In the light of heightened controversy surrounding the changes to the current visa policy, which include closing the current post-study work visa in April 2012 and cutting down on private colleges, Cable said: “It is vital – notwithstanding the need to prevent any abuse of our immigration system – to continue attracting overseas students to the UK.”

There is increasing concern within universities about what they say has been a significant reduction in applications as a result of the new student visa system. A recent report published by Universities UK has also warned that a clampdown on student visas could worsen British Universities’ declining share of the international market.

In the report, Professor Paul O’Prey, chair of the Universities UK Longer Term Strategy Network, said: “The UK’s share of the international student market has reduced over (the past decade), with other countries becoming more competitive in attracting these students.” He went on to add: “This trend does not include the impact of recent changes to non-European Union student visas, which may result in a greater loss of market share in the future.’

The number of non-EU students in the UK has doubled to 400,000 in the last decade, but some universities are reporting a troubling downturn in applications, particularly from countries which have traditionally provided high numbers of students, such as India.

However, in his speech to the British Council, Cable said that: “there is no visa limit on the number of overseas students who are eligible to study here”, also stating that: “The recent immigration reforms…are certainly not designed to undermine legitimate and quality colleges.”

This post is by guest contributor Nathaniel Forrester. Contact Nathaniel here.

The study uses data collected from 130,000 prospective students to determine which students choose to use agents and for what purposes.

But what do agents offer? Mainly visa information and advice on where to study what and in which countries. They also offer to represent institutions to the students, and some have called into question the ethics of the arrangement – Philip Altbach, Director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, this year described the phenomenon as “impairing the standards and integrity of higher education because of monetary incentives” in his paper Agents and Third-Party Recruiters in International Higher Education. For students, however, they can provide a stable and reliable source of information to assist in making a momentous decision.

This report teases out the numerical data, cross-referencing with geography and personal experience – finding, for instance, that African students choose to use agents simply to get information on international study, due to unreliable access to the internet, and Indian students studying overseas for a second time were less likely to employ an agency for their needs.

Elizabeth Shepherd, the report’s author, said: “We must step away from the debate and understand how differently prospective students and their parents view agents, depending on where in the world they live.”

This post is by guest contributor Vivienne Egan – www.vivienne-egan.com

The announcement was made in New Delhi earlier in the week, at a workshop that involved eleven Irish third-level institutions and 25 Indian education agents.

The international education sector in Ireland is currently estimated to be worth €900million, with every 100 international students coming to Ireland believed to create fifteen local jobs. The Government has identified this sector as a crucial element in their jobs and growth strategy for the next few years. The Minister commented on this saying that “as well as the direct contribution they make to the economy through tuition fees, accommodation and other expenditure, Indian students also enrich our campuses and our cities in many ways and are a crucial means of deepening the links between Ireland and India.”

Out of the 100,000 Indian students who travel overseas to study, only 1,000 currently opt for Ireland. The Government are hoping to significantly increase this number as well as aiming to double their intake of international students from the rest of the world by 2016.

Are you an Indian student looking to study overseas? Have you considered Ireland?

For more information on studying in Ireland, please visit i-studentadvisor.com

Vita-Salute San Raffaele University is part of the San Raffaele Foundation which includes hospitals, research centers and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

San Raffaele is well known worldwide for its excellence: it is a highly specialised center for molecular medicine, diabetes and metabolic diseases, as well as biotechnology and bio-imaging. The hospital channels many of its resources into cancer treatment, cardiovascular diseases and numerous acute and chronic-degenerative diseases and a very efficient Emergency Department that serves a vast area.

The International MD Program builds on the institution’s solid presence on the international scene: San Raffaele healthcare centers can be found in many countries of the world, including Brazil, India, Uganda, Poland, Chile, Israel, Mozambique and Algeria. This degree course provides medical-scientific education at the highest level, allowing students to improve their skills and to upgrade their knowledge. It also provides clinical and laboratory research opportunities and additional education in humanities and cultural sciences: philosophy, communication skills, cognitive neurosciences and psychology, which are the building blocks of human society, regardless of social status, race, or creed.

The International MD Program is designed to train a new kind of doctor: someone who possesses the necessary human, cultural and professional abilities to actively participate in healthcare and share ideas in today’s globalised world. Unlike other Medical Programs in Italy where clinical courses are held in Italian, the International MD Program is fully in English, including classes, lectures, practicals and all clinical activities.

Students enrolled in the San Raffaele International MD Program have access to all the facilities of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele Institute and the San Raffaele Scientific Institute, including skills labs for practical training, a library with more than 20,000 books and several thousand scientific e-publications and resources, as well as to the clinical and research laboratories of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute, the largest private research institute in Italy, that further expanded with the inauguration of DIBIT, a scientific facility for basic, translational and clinical research. DIBIT is part of the largest biomedical science park in Italy, which includes the San Raffaele Hospital, Science Park Raf, created to support the foundation’s development, and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.

