SCIENCE & EDUCATION

Women have more than doubled their number across the country's engineering colleges over the past decade, pushing against one of the most resilient glass ceilings in Indian academia. Latest University Grants Commission (UGC) statistics show that a total of 276,806 women were enrolled in engineering and technology courses at the start of the 2009-10 academic session as compared with 124,606 in 2000-01.

Taiwan's Ming Chuan University, MCU, has received accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to become the first university in Asia to be accredited in the US education system, the university's President Lee Chuan said at a press conference in Taipei, reports The China Post.Lee explained that the MSCHE, one of six regional accrediting bodies in the US, granted MCU the honour on 18 November after more than five years of assessment carried out between 2006 and 2010.

University students are having a hard time finding jobs amid the economic downturn, with those who have secured employment starting after their scheduled graduation next spring hitting a record low of 57.6% in October, reports Kyodo News. But a new trend among firms to seek more aggressive and proactive employees may be creating more chances for foreign students seeking work experience in Japan, even in the increasingly competitive job market.

The number of PhD holders among academic staff in Malaysia's public universities had increased by 133% since 2005, said Higher Education Department Director-general Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi, reports the official agency Bernama. He said now there were 14,000 PhD holders compared to 6,000 in 2005.

India's higher education enrolment will increase to 44 million from the current 14 million in a decade, the central government said recently. Private players, distance education and foreign education providers will play key roles in ensuring this growth, reports LiveMint.

The number of first-time students at the country's universities declined in the autumn session overall, but the number of new students from other countries increased ahead of the introduction of tuition fees for non-EU students next year. A total of 78,100 first-time students began university studies in the autumn, 2 percent less than last year, according to a statement from the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket, HSV).

Only 61 per cent of Ontario professor think that teaching is important to their university. The current focus on research–and securing research funding–at Canadian universities could be taking away from teaching. According to a new survey by the Ontario Government’s Higher Education Quality Council only 61 per cent of the professors “believe that teaching is important or very important to their institution” and  “70 per cent of professors surveyed believe research has a bigger payoff than teaching in enhancing reputation, respect of peers, and access to funds.”

The report’s findings reinforce a growing trend among a younger Japanese generation that is keener on staying home - a similar tenor pervading the work force. It is a troubling concern for Japan in what is yet another symptom of the “Galapagos syndrome” afflicting the country - where a complacent Japan is increasingly looking inward while rival countries are globalizing at a clipped pace.  According to the IIE, the number of students from Japan studying in the U.S. has tumbled by nearly half from a decade earlier. The first double digit decrease occurred for the 2003 academic year when the student population fell 11.2% to 40,835.

Nearly 128,000 international students from China are studying in American universities and colleges during the 2009/2010 academic year, making China the No. 1 source for international students in the U.S. higher education system, a report said.Chinese student enrollment in the United States, increasing by a dramatic 30 percent despite a global economic downturn, represents more than 18 percent of the total international student population in the country, said the "Open Doors 2010 International Students in the U.S.", a report released by the Washington-based Institute of International Education (IIE).

As the governments in the US, the UK and other European countries continue to clamp down on admitting overseas students, Canada, it seems, is throwing open its doors. The province of Ontario is hoping to attract 75 overseas PhD candidates to study at local universities and is offering each of them $40,000 a year for up to four years as an incentive.

Robots now build cars, defuse bombs, and explore distant planets, but can they teach? Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology think so and are building an army of robots to deliver English instruction to schoolchildren. It might be the most elaborate online-learning effort yet. The unusual project here is supported by more than $100-million in grants, mostly from the South Korean government, and involves more than 300 researchers, says Mun Sang Kim, director of the institute's Center for Intelligent Robotics. Mr. Kim and his team are designing the robots from the ground up—attempting to give them realistic facial features, arms that let them gesture, and sensors so they can keep their distance from students.

The Swedish National Migration Board (Migrationsverket) will allow visiting students to apply online for their entry visas and residence permits, as well as pay their fees on its website.The goal of the move is to offer better service, as well as reduce the waiting time to process applications. The service will be initially introduced on a small scale, then gradually be introduced to Swedish embassies and consulates.

The Swedish government has proposed implementing a new licencing system for teachers starting in 2012. The government's aim is that the new licencing system will elevate the status of the teaching profession, which will entice more people to want to work as teachers.

The Malaysian government will increase the number of academic staff with doctoral qualifications in public institutions of higher learning to enable easier recognition abroad, reports New Straits Times. Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung said the initiative would be a key agenda of the government in view of the education sector's contribution to the socio-economic development of the country.

UCLA Anderson School of Management has become the latest business school to join forces with an institution in another part of the world to launch a global EMBA. The school is hoping to launch a dual degree with Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Escuela de Negocios (UAI) in Chile. The UCLA-UAI Global Executive MBA programme - which is awaiting final approval from the University of California Office of the president - will be taught in English and participants will be awarded a degree from both institutions. The first module begins in April at the UAI Miami campus in Florida. Subsequent modules will be held in Los Angeles, Santiago and Sao Paulo.

The Japanese and U.S. governments are considering the establishment of a program that would send young Japanese teachers of English to the United States to improve their English ability, it has been learned. Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to expand cultural, intellectual and human exchanges between the two countries, in addition to security and economic cooperation as part of the government's efforts to deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance. The government intends to reach an official agreement that includes the English-teacher plan when U.S. President Barack Obama visits Japan in the middle of next month.

As the rise of e-readers and similar devices continues apace, great efforts are being made to ensure visually impaired people benefit from new technology.  Braille texts can now be read via portable electronic devices with tactile interfaces, and a great amount of braille material is now available online. Digitization of braille texts is a great boon for visually impaired people, who would otherwise have to lug around bulky paper bricks, an inconvenience many e-book readers are happy to have left behind.

An analysis of international data reveals that a small rise in fees would push England to the top of a league table of the most costly places to study - overtaking nations including Iceland and the United States. The University and College Union, which conducted the research, called on the coalition government to scrap a proposed tuition fee hike to avoid the "unenviable" tag.

The Indira Gandhi National Open University, the largest in the world, will open study centres in six European nations, including Germany and France, to offer personalised courses, reports Sify Finance.

Despite a freeze on UK undergraduates, up to 20% more international students are set to enrol in universities in Wales this autumn, reports the BBC. The Welsh Assembly Government wants universities to take on more foreign students in order to boost finances.