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    The U.S. Department of Education this week released the annual update of its financial responsibility test scores for private colleges, which is based on data from 2014-15. The 187 institutions that have a failing score -- most of which are small and either private nonprofit or for-profit -- will lose access to federal financial aid without a provisional certification from the department. The department may also require colleges with low or failing scores to take out a letter of credit or be subject to a sanction called heightened cash monitoring. The test was designed to keep tabs on the fiscal stability of colleges, with an eye toward preventing financial aid from going to institutions that may shut down abruptly. For example, Dowling College, which shut down last year, has a failing score on the new list. However, many private college officials have for years criticized the department's methodology for the test. They say the scoring system fails to use generally accepted accounting practices, is backward looking and does not capture the complexity of a college budget. For example, a decline in a college endowment's investment value is counted as an operating loss. The department's Office of Inspector General recently agreed with some of that criticism, noting in an audit released last week that the test's methodology should be improved.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The Trump administration just handed an olive branch to the battered industry. he Trump administration appears poised to undo one of its predecessor’s most ambitious attempts to rein in for-profit college rapacity. The Department of Education is delaying the so-called “gainful employment” rule, in place since 2015, the Wall Street Journal’s Josh Mitchell reports. Under the Obama-era rule, the Department of Education would shut off the financial-aid spigot for higher education institutions if their typical graduate reported spending more than 30 percent of after-tax cash or 12 percent of total income on student loan payments. In other words, if a college saddles too many of its students with debt and shabby job prospects — if graduating classes debt-to-income ratios don’t look good for a few consecutive years — it will be barred from receiving Stafford loans, Pell grants, and other forms of taxpayer funding for higher education. The more than 800 schools that the Department of Education threatened in January with sanctions under the rule—98 percent of which are for-profit institutions like Full Sail University and University of Phoenix — will now have until July 1st to hire independent auditors to investigate whether the government’s damning data on their students career outcomes is wrong or flawed. Since most for-profit colleges derive most of their revenue from students’ federal financial aid packages, thousands of the schools may have eventually had to close their doors without reconsideration by the Department. The extended timeline to appeal, and the department’s promise to review the rule, could be a lifeline for an industry that was facing an unprecedented crackdown via states attorneys general lawsuits and federal enforcement actions. But, as Pacific Standard reported in 2015, this wouldn’t be the first time the industry has bounced back from a regulatory beating. For-profit college parent companies stocks have surged since Donald Trump’s election in November. Now, shareholder faith looks like it could g
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    Buoyed by the ascendancy of Donald Trump, America’s predatory for-profit colleges are renewing their multi-front fight to destroy a key measure to hold them accountable: the gainful employment rule. The new battle plan includes pushes in Congress and before the Betsy DeVos Department of Education, plus two new lawsuits aimed at the regulation, including one, in Arizona, that has not been previously reported. It looks like this harmful effort is rapidly gaining traction. It took the Obama administration nearly eight years of battling well-paid for-profit college lobbyists and lawyers to finally enact and implement this regulation, which has a simple, common sense premise: Career training programs that, year-after-year, leave graduates mired in overwhelming debt should lose eligibility for taxpayer-funded student grants and loans. Career education should make people financially better off, not worse off, and the rule aims to channel money away from programs that do harm — and channel it toward those honest, effective colleges that are genuinely helping students build careers. For decades, many for-profit colleges, through a toxic mix of high prices, low quality, and weak job placement, have promised more than they could deliver, and yet have been getting billions annually in federal aid, much of it spent on advertising and profits, rather than education. Many veterans, single moms, displaced factory workers and miners, and others struggling to build a better future have been deceived and abused by unscrupulous college owners, whose offices are in Wall Street suites as well as strip malls. The final gainful employment rule does not demand much; only the worst programs flunk its test comparing graduate earnings with debt levels. The first round of results, reported in January, showed that 98 percent of the flunking programs were at for-profit colleges. The for-profit colleges have never stopped trying to overturn the rule, even after federal courts decisively rejected two separate industry lawsuits. Now, however,
