Policy

Nine thousand two hundred Indians studied at Chinese universities this year, up by 15% on 2012, a report by India's Ministry of External Affairs has claimed. The report claims Indians are increasingly drawn by China's admission system, affordable fees, facilities and international branch campuses.

China and Italy pledged to strengthen cooperation in education last week in Milan, at the opening ceremony of the Chinese Higher Education Day. There are currently 13,000 Chinese students in Italy and around 4,130 Italian students in China. Officials called for more student exchange and Chinese language teaching.

Ireland has launched a scholarship scheme for students from emerging markets in a bid to increase trade ties. Promoting Ireland as a study destination is "a priority area in the government's Action Plan for Jobs 2013," said Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn.

The European Commission is considering a fifteen per cent cut to its budget for the Erasmus exchange programme from 2014 to 2020, in the face of demands for austerity cuts among member states—although in real terms it would still represent an increase. At the same time it is pushing for a student loan guarantee scheme to encourage more students to fund their own studies.

Dubai’s stature as an international education hub was reinforced this month, after data showed overall growth of 24% at its Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV) and Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) education business parks. In 2012, a further 80 partners signed up to the parks – although the number that were actual educators is unclear.

A new study from the European Migrant Network has underlined the positive economic impact international students make on countries across the European Union in the form of direct fees, taxes or employment. It also notes the growing prevalence of national recruitment strategies.

A new company backed by the Malaysian government has been set up to act as a "gateway to studying in Malaysia" by processing all student visa applications, ensuring insurance coverage is purchased and providing information on government approved courses.

US universities say that Education USA, the state body tasked with promoting US education abroad, is failing to support them fully because it refuses to work with education agents, or to attend agent-backed fairs. The add that it is not coordinating properly with government departments that do tolerate agents.

London Metropolitan University has won back its right to recruit international students, after its Tier 4 sponsor licence was controversially revoked last August. The Home Office said the university would now hold a probationary sponsor licence. The university welcomed the move but said it still planned to take legal action against the government, claiming its reputation has been damaged.

A new bill has been proposed by legislators in Washington state, USA, to add a 20% surcharge to tuition fees for international students starting in the 2013-2014 academic year. Supporters of the bill say it could raise US$60 million over the next two years. However educators fear it will deter foreign students, more than 20,000 of whom studied in the state last year.

Afghanistan's oldest university has welcomed its first international students in decades despite the continuing war in the country. Forty Turkish students arrived at Kabul University to start four year degrees in subjects such as Islamic studies, science, Dari literature and English. Officials say a number of other countries have proposed sending students too.

International educators in Spain got a boost last month with the launch of the "Study in Spain" portal sponsored Spain's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism and the Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX), both looking to increase the tourism revenues foreign students bring to the country.

Construction is underway for a foreign branch campus of CUHK opening in mainland China next year. Endorsed by the State Ministry of Education, the Chinese University Hong Kong (CUHK Shenzhen) will open in southern China, not far from the flagship campus in Hong Kong.

The European Commission proposes to make it easier for non-European Union students and researchers to enter and stay in the EU in the face of growing competition from host destinations such as the US, Australia and Japan. New legislation would from 2016 would ease the student visa process, improve access to the labour market, and extend academic mobility between states.

The UK Home Secretary has announced that the UK Border Agency is to be scrapped and split into two, after it was revealed the body faced a backlog of cases that could take 24 years to tackle. Speaking in Parliament today Theresa May said she would split the agency into an immigration and visa service, and an immigration law enforcement organisation.