We just talk about the good stuff

Some 10 Erasmus+ projects have been launched in a bid to test new forms of transnational cooperation between HEIs.

The European Commission is calling them a “key milestone” for achieving the European Education Area.

Some six of the projects, originally outlined in the European strategy for universities in 2022, will examine, test and facilitate the delivery of a joint European Degree label.

European Degree label entails a complementary certificate to the qualification of students graduating from joint programmes, delivered in the context of transnational cooperation between several higher education institutions, based on a common set of co-created European criteria,” the European Commission described.

ED-AFFICHE, a joint proposal of six European University Alliances – including Una Europa, 4EU+, CHARM-EU, EC2U, EU-CONEXUS and Unite! – has been selected in the call for proposals for the pilot.

“The project […] means a new level of cooperation between HEIs in Europe”

“The project focused on the European Degree label topic, in which Charles University represents 4EU+, means a new level of cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe,” said Milena Králíčková, rector of Charles University.

“Most of all, it will lead to simplification of accreditation processes and new high-quality joint degrees. I am strongly convinced that this will bring plenty of new benefits for 4EU+ students” Králíčková added.

A major milestone for #EUStrategy4Universities journey!

Glad to launch🤝Minister @valerieglatigny & Rector @LucSels new @ErasmusEU projects.

✔️JointDegree Label
✔️Legal Status

ForAlliances: common tools, stronger cooperation, greater impact!

https://t.co/wNHt7ORt1k pic.twitter.com/JLd9LAapNe

— Mariya Gabriel (@GabrielMariya) January 31, 2023

The other four projects will allow alliances of higher education institutions to test new forms of cooperation, such as a possible European legal status for them.

The aim, the European Commission said, of such legal status is to give university alliances  -“on a voluntary basis” – the latitude to “act together, make common strategic decisions and experiment joint recruitment.

“[It also allows them] to design joint curricula or pool resources and human, technical, data, education, research and innovation capacities,” the Commission statement added.

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The return of Chinese students to onshore learning will exacerbate Australia’s housing shortage, the country’s Student Accommodation Council has warned. 

The group, which advocates for the purpose-built student accommodation sector, said the sudden decision by the Chinese government to stop recognising online learning will “put further pressure on the already tight” industry, as approximately 40,000 offshore students are expected to travel to Australia’s campuses. 

Foreign students were already returning en-masse to the country for the start of the new academic year but, when they arrive, many are struggling to secure affordable housing. 

“While the biggest destination city for international students, Melbourne, still has the capacity to absorb larger than expected numbers of Chinese students, cities like Brisbane and Perth will see purpose-built student accommodation buildings full once university returns,” said Torie Brown, executive director at Student Accommodation Council. 

Meanwhile, analysis by BONARD found that the average cost of rent for purpose-built student accommodation increased by approximately 8% last year in Australia. 

“With Western Australia set to welcome its largest intake of international students since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, demand for student accommodation is at a peak,” a spokesperson from Perth’s Curtin University told The PIE News. 

Derryn Belford, CEO at StudyPerth, said that all purpose-built student accommodation in Perth’s Central Business District is now fully booked and vacancy rates are “very low” across the private rental market. 

“It is very encouraging to see international students returning to Perth, with commencement numbers this year looking very positive,” Belford said. “However, like other capital cities in Australia, Perth is experiencing a squeeze on student accommodation.” 

“Having said this there is a range of other accommodation options available for international students in Perth. Not all students look to stay in commercial accommodation, with many staying with family – noting that over 30% of our population were born outside of Australia,” he added. 

“There is no question that the student accommodation market in Perth, as elsewhere, is tight. However, with careful planning and by using the support services that education providers and StudyPerth offer, finding suitable accommodation is possible. It just may take a little longer than before.”

“Cities like Brisbane and Perth will see student accommodation buildings full”

In Southern Australia, the University of Adelaide said it had 1,200 students currently studying remotely in China and that it is “working to secure additional accommodation to enable their return”.

Last December, the government of Western Australia and StudyPerth launched a campaign to encourage homeowners to host international students. Expansion by Edith Cowan and Curtin Universities is expected to bring an additional 13,000 students into the city by 2030, likely compounding the housing problems the region faces. 

“This clearly shows there is an opportunity for smart local and international investors to get into the purpose-built student accommodation market in Perth,” said Belford.