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    Arizona Summit Law school, a troubled for-profit institution owned by the InfiLaw System, has been placed on probation by its accrediting body, the American Bar Association. The association’s move was announced on Monday and followed Arizona Summit’s affiliation with Bethune-Cookman University, a nonprofit historically black college in Daytona Beach, Fla. Arizona Summit Law in Phoenix is the second school owned by InfiLaw to be placed on probation for failing to meet A.B.A. accreditation standards. Sterling Partners, a private equity firm in Chicago and Baltimore, is an investor. The first, Charlotte School of Law in Charlotte, N.C., lost its eligibility for federal student aid in January as a result of the probation. Its enrollment has declined sharply, and the school has said it is trying to restart federal aid and is exploring affiliation with a nonprofit college in a Northeastern state. At Arizona Summit, the bar association found that admissions practices, academic programs, and graduation and bar exam passage rates were below par. These deficiencies, according to a statement by the A.B.A. Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, “have resulted in the law school now being in a position where only immediate and substantial action can bring about a sufficient change to put the law school on a realistic path to being in compliance within the time allowed” by the bar association’s rules. Only 24.6 percent of Arizona Summit graduates who took the Arizona state bar exam for the first time in July 2016 passed, an exceptionally low rate. Charlotte School of Law reported nearly the same passage rate for its graduates who took the North Carolina bar exam last month. The bar association said that because the situation at Arizona Summit was critical and urgent, it could have hearings this year to consider any additional remedial action or sanctions “up to and including withdrawal of the law school’s approval.” The probation decision was made by the bar association’s Council of the Section of Legal E
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    I've warmed up to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan to make the state's public colleges and universities tuition-free for families with an income of $125,000 or less, and here's why: Private colleges don't like it. Since the governor announced his plan in January, private colleges have expressed concern. They argue that it would limit students' choices and place private schools at a competitive disadvantage. "Taxpayers should have the opportunity to have choice and to make a decision about what would be best for themselves and their kids," College of Saint Rose President Carolyn Stefanco told The Daily Gazette last month. Please. These schools aren't concerned about student choice. They're concerned about their bottom line. Making tuition free at SUNY and CUNY schools will boost their enrollment, as parents and students carefully evaluate return on investment and opt for the more affordable option. Elite private schools might not see a huge impact, but lower-ranked schools almost certainly would. Private colleges don't want to disrupt a system that serves them reasonably well, but if there's any industry that could benefit from some disruption, it's higher education. For decades, colleges and universities have been jacking up tuition and fees at an unsustainable rate. The cost of tuition at the small private college I graduated from 19 years ago has more than doubled, and there's no justification for it. Private schools have long excused their outrageous cost increases by pointing to the generosity of their financial aid offices, and noting that many students do not pay full price. But fewer people are satisfied by this explanation, largely as a result of soaring student loan debt. In a piece in the New Republic published last August, journalist David Dayen writes that private colleges are the real enemy when it comes to reforming higher education, because they "do incredibly well under the status quo. ... At the public level, states have pulled back funding for higher education, causing some of the [cost] incre
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    We need to focus more on the disadvantages that poor students face much earlier in their lives The proposal to fully subsidize tuition fees in all state universities and colleges (SUCs) is not as straightforward as it seems. On the one hand, proponents in Congress say that this will help improve the plight of “financially disadvantaged but deserving students.” After all, the Constitution states that the State shall provide “accessible” and “quality” education to all (see House Bill 5905 and Senate Bill 1304). On the other hand, critics say that subsidizing college tuitions will be fraught with many problems. Not only will it be inequitable (serving as a subsidy for rich students), but also distortive (inducing some rich students to shift into SUCs) and unsustainable (requiring enormous fiscal resources yearly). In this article we argue that, although well-intentioned, the free tuition policy alone cannot make SUCs significantly more accessible to poor students. Instead, we need to focus more on the disadvantages that poor students face much earlier in their lives. Inequality of access It’s true that poor students today have a harder time gaining access to education in SUCs. Figure 1 shows the distribution of college students across income groups, both in public and private colleges. The gray bars show that – as one would expect – students in private colleges are likelier to come from richer than poorer backgrounds. If public colleges were an “equalizer” of sorts, one would expect to see an opposite trend in SUCs: students there should be likelier to come from poorer backgrounds. But as the orange bars show, this is not the case: SUC students are likelier to come from the richest income group (17.2%) than the poorest income group (12%). The share of the poorest income group is particularly lower in Luzon (7.5%) and in NCR (just 2%). Simply put, the poorest students are underrepresented in our SUCs. Subsidy to the richest students The data above point to the glaring disparity between the rich and poor’s a
