SCIENCE & EDUCATION

Two Welsh universities have declared themselves full a week before A-level results are announced and the annual clearing system gets under way. Aberystwyth University and Trinity College Carmarthen say they will not enter clearing, which matches applicants with spare university places, this year for the first time.

Following months of acrimonious debate, the Ecuadorean congress last week narrowly approved a controversial new higher-education law, according to Ecuadorean news reports, writes Marion Lloyd for The Chronicle of Higher Education. The legislation seeks to increase regulation of universities while bringing their programmes in line with the country's development needs. But it does not go as far as President Rafael Correa had wanted.

Much of the news surrounding the University of California system has involved whether the network of universities will be able to survive its current budgetary crisis without shrinking in size or quality, writes Steve Kolowich for Inside Higher Ed.

Icelandic Minister for Education and Culture, Katrin Jakobsdottir, has provided a small grant to help investigate the role of Icelandic universities in the country's economic collapse, reports Ice News.

British students are to be offered up to two years at universities abroad amid government warnings that poor language skills are crippling graduates' job prospects, writes Graeme Paton for The Telegraph. Joint undergraduate and postgraduate courses will be developed between British universities and those in countries such as India under new coalition government plans.

During the six centuries of its storied existence, there was nothing else quite like Nalanda University, writes Andrew Buncombe for The Independent. Probably the first-ever large educational establishment, the college - in what is now eastern India - even counted the Buddha among its visitors and alumni.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology, conceived as Europe's version of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is slowly beginning to take shape, although with little resemblance to the flagship institution that was first envisioned. Instead, the fledgling organization now consists of clusters of institutions, including but not limited to universities, linked by their collaborative work on overarching themes, such as climate change and energy.

Universities and colleges in seven regions across the European Union have joined a new project to discuss how higher education can generate wealth in economically struggling areas through collaboration with regional and local governments plus industry.

An online resource network 'Jorum' is offering professors and educators worldwide access to a growing database of teaching resources posted by fellow educators working in the United Kingdom.

A Scottish private school is to be the first in the UK to unveil a smartphone application for parents, staff and pupils.

The German ambassador is urging ministers to revoke the ban on compulsory language lessons for 14 to 16-year-olds in schools. He cited figures showing the number opting for German at GCSE had almost halved in the past eight years – from 130,000 in 2002 to 73,500 last year. He was speaking against the background of a "think German" campaign being launched in the UK.

LOS ANGELES, USA. - The class of eighth graders at a Los Angeles middle school tap their rulers and nod their heads to the rhythm of the rap video projected on a screen. It's their math teacher, LaMar Queen, using rhyme to help them memorize seemingly complicated algebra and in the process improve their grades.

Malaysia's Higher Education Ministry has deregistered 45 private colleges for flouting the Private Higher Education Institution Act last year, said Deputy Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung, reports Tan Shiow Chin for The Star. Another 38 avoided deregistration but other forms of action were taken against them for infringing the Act.

Alex Tettey-Enyo, Ghana's Minister of Education, has said the government will encourage the establishment of more accredited private tertiary institutions to increase student enrolment in the West African country, reports GhanaWeb.

The Expo Hall at the 62nd annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference evokes Disney's Epcot Center, writes Elizabeth Redden for Inside Higher Ed. Foreign countries have staked out territory here in Kansas City, in America's heartland, to promote themselves as destinations for international students. The international student market is booming.

Some scholars date the beginnings of globalisation from the first move of people out of Africa, writes Simon Marginson for The Chronicle of Higher Education. Some date it from the spread of world religions - Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Others date it from the imperial European empires, the Napoleonic wars or the expanded trade and migration in the second half of the Victorian era.

The first-grade pupil Nguyen The Thien, 6, of the N.T. H Primary School in Ho Chi Minh City can solve mathematical problems designed for 7, 8 and 9th graders.  Nguyen The Thien receives a prize of Kumon school for the best student. The “child prodigy” always gets 10 marks for math problems and can solve quickly equations involving two and three unknowns.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has launched a stinging attack on Welsh universities, which he claims have a "very limited" impact on the nation's economy and reputation, writes Gareth Evans for the Western Mail.

After Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training suspended sub-standard doctoral programmes at 35 universities and institutes, many of them are worrying about challenges they must overcome before a 2012 deadline set by the ministry, reports Saigon Giai Phong.

The increased focus on higher education in India is yielding dividends. The 11th Plan's ambitious aim to increase enrolment in higher education to 15% could be achievable. At the end of 10th Plan in 2006 it was 10.12%, reports The Times of India.