Not-So-Foreign^©
A Bulletin for International Education Professionals
Volume 8, Issue 13; April 15, 2009

1)  THE PLAYING FIELD – Higher UK fees may mean fewer Nigerian students
2)  ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Students and scams. The stakes get serious.
3)  OVER THE COUNTER - India's reverse brain-drain
4)  GLOBE TIPPING – Long, long term weather forecast

1) THE PLAYING FIELD – Higher UK fees may mean fewer Nigerian students

Universities UK released a report last month that stated that institutions could raise their fees to £7000 before deterring students from low-income backgrounds. Since promising to review tuition fees this year, the UK government has been flirting with the idea of removing tuition fee caps and increasing fees.

Many students in Nigeria fear that, while tuition fees may be raised to £7000 for domestic students, they will most certainly be higher for their international counterparts. International undergraduate fees at Middlesex University and University of Leeds are already £9400 and £10,300 respectively.

And with the UK's new immigration rules stipulating that international students must prove funds enough to cover tuition and living costs for the first year, many Nigerian students are having second thoughts.

Kazeem Olakunle, a Nigerian student at London Metropolitan University, advises students from less wealthy families or who have not obtained scholarships to “stay at home to complete their university education...There are standard private universities springing up in Nigeria, Nigerians can school there.”

While Nigerian loan programs exist for students wishing to study overseas, there are no guarantees in the current job market that graduates will be able to find work that pays sufficiently to repay the loans.

Source: “New tuition regime in UK varsities threatens Nigerian students,” Punch, 3 April 2009.

“£2,000 rise in university tuition fees 'would not deter students,'” Guardian, 17 March 2009.

2) ABROAD PERSPECTIVE - Students and scams. The stakes get serious.

When your Prime Minister calls it a “major terrorist plot,” it's both serious and sensational. It is definitely sobering, and when last week British police arrested a dozen men (11 are Pakistanis) and British PM Gordon Brown claimed they were plotting against the Kingdom while in the UK on student visas--the blame game was on.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK said the problem is with Britain issuing too many student visas to non-students.

UK government figures list 42,292 student visas issued to Pakistanis between April 2004 and April 2008. If one considers even 95 percent of such visas issued to those actually interested to study, then it's still a few thousand visas issued to non-students.

The British Home Office says it checks out all student visa applicants and the British High Commission in Islamabad said last year it only issued about 10,000 student visas our of 27,000 applications.

The siege mentality approach is fueled by British media focusing on unscrupulous education agencies in Pakistan, and the money they make in collaborating with--and selling services to--those hopeful to use a study visa to gain entry to the UK. As reported in Not-So-Foreign in our April 8 issue, the most potent collaboration is in fact with Pakistani agents and school operators in Britain. Our article entitled “Dodging its own dodgy schools” referred to the UK government stating 25 percent of the British institutions who recruit foreign students are bogus.

Higher-Edge Pakistan Director Rubeena Hoodbhoy told the Guardian newspaper she is contacted by small British colleges wanting to sell their courses in Pakistan. “They bombard us with emails and phone calls,” said Ms. Hoodbhoy. “These small colleges have created havoc for everyone. We have complained to the British Council and other authorities. They should have been closed down long ago,” she said.

Source: “British police grill Pakistanis in terror plot probe,” The Nation, 10 April 2009.

“How student visas to Britain became big business,” Guardian, 11 April 2009.

3) OVER THE COUNTER - India's reverse brain-drain

Though Indians have made up the largest share of international students in the US since 2001, the sheen may be wearing off the American dream.

Indian students who previously hoped for good degrees and high paying jobs in the US are seeing their chances dwindle as the economic crisis takes hold, making it more difficult for international students to find jobs while they're studying and after graduation. Disappearing student loan programs have also added to the stress of studying in the US.

Simultaneously, career opportunities are opening up in India's booming economy. Though India is also feeling the effects of the downturn, the economy is still growing, as is its complement of young, affluent professionals. A lower cost of living is combining with India's fast developing modern amenities—like shopping malls, high-class bars and restaurants, and brand new housing—to draw many US hopefuls back home.

Many students who would have otherwise chosen to study in the US are also choosing to stay home. As scholarship dollars at US institutions dry up, even students who have written and passed the GRE test required to get into US schools are abandoning their plans. About 55,000 students wrote the GRE last year, down 20 percent from the year before.

What will amount to America's loss will ultimately be India's gain, as thousands of its educated elite either stay home or return to invest their time and energy into India's economy, Asia's third largest.

4) GLOBE TIPPING - Long