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    I’m working with a client to help fill a management level position, and last week we interviewed an applicant with three degrees from a for-profit university. As college degrees become more important for both hiring and advancement, these for-profit educational institutions are growing in number and presence. For-profit schools are just that — businesses. They are corporations, often with shareholders, that have the objective of making a profit. Education is their product. If you’re thinking about going back to school, here are some things to consider before you commit your time or your money to these businesses. Consider your objective. If you want a technical skill, the for-profit route may be for you. Most of these schools do not have entrance requirements. Money and a high school diploma or its equivalent will get you a seat in the program. If you want a college education, consider that the for-profit degrees come with limits. Credits for your work may not transfer to other programs. A bachelor of science degree may not qualify you to move into a graduate program with another school. Most employers will give preference to a candidate with a degree from a traditional university. And if you’re thinking about an advanced degree that will allow you to teach at the university level, don’t even consider the for-profit route. If your objective is flexibility, remember that many traditional universities are now offering online classes and flexible scheduling. Pay attention to accreditation. Accreditation for the university AND for specific programs is a big deal. Learn what accreditation means. Know what the standard of excellence is. Lack of appropriate accreditation may mean your degree is worth very little. Pay attention to cost. Congress is now involved in investigating the costs of for-profit schools. Many state schools are now offering online, evening and weekend programs for much less money. For example, the Georgia WebMBA program is a fully online 18-month master’s program offered through a consortium of
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    BOND University at Robina has been listed in the prestigious global top 20 universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings of the Best Small Universities in the World. The private, not-for-profit university placed number 20 in the global ranking thanks to its personalised teaching philosophy and outstanding student experience which translates to extraordinary student satisfaction ratings. The Best Small Universities list acknowledges universities with an unparalleled reputation for delivering personalised learning and creating an environment that fosters a strong sense of community. It is topped by the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) which is also ranked this year as the second best overall university in the world, behind Oxford. Bond University is the only university in the southern hemisphere to be included in the global top 20. Bond University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford, said the ranking was recognition of Bond’s never-ending and priority focus on the students and their learning experience. “Our point of difference has always been creating an environment that focuses on a personalised approach to learning and a student’s education, so that each and every student has the opportunity to realise their ambition; and this global ranking is recognition that we are delivering on our promise,” he said. “There are some truly outstanding universities in this list and we are quite humbled to be included in such company. “For one of Australia’s youngest universities we have come a long way in a very short period of time.” Bond was also recently ranked as Australia’s number one university for student experience for the 11th consecutive year in the 2017 Good Universities Guide. Business student Alice Ringelstein said she chose to study at Bond because of its smaller size, which enabled her to spend more one-on-one time with her teachers and gain the most out of her experience. “The small class sizes at Bond have given me the opportunity to participate in stimula
