Australian Universities Accord

 

Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Minister for Education has recently released the Australian Universities Accord Final Report. The report, touted as the “blueprint” for higher education in the country, aims to create a long-term reform plan for the higher education sector to meet Australia’s future skills needs. The final report includes 47 recommendations and proposes big changes that Australia should meet head on.

 

What does it mean for International Students?

 

According to the report, education makes an enormous contribution to Australian tertiary education by enabling Australian learning and teaching to have wider impact, helping universities to invest in important research, adding to diversity, and being an important avenue for soft diplomacy and international linkages. 

 

In 2022, Australian higher education providers enrolled almost 450,000 international fee-paying students (more than a quarter of total enrolments), with around 120,000 of these studying Australian higher education courses from outside Australia. International student fees contributed more thana fifth of overall university funding. Now Australia’s fourth largest export, international education is a fixture of the economy.

 

A strong and sustainable footing is important. On the demand side, fluctuations in enrolments risk the stability
and viability of institutions. On the supply side, there have been failures in quality and integrity in some parts of the market, and these must be addressed. 

 

The report recommends managing volatility in demand where possible, including by diversifying markets to avoid overreliance on a small number of countries. 

 

Some international students seek a migration pathway. In line with the Australian Government’s Migration Strategy goal for a better targeted system, the report recommends that the tertiary education sector should encourage these students to study courses linked to Australian skill shortages and to study in regional locations. 

 

The sector should protect its reputation and ranking as a study destination by lifting course quality and improving the overall student experience. TEQSA should take an evidence-based approach to ensure that providers have appropriate risk management strategies for international education to issues including managing demand volatility, course concentrations and the quality of the student experience, and access and availability of affordable housing. The financial stability and integrity of Australia’s international education system should be addressed. 

 

This is the first broad review of the sector since 2008. “The Australian Universities Accord has recommended how to reform higher education over the next decade and beyond,” notes Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Minister for Education.

 

You can access the report here: Australian Universities Accord.

Drop in Indian student applicants to UK universities in 2023: UCAS

Courtesy: Pixabay

While the UK has always been one of the top 3 study abroad destinations for Indian students, recent figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) indicates that there has been a drop in applications from India. While international student applicants have spiked up by 0.7 per cent, there has been a significant 4 per cent drop in Indian student applicants to UK universities in 2023.

"This data indicates a decrease in applications from mature students, particularly impacting fields like nursing. However, it is expected that these applicants will be more inclined to apply later in the process," commented Dr Jo Saxton, Chief Executive, UCAS.
 
According to experts in the higher education space, the UK Government’s recent visa rules might have something to do with the change in sentiment. According to a new mandate, the UK will limit foreign students from bringing family members with them with the exception of students enrolled in postgraduate research courses and/or availing government funded scholarships. The new regulations, effective from January 2024, has created a fair bit of uncertainty regarding the viability of UK as a prominent study abroad destination for Indian students. Recent media reports highlighting the difficulties faced by many Indian students in getting employment after completing their degrees has only added to the confusion.
 
In an interview published on Moneycontrol, Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham has said that UK will continue to be a favourable study destination for Indian students despite the recent changes. According to Tickell, it is those universities that focus on recruiting lower-performing students which have seen the biggest fall in applicant numbers from India.

 

Indian medical students in Ukraine: Stuck in limbo

Courtesy: Pixabay

With India’s medical regulator, the National Medical Commission (NMC) locked in a stalemate with state governments, the fate of some 18,000 Ukraine-returned medical students hangs in the balance.

Currently, there are no provisions under the NMC regulations to make allowances for Indian students studying medicine abroad to transfer to domestic medical college mid-session. Earlier in March this year, NMC had indicated that foreign medical graduates who had not completed their internship could finish it in India provided they had cleared the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination. But in May, the NMC wrote to the Union Health Ministry saying they had been directed by the Supreme Court of India to frame a scheme within two months to allow students to complete clinical training in Indian medical colleges.

 

With the Ukraine-returnees at various levels of their medical education, will a one-size-fits-all approach work? Some might be ready for internships while others might not. NMC will now need to assess students on a case by case basis, according to the Supreme Court order.