Applicants who wish to enroll in the International MD Program are required to take an Admission Test. 64 places are available for Academic Year 2011-2012:

• 32 for EU citizens
• 32 for Non-EU Citizens

The Admission Test will take place on April 28th 2011 in the following locations:

• Milan, (Italy)
• New York, (USA)
• Kuala Lumpur, (Malaysia)

Candidates who wish to take the Admission Test can visit the following website for detailed information: http://bit.ly/mdadmissions

The deadline is April 20th, 2011.

Here are the guidelines on the admission process for A.Y. 2011-2012: (click to view or download PDF)

For more information on the International MD Program please visit the following website: http://bit.ly/mdprogram

The WISE Prize for Education was announced by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, at the conclusion of the second World Innovation Summit for Education in Doha, Qatar, in December 2010. The first Laureate will be named at WISE 2011 in November.

The Jury members are:

• Dr James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress, USA
• Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, USA
• Mrs Fatma Rafiq Zakaria, Chairman of the Maulana Azad Educational Trust, India
• H.E. Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, MP, South Africa
• H.E. Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, PhD, Chairman of WISE, Qatar Foundation, Chairman of the Jury

The WISE Prize for Education will reward an individual or team for an outstanding, world-class contribution to education. The Laureate’s achievements should have had a significant, lasting impact upon education at any level, and should demonstrate an inspiring and visionary approach.

The Prize will support the WISE mission of raising the status of education internationally by establishing an award of similar standing to those that already exist in other fields such as science, literature, peace and economics. The winner will receive $500,000 and a gold medal.

Nominations are invited until the end of April from individuals and institutions such as universities, schools, NGOs, teachers’ organisations, the media and private corporations.

From mid-July to mid-September 2011, the Jury will examine the candidacies of 15 finalists pre-selected by a committee responsible for screening all submissions.

Dr Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, Qatar Foundation, explains: “As Chairman of the Jury, I am pleased to welcome this group of eminent people to form the WISE Prize for Education Jury. They have been selected because of their international vision, professional achievements and expertise. I believe their rich experience and diverse competencies will enable us to identify a Laureate of the highest calibre, and the WISE Prize for Education will become the world standard for achievement in this field.”

Qatar Foundation inaugurated the World Innovation Summit for Education – WISE – in 2009 to harness the knowledge, skills and experience of multiple stakeholders in addressing the challenges facing 21st-century education.

Find out more about the WISE Prize for Education: http://www.wiseprizeforeducation.org

WISE is dedicated to building the future of education through innovation. This global collaborative initiative was inaugurated in 2009 by the Qatar Foundation, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. Its mission is to address the challenges facing 21st century education, to expand dialogue around the world and to implement practical and sustainable solutions. With this purpose, WISE holds an annual international summit that provides a unique platform and meeting place for thought leaders and experts to share best practices about education. WISE is also a year-round initiative devoted to reaching outside the traditional circles of the education community to promote innovation and implement concrete actions. The WISE 2011 Summit will take place in Doha, Qatar, 1-3 November 2011.

In January the federal government closed Tri-Valley University (TVU) as it was believed that they were taking money from foreign nationals in exchange for student visas, allowing them to work full time within the US but not requiring them to attend lessons. They seized property and threatened deportation on the students enrolled.

Tri-Valley exploited loopholes in US regulations which allowed them to disguise full-time work as “career training”.

Many students were persuaded by TVU’s promise of full-time work alongside it’s three-weekend a semester classes. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently launched an investigation into these “sham universities” and discovered that “On a site visit in 2008, federal officials found the college, housed in a pedestrian-looking office, had capacity for about 30 students. By the end of last year, Tri-Valley had enrolled 1,500”.

Upon closure of the California based Tri-Valley University, 18 students from India were promptly radio collared in order to monitor their movements. This was quickly condemned by the Indian external affairs minister, S M Krishna. Krishna told reporters that the “Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars should be removed. And the US government should take action against officials responsible for the inhuman act.”

The report by the Chronicle also explains how TVU went on to be very successful very quickly, explaining how it had started from a “$5,000 investment in 2008 and was approved by the government to admit international students a year later. By 2010, it was bringing in more than $4-million…”

Tri-Valley University is not the only school to come under fire. Many Indian students from the University of Northern Virginia are waiting to see if the recent federal raid and closure of TVU will spell bad news for them also. In a similar case to TVU, UNVA students are working in other states, some as far as New York and Ohio, however officials at the institution state that students return regularly to Virginia to attend classes.

A number of closures have taken place over the past five years; two other Californian schools, as well as a school in New York, were investigated and consequently closed. Despite these actions being taken, Senators urge that more needs to be done.

The Chronicle say that the students are permitted to work off campus in the United States through Curricular Practical Training: “The training was designed as a way to give students practical internship experience that is ‘integral’ or ‘directly related’ to their areas of study, according to federal regulations.”

The message: universities that seem too good to be true, probably are. The implications of applying to these institutions can have a serious impact on your life. We urge all of our readers to think very carefully before enrolling in these institutions, and carry out research regarding the proper accreditation of colleges and universities.