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    Current higher education policy in England is based on “bad pub economics” and ministers have failed to learn the lessons from international developments, according to a leading academic. Lorraine Dearden, professor of economics at the UCL Institute of Education and research fellow in education at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, lamented England’s 2012 trebling of fees to £9,000 and current plans in the Higher Education and Research Bill to ease the entry of new private providers as being driven by a desire to create competition. "There are very, very good economic reasons why the market alone cannot be allowed to operate in higher education,” said Professor Dearden in a keynote speech at the Central for Global Higher Education’s annual conference in London on 1 March. She cited “credit market failures” for student lending that means government has to provide loans, the fact that higher education brings “social returns” as well as private returns, “risk and uncertainty” caused by student reluctance to borrow, and “information problems” that mean prospective students cannot know the costs and benefits of their higher education until much later in life. The government’s misguided notion that price competition between universities would occur under the £9,000 cap – when in reality all have ended up charging the maximum – was “bad pub economics”, Professor Dearden said. The £9,000 fees policy failed to take into account the fact that income-contingent loans meant the repayment risk from higher fees was borne by government rather than universities or students, she added. “If you want to allow a range of fees, what is important is that the higher education institutions need to share some of the risk of non-repayment,” she continued. That would mean a system that better reflects the “true costs and benefits” of courses, Professor Dearden said. She added that there were currently “lots of economists trying to work out” how to ensure that universities “have skin in the game”. Professor Dearden also accused Jo Jo
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    BENGALURU: Chennai and Gurgaon-based Great Lakes Institute of Management has launched the Great Lakes International University (GLIU) in Andhra Pradesh, making it one of the first few private universities being set up in the state.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The notice under Rule 116 was moved by Congress MLAs Punjabhai Vansh, Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Hirabhai Patel and Mansinh Chauhan. The Gujarat government, on Friday, said that it is actively considering to conduct admissions of professional medical courses at Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, a deemed university at Waghodia of Vadodara and other such universities through the common counselling procedure to be done by the state government. Health Minister Shankar Chaudhary said this from the floor of Gujarat Assembly while making a statement on a discussion under Rule 116 of the Assembly on reports of authorities of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth taking bribes from medical students to get them passed in the examination. The notice under Rule 116 was moved by Congress MLAs Punjabhai Vansh, Mahendrasinh Baraiya, Hirabhai Patel and Mansinh Chauhan. The Congress MLAs alleged that commercialisation of education in Gujarat had resulted in large-scale corruption and the Sumandeep Vidyapeeth incident had caused a sense of fear among the parents and students. President of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Mansukh Shah and two others were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from mother of a girl student for letting her fill her medical examination papers last month. Giving a reply on the notice, Chaudhary refuted the allegations levelled by opposition Congress and said that taking due seriousness of the complaint lodged by the mother of the girl student, ACB had conducted decoy operation and then arrested total three persons, including Mansukh Shah. Investigation of the case is on. Chaudhary then said that Sumandeep Vidyapeeth is a deemed university which conducts admissions of various medical examinations on its own while also deciding its fees.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The Uganda National Council of Higher Education says it is being frustrated by the tendency of some private universities to seek remedy from the courts rather than engage with the regulator in the interests of preserving quality. The National Council of Higher Education, or NCHE, Executive Director Professor John Opuda-Asibo told University World News that some private universities seek to use "power plays", delaying tactics and tend to "politicise" matters instead of holding talks directly with the regulator to rectify faults. He said with increased engagement between NCHE and universities, it would be possible to adhere to the rules agreed in order to maintain academic quality as well as separate the interests of management from the interests of private owners. A recent example of institutions turning to the courts is that of Busoga University, a private institution founded by the Church of Uganda under the Busoga Diocese in eastern Uganda. Fraudulent graduations In December the NCHE revoked the provisional education licence held by Busoga University. Last month, the latter approached the Constitutional Court seeking orders to reverse the revocation. The NCHE clamped down on the university after investigations into fraudulent graduations. According to media reports, the university fraudulently graduated 1,000 students after only five months of study. Some of these were Nigerians, while the majority were South Sudanese government officials and army generals. It was claimed that some of the students did not meet entry requirements and were admitted under unclear circumstances and that some were enrolled in unaccredited courses. The students, eager to keep their jobs backed by academic qualifications, allegedly each paid US$1,000 dollars to get their degrees after five months, instead of paying the usual US$300 per semester. The students were transferred from Star University College in Juba, South Sudan, which is affiliated to Busoga University. Another 70 students from Nigeria who were stud