 

In Kerala, parents and 1,500 Ukraine-evacuated Keralite students have formed a group, All Kerala Ukraine Medical Students’ and Parents’ Association, demanding government action.  Having taken hefty bank loans and paid the entire course fee for the 6-year-course, parents are worried that they will not be able to afford fees at private medical colleges in India.

 

Some students are trying to transfer to other universities in Europe. Sayyan, a third-year student at Kharkiv National Medical University is continuing with online classes at his university as he has already paid the semester fees. There are many others like him in the same situation. However, the quality of these classes with teachers delivering lessons from the safety of their bunkers are often compromised. Practical lessons are also non-existent in the online format.

 

In addition, in the absence of complete clarity or information, it is no easy task to transfer mid-session to other universities in countries such as Hungary, Poland or Romania.

 

A group of students in Chennai recently staged demonstrations demanding that they be admitted into Indian college. But even in cases where state governments are offering help, the NMC is posing a problem. Take for example, the West Bengal government has been pulled up by the NMC for promising to accommodate students from Ukraine. NMC claims that the West Bengal government did not seek permission from them before announcing this move.

 

Stuck in between this bureaucratic tug-of-war are the students. Hopefully, the Supreme Court order (when it arrives) will bring some clarity and provide direction to the students in limbo.

US Calling!

The spiralling cut-offs required for admission by domestic universities have led to an increase in students considering higher education abroad.  The United States continues to be one of the top education destinations for Indian students. In a recent interview, US Consul General Jennifer A. McIntyre of the US Consulate at Chennai revealed that Indian students made up for 12 per cent of the total foreign students studying in the US, the second largest cohort after China. “Close to one lakh Indian students are studying in higher education institutions in the US today and there has been an increase in the number.”

The International Knowledge Center, set up by GenNext Education Inc, acts as a bridge between US universities and Indian students. The Center has agreements with different universities for student admissions, student exchange and faculty development programmes. Gen Next Education, Inc. was started by Girish Ballolla who saw the need to help US universities internationalize their campuses and graduate global citizens prepared to function in this highly global economy.

Ballola was born and raised in India before moving to the US to pursue a higher education and understands first-hand, the challenges students face in identifying and applying to universities in the US.  He is also experienced in the challenges associated with recruiting the “right-fit” international students. His keen interest in helping US universities internationalize their campus and help them develop an international presence led to the creation of the International Knowledge Center.

Gen Next is organizing a series of events featuring prominent US universities later this month. The events will be held in different cities across India. Universities include University of Kansas, University of Minnesota, University of Denver, Kansas State University, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Indiana University, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

Watch this space for more information!

India to become Washington Accord member

In a development that can only augur well for Indian engineers looking for employment overseas, India will become a full-fledged member of the Washington Accord by June this year. This will facilitate global recognition of Indian degrees and improve mobility of students and engineers.

The Washington Accord, signed in 1989, is an international agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programmes. It recognizes the substantial equivalency of programmes accredited by those bodies and recommends that graduates of programmes accredited by any of the signatory bodies be recognized by the other bodies as having met the academic requirements for entry to the practice of engineering.  Some 16 countries are signatories to it.

The Indian government plans to set up the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority (NARA) to improve quality and meet international standards. "After acquiring full status of the Washington Accord, employability of Indian engineers in other countries will go up substantially. This will help our students pursuing technical education," explained Ashok Thakur, Secretary Higher Education.

According to Thakur, India has been a provisional member of the Washington Accord since 2007 and is confident to get the full-fledged status by June when a meeting of the body is due to take place. Two members have been deputed by the Washington Accord to help India align its accreditation norms with the best international practices.

Click your way to an online MBA!

MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are fast becoming popular in India. India is the second biggest market for MOOCs, after United States. MyBskool.com is a Chennai-based startup that is pioneering the MOOCs concept in India. Latha Venkitachalam, Chief Operating Officer, myBskool.com talks about the company and shares her insights on India’s burgeoning e-learning landscape.

Debeshi: Can you tell us more about myBskool?

Latha: myBskool.com is a 3 year young startup based out of Chennai, started in October 2010 that is pioneering the MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) concept in India. In lines with the MOOCs initiatives of Stanford and Harvard that has revolutionized the higher education eco-system worldwide by attracting millions of students from across the globe.