India boasts one of the largest medical education sectors in the world with an intake of 35,000 students annually to the 330 medical colleges in the country. However the current ratio of doctors to the population in India is remarkably low compared to its international counterparts standing at 0.7 doctors to 1000 peoples (with the international average being 1.5:1000).  This is then made worse as around 60,000 medical graduates then emigrate to countries such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia, with many more located in the Middle East. Meaning that almost 5% of the medical sector then goes on to practice overseas.

Eight medical experts make up the committee who have put forward a number of reforms to the Medical Council of India (MCI). If the committee’s recommendations are to be implemented, the structure of the course will be altered. At present the MBBS course is four and a half years with an additional one-year internship, however the new proposals will see a new course duration of four years, a one-year internship with an additional six-month elective course being introduced at the end of the course. Elective subjects include: tissue processing, immunology, sports medicine etc…

The reforms are not only looking to tackle the ratio of doctors to peoples, they’re also hoping to improve the quality of healthcare. The proposed changes would see local healthcares centres and primary health care centres being used as training bases for the students, by linking medical colleges with the local health care systems. Vinay Agarwal, President of the Indian Medical Association said that “while producing more doctors [we] need to keep in mind the health needs of the country and ensure that doctors are equipped to handle them.”

They have also expressed a number of ways to see an improvement in the quality of graduates, Agarwal suggested that “certain areas such as early clinical exposure, clerkships and mandatory certification of skills before doctors can practice,” will go a long way in doing this.

The reforms are set to be widely debated amongst the medical education sector before they are implemented.

If it’s the latter, then Swedish universities may have cause to worry. Compared with last year, the number of international applicants for masters programmes has dropped by 73%, whilst the number of applicants across all international courses plummeted by 86%.

The new tuition fees, which were partially intended to reduce the number of international students and thus the additional administration involved, may reach US$30,000 in some institutions, though each university is free to set its own tuition fees.

Some commentators have expressed concern that such a dramatic drop in international applicants could have a detrimental impact on the quality of higher education in Sweden. Some have cited the example of certain masters programmes where Asian students make up more than half of the class; without these international students, certain programmes may become increasingly scarce, reducing the options available to the native Swedish population.

Niklas Tranaeus, the head of a project to coordinate information on the fees across 31 Swedish higher education institutions, believes it is too soon to panic about the drop in numbers:

“I think all Swedish higher education institutions are expecting a drop in the number of international students in the short term. But within a few years, many of them should be able to attract increasing numbers of international students.”

The majority of international students on masters programmes in Sweden originate from Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Germany, Iran, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the UK and the US. Those students who are already studying on courses in Sweden will be exempt from paying the new fees.

Now, the UCosmic Consortium is building an online data management system, originally created in 2006 at the University of Cincinnati, USA, under the Mitch Leventhal, the then Vice Provost for International Affairs. The University of Cinicinnati will manage the system alongside the State University of New York’s system, at which Mr Leventhal is the Vice Chancellor of Global Affairs.

The first consortium members include the College Board – a US non-profit organisation that helps students prepare for college success and boasts over 5,900 worldwide institutions in its membership organisation. The College Board’s Vice President for Higher Education, James Montoya, says the system will be invaluable. Other members include the USA’s Lehigh University, Australia’s Griffith University, and India-based international-education company Manipal Education.

Membership of the consortium is available across the world to universities, associations, foundation, government agencies and IT consultants. The consortium members will have input into what data should be collected and a forum will be created where programmers can create software that can be transferred to a number of different institutions, which will then be tested. The consortium also intends to sponsor conferences and networking resources.

Having this system will allow institutions to improve their relationships abroad and manage their various contacts, projects and staff around the world. This in turn will help in the recruitment of international students and increase the global activities of the institution.

Jean-Pierre Ezin, the African Union commissioner for Human Resource and Science and Technology, recently visited India and has spoken of the range of schemes currently in development to aid Africa. Since March 2010, an arrangement has been in place aiming to accelerate the bilateral engagement between the 53-member African Union and India.

“The AU looks to India to set up higher education institutions in Africa. India is doing a lot for the future of the continent and can transform the continent through education,” said Ezin, adding that “if we can put education and research at the heart of the India-Africa partnership, it will be hugely beneficial for the African continent. India can play a key role in this transformational process.”

At the core of the relationship is India’s assistance in the establishment of a new pan-African university, providing five regional educational institutions devoted to individual study areas, including a regional institute focusing on Life and Earth Sciences. “This is an area where we plan to develop traditional knowledge medicines. India is very strong in the traditional knowledge industry,” Ezin said.

Further to this, a range of training institutes are set to be established across the continent; southern Africa will see the founding of a diamond training institute, whilst Burundi will host an institute of administration, planning and education. The Institute for Foreign Trade will be set up in eastern Africa, a pan-African stock exchange will be established in Egypt, and Ghana will be the home of the Institute for Information Technology.

India will also set up a slew of vocational institutions across the continent, as well as develop an Africa-wide e-network to promote better education and healthcare. Discussing the e-network, Ezin said “It’s a huge success. It will help in bridging the digital divide and in improving intra-African connectivity. It’s a symbol of new Africa, a symbol of India-Africa partnership.”