and role as "important social actors contributing to the better integration of adult learners"?
    How can universities be supported "to invest more in services for learners" and to "better use their partnerships and effectively communicate the results of their cooperative activities"?
    How can they become truly LLL universities?
    And most importantly: How can you and your colleagues develop your skills, competences, understanding and professional networks to enable you to be more effect change agents in your institution?
In response to these questions the on-line learning is targeted at university staff and their partners and stakeholders, in order to encourage them to reflect on their institutional situation, to develop action plans, and to implement changes.
The courses are designed for individuals around key learning activities to reflect on their own practice (individual professional development) or for colleagues to do so together. Although targeted primarily at universities, very similar challenges are faced by other kinds of institutions including adult education. Therefore the materials could also be useful to other staff in other sectors.
Online courses presented at Malta
At the final event of IMPLEMENT in Malta, on 7-8 November 2012, five online courses were used in blended learning workshops. The materials include a plenary introduction to the courses on Implementing LLL and covered five 'hot topics':
    Exploring Diversity in University Lifelong Learning
    Curriculum in Partnership
    Implementing Institutional Change in University Lifelong Learning
    Recognition of Prior Learning
    Regional Collaboration and Partnership in University Lifelong Learning
Furthermore a trainers' guide for advice on using the courses in groups is available on the learning platform and the IMPLEMENT website.
The workshops gave the opportunity to transnational and trans-sectorial participants to explore and try out the training packs in face-to-face sessions. But also learners and other interested persons, who could not make the way to Malta, had the possibility to join the event in real time by joining a distance on-line presentation.
Further information:
The materials are now ready and freely available for you to use at the EUCEN e-learning platform. You can also get involved with the IMPLEMENT activities by joining the established LinkedIn discussion group.