Debeshi: What are your company’s e-learning offerings?

Latha Venkitachalam

Latha: myBskool offers online management courses to students. Early this year, we launched a free 100-day Mini MBA in partnership with Madras Management Association (MMA) with content co-created with Indian Institute of Management Ranchi. The programme was offered on a portable classroom model with access from PC, tablets and smartphones. We got a fabulous response from the student community. Over three lakh students have registered for this course, thereby making us India's largest online business school.

Debeshi: What are the programmes that you offer in collaboration with other schools?

Latha: We have the Online Mini MBA in partnership with Madras Management Association and content co-created with IIM Ranchi. We offer an Executive Diploma in Business Administration from Mahatma Gandhi University. Then, there is an Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management from IMT Ghaziabad and Short Term Certificate programmes in partnership with MMA and IIM Ranchi.

Debeshi: Your insights into India’s e-learning industry in higher education

Latha: E-learning is the most convenient option for individuals who cannot take a break from work and continue education. This is also a great opportunity to be updated on the subject and keep in touch with the ongoing trends. Moreover, it is the easiest and cost-effective mode of learning.

Debeshi: What are some of the bottlenecks faced by companies in this space?

Latha: Education is linked to employment and recognition of online courses in the employment market is a challenge. Online learning is not accredited by Government bodies. Also, the Internet penetration in our country has not been that fast. People do not want to pay for certification and there is an attitude that anything that comes via the Internet has to be free.

Debeshi: What are your growth plans in the next five years?

Latha: We want to increase our collaborations with foreign universities in areas such as faculty exchange. We are also looking at expanding into verticals such as IT and Healthcare. We want to be known as India’s best online learning company.

Thomas Cook launches University Tours

Travel company Thomas Cook has launched University Tours in collaboration with education consultancy firm The Red Pen College Tours in the United States. The Tours will take Indian students on a tour of select colleges and universities in the US to help them decide where they want to pursue their higher studies.

Students will be taken to campuses of leading universities such as Stanford University, University of California - Los Angeles, Harvard University, New York University and Princeton University.

According to a release from Thomas Cook, traditional route of online research and word-of-mouth has fallen short of providing Indian students and their parents a realistic and hands on perspective.

The University Tours are expected to give prospective students and their parents a glimpse into university life experiences with visits to the US colleges, interactions with students and university admission advisors.

The tour operators promise customized sessions and workshops at some universities, a pre-departure workshop on the US university admission process and on how to select a university for parents and students, workshops to guide students on how to select majors and careers, how to prepare resumes and individual counselling after the trip.

According to the release, Shibani Phadkar, senior vice-president and head, Leisure Travel (Outbound) Products of Thomas Cook (India), says: "This initiative is aimed at giving students a vibrant firsthand perspective of what to expect when pursuing their undergraduate studies in America. On-ground counselling and interactions with local students and counsellors make for engaging sessions while ensuring selection of an apt university."

Study in Latvia centre opens in Chennai

Latvia is the newest name in a growing list of foreign study destinations for Indian students. A conglomerate of seven Latvian universities launched a "Study in Latvia Centre (SLC)" in Chennai last week. 

Latvia University

According to Professor Leonids Ribickis, the Rector of Riga Technical University, Latvia offered "vast education opportunities and international exposure." Imants Bergs, Vice-Rector in Turiba University said that a cooperation agreement between the Governments of Latvia and India enabled mutual recognition of issued qualifications, besides allowing Indian students to apply for Latvian government scholarships.

The Centre is founded by Riga Technical University, Turiba University, Liepaja University, Latvia University, B A School of Business and Finance, Latvia University of Agriculture and Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration, all based in Latvia.

For information on tuition fees and living expenditures, take a look at the University of Latvia information sheet on fees for 2013-14.

Foreign students heading back to Australia says government report

Australia may soon be reclaiming its title as a popular education destination for foreign students, according to an article published in the The Australian newspaper. The article refers to a report released by the Australian government’s new International Education Advisory Council which says the country will host 520,000 international students by 2020, an increase from the current 402,000 in the country.

AUSTRALIA: BACK IN FAVOUR

About 80 per cent will be from Asia and they will bring in $19.1 billion into the economy.