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    "For-profit colleges have faced federal and state investigations in recent years for their aggressive recruiting tactics –– accusations that come as no surprise to author Tressie McMillan Cottom," NPR reports. "Cottom worked as an enrollment officer at two different for-profit colleges, but quit because she felt uncomfortable selling students an education they couldn't afford. Her new book, Lower Ed, argues that for-profit colleges exploit racial, gender and economic inequality. Cottom tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that for-profit institutions tend to focus their recruiting on students who qualify for the maximum amount of student aid. 'That happens to be the poorest among us,' she says. 'And because of how our society is set up, the poorest among us tend to be women and people of color.' Though for-profit colleges hold out the promise of a better future, Cottom notes that the credentials they offer tend to be 30 to 40 percent more expensive than the same credentials from a nonprofit public institution. What's more, she says, students at for-profit institutions often drop out before completing their degree, which means many students are left mired in debt and with credits that are not easily transferable. 'The system that we've come to rely on to increase access to higher education to the most vulnerable among us really only compounds their poverty and their risk factors,' Cottom says. 'That's the exact opposite of what higher education is supposed to do.'" NASFAA's "Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The right-wing government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is taking steps that could cause a popular American university in Budapest to close. Under a bill submitted to the Hungarian Parliament late Tuesday, non-EU universities issuing diplomas in Hungary would be required to have a campus in their home country. Central European University — which was founded in 1991 by liberal philanthropist and investor George Soros and is widely considered to be the top private university in Hungary — does not have a campus in the United States, even though it is registered in New York state. Students from scores of countries are enrolled in the university's English-language, graduate and post-graduate programs. Orban and the Hungarian-born Soros have a strained relationship, even though the prime minister received a scholarship from the Soros foundation that allowed him to study briefly at Oxford. Hungarian officials say the legislation doesn't have anything to do with Soros or CEU, even though the new requirement doesn't affect Hungary's 27 other non-EU universities, which all have campuses abroad. They say the changes are needed because foreign-funded universities are operating outside the law. But many Hungarians, and certainly Orban's critics in and outside of the country, believe the legislation is a clear attempt to shut down CEU. If the legislation passes, the law would take effect in September and CEU would have to open a campus in the United States by Feb. 15, 2018, if it wants to stay open. That is something the university says "would have no educational benefit and would incur needless financial and human resource costs." The bill "is a threat to our continued existence in Hungary," Michael Ignatieff, CEU's president and rector, told reporters at a news conference. He vowed to fight back, adding: "This university is not going to close under any circumstance and we won't be pushed around." Ignatieff met with Hungary's education minister Wednesday night in Budapest to try to resolve the conflict, CEU
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    President Donald Trump’s administration has begun relaxing restrictions on for-profit colleges, and traders in shares of companies like Strayer Education Inc. (STRA) and Capella Education Co. (CPLA) have taken note. For-profit college stocks soared in the week after the Department of Education announced a delay in the implementation of a regulation finalized in October 2014 by former President Barack Obama. Shares of Strayer Education, a holding company for Strayer University, climbed 2.5 percent in the week following the March 6 announcement, hitting a high of $81.40 shortly after Monday market open, while Capella Education, the parent of Capella University, grew 1.8 percent over the same period, surpassing $78 Monday morning. Grand Canyon Education Inc. (LOPE), the parent of Grand Canyon University, rose 3.5 percent over the past week to an all-time high of $67.49, and Laureate Education Inc. (LAUR), which counts Walden University as one of its for-profit institutions and was formerly known as Sylvan Learning Systems, saw its shares rise 0.6 percent to nearly $13 Monday. DeVry Education Group Inc. (DV), known for its DeVry University, saw a more modest 0.4 percent rise over the past week. The Department of Education initially required for-profit colleges, along with some nonprofit and public schools, to report data on the success of their job training programs by April 3, but under new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, the date was pushed to July 1. The rule, which was originally slated for implementation on July 1, 2015, would cut back on federal funding for institutions whose programs did not lead to "gainful employment"— meaning graduates’ annual loan payments exceeded 20 percent of their income. For-profit colleges, whose attendees tend to be disproportionately female, minority and low-income, have long faced criticism for their role in the student debt crisis. Data released from the Department of Education in September linked more than 35 percent of student debt defaults in 2013 to the institutions, des
