USA & CANADA
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN CANCELS $3 BILLION OF STUDENT LOANS
The Biden administration has granted yet another favour to students as President Joe Biden has announced the cancellation of $3 billion of student loans. It includes student loan forgiveness valued at $500 million announced this week. As many as 18,000 student loan borrowers will be eligible for $500 million of the total loan cancellation under borrower defence to repayment.
SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY EXPANDS STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES
Susquehanna University is expanding study abroad opportunities in collaboration with Verto Education, an organisation that enables students to start college overseas even before they continue studies on campus. International students taking up post-secondary degrees in the university have the option to spend their first semester or year in locations such or London, Fiji, or Costa Rica and have their credits transferred to Susquehanna University.
ONLINE ESL MARKET WORTH A WHOPPING $10BN IN 2021
A recent study shows that the online English-as-a-second language learning market has witnessed immense growth in its value in the last year. It is worth a whopping $10 billion in 2021, while the traditional offline and online learning markets combined hit a record 1.7 billion learners in the year. The dramatic boom in the online market is the after-effect of the pandemic.
CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECTOR CONSIDERS MANDATORY VACCINATIONS
Canadian international education programmes are looking forward to a fall reopening. The sector is considering mandatory vaccinations for international students, staff, and homestay hosts to ensure safety for all. Trent University, Fanshawe College, and Western University require at least the first dose of vaccine for all domestic and international students. The University of Toronto is following the same rule. But it is giving students a 14-day period to get a shot after they move in.
ASIA
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS FROM THE UAE KEEP UNIVERSITY OPTIONS OPEN AMID THE ONGOING PANDEMIC
Study abroad aspirants in the UAE are struggling with the pandemic, with issues like lockdowns, travel restrictions, and vaccine rules hampering their plans. Most of them are applying with several options rather than choosing one. It makes sense as many countries are yet to have a clear stance on reopening universities and resuming normal teaching amid the uncertain situation.
IRANIAN UNIVERSITIES CAN TAKE IN 90,000 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
According to reports, Iranian universities are set to attract about 75,000 international students. But they can take up to 90,000 foreign students. However, they will have to ramp up the educational infrastructure, invest in appropriate publicity, and expand diplomacy to reach the target. Currently, the country’s student population includes 1.64 percent foreign nationals.
COMPANIES IN CHINA PIVOT AWAY FROM STUDY ABROAD SERVICES
The pandemic has hit the study abroad segment hard as a large number of businesses are pivoting away from study abroad services. The latest research study exploring China’s agent market for providers indicated that many such businesses are no longer active. These include large agencies, language schools, immigration or travel agents, and testing centres.
INDIA
SIX INDIAN UNIVERSITIES LISTED AMONG ASIA’s TOP 200
Indians finally have something to cheer about, as three Indian universities secured a place among the top 200 of the best higher education institutions in Asia. George’s Medical University (Lucknow) is at number 139, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi sits at 143, and Mahatma Gandhi University, New Delhi occupies 154th position. Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, and Indian Institute of Technology Indore rank 37th, 55th, and 78th respectively.
IIT-IISC PLATFORM BECOMES A BIG HIT AS WIRED EDUCATION BECOMES THE NORM
The popularity of wired learning has skyrocketed during the pandemic, and the surge of students enrolling for online programmes with the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning validates it. The numbers have grown to 41 lakhs in 2020, which is double the number in 2018.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN TELANGANA TO RESUME PHYSICAL CLASSES FROM JULY 1
The Telangana government announced a complete withdrawal of lockdown, following which the educational institutes in the state will be allowed to resume physical classes from July 1. The government has directed the education department to prepare new guidelines to address issues such as student attendance and online classes. These guidelines will be released at the earliest.
CBSE’S ‘30-30-40’ FORMULA IS NOT GOING WELL WITH CLASS 12 STUDENTS
After the CBSE exams were cancelled due to the pandemic, students waited frantically for the new assessment scheme. When the board announced the 30-40-30 formula for calculating class 12 marks, it did not go well with the students and educators. The scheme considers results from the past three years, and students are unhappy about class 11 marks being included in the model.
3D TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION IS A REAL GAME-CHANGER
Learning and education have come a long way, with advanced technologies making inroads into them. 3D technology is one of the game changers as it can help students understand and perceive things for better learning experiences. According to Bipin Dama, Saras-3D, Inc’s Founder & CEO, this technology can enhance the academic achievement of students.
UK & EU
UK-KENYA TECH HUB STARTS A DIGITAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME
With the pandemic pushing SMEs towards digitisation, the demand for technology professionals is rising. While young Kenyans have the right technical skills, they are short of the necessary work experience. The UK-Kenya Tech Hub looks forward to bridging this gap with a Digital Apprenticeship Programme. They have collaborated with Thunderbird School of Global Management and EldoHub, a local tech innovation company to launch the programme.
£1M BY DOGGER BANK WIND FARM FOR YOUTH STEM EDUCATION
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is all set to provide £1 million for young STEM students from coastal communities in the UK. The aim of the funding is to prepare them to work as professionals in a net-zero world. The project is being developed by Dogger Bank, SSE Renewables, Eni and Equinor in collaboration with the North and North East of England local authorities.
SWEDISH UNIVERSITIES WITNESS A SURGE IN THE NUMBER OF ADMISSIONS IN 2021
Statistics from the Swedish Council for Higher Education reveal an unprecedented increase in the numbers of students taking admissions in the country’s universities in 2021. The number has risen from 27,746 last year to 28,666 this year. The increase is mainly associated with master’s programmes, while it is only modest for bachelor’s courses.
AUSTRALIA
FEDERAL NOD FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S PLAN FOR GETTING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BACK
Students planning to study abroad in Australia finally have good news as the Australian federal government approves the plan of South Australia to get international students back to their universities safely and securely. The universities covered under the plan include the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, Torrens University, and Flinders University.
