Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 7, Issue 20; May 21, 2008

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

1)  THE PLAYING FIELD – Foreign students head for Uganda
2)  ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Western b-schools leave China
3)  OVER THE COUNTER - Foreign students feel unsafe in Australia
4)  GLOBE TIPPING – Immigration, Arrival and Departure Forms

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Foreign students head for Uganda

While students from Africa often opt for higher education in North America, Europe and elsewhere, Uganda is fast becoming a higher education hub for foreign students as well. A significant number of foreign students are heading for the country's oldest university, Makerere University. Of the 30,000 students at the university, 10% are from outside Uganda.

In the last five years, there has even been an estimated ten-fold  increase in the number of students from countries outside Africa - from just five students then to more than 50 now. Students come from countries such as Japan, the United States, Canada, Britain and even Norway.

Foreign students pay up to $4,000 per year in fees, almost twice as much as their Ugandan counterparts. While many students are drawn by the fact that life in Africa is not always as predictable as it is in their own countries, others consider Uganda to be relatively safe and stable with Makerere being one of the top varsities in the region.

Source: "The foreigners going to study in Uganda"
BBC News, May 12, 2008

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Western b-schools leave China

According to a recent Businessweek article, several foreign business schools in China are withdrawing their operations as a result of bureaucracy, difficult local partners, and a paucity of students. The Cass Business School in London, which had a joint executive education program with the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics shut down operations in February. China Europe International Business School, a decade-long collaboration between the European Foundation for Management Development and Shanghai Jiaotong University, says it has temporarily closed its Beijing outpost to concentrate on its bigger program in Shanghai. The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and the University of International Business and Economics have also suspended their five-year-old Beijing operations. Even SUNY Buffalo, which worked with Renmin University of China to launch the country's first executive MBA program in 1998, had enrollment troubles as more schools competed for qualified applicants. SUNY ended the joint venture in 2004.

All foreign schools have to collaborate with a Chinese university and contend with the local education authority and the national Education Ministry, which exercise tight control over joint ventures. But the biggest problem is that relatively few Chinese have the requisite language skills to handle an all-English curriculum. And with the cost of these programs averaging $50,000, companies send only those with real potential. Also, of late there are a growing number of sophisticated programs taught in Mandarin and Cantonese. Thirty Chinese universities are now authorized by Beijing to provide executive MBA programs.

3) OVER THE COUNTER - Foreign students feel unsafe in Australia

With media reports about attacks on Indian students on the rise, Australia's position as a popular overseas education destination could receive a severe setback. In Not-So-Foreign, dated February 27, 2008 we had quoted a Times of India article that warned Indian students to be careful about moving to Australia. According to the secretary of the Federation of Indian Students of Australia Gautam Gupta, racism was rampant. Gupta had met eight students in the past month who had been assaulted in Melbourne, two of whom were beaten so seriously they returned home in fear. The Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA), which has taken up the concern with Victoria Police, local lawmakers, as well as the Indian government, says the number of attacks, "fortunately directed towards male Indian students only", could be as high as three per day. The foreign student industry is worth $ 12.6 billion to Australia, with about 370,000 students here.

4) GLOBE TIPPING – Immigration, Arrival and Departure Forms

When travelling overseas, it may be useful to collect several copies of the relevant immigration forms as well as arrival or departure cards. While it is the responsibility of the airline to provide these forms, foul-ups do happen, and having multiple copies could significantly reduce waiting times at airport immigration.

Not-So-Foreign^© is a publication of Higher-Edge
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