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The government has suffered further defeats in the House of Lords on plans in England for the teaching excellence framework and the opening up of the sector to new private providers. Earlier in the week, peers defeated the government by passing an amendment that ensures the results of the TEF should not be used to determine the fees that an institution can charge. On 8 March, the House of Lords – where the government does not have a majority – inflicted further defeats. The government now has the choice of accepting the amendments, or bidding to force through its proposals with the backing of MPs. An amendment, proposed by crossbencher Baroness Wolf, Labour peer Lord Stevenson and Liberal Democrat Lord Storey, was passed that would severely limit the government’s flagship plans to bring in new providers to compete with universities. Critics backing the amendment had warned of risks from for-profit providers gaining degree awarding powers and university status. The amendment would ensure new providers either remain subject to the same requirement to pass through four years of validation before they can gain their own degree awarding powers, or had been granted permission to use such powers by a quality assessment committee. The government had wanted private providers to be able to award degrees on a probationary basis from the start of their operation and for England’s new regulator, the Office for Students, to take over the granting of degree awarding powers. The OfS would also have to be “assured that the provider operated in the public interest and in the interest of students” to gain degree powers, says the amendment, passed by 201 votes to 186. On the TEF, peers also backed an amendment that would ensure the government still creates “a scheme to assess and provide consistent and reliable information about the quality of education and teaching”, but prevents such an exercise from being used “to create a single composite ranking of English higher education providers”, as well as ensuring that its data a
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    LONDON: Malaysian universities continue to improve in their world rankings based on subjects, with an increase in their overall share of places rising from 1.27 per cent to 1.51 per cent. In the just-released seventh edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject by Quacquarelli Symonds, three Malaysian university programmes rank in the top 30. They are University of Malaya's Electrical Engineering (at 23rd) and Development Studies (at 26th); and Taylor's University's Hospitality & Leisure Management (at 29th). University of Malaya (UM) continues to be the best-performing local institution, with five subjects ranked in the global top 50. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh congratulated the universities for their “stellar performance” in this year’s Rankings by Subject. “Having 11 subjects across four universities ranked within the world’s top 50 is a highly-commendable improvement from three subjects in 2016. “Furthermore, Malaysian universities have doubled the number of subjects ranked in the top 100 to 52. “Congratulations to UM, which achieved having five subjects placed in the top 50 and 19 subjects in the top 100. UM has excelled in various Engineering fields and for the first time, its education programme is ranked 41st. “USM has also done us proud, with four subjects in the top 50, notably with Hospitality & Leisure Management ranked 32nd and Mineral & Mining ranked 35th. “Speaking of firsts, we have a private university ranked in the world’s top 50, namely Taylor’s University, at 29th place, for Hospitality & Leisure Management; while IIUM also appears at 46th, for Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies. “I am proud that our universities have excelled across diverse areas of knowledge, from Engineering to Education, Hospitality to Environmental Sciences. “As the higher education space becomes more connected, accessible and competitive, the ability to offer high-quality education in such subjects will enable our higher education institutions to stand out worldwide, and en
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    The Rwandan Ministry of Education has temporarily suspended the operations of four universities and courses in six other universities as part of a strategy to deal with sub-standard educational offerings. The move follows recommendations of an audit report on the quality of education in the higher learning institutions in the country, the findings of which indicated that the institutions in question had either inadequate staff or teaching facilities. These institutions have been given six months to address the inadequacies and comply with the higher education requirements before they are allowed to resume normal operations. Rwanda has 35 universities, two of which are public (the University of Rwanda and the Institute of Legal Practice and Development) and 33 of which are private. ‘Irregularities’ A total of 