Higher Edge: Institutions: Publications: Not-So-Foreign©, Volume 7, Issue 11

Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 7, Issue 11; March 19, 2008

The PDF version of this week's issue can be found here.

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Fall-off from high dollar yet to be felt in Australia
2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Kenya planning to export education
3) OVER THE COUNTER - New U.K. Immigration rules worries universities
4) GLOBE TIPPING – 10 tips to minimize the risk of theft when you fly

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Fall-off from high dollar yet to be felt in Australia

Enrolment figures reported by Australian universities indicate that the overseas student market is holding up well despite the strong Australian dollar. Some universities have reported strong commencement figures, with double-digit growth. However, other institutions and market segments have displayed early signs of softer demand.

Year-over-year, overseas student numbers at Griffith University were up 20 per cent, RMIT 14 per cent; Curtin 10 per cent; Adelaide 8 per cent to 10 per cent; University of Technology, Sydney 3 per cent; University of Sydney 1.9 per cent; and Macquarie 1.7 per cent, according to a straw poll.

Curtin University of Technology Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Kevin McKenna said, "The longer the dollar stays high, the greater the impact will be. I'm sure we have not seen the full effect yet on student numbers. I think we just have to emphasise the quality of Australian higher education: that's what people are paying for and it's very important for us to get the quality right to make sure we are offering good value education for overseas students, and then promote that."

Source: “Fall-off from high dollar yet to be felt,”
The Australian, March 12, 2008

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Kenya planning to export education

Kenya's education sector is considering exporting its services in order to earn significant foreign exchange revenues from the multi-billion shilling higher learning industry. However, industry analysts feel that admitting a large number of foreign students into the crowded local universities would further diminish seats for domestic students. In addition, the political unrest due to the post-election violence has seriously affected university education in Kenya. "We may earn the billions of dollars but lose the momentum in building a firm human resource foundation that a service oriented economy such as ours needs," said Mr John Situma, a Nairobi-based education policy analyst.

Source: "Kenya's bid to export education besieged,"
Business Daily, March 17, 2008

3) OVER THE COUNTER - New U.K. Immigration rules worries universities

Several universities in the United Kingdom are concerned about the government's new immigration rules which require universities to report overseas students who miss lectures. According to the regulations, which come into force early next year, the Border and Immigration Agency must be informed if a student from outside the European Union is absent from study for more than ten working days. Universities are also required to maintain up-to-date information on students, including mobile phone numbers and copies of passports, and to share these with the agency if required.

Alan Mackay, international officer at Edinburgh University said: "We are very concerned about the lack of detail on the implementation of the rules. What if a student does not attend for ill-health reasons and forgets to inform us? What happens during vacation periods? What about PhD students who are writing up?"

Source: "Immigration rules slated by uni official,"
Scotsman, March 17, 2008

4) GLOBE TIPPING - 10 tips to minimize the risk of theft when you fly

"Travel, especially overseas travel, is a stressful time for most people, and there are other people out there who are happy to take advantage of your inattention." MSNBC's 10 tips to minimize the risk of theft when you fly is a useful article with tips on how to take care of your wallet, passport and luggage while on an airplane. So do read it before you take the next flight!

Source: http://tinyurl.com/2cjp3z