What role for higher education in development? - SciDev.Net

What role for higher education in development? - SciDev.Net: "Anyone seeking to tackle the problems facing the developing world must remember two simple facts of life. First, none of these problems — from food shortages and the spread of disease, to achieving sustainable economic growth — can be addressed without the use of science and technology.

Second, harnessing science for development depends on the skills of a country's people. And that in turn requires a robust and effective higher education system — the only mechanism that can produce and sustain these skills."

China extends brain drain campaign to young scientists - SciDev.Net

China extends brain drain campaign to young scientists - SciDev.Net: "[BEIJING] China is set to expand its ambitious scheme to attract the cream of the scientific diaspora back to the country so it includes young scientists as well.

Li Zhiyong, vice-minister of the Organisation Department of the Central Committee, told a conference of the High-level Overseas Talents and National Development Strategy in Beijing last month (28 September) that under-35-year-olds will be targeted to return to China. This issue was also a focus of discussions at the conference organised by the Western Returned Scholars Association (WRSA)."

GlobeCampus Report - University Report E-zine includes the latest survey results on which schools made the grade

globecampus.ca ~ GlobeCampus Report - University Report E-zine includes the latest survey results on which schools made the grade: "We were the first to grade universities based on what their students said about them, and the students have again spoken. For the latest undergraduate satisfaction survey results, turn to our e-zine, which also gives you the option of downloading the magazine as a PDF file."

University World News - BHUTAN: Future higher education hub of Asia?

University World News - BHUTAN: Future higher education hub of Asia?: "The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its untouched mountainous beauty. It is also known for its political innovation: its tobacco sales ban and its use of 'gross national happiness country' as a yardstick for development, for example. But could it soon become a higher education hub of Asia?

Its current plans are groundbreaking. Bhutan has a tradition of insularity that has only recently started to weaken. But its government - democratised only two years ago - is embarking on an ambitious plan to build a high-end US$1 billion education city to encourage prestigious universities and colleges worldwide to establish affiliated institutions in Bhutan."

Chinese students pay dearly for Canadian ‘education’ - The Globe and Mail

Chinese students pay dearly for Canadian ‘education’ - The Globe and Mail: "Vic is one of thousands Chinese students who arrive at Canadian colleges and universities each year via recruitment agencies that match students eager for a Western education with universities happy for an influx of cash.

However, an investigation by The Globe and Mail found that some agencies abuse their relationships with Canadian schools, promising Chinese families far more than they can deliver. Often, students are charged thousands of dollars for what turns out to be a semester of English-language training at private colleges loosely affiliated with the Canadian universities to which the students’ families thought they were paying admission.

Some Canadian universities seeking foreign students – who pay higher tuition fees than Canadian students – recruit directly, without using overseas agencies, avoiding the potential pitfalls."

Universities are becoming too business-like, conference told

Universities are becoming too business-like, conference told: "Universities are becoming too much like businesses due to global competition for students, increased reporting requirements from governments and the ascendancy of managers more interested in the bottom line than in academic freedom, some professors say.

'Canadian universities are caught up in an international movement that makes them less autonomous than they were 25 years ago,' said William Bruneau, a University of B.C. professor emeritus and co-chairman of a recent international conference held at UBC on higher education reform"

Academics for Higher Education & Development

AHED-UPESED.org: "The purpose of AHED is to support developing countries develop and expand institutions of higher education by sending volunteers to work on projects in those institutions and in ministries of higher education. AHED is involved in projects in the full range of post-secondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and business, engineering, normal, medical and nursing schools."

Science academies must learn to be more transparent - SciDev.Net

Science academies must learn to be more transparent - SciDev.Net: "To retain public trust in a connected world, science academies need to be more open about the way that they operate.

When India's environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, criticized an Indian inter-academy report on genetically modified crops last month as lacking in scientific rigour, the science academies responsible for producing the report could have chosen to stand their ground.

Instead, the head of the country's top academy issued an apology a day later, and promised to produce a new report. Although the science academies’ acknowledgment of the weaknesses in their report was welcome, it was the kind of incident that they could have done without, signalling that they may be susceptible to political pressure."

African and U.S. Universities Partner to Tackle Development Challenges Across Africa

African and U.S. Universities Partner to Tackle Development Challenges Across Africa: "WASHINGTON, D.C. – USAID and Higher Education for Development announced that 11 innovative new partnerships between 22 universities in Africa and the United States have each been awarded up to $1.1 million for activities to address issues including food security and agriculture, solar energy, health care, education, and water in Africa. These partnerships will maximize the resources of U.S. institutions while placing African universities in the lead to capitalize on their on-the-ground knowledge, proximity to the challenges, and build their own capacity to better address these challenges"

EAST AFRICA: Moves to harmonise higher education

University World News - EAST AFRICA: Moves to harmonise higher education: "The East African Community's five member countries have inched closer to harmonising and standardising their university education systems, potentially boosting student access and mobility. But the improvements will require major changes to individual countries' education systems.

The Inter-University Council of East Africa Bill was recently published and introduced to the region's legislative assembly. Among other things the bill seeks to allow thousands of university students to move freely across the bloc's institutions via a credit transfer arrangement. The bill will also push universities to review degree classification criteria to meet regional standards, as it strives to harmonise university education in the region."

Institutionalizing Ecohealth: International Development Research Centre

CoPEH–SSA - Institutionalizing Ecohealth: International Development Research Centre: "Taking into consideration the region's unique needs, the focus of CoPEH-SSA is first on building ecohealth capacity and excellence in research. Taking a step-by-step approach, CoPEH-SSA is first being implemented in West and Central Africa - where the Ecohealth program has developed a strong and motivated network of researchers and practitioners - through training workshops, conferences and overall project development and implementation. Eventually, CoPEH-SSA could expand further into East and Southern Africa."

EU-AFRICA: University ties to be deepened

University World News - EU-AFRICA: University ties to be deepened: "New plans for broadening the two-way street between African and European universities were unveiled at a conference in Brussels last week, where 150 delegates from both continents debated closer ties in higher education. The conference focused on a newly published White Paper on bridging arrangements between institutions and greater cooperation between scholars in Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Its conclusions follow studies and discussions staged through the European Union-funded Fostering Trust and Exchange between Europe and Africa 2008-2010"

KENYA: State to launch e-learning university

University World News - KENYA: State to launch e-learning university: "Kenya plans to launch a multi-million dollar e-learning university next year, potentially increasing higher education access and easing an admissions crisis plaguing public universities. The National Open University of Kenya will enable students to pursue their degree dreams through online learning, a trend already practiced on a small scale by private universities."

Traffic Picks Up in World’s Education Race - NYTimes.com

Traffic Picks Up in World’s Education Race - NYTimes.com: "For decades the United States attracted more than a quarter of all foreign students in college or graduate education. Recently that has begun to change. While the continuing boom in study overseas — an explosion largely unaffected by the economic downturn — means that the number of foreign students going to the United States has continued to grow, the U.S. share of the foreign student market has fallen to just 18.7 percent"