Despite the upbeat projections, the numbers still won’t reach the ones the country achieved in 2009, when 630,700 foreign students reached campuses across Australia.

Tertiary Minister Chris Bowen said interest in studying here was already up, with an increase in higher education visas applicants in the last six months of 2012. Actual student numbers are predicted to rise next year.

Released by Bowen at a Universities Australia conference in Canberra, the report foresees a "new era of sustainable international education growth'' after the "unsustainable increases'' in the VET sector between 2006 and 2009.

University College Dublin scholarships for Indian students

The University announces €250,000 Scholarship Fund to attract top Indian students

A leading European research-intensive university, University College Dublin (UCD), has announced a range of scholarships to attract top Indian students to its university. Valued at €250,000 the scholarship fund will be used to attract top applicants to postgraduate and undergraduate programmes commencing in September 2013. Amongst the scholarships (available only to Indian applicants) announced were 2 full tuition scholarships at graduate level, five 50% tuition scholarships for taught masters programmes and over 50 scholarships of €2,000.

At undergraduate level, UCD have also shown a commitment to Indian students by offering scholarships valued between 50% of the full tuition fee and €2,500. Speaking on behalf of UCD, Ms. Una Condron, the International Recruitment Manager for India said: “We remain extremely committed to India and have a very attractive range of postgraduate programmes in engineering, finance, biotechnology and computer science (to name just a few) in response to the demand we have identified by industry employers.  These scholarships, which are specific to Indian applicants, seek to attract top Indian applicants by making their studies at UCD as affordable as possible."

UCD is ranked in the top 1% of World Universities per 2012 QS Rankings (ranking 130). Established in 1854, UCD is one of the oldest universities in Ireland and is Ireland's largest and most international university (with over 25,000 students of which over 5,500 are international from over 122 countries around the world). This combined with its status as Ireland's leader in postgraduate education (over a quarter of all graduate students in Ireland study in UCD) has proven it to be the most popular university for Indian students looking to study at university level in Ireland.

Located in Dublin city, Ireland's capital, UCD has Indians studying at undergraduate and graduate level. In addition to high quality programmes in the humanities, social sciences and the natural, physical and performance sciences, UCD offers courses in most professional disciplines including architecture, business, education, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and diagnostic imaging.  Indeed, UCD is the only university on the island of Ireland to offer programmes across the spectrum of agriculture, food science, food safety and veterinary medicine. UCD Quinn School of Business is highly internationally networked and a major feeder to UCD Smurfit School, one of the world's great graduate business schools (top 100 in the world).

Research and Innovation

Indian students are also attracted west to Europe, and to Ireland, by the commitment of universities towards research and development. Europe’s universities have a strong reputation for research, development and technology transfer. UCD as the national leader in fourth level education again attracts students because of its commitment to research (with the highest number of graduate research students of any university in Ireland with over 1,684 PhD students). UCD has secured over €480m in externally funded research contracts in the last five years alone.

For further information on the scholarships in UCD, see www.ucd.ie/international

Number of Indian students in UK drops

Britain's strict student visa regulations has resulted in a dip in the numbers of Indian students in higher education by nearly a quarter last year.

Students from India coming to study at UK schools and universities fell by 23.5% overall, including a 28% drop at the postgraduate level.

Figures released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on Friday show fewer than 30,000 students from India were studying at UK higher education institutions in 2011-12 , compared with around 40,000 in the previous year.

India, however, remains the second most common country of origin for foreign students in Britain after China, which sent 79,000 students last year.

Universities have been warning the UK government that recent changes to student visa rules mean they face losing bright foreign students to rival institutions in the United States, Canada and Australia.

School of Communication set up by Shiv Nadar University and US university

The Shiv Nadar University (SNU) today announced the launch of the School of Communication (SoC) offering undergraduate, graduate and research level programs in communication. The University also announced a new collaboration with the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania (ASC) through which ASC will assist SNU in designing the curriculum for its programs along with assisting SNU in identification and training of faculty. The partnership also established both faculty and student exchange programs. Students and faculty from both institutions will have the option of spending up to two semesters at Pennsylvania campus or at the SNU campus at Greater Noida.

