Jon Aizlewood

A charity has been launched to support the countries from which the UK recruits most international students – a move that could give the country an edge as an "ethical" study destination. It plans to raise funds from UK HE stakeholders to support the development of primary and secondary education in countries such as China, India and Nigeria.

UK science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) courses are increasingly being taken by international students likely to return home after graduation. This is prompting fears of a future skills shortage in the UK, especially with post-study work rights for international students now severely limited.

The number of Chinese students studying in Spain has increased elevenfold since 2003, from 500 to more than 5,500 this year, according to figures provided China’s embassy in Spain, while Mandarin study is also growing among Spaniards as bilateral ties pay off.

Cambridge ESOL has launched a new, interactive web-based service to help students prepare for the speaking part of the Cambridge English: First exam, featuring real-life examiners.

"Ninety per cent of those who said we should continue to ban [per-head commission payments] internationally cited concern for students. For those who said we should not ban it, ninety per cent talked about it from a business model. So it’s definitely a bi-modal view."

The Italian-owned chain, Professional Linguistic Upper Studies (PLUS), is breaking out of the junior market with ambitious new expansion plans: it is launching an academic pathway...

To protest against the excessive delays faced by Saudi Arabians traveling to Canada, Saudi embassies are deliberately prolonging processing times for Canadians travelling the other way. Agents in South America back up claims that Canada is slow-going as regards visa issuance.

In northern Iraq, a new scholarship system is being set up that could prove a lucrative student supply route. The organiser of a recent UK Education Tour to Erbil and Istanbul claims there are significant opportunities for British institutions to get involved, while Turkey remains a strong market.

A parliamentary report has called for sweeping reforms to address a shortage of affordable and regulated international student housing in New South Wales, Australia, and recommended travel concessions for students to enable them to live farther afield.

The UK chancellor has announced a number of initiatives to help British universities expand overseas. These include an online portal, HE Global, launching in Jan. And Osborne promised a “vehicle” to help the education sector, government and business work together in selling British education abroad.