Policy

The government is planning to extend its European high school study abroad scholarship programme, PON, to all of Italy’s 20 regions, as new research shows that the number of high school students studying abroad has increased by 55% in three years. Industry stakeholders have cautiously welcomed the news, but hope that implementation will be "less complicated" than in previous years.

The UK’s Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced nearly 400 new scholarships for Indian university students to study in the UK during a week-long trade trip to India. He also mentioned the new Education UK alumni awards.

A staggering 50 UK private colleges have had their Tier 4 licences revoked and almost 100 bogus students have been removed from the country as a result of a Home Office investigation into exam and visa fraud. Additionally, more than 800 ‘enforcement visits’ have been paid to possible fraudulent individuals.

International education is a success story in Australia at the moment with overall enrolments up 12% to June this year, but peak bodies openly discussed the need to ensure that "good growth" is achieved, as current industry bugbears around Streamlined Visa Processing (SVP) and the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) were laid bare.

The Japanese government has announced funding for 37 universities to boost globalisation efforts and amplify its presence in global academic rankings through the ‘Top Global Universities’ project. Thirteen 'Type A' universities will receive an annual ¥500m (US$4.57m) over the next decade.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the country’s higher education institutions to open up to more foreign students and staff, as well as giving a ringing endorsement for study abroad, in a nationally televised speech marking the beginning of the academic year.

Earlier this month, IEP provdiers gathered at the second annual English USA stakeholders conference where dialogue centred around sector-wide growth that is being driven by quality control and major expansion into pathway programmes.

With growing concerns in the UK around including students in net migration targets, a more positive and opportunistic outlook surrounding offshore and improving UK branding was forecast by experts from the UK's education sector, investors, financial and legal advisors and strategy consultants at an event in London this week.

The UK’s higher education representative body, Universities UK, has said that despite signs of increasing demand among foreign students, long-term trends in student recruitment for the UK are “worrying” as Indian and STEM enrolments continue to decline.

UK-based Global Education Management has signed an MOU with Amity University in India in the presence of British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, calling it a "significant step" as it seeks to become a key player in the country's massive upskilling endeavors. “We believe India is going to be become the 'new China' for young people to gain a cultural exchange and experience,” said GEM's Director.

The Malaysian government says it is on track to meet its goal of attracting 200,000 international students annually by 2020 as it implements new measures to raise English language levels in tertiary education. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that all university students will be required to pass English language in order to graduate from university.

A spokesperson for the US Department of State took the opportunity to implore delegates attending the 2014 WYSTC Conference last week to support in the 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative, and consider enabling access to the scheme's Innovation Fund which can help fund US-Latin America student exchange. The US needs to double its outbound student traffic to reach its stated goal of 100K US students in Latin America or the Caribbean.

King Felipe of Spain spoke this week with current students and alumni of the Fulbright Program about the importance of academic exchange at the Institute of International Education. Speaking at the event the king said the programme "has had an enormous impact when it comes to building bridges between societies and cultures."

According to the British Council, one in ten current world leaders have studied in the UK and proportionately, the UK is more likely to produce a world leader than the USA. To maintain relations with high-flying alumni, the British Council has launched a campaign to recognise outstanding graduates from China, India and the USA.

New South Wales, Australia's top study destination, celebrated the outstanding contribution of its international students and their institutions to the local community at the 2014 NSW International Student Awards ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House last week. A range of initiatives were recognised including advocating for other international students and working with refugees.