Researchers have warned that globally the demand for PBSA is outstripping supply, and within Australia, the pipeline of new properties is “muted”. Savills predicted that 4,979 beds will become operational in 2023, and the level of supply will further decline in 2024, with 1,892 new beds becoming available.

The smaller pipeline is “a consequence of schemes not moving forward during the pandemic, due to concerns around demand, as well as feasibility and planning delays,” experts at Savills’ wrote in a recent report.

Brown said that state and federal governments should incentivise developers by “removing barriers like foreign investor taxes and cumbersome planning processes, which slow the development of new buildings”.

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InterCamps, a new language centre provider, will launch this summer in France and Belgium in collaboration with SUL Education, Move & Study and LEA Séjours Linguistiques.

The camps will take place in Abondance in the French Alps and in Wanze, Belgium. At both locations, participants will learn and practice either French or English during daily lessons. .

InterCamps’ all-inclusive package covers board, daily activities and excursions. Activities included in the sample timetable include team building workshops, film nights and themed parties. 

“We decided that it was time for us to take this big step”

Laurent Potier, director at French organisation Move and Study, said the program was created as the result of the post-pandemic demand for in-country language camps directed towards young learners. 

“That’s why we decided that it was time for us to take this big step and launch an operation in the countries where our agencies are located,” Potier added. 

The collaboration with UK-based SUL Education aims to boost the program’s social activities. Students will have the opportunity to take part in a “global project” and participate with other young people around the world. 

“SUL’s mission is to create the best junior courses under 18’s on the planet,” said Slavas Palkevicius, director of SUL Education.  “Our partnership with InterCamps is no exception. InterCamps’ ideal locations, the new European experience, and the SUL League motivation system all fit perfectly into our mission’s fulfilment”.

LEA’s founder, Dorian Maillet, said he was “delighted” by the new partnership and “to be able to provide this year a wider range of destinations, always with the same objective: a lifetime experience for all our students”.  

The post InterCamps launches in Europe appeared first on The PIE News.

Universities are working to ensure the smooth return of Chinese students to in-person learning following the government’s decision to reinstate the online learning ban.

After announcing that online overseas degrees would no longer be recognised and instructing students to return to the country of their course provider for semester one, the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange released further guidance last week advising students not to worry if they are unable to return immediately.

“Please don’t worry, you can continue to take online classes during the relevant procedures,” the CSCSE said in a statement. The body told students that if they are unable to secure visas, flights or accommodation, they will be allowed to submit documents showing this when they apply for their final certification.

China also clarified that students who are in the last semester of their studies or whose institutions do not have the capacity to facilitate additional students at the moment will also be given the chance to show evidence of this in order to ensure their qualifications are recognised.

Reacting to the news, Chinese study abroad umbrella agency BOSSA said online learning was never expected to be recognised in the long-run and that some agencies had taken advantage of the flexible rules introduced during the pandemic.

“Some agencies defrauded students with distance-learning programs”

“Some agencies defrauded students with distance-learning programs that were packaged as [Ministry of Education] traditionally recognised, foreign degree programs,” said Chenxing Sang, BOSSA secretary general.

Despite the updated guidance, data from accommodation providers suggests that Chinese students are scrambling to return to campuses as soon as possible.

Luke Nolan, founder and CEO of Student.com, said the online marketplace has experienced a surge in demand from Chinese students searching for housing overseas since the decision.

“We have received thousands of enquiries from Chinese students looking to secure accommodation internationally, representing a 75% increase on the same period last year,” Noland said, adding that interest in the UK specifically had increased by 30%.

Similarly, accommodation company Homes for Students has experienced an increase in Google searches from Chinese speakers across all of its brands compared to last year, with its luxury brand up 124% year on year.

Universities are working to facilitate the arrival of Chinese students on campus. Ula Tang-Plowman, deputy director of international student recruitment at the University of Nottingham, said while the news was not unexpected, it had caught students and institutions off-guard.

“China has always been very clear with its stance on online degrees,” she said, adding that the university was doing everything possible to ensure a smooth transition to on-campus learning.

“This includes fast and clear guidance on CAS and visa, being as flexible and supportive with accommodation options and ensuring additional orientations are available when students do get here.

“However in case of complications with visa, flights or accommodation, Chinese students are advised to keep all evidence of the delay and communicate with us immediately so they can be best supported with their online experience. We understand the CSCSE will take these evidence into consideration when assessing a degree authentication request.”

