The students’ wish to stay in Egypt to watch the protests from the safety of their temporary homes, plus a sudden increase in interest for study abroad programmes in the Middle East, may be part of a bigger trend; that of education abroad being used as an opportunity for a bit of ‘revolutionary tourism’.

Revolutionary, or political, tourism is not a new phenomenon. For example, every election time in the US sees thousands of tourists flock to New Hampshire to see the candidates in person during the first primary in the presidential election cycle. And reportedly after the uprising in Oaxaca, Mexico, against the marginalisation of the poor, large numbers of Americans travelled to the city to ‘experience’ the lives of the poor there. These are not examples of extraordinary cases, but can be seen as common occurrences.

The main draw seems to be the opportunity to be involved in ‘history’ – to see something extraordinary, something of significance that could make a real change to the country, if not the world. Having travelled to Thailand to teach in the midst of the Red Shirt protests in 2010, despite being warned against it by almost everyone and being one of the few foreign employees that didn’t cancel, I can say from personal experience that – although at times worrying – travelling to a country in some sort of state of emergency can also be an exhilarating experience.

However it seems that recently, it is students that are getting more and more involved and interested in world, and home, events. Take the recent student protests over tuition fees in the UK; students came out in their droves to have their voice heard in a way not seen since the mass students protests of the ‘60s against the Vietnam War.

And what better way to get involved than be in the middle of the action? After the tragedy of 9/11, interest in studying in the Middle East sky rocketed; according the Institute of International Education, the number of students choosing to study in an Arabic-speaking country between 2002 and 2006 increased by 127%.

Although Egypt may be quiet on the study abroad front for now, it seems that it will only be a matter of time before students start flocking there again. According to the Times Higher Education, both Stanford University and Middlebury College in the US are still planning to keep programmes in the middle east, and Northeastern University’s international affairs programme and has been receiving emails from interested students.

Safety is, of course, an important consideration and it is important that student’s travelling abroad are informed and aware of the dangers they may face. But if they do decide to travel to a ‘risky’ country, they are sure to return with an unrivalled experience.

Have you studied or travelled as a ‘revolutionary tourist’? Do you think it’s a good idea? Have you had to leave Egypt? We want to know your stories!

The second International Meeting of Universia Presidents, which was opened by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón, was held to coincide with the bicentennial of Latin American independence. The university presidents announced plans to create a new scholarship programme that allows the movement of 15,000 students and 3,000 scholars.

The new scheme, proposed by Universia, the world’s largest network of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking universities, aims to make universities agents of social cohesion and facilitate more effective knowledge and technology transfers.

Universia was founded in 2000 by the Spanish University Rectors’ Board and was backed by financial support from the Santander group whose CEO Emilio Botín chairs the group. Since it was founded, the group has sought to develop collaboration among Ibero-American universities.

The group have had four main areas of development based on collaboration between universities using internet technology but now it is making a move into a more tangible transfer of knowledge based on greater student mobility.

Universia meets with its presidents every five years, with the last meeting in 2005 held at the University of Seville and next proposed for Brazil in 2015.

The project is being perceived by many as increasingly important due to the rise in globalisation and the flow of workers and students between nations.

The experimental project, expected to cost around $12.5 million, will focus on three separate disciplines; one on general skills, one on economics, and one on engineering. The Australian Council for Educational Research will manage the development of the discipline-specific tests in coordination with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the body behind AHELO.

OECD expects to test around 200 students in 10 varying types of school in each of these six nations; Finland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico and the United States. The proposal is to test students towards the end of their three or four year bachelors degrees and, in the following year, attempt to determine whether their results can be made comparable.

Richard Yelland, of OECD, hopes that if the experiment succeeds they will be able to create a useful tool for individuals and organisations across the world “who are responsible for higher education.” Yelland estimates that worldwide governments are collectively investing around $1 trillion in postsecondary education, meaning that the proposed tool could generate great interest.

You can find out more about AHELO by visiting the OECD website here.

The Mexican Government announced on April 27 that all schools in Mexico from kindergarten through to university will be closed until May 6. For up to date announcements visit the US Mexican Embassy Website.

Mexican high school students have spoken to friends in the UK who shared their concerns with the BBC. “They say they are not going out at all,” says Nathan, ” Only very rarely. If they get the flu they could spread it to their families.  Big families are staying in and trying to stay together.”

It is unclear at this stage how the outbreak will affect the international education sector and student mobility. However the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issues a warning to avoid all unnecessary travel to Mexico and several UK travel firms have cancelled all flights to Mexico.

If you are a counsellor in Mexico or if you or your school have been affected by swine flu, please leave a comment and tell us about your experiences.