Annenberg School for Communication

Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University said, ‘The growth of communication and media in India has been exponential and India increasingly requires globally relevant research-led programs in communication. Annenberg is a globally renowned institution and stands at the forefront of education, research, and policy studies on the processes, nature, and consequences of existing and emerging media. We believe that this collaboration would help us leverage ASC’s proven track record of five decades in Communication Education and Research to create a world class communication program at the SNU School of Communication.”

Michael Delli Carpini, Dean, Annenberg School for Communication said, "The Annenberg School for Communication has been committed to responding to changes in both the nature of Communication as a social process and in Communication as a discipline. We see our partnership with the Shiv Nadar University as an opportunity help all aspiring communication professionals become better consumers and producers of public information, strengthen their understanding of the role of communication in their personal, professional and civic lives, and prepare them for private and public-sector leadership positions in communication-related and other fields. We look forward to an exciting partnership.”

Academic programs will commence in August 2013. Students completing the programs successfully will obtain a degree issued by Shiv Nadar University.

Demand for Management Education Up From 2011: GMAC survey

Demand for graduate business and management education around the world shows signs of renewed growth, as 51 percent of programs surveyed by the Graduate Management Admission Council report more applications than last year.

Overall demand — as revealed in the 2012 Application Trends Survey — is spread among a greater variety of program types, including part-time self-paced, flexible, and online distance MBAs, as well as specialized master’s degrees in business, including information technology management. 

“As the global business space continues to become more complex, there is a greater demand that business schools today offer specialized and flexible programs to meet corporate and student needs,” said David Wilson, GMAC president and CEO. “Worldwide, these diverse graduate management programs are drawing different kinds of students.  Technology is a part of the solution to this challenge, but it is not the entire solution.  Flexibility in delivery mode, cadence of the program and the characteristics of the class cohort are now all variables in the graduate education solutions being offered.  The message students and companies are sending is clear; one size does not necessarily fit all.”

The annual survey, which charts year-to-year application changes at the program level, shows that specialized master’s programs in management, finance, and accounting continue to show robust growth, and applications to full-time two-year MBA programs appear to be stabilizing globally, with about half of all full-time two-year MBA programs showing increases or holding steady from last year.  

In open-ended comments, admissions professionals responding to the survey noted that economic conditions continued to play a role in student demand for programs. “[A student’s] reluctance to leave full-time position,” cited one admissions professional from a US full-time two-year MBA program. “The economy is picking up and students are finding full-time jobs or have received promotions and do not want to leave to go back to school for two years,” said another. 

A record 744 programs from 359 business schools in 46 countries participated in the survey this year. They include 527 MBA programs, 24 business doctoral programs (PhD/DBA) and 193 specialized masters programs. This year’s survey report includes, for the first time, results for masters in information technology management and masters of marketing/communications.

60,000 Bogus Students Could Have Entered the UK in 2011

Migration Watch, an UK-based think tank has released a study that indicates that as many as 60,000 bogus students could have entered the UK in 2011 alone.

The study is based on the findings of a Home Office pilot scheme which were published last week. Under the pilot scheme applicants for student visas were interviewed to determine whether they were genuine. This involved two tests – whether they were genuine as students and whether they intended to return home after their studies. The Home Office found that the highest percentage of bogus students came from Burma, where 62% would have been refused a visa on doubts about their credibility. In Bangladesh, India and Nigeria, 59% of students were considered as likely to be bogus. When these proportions were applied to the number of applicants from each country in the pilot, it emerged that the total came to 63,000 potentially bogus students in just one year.

Of those who were potential refusals on credibility grounds, 61% were applying for privately funded colleges, 17% for a publicly funded college and 14% for a university.

Following this pilot, the Home Office has introduced plans to interview 10,000 students a year and has set out the criteria on which they will be judged. But it is now clear that the government has lost its nerve and has dropped the second test (intention to return) from the student interview scheme which comes into force as the end of July.

The Australian authorities – often quoted by the university lobby as a good example of student immigration control – have this very test. Their recent major review considered it to be “The first item of business in assessing a student visa application.”