Gary Palmer, managing director OI Digital Institute & Language at Oxford International Education Group, said, “For some of our students in China, this announcement will bring a welcome end to an uncertain and stressful wait for in-person learning.

“However, for many students the prospect of returning overseas may seem daunting. Through our global study locations and presence in China, we are providing support to our Chinese students as they begin the next phase of their education.”

Visa processing times in the UK have returned to normal after delays last year, but countries including Australia and Canada are still facing significant backlogs, as well as accommodation shortages.

As semester one begins in Australia shortly and with approximately 40,000 offshore Chinese students enrolled in institutions there, demand for visas and accommodation is particularly high. Student.com has seen a 60% rise in enquiries for Australia housing from Chinese students. Universities Australia said it was working with the government to facilitate their safe return.

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International education stakeholders are urging the sector for support following two devastating earthquakes that have affected regions across south-eastern Turkey and Syria.

At time of publication, the death toll has reach 5,000 – 3,400 in Turkey and at least 1,600 in Syria – and severe weather conditions are hampering relief efforts.

The first magnitude 7.8 quake hit early Monday morning when people were sleeping at home, with the epicentre near Gaziantep, before another with a magnitude of 7.5 struck in Kahramanmaras province to the north.

Nearly 6,000 buildings have been destroyed in Turkey, authorities say.

Vice-director for Global Education and Partnerships at Istanbul Aydin University, Ayşe Deniz Özkan, said the earthquakes, among the largest ever recorded in Turkey, affected some 10 cities and quite densely populated areas.

“The devastation is beyond words at the moment”

“The devastation is beyond words at the moment,” she told The PIE.

University campuses in Kahramanmaraş, Adana, Malatya, Adıyaman, Hatay, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Kilis and Osmaniye have been adversely affected and closed, according to the Turkish Higher Education Council.

“There will be inspections of the damage and further announcements will be made about when and how to return to education. Meanwhile semester break will be extended for some time in the cities of Antalya, Bingöl, Elazığ, Erzincan, Karaman, Kayseri, Konya, Mardin, Mersin, Niğde, Sivas, Tunceli, which are close to the earthquake zone,” she explained.

“Their facilities and dormitories will be used for emergency housing. University hospitals will be reinforced and used to maximum capacity.”

Partnerships with universities around the world will be vital for the eventual rebuilding, she appealed.

Ceren Genc, who previously lived in Gaziantep while working for Dutch-based NGO Spark, said she had lost a colleague from a partner university.

“It’s sad. And it’s huge,” she said. “People are dying from cold if not from the collapsed building. Babies and people with bare feet, because the earthquake hit when people are in bed, feeling safe at home.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 45 countries had offered support, according to the BBC. Nations such as Greece, Israel, Russia, Poland, Australia and many more have pledged financial support as well as contributing rescue workers and dogs.

“The disaster is so new that the effort is for search and rescue now, and getting immediate relief materials. Then the focus will shift to providing shelter, temporary housing etc,” Özkan continued.

“Eventually getting back to normal with services, education and finally rebuilding. It will last for months and years. But the news cycle is continuously changing and in a week or so you wont hear about the earthquake in Turkey.

“I want to call on the universities around the world to establish long-term partnerships with the universities in the area to help them rebuild their infrastructure and give them support in the next couple of years.

“At this stage of the disaster, the task at hand is so huge that state agencies have the capacity, so you can donate to government efforts (your own or Turkish). Eventually for the rebuilding, partnerships between universities, NGOs and other civil society actors will be important.”

Donation information:

Non-governmental search and rescue organisation, AKUT

Turkish voluntary network, Ahbap

The post Appeals for support after tragic earthquake appeared first on The PIE News.

Nepal is vying to become a hub for international education, according to its minister for education, science and technology.

Speaking at an event convened by the Higher Institutions and Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal, Shishir Khanal suggested the landlocked country could increase the number of international students it attracts significantly.

“Let us make Nepal a country where we can bring in the same number of students as we send abroad,” he said, according to local media reports.

Khanal acknowledged that the quality of education from primary to basic school level can be improved but indicated that “but by taking advantage of the geographical location of Nepal”, the country can “become an international education hub”.

“With the vision of building that hub, it is necessary to create an environment that can bring in foreign students instead of sending students abroad,” he said.

It is not clear how many international students are currently in Nepal. UNESCO does not collect data for inbound mobility to the country.

Bigyan Shrestha, chairman at SoftEd Group, said the organisation is working on plans to promote Nepal as an education hub in Asia.

