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| 27 May 2012 | Issue 0223 | Register to receive our free e-newspaper by email each week | Advanced Search |
| NEWSLETTER Academic freedom spat in Canada, student unrest in Pakistan, inequity in Iraq In World Blog, Serhiy Kvit describes the funding of state universities in Ukraine as illogical and unfair, and says his university – which lost funding following a spat with government – lodged an unprecedented appeal against the system. In Commentary, David A Welch argues that the Canadian Association of University Teachers has gone too far in accusing the governance structure of the Balsillie School of International Affairs of undermining academic freedom. Stephen Carson and Jan Philipp Schmidt probe the growing phenomenon of 'massive open online courses', which are opening up higher education to vast numbers of people, and Keith Herrmann looks at Uganda's success in attracting international students. In Features, Ameen Amjad Khan describes the rise of lawlessness on campuses in Pakistan, fuelled by the politicisation of student organisations, and Wagdy Sawahel reports on allegations of sectarian discrimination against Sunni academics and students in Iraq. Suvendrini Kakuchi writes that a growing number of Japanese students are volunteering in developing countries, especially in Asia and Africa, seeking experience and opportunities to make the world a better place. Karen MacGregor – Global Editor NEWS: Our correspondents worldwide report GLOBAL Geoff MaslenThe growing role of knowledge-intensive innovation and production in the economy and the importance placed on research in university rankings were powering the worldwide growth of scientific output, a conference in Melbourne heard on Tuesday. Simon Marginson said 48 countries were publishing more than 1,000 journal papers in science in 2009, compared to 38 nations in 1995 – a 26% increase. ASIA Yojana SharmaOverseas universities queuing to set up affiliated degree programmes, joint degrees and foreign branch campuses in Asia need to do their sums carefully and understand the job market in those countries, or they will fail. GLOBAL Wagdy SawahelAcademic leaders and institutions around the world have been called on by United Nations agencies to commit to developing sustainable practices in higher education and to help build more sustainable societies, by signing a declaration ahead of the global Rio+20 conference. SWEDEN Jan Petter MyklebustThe Swedish parliament is to vote imminently on a plan that will make it easier for doctoral students from outside Europe to settle in Sweden after graduation, by offering permanent residence permits. UNITED STATES Alison MoodieAllegations have emerged of abusive practices by employers connected to a summer work travel programme that attracts more than 100,000 foreign students to the United States each year, leading the State Department to announce major reforms. GLOBAL Karen MacGregorThere were mixed feelings in South Africa at the news that the country would share with Australia the world's largest radio telescope, the US$2 billion Square Kilometre Array. There was delight at the boost that SKA would give to African science, tinged with disappointment because South Africa had been the front-runner to win the bid. GERMANY Michael GardnerThe results of the latest federal research report suggest that research and innovation in Germany are expanding. But industry is less optimistic and has again warned of a serious shortage of skilled and spec ialist labour in mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology. INDIA Alya MishraThe Indian government has introduced a bill into parliament to establish universities focused on innovation and research. The aim is to attract foreign and local private investment to boost the country's research capacity. IRAN Wagdy SawahelAn Iranian group active in defending the rights of students to attend higher education institutions has said Iran is pursuing a second cultural revolution by practising 'educational apartheid', as instances of students being barred from universities and other discriminatory measures have increased. PERU Jonathan DysonResponding to increasing demand from industry and perpetually low rankings among Latin American countries, Peru is investing more than US$136 million in science and technology. Prime Minister Oscar Valdéz also recently announced that 1,000 new S&T postgraduate fellowships would be made available by 2016, as well as 1,500 scholarships for Peruvian students at foreign universities. SENEGAL Mamadou Mika LomResearch has always been the poor relation in Senegalese universities, public and private alike, but faces better prospects under a new government following the presidential election of 25 March. TUNISIA Nébil ZaghdoudTunisia is taking its first steps towards boosting scientific links with other developing countries following the 2011 revolution that overthrew a government perceived to be more concerned with politics than science. FEATURES PAKISTAN Ameen Amjad KhanThere was a day of lawlessness on 16 May at Lahore's Punjab University, as members of a student organisation linked to an Islamist political party attacked the vice-chancellor's office, broke windows, smashed furniture and roamed around campus beating up professors. IRAQ Wagdy SawahelThe Sunni academic community in Iraq faces discrimination by the Shiite-led government, according to allegations published on a website endorsed by Ghent University in Belgium. JAPAN Suvendrini KakuchiIn March this year the International Cooperation University Student Association at Rikkyo University in Tokyo completed its fourth charity campaign, providing books to schools in poverty-stricken villages in Nepal as part of the Hope project organised by the students. WORLD BLOG UKRAINE Serhiy KvitThe basic funding of state universities in Ukraine is at the total discretion of the minister of education. A leading university has lodged an appeal against this system. A change in the arbitrary nature of funding could boost quality and serve the public and national interests. COMMENTARY CANADA David A WelchThe Canadian Association of University Teachers has gone too far in attacking the Balsillie School of International Affairs' governance structure. The association's guiding principles protect academics from being forced to act in favour of corporate interests, but in this case there is no danger that academic freedom is under threat. UNITED STATES Stephen Carson and Jan Philipp SchmidtThough a relatively new phenomenon, 'massive open online courses' – MOOCs – are transforming the higher education experience and opening learning up to a vast number of people. Universities are beginning to take note of the huge opportunities they offer. UGANDA Keith HerrmannUganda has had some success in attracting international students. In part this is because it has kept costs for students low. But is this policy sustainable? SCIENCE SCENE GLOBAL London-based academic publisher Versita