As for the scale of interviews, 10-14,000 a year have been mentioned but this is only about 10% of the number of applicants from the countries of immigration concern.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman of Migration Watch UK said, “We now have clear evidence of abuse on a major scale. Bogus students come here to work illegally and thus take jobs from British workers. If it is clear from the circumstances that a student is unlikely to go home, the visa should not be granted in the first place. After all, many of the advantages claimed for foreign students depend on their going home after their studies. These half measures simply will not do. The government have bottled out on bogus students. If they are serious about immigration they must face down the self interested demands of the Higher Education sector and pursue the public interest.”

Referring to the letter to the Sunday Times signed by 37 business leaders calling for students to be taken out of net migration, Sir Andrew Green said: “It is, in fact, impossible to take students out of net migration because, unlike the US and Australia, we still have no exit checks so nobody knows how many who came as students have actually left the UK. It seems that business leaders are clueless about immigration policy and will sign whatever is put in front of them.”

Student route back door to Britain?

The debate over Britain’s immigration policy continues.

Migration Watch, a UK-based think tank, has challenged the call by 70 University Chancellors, in a recent letter to the Prime Minister, for overseas students to be taken out of the migration statistics. This would achieve nothing except to destroy public confidence in the government’s immigration policy while any significant expansion of foreign students could blow the government’s immigration policy seriously off course.

According to the study published by Migration Watch UK:

Britain’s main competitors – the US, Australia and Canada all include students in their net migration figures (while distinguishing them for internal administrative purposes). Unlike Britain, the same countries interview students before a visa is granted to test whether they are genuine and whether they really intend to return home after their course. A major Australian report found recently that these interviews did not deter genuine students. The UK should re-introduce them.

The US and Australia both have checks on the departure of individual students which are still not possible in the UK. Over the past ten years two million non EU and ½ million EU students have been admitted to Britain to study for more than a year but the government has not the slightest idea how many have actually left. Universities UK accept that about 20% of students stay on legally – that amounts to net migration of 50,000 a year.

Some of those from poorer countries are likely to stay on illegally. Migration Watch estimate that they could add a further 25,000 per year bringing the total to 75,000. If the number of foreign students was allowed to increase still further as the universities wish to see, students could eventually add 90 - 100,000 a year to net migration.

A 10% change in the number of foreign students would change the UK’s annual foreign exchange earnings by only about 0.2%.

Commenting, Sir Andrew Green, Chairman Migration Watch UK said “Foreign students are valuable but the present system is far too easily abused. Sadly, the student route has become the back door to Britain and it is wide open. Unlike our main competitors, we do not interview students before they come to confirm that they are genuine and there are no checks on their departure. We cannot have a massive inflow of a quarter of a million students a year without their contributing heavily to immigration. Taking them out of the statistics would achieve nothing. The government must thoroughly tighten up the student system or any attempt to reduce the current mass immigration will be blown seriously off course.

Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: "In many respects the Migration Watch UK report makes valid and important points. The letter from university Chancellors to the prime minister states that any abuse of the student visa route needs to be tackled. UK universities are fully signed up to that agenda.

"But the Migration Watch report is wrong in calling for international students to be counted within the UK's migration figures. The Chancellors were calling for the government to remove international students from net migration figures in order to make a clear distinction between temporary and permanent migrants for the UK's own internal policy purposes. This would actually increase public confidence in the immigration system. No one is suggesting that international students should not be counted in the immigration system.”

Microsoft bags cloud order from AICTE

The governing body for technical education in India, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has adopted cloud computing to improve technical education and prepare Indian students for the workforce. Microsoft’s Live@edu service will be deployed in more than 10,000 technical colleges and institutes throughout India over the next three months.

Live@edu is a hosted communication and collaboration service that offers email, Microsoft Office Web Apps, instant messaging and storage to AICTE’s more than 7 million students and nearly 500,000 faculty members, for a total reach of 7.5 million users — roughly double the size of the Los Angeles population — making AICTE Microsoft’s largest cloud customer ever.

AICTE: Technical education in-the-cloud

“Microsoft’s cloud platform will make for a truly progressive ecosystem and contribute to the country’s technical education by providing a better communication and collaboration platform for institutes and students,” explains Dr S S Mantha, chairman of AICTE.