He pointed to UK TNE partnerships as being particularly attractive for prospective students, in addition to the “excellent weather, great tourism places and Himalayas students can explore while studying”.

“It is good time to look on this dimension and attract students from South Asian countries”

“Nepal has also become a centre for some world ranked UK universities who are working with private colleges on TNE partnership. Students from Asia can come to Nepal to study one or two years of bachelor programs and transfer to the UK or to some ASEAN countries offering UK university programs in the final year,” he added.

“It is good time for Nepal to look on this dimension and attract students from South Asian countries, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, etc.”

However, others have questioned the aims of the country which is traditionally a source market for students rather than a destination.

Speaking to University World News earlier this year following the 2022 election, retired Tribhuvan University professor and former education specialist for UNESCO in the Asia Pacific region, called for a “complete restructuring” of the country’s higher education.

UWN noted that some 112,528 students – close to a fourth of the total number of university students in Nepal – had sought No Objection Certificates to study across 80 countries in 2021/22. According to the Education Consultancy Association of Nepal, around 40% of those receiving the NOC tend to go abroad.

Australia has become the top destination for Nepalese students, The Katmandu Post reported in September 2022. Between January and November 2022, the 56,847 Nepalese students in Australia made up some 9% of international students studying courses in the country. This is compared to the 4,920 Nepalese students enrolled in UK universities in 2021/22.

US numbers increased by 5.6% in 2021/22 to reach 11,779 students, making it the 11th source country for international students, while Canada approved over 2,200 Nepali students to study in the country in 2021.

But Shrestha continued to say that quality of life and safety and security for international students in Nepal has improved in recent years.

As secretary of International Education Providers Association of Nepal, Shrestha is working closely with the government to this vision, he concluded.

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British Boarding Schools’ Network has introduced a new initiative for agent members that the organisation says will provide the UK boarding school sector with the “strongest agent vetting process”.

The “rigorous checks” new agent applicants face include three reference checks, Zoom interviews, along with further checks and requirements.

The BBSN Agent Membership Programme formalises the work the organisation has been doing for the past 17 years, it said, and started with current agent members in October last year.

“We wanted to provide formal recognition for the vital role that our professional educational agents play in the recruitment of international pupils into British boarding schools,” BBSN director Suzanne Rowse said in a statement.

“We listened carefully to what our members told us they would like and sought the views of experienced staff from both schools and agent member organisations.”

The enhanced membership program will “provide validity and evidence of rigorous quality assurance of agents for our member schools and to the client families our agents work with”, she continued.

Two levels of membership include the BBSN Approved Agent status for those that have passed all vetting checks and met membership requirements.

The BBSN Trusted & Approved Agent status – set to be introduced in mid-2023 – goes a step further and features additional requirements and acknowledges “long-standing” agent members that have been fully engaged with the network.

More than 470 agent offices applied for Approved Agent status within the first week of launch. BBSN includes some 250 school members among its network.

BBSN added that many agent applications are turned down for failing to meet standards or deferred until the agent has gained more experience, with membership “seen as a privilege”.

“The new program gives our member schools increased confidence that they are working with high quality, reputable agencies, thus protecting their UKVI sponsor licence,” Rowse added.

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If you had a blank page and could start again as an institution, what would you do differently?

This is the reality for the academic team at UA92. Having only opened in 2019, they have been cherishing the chance to shape a curriculum and recruitment strategy that challenges the norm.

As the university academy prepared to welcome their latest intake of students, The PIE News decided to pay a visit to Manchester and find out more about what makes UA92 different.

“The way we teach is one module at a time, which basically means students can join at any of the six starting points throughout the year,” explains Gareth Smith, executive director of student life and strategy.

“A number of our international students will end up joining us in February, in the next intake, who would have joined us in January [if they had everything in order on time],” he continues.

“The same is true domestically, because we have students who will turn up today and they haven’t applied to student finance England in time [so we can delay their start until that has been resolved].”

Flexible enrolment is an essential ingredient in supporting both domestic and international applicants. UA92 has been highly praised for its widening participation strategy and shaping a curriculum that offers maximum flexibility.

The irony is that increased accessibility for the local community in Greater Manchester is as relevant to international students seeking to apply from countries like India and Nigeria.

It is estimated that on average one quarter of international students who receive CAS to study in the UK still do not enrol at university, often due to barriers preventing them from arriving on time.