plans to publish 100 'emerging science' journals this year as part of its open access programme. Jacek Ciesielski, founder and chief executive of the company, said the focus would be on "young and rapidly developing fields of science" that have not yet been covered by existing journals. FRANCE-AUSTRALIA An international research breakthrough with bees offers the possibility that machines might soon be able to see almost as well as humans. The French and Australian research shows that honeybees use multiple rules to solve complex visual problems. FRANCE-CANADA An international team of biologists has found that a carnivorous pitcher plant growing in Borneo's peat-swamp forests benefits considerably from the presence of a species of ant called Camponotus schmitzi, which benefits in turn. FACEBOOK University World News has a new Facebook group: facebook.com/UniversityWorldNews. If you are not a member, do consider joining to see our regular updates, post on our wall and communicate with us and other University World News fans. You can also follow University World News on Twitter @uniworldnews WORLD ROUND-UP SPAIN It was no mistake that university campuses proliferated during Spain's decade-long, construction-led boom years. Education and health care have long been two of the most prized – and seemingly sacred – aspects of the European social model favoured by Spain, writes Raphael Minder for The New York Times. CANADA Negotiations have not worked. Playing the tough guy has not yielded much. Even a change of education minister, the riot squad and teargas have not deterred the student movement rocking Quebec's social peace. So what's left for Premier Jean Charest to do? It's not clear, writes Philip Authier for Postmedia News. UNITED STATES No Chinese teachers at Confucius Institutes in America will have to leave the country by the end of June, the US State Department said on Thursday, clarifying a directive issued last week that drew strong reactions from US universities that host the non-profit institutes, write Tan Yingzi, Cheng Yingqi and Luo Wangshu for China Daily. UNITED KINGDOM The UK government is set to push ahead with plans to create a new generation of universities by lowering the qualifying threshold for 'university' title from 4,000 to 1,000 students. Easing the path to university title for small institutions is expected to be a central feature in the government's responses to consultations on the Higher Education White Paper, writes John Morgan for Times Higher Education. UNITED STATES The burgeoning movement to put more classes online, which attracted the support of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this month, is getting another endorsement that may have an even greater impact: rigorous evidence that the computer can be as effective as the classroom, writes Mary Carmichael for the Boston Globe. AUSTRALIA Postgraduate students in the humanities, arts and social sciences are older, feel less supported and have fewer spaces to work than their counterparts in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a survey of more than 1,000 students completing research degrees, writes Justin Norrie for The Conversation. AUSTRALIA-INDIA In a classic reversal of the situation a few years ago, Australian universities now stand to benefit from the recent tightening of student visa rules and a drastic fall in enrolments in Britain from India, reports the Indo-Asian News Service. SCOTLAND Scottish students could be charged tuition fees and then reimbursed under plans being considered to make European Union students pay towards their education at Scottish universities. EU sources told Scotland on Sunday that the plan is the only way the government can "get away with" charging European students while maintaining free access to those based in Scotland, writes Chris Marshall. IRELAND There has been a significant rise in the number of UK students opting to study at Irish universities – 28% according to preliminary figures – reports the BBC. IRELAND Ireland's Education Minister Ruairi Quinn last week ruled out any further increase in student fees up to 2015. He said he had given notice that the current charge would rise to €3,000 (US$3,761) by 2015 to give parents certainty and "that is all that is going to happen in that space", writes Katherine Donnelly for The Independent. UNITED KINGDOM Deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg has been accused of promoting 'communist' policies to force universities to take more students from state schools. Clegg suggested that leading colleges should lower their A-level entry grades for state school candidates, writes Tim Ross for The Telegraph. UNITED STATES The fight over two-tiered pricing at California's community colleges is not over, writes Paul Fain for Inside Higher Ed. Leaders at Santa Monica College in March unveiled a controversial plan to create a self-supporting private foundation to help meet student demand by offering courses at four times the cost of overbooked state-financed courses. UNITED STATES In what appears to be a one-of-a-kind collaboration between academia and industry, Google announced last week that it will provide 2,044 square metres of free office space to Cornell University, writes Joseph Walker for The Wall Street Journal. UGANDA A website launched last Thursday called Notinmycountry.org targets the corruption faced by students in Uganda. The secured site enables students anonymously to report acts of corruption by individuals at universities using a randomly generated username that cannot be linked to the user, writes Samuel Rubenfeld for The Wall Street Journal. UNITED STATES The son of fallen Chinese politician Bo Xilai graduated from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government last Thursday. The achievement capped a tumultuous academic year that also placed Bo Guagua at the centre of China's biggest leadership crisis in two decades, reports Reuters. UNITED STATES When George Washington University's class of 2012 marched across the mall to accept its degrees last Sunday, the nation's back yard was transformed into an eco-fashion runway, writes Maggie Fazeli Fard for The Washington Post. CANADA The University of Winnipeg is opting out of a national copyright deal the university says would be a waste of $200,000 a year, writes Nick Martin for Winnipeg Free Press. ZIMBABWE State intelligence operatives, police and soldiers should be ejected from institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe – unless they are students – as their heavy presence on campuses is infringing on academic freedom, a student representative has said, writes Everson Mushava for Newsday. NIGERIA Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan last week expressed shock over the revelation that more than 60% of university teachers do not have a PhD, writes Leon Usigbe for The Tribune. Terms and Conditions / ISSN 1756-297X / © University World News 2007-2012 |   
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