16 universities, including those affected by suspensions, were issued with letters asking them to correct “irregularities” and comply with the ministry’s requirements. Among those universities which have been told to suspend courses are two international universities: the Open University of Tanzania and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology of Kenya. The audit was carried out in all higher education institutions – public and private – in October last year by international external auditors. The audit report is yet to be made public. The four suspended universities are Rusizi International University, Sinhgad Technical Education Society-Rwanda, Mahatma Gandhi University and Nile Source Polytechnic of Applied Arts in Huye district. Suspension of courses The six other universities which have been told to suspend undergraduate courses include the University of Technology and Arts of Byumba, the Open University of Tanzania, the University of Gitwe, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Institut Catholique de Kabgayi and Institut d’Enseignement Superieur de Ruhengeri. Some of the suspended courses include medicine and surgery, science in medical laboratory and te
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    Nearly 15,000 Syrians are enrolled in Turkish universities as of the 2016-2017 academic year, Higher Education Board (YÖK) head Yekta Saraç has said. One thirds of Syrian university students are women and the rest are men, while 3,473 Syrian students in the country are receiving education as a part of the special “Turkey Scholarship” program, Saraç added. “Among the overall Syrian student population, 1,149 are postgraduate and 352 are doctorate students. Around 2,000 are receiving education in foundation universities,” he said at a conference on Syrian participation in higher education at Mustafa Kemal University in the southern province of Hatay on March 9. “The fact that the number of Syrian students receiving education in universities [in Turkey] rose to 15,000 this year from 5,000 in 2014-15 and from 10,000 in 2015-16 shows a rapid increase … There are students receiving education on every spot of the Turkish map,” Saraç also stated. Noting that Gaziantep University in the southeastern province of Gaziantep tops the list with 1,680 Syrian students, Saraç added that Istanbul University and Karabük University in the Black Sea province of Karabük are second and third on the list. “Istanbul University follows Gaziantep University with 1,000 students and Karabük University follows it with 927 students. Mersin University, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, İnönü University, Çukurova University, Istanbul Aydın University, Yüzüncü Yıl University and Sakarya University are next on the list,” he said. “The example of Karabük University shows that the number of students can be high even in provinces where Syrians are not densely populated. This is related to the number of Syrian lecturers the university employs,” Saraç said. There are currently Syrian students in 35 state and eight private universities across the country, he added. He also referred to the YÖK’s new system for foreign academics launched last year, noting that this system will make it easier for the “eligible Syrian population to participat
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe
     
     
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    Hungarian leaders continued their assault on civil society this week with philanthropist George Soros still squarely in their sights. Legislation proposed by the right-wing Fidsez government as part of their self-proclaimed “spring offensive” targets foreign educational institutions, like the Soros-funded Central European University, with tighter regulations. With further crackdowns planned on NGOs, will the European Union step in? Both Soros and U.S. leaders expressed outrage over the new proposal, although the Hungarian-born billionaire is a frequent punching bag of America’s conservative leaders and the current administration. “The United States is very concerned about the legislation proposed by the Hungarian government yesterday that would severely impact the operations of the Central European University in Budapest,” U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Hungary David Kostelancik said in a statement to Bloomberg. The U.S. “opposes any effort to compromise the operations or independence of the University,” he said. As NPQ reported, the U.S. commitment to protecting human rights at home and abroad was recently called into question when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson downplayed the release of the annual Human Rights Report. Soros is also a controversial figure abroad, where he has offices of his Open Society Foundations running in 37 countries. In the European Union, he has been particularly vocal about member states doing their part to relieve the international refugee crisis, which is at odds with the anti-refugee policies of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán, who has vowed to purse an “illiberal democracy” modeled on those in Russia and Turkey, is stepping up a campaign to sideline opposition voices, Bloomberg reported. One of Europe’s strongest advocates of U.S. President Donald Trump, the former anti-communist student leader has overseen the most extensive centralization of power in Hungary since the fall of the Iron Curtain after returning to office in 2010. Soros founded Central European Univer
    vor 7 Jahren von @prophe