Having six rolling start dates a year at UA92 means delayed students do not have to radically change their plans or defer.

“The benefit of this internationally, would be if somebody doesn’t quite have their CAS in order. You don’t say, ‘oh wait until the end of the year’. You say, ‘wait six or seven weeks and then you can come’,” explains Smith.

“We also, by design, teach half our students in the mornings and half our students in an afternoon.

“They [the students] do that same same kind of pattern in the day for the entire study block which means they’re able to organise their part-time work easily around their study.

“The reality is that many full time students also need to work, and an old-style timetable, where your classes can be anywhere between [the hours of] nine and six, Monday to Friday, is not fair,” continues Smith.

“If most other institutions had a blank sheet of paper I believe they would do something similar [with the timetable] now.”

Full time students in the UK have often complained about the low number of contact hours on campus and the scattered approach to their timetable, and mature and first generation students are known to have a greater need for certainty over their ability to earn while they learn.

Internationally, the same concerns are just as true – employability is the number one priority for international students.

Many of them at UA92 are taking advantage of job opportunities in the cosmopolitan city of Manchester to finance their life in the UK.

“I know a student who works part time as a steward at Manchester United,” agrees Isobelle Panton, director of recruitment and international. “He is literally living the dream, and thanks to the timetable design, he always knows what shifts he is available to work.”

UA92 only offer undergraduate programmes at the moment, but a key opportunity for students is the option to take an accelerated degree. Validated by Lancaster University, students can complete a bachelor degree in just two years, rather than the usual three – and the route is open to internationals on a study visa.

The UK often struggles to compete with Canada’s two year associate degrees, but an accelerated degree from UA92 has clear similarities that include getting ahead of the graduate crowd.

“If you look at the kind of domestic market for accelerated [degrees], they are generally in the younger end of mature, by which I mean people in that kind of late twenties, early thirties,” explains Smith.

“It’ll be interesting to see if this is replicated as we grow internationally, the fact that you can complete the same degree in two years being seen as a clear advantage.”

While numbers are still small at UA92 – with less than a thousand students on campus – twenty-five percent are now international students. A partnerships with Navitas as both a foundation pathway provider and master agent is driving up global interest year-on-year.

Coupled with the global sporting mega-brand of Manchester United (the college founders are players from the famous Class of ’92 team) and degree awarding powers from Lancaster University – the huge potential for international appeal is clear.

With a director of disruptive learning already in place, a £2 million OfS funded digital academy, metaverse footprint and NFT qualifications all in the making, there is a statement of intent from UA92 to continue to innovate their curriculum in 2023 relevant for the future world of work.

Perhaps increased digital delivery can provide further access to education for students both at home and abroad.

The post Starting from scratch: a chance to challenge the norm at UA92 appeared first on The PIE News.

Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia has reached an initial agreement with a staff trade union after strike action put thousands of international students out of class.

One of two faculty unions at CBU went on strike on January 27, causing most classes to be cancelled. The institution has a huge international enrolment, with two-thirds of its 5,900 students coming from overseas.

Across Canada, rising prices for food and shelter have eroded purchasing power in the past two years, with inflation currently running at more than 6% annually – as a result, the Cape Breton union asked for a salary increase of 14% over two years.

Details of the final agreement have not yet been released.

“I’m happy that the faculty and the university were able to come to a relatively quick and mutually beneficial agreement”

“At CBU we want to put the students first and so I’m happy that the faculty and the university were able to come to a relatively quick and mutually beneficial agreement so we can get back to the business of education,” said Victor Tomiczek, director of international recruitment and global partnerships at CBU.

Damanpreet Singh, president of the students’ union and an international student from India, had previously urged university leaders and faculty to come together to “hammer out a deal.”

In addition, more than 800 faculty at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador have been on strike since January 30 for higher pay – there are around 3,400 international students at the school, making up around 18% of enrolment.

Faculty at St. Mary’s University in Halifax also voted overwhelmingly to strike after failing to reach an agreement with management. About one third of its 6,800 students are from overseas.

Recently, the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers stoked the fire of faculty unrest by issuing a report called A Culture of Entitlement – the study argued that the number of administrators at the province’s universities had risen dramatically, sending costs soaring.

In addition, it said salaries of university presidents were up 45% in the past six years.

However, the report’s math and methodology came under fire from HESA consultant and blogger Alex Usher, who said, “There’s no smoking gun here, folks – just another stakeholder group with an axe to grind.”

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