By Rob Antle. N.L. projects half-billion in red ink while adding to social programs in 2014-15.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is offering up new and enhanced benefits for families, seniors and students in this year's budget, while adding more than a half-billion dollars’ worth of red ink to the province's tab.
The big ticket items include full-day Kindergarten in 2016, the replacement of student loans with grants, an enhanced low-income seniors’ benefit, increased tax exemptions for low-income residents and families, and a five-per-cent jump in income support rates. More...

Black and ethnic minority students are less likely to achieve the highest level of degree classification than their white counterparts, according to new figures.
A report from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) found that 72% of white students who have grades BBB at A-level went on to gain a first or upper second class degree, compared to only 56% of Asian students and 53% of black students.
The figures also revealed that state school students tended to do better in their degrees than students from independent schools who entered university with the same A-level grades. More...

By Leigh Jacobson. The college application process has become incredibly rigorous and cutthroat. According to the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the average cost of a private admissions consultant is $4,035, and 26 percent of the high-achieving incoming freshmen at private universities hired a consultant. A lot of these consultants then keep a database of previous clients’ application files for reference, which they use to help future clients who can afford their services. See more...

By Waqas Naeem. Experts say Pakistani and British universities can collaborate and build partnerships for research in diverse disciplines. Pakistani students and researchers studying abroad are tremendous resources for the country. But experts at an international conference here on Thursday agreed that they can be more helpful if they returned after graduating and contributed to research and development here.
That will not be possible unless the government and universities come up with policies, incentives and quality academic environments to prevent flight of intellectual capital from Pakistan, researchers and educationists said. More...

By oxfordbusinessgroup.com. The authorities in Jordan are taking steps to reduce the current gap between the university classroom and workplace, while also opening the door to more foreign students.
The government has said it would like the higher education system to be more closely aligned with the needs of the economy, including creating more places for students in areas where there is demand for talent and experience. This need has become more apparent in recent years, as some sectors have faced challenges in filling positions, despite the high level of unemployment, estimated at around 14% by the World Bank. More...

By Natasha Khan. A planned overhaul of the SAT is fueling concern in Beijing classrooms and is set to pose a fresh challenge for Chinese test-prep companies seeking techniques to crack the admission test.
The revamp slated for spring 2016 is intended to make the exam more reflective of U.S. high-school work and require students to show critical-thinking skills by analyzing science and history texts. The changes are causing anxiety for Chinese applicants, who often rely on months of cramming at schools of companies such as New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (EDU)
Close to a third of the 339,993 international undergraduate students in the U.S. came from China during the 2012-2013 school year, data from the Institute of International Education show. Chinese prep classrooms have for years used detailed dissections of prior exams, lengthy word lists and canned essays to help even students with limited English fluency master the SAT. More...

A l'horizon 2050, le français pourrait être la deuxième ou la troisième langue la plus parlée dans le monde, juste derrière l'anglais, mais devant l'espagnol, l'arabe ou le mandarin.
Le français, langue la plus parlée au monde en 2050 ? C'est ce qu'affirme une étude de la banque d'investissement Natixis, qui a fait parler d'elle cette semaine. Car c'est presque trop beau pour être vrai. Suite...

L’université Paris Descartes et la communauté d’Université Sorbonne Paris Cité organisent le 1er avril prochain la 8ème édition des  journées numériques programmées cette année autour du thème de « La vie connectée ». Pour les étudiants, une nuit du numérique aura également lieu la veille (31 mars) durant laquelle ils devront imaginer un projet numérique en 24h. Les projets seront présentés pendant la journée numérique du 1er avril. Parmi les principaux intervenants, on peut citer Tariq Krim, fondateur de NetVibes et Albert Yu-Min Lin, chercheur protéiforme de l’université de San Diego.

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L'IGAENR publie un rapport présentant les premières analyses des effets de la rénovation de la voie professionnelle. Il revient plus précisément sur les parcours des bacheliers professionnels dans l’enseignement supérieur et montre que ces derniers sont de plus en plus nombreux à choisir et à être accueillis dans l’enseignement supérieur particulièrement en STS. Les auteurs constatent cependant une réussite plus faible dans les filières générales de l’université.

En savoir + > Les rapports IGAENR