HE News Brief 26.10.10

October 26th, 2010Bhutan, China, Jordan, Latin America, Scotland, UK0 comments

by Abby Chau

• Dominating headlines in England is former BP boss Lord Browne’s recommendation for lifting the university tuition cap as well as chancellor George Osborne’s announcement that £81bn pounds will be cut from government spending. Universities Minister David Willetts recently signalled that a compromise with Liberal Democrat Business Secretary Vince Cable will soon be announced, with fees raising to £6,000 or £7,000 instead. Ministers look poised to vote on this before Christmas, with the new fees, if they are approved, taking effect September 2012.  Wendy Piatt, director general for the Russell Group, which represents 20 of the country’s most elite universities, says that it will be a missed opportunity if institutions are not allowed to set their own tuition fees in order to guarantee quality and standards.
  Full Story: Independent
  More: Guardian
  
  
• Jordan has announced that by 2014, 65% of their 120,000 public higher education students will get their tuition fee either funded fully by zero-interest loans or through a scholarship. The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Walid Maani said that the establishment of the Student Loan Bank at the end of the year will issue zero-interest loans, with banks issuing the loan and not the government. Students are expected to pay back the loan after graduation.. 40,000 students are expected to take advantage of the loans by 2014. The minister stated that allowing their students easy access to higher education will raise the profile of Jordanian universities.
  Full Story: Jordan Times
  More: Ammon News
  
  
• Scotland’s Education secretary Michael Russell wants to tap into the “unlimited market” in China for English language instruction. On a trip to Beijing, he said that Scotland is well placed to deliver such services, and is hoping to increase the intake of Chinese students which currently stands at approximately 5,000. Russell met with the Chinese minister for education to discuss  partnerships in teacher education and developing PhD programmes. International students are charged a fee set by Scotland’s universities and as such are seen as a significant source of income. In 2009, international students contributed £419 million to the economy. The number of Chinese students at Glasgow University has increased by 40%. And with the announcement of massive budget cuts, Scotland’s strategy to keep their institutions afloat appears aimed at an internationalisation strategy.
  Full Story: Herald Scotland Continue Reading