According to Anthony Salcito, vice president of Worldwide Education, the country is witnessing rapid economic activity and growth. Developing India’s youth and their skills is going to play an important role globally in the country’s inclusive growth. “The union budget also laid emphasis on skill development and so does the proposed 12th Five Year Plan with a National Policy on Skill development. The PPP model (public-private partnership) is most essential in running and managing training institutions that provide every opportunity to address the skill gap most efficiently,” adds Salcito.

Sums up Sanket Akerkar, managing director, Microsoft India: “Microsoft has always seen education as a priority area and believes that technology offers possibilities that can help empower not just teachers and students but collectively India as a nation.”

MBA on top: GMAC survey

The MBA programme remains top choice for prospective business school students despite the growing popularity of specialised master’s programmes.

A new report from the Graduate Management Admission Council reveals that among all prospective students surveyed, 55 percent indicated that they are only interested in attending an MBA programme (this has remained steady over the last three years), while 18 percent of prospective students are only considering a specialised master’s programme, up from 13 percent in 2009.

The mba.com Prospective Students Survey results for the first time offers insight into the reasons why prospects choose study destinations. Similar to GMAT score sending patterns, the top three preferred destinations were the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Reputation of a country’s educational system was the most cited reason for choosing a specific destination. Prospective students intending to study in the US cited better career preparation, whereas improved chances for an international career was cited for non-US destinations. Notably, affordability was cited among respondents selecting Canada, Singapore, and India.

“Prospective students have more information and more options with programme choice than ever before,” said Dave Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. “But as the dark economic clouds continue to dissipate, the challenge of meeting the financial costs of a graduate management programme is very much on their minds.”

Fewer respondents cited economic reservations as a constraint to pursuing a graduate management degree compared with three years ago. Yet, when choosing a specific program to apply to, financial considerations have become more important. Potential students say they will rely more on personal savings and family support than on loans, grants and other aid.

Students and academic researchers are not permanent migrants: Universities UK

The British government’s immigration policies aimed at preventing student visa abuse at bogus colleges has resulted in decreasing numbers of foreign students, particularly those from countries such as India, Pakistan and China. The country’s higher education sector has been voicing concerns about the long-terms effects of the government’s strict visa regime on a market that is now worth in excess of £5 billion.

Eric Thomas: contentious debate

At a recent debate organized by higher education action group, Universities UK, university chiefs were unanimous about the fact that the image of Britain as a leading international education destination had taken a beating in the light of the government’s visa regulations.

Professor Eric Thomas, President, Universities UK said: “Migration is a significant issue and we are behind the government in stopping student visa abuse. However, there is clearly a conflict between government policy and the higher education sector’s ability to compete in the international market.” Thomas revealed that while UK’s market share in the international education market dropped from 10.8 per cent in 2000 to 9.9 per cent in 2009, biggest competitors have increased their market share. He also added that there have been reductions in student numbers from the Indian subcontinent.

“Students and academic researchers are not permanent migrants,” stated Thomas. “They come here to study and then, by and large, they leave.”

Professor Julia King, Vice-Chancellor, Aston University revealed that the University had witnessed a 39 per cent decline in applications from India. Birmingham’s local economy (food, clothing and entertainment) had also suffered a loss in revenues. King added that with a change in the post-study work visa regulations, graduates in disciplines such as pharmacy, engineering and business had been affected severely.

Glyn Williams, Head of Migration Policy, Home Office defended his government saying that “student migration is here with us and here to stay and no government is going to ignore that.”

“The more we debate, the more the adverse effect of the government policy will reverberate throughout the world,” Williams added.

Keith Vaz: crusader?

Rt.Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, focused on how public perception of Britain as a popular overseas education destination in important student markets such as India had taken a beating, especially with the recent deaths and Indian media’s attention on these tragic events. Vaz pointed out that Britain was being viewed as an unwelcoming place and many Indian middle-class families, who could afford an overseas education, were choosing to send their children to countries such as the United States instead.

Vaz was openly critical of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), border control agency of the British Government. He appealed to university representatives to lobby with the Foreign Office, the Government’s Business Department and No 10 rather than the Home Office. “These departments understand the benefits that foreign students bring to our economy,” added Vaz, himself a first generation immigrant. Vaz was born in Yemen from parents born in India.