Middle East & North Africa

Pearson this month has opened a third test preparation office in Nigeria in collaboration with Kaplan and partnered with Nepal's ECAN to promote the PTE Academic test through its network and recruitment events.

Delegates from the Israeli Council for Higher Education (CHE) this week announced a new scholarship programme to help more Chinese students study in Israel. The scheme will fund master's and doctoral grants, as well as promote collaboration in research. Israel cited China's shared "tradition of learning".

EF has teamed up with public and private sector organisations to launch the first ever training academy for unemployed students in Iraq. More than 100 students will begin training in English language, information technology skills and mechanics this April.

On March 7, the outgoing Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Higher Education announced a reduction in the number of recognised "excellent" universities in the UK, for scholarship students. Since then, many UK universities have been pushing for re-recognition, and a UK Minister has backed them.

ICEF, the event and networking company, is to support the education of girls in Turkey in a bid to give back to one of international education’s key recruitment markets. It will fund scholarships for three girls...

The number of international students studying in Turkish universities has increased significantly over the past five years, according to data from the country’s Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM). There were 26,911 students in Turkey in the 2010/11 academic year, up from 16,059 in 2005/06 – a rise of more than 67%.

Education ministers from Cuba and South Africa have signed an agreement boosting tertiary-level exchange. The deal includes new exchange programmes for academics and students, collaboration on teacher training, and mutual recognition of qualifications among other shared benefits.

IIE is set to award grants from the Emergency Student Fund to Syrian students studying in the USA who are facing financial difficulties due to the current crisis in the country. It is requesting further donations given a high volume of nominations...

English UK is planning a members’ event in Iraqi Kurdistan after a productive visit. The association is keen to benefit from "a great emphasis on education"...

Targeted business information about doing business in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was the focus for the Association of Language Travel Organisations (ALTO) in its first of four annual events this year. Speakers delivered practical and strategic insight about building business in this region.

Reflecting the promising growth in the Middle East market, the ICEF Dubai educator agent workshop was bigger than ever this year...

Canadian immigration services have promised to improve students visa processing times in another major student market, Nigeria, after complaints about lengthy delays. In December, CIC opened six new visa applications centres in Africa before launching a major drive to improve processing efficiency worldwide.

Quality English held its latest mission in Dubai last week, enabling members - who represent schools from around the world - to network with education agencies...

UK Minister, David Willetts, met Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, Minister of Higher Education in Kurdistan, to develop links with the scholarship programme...

Turkey, Jordan and Georgia are the latest countries to join a new system in which all UK visa applications must be paid for online and in dollars. The countries will join the system from January 30. From next month, appointment booking for biometric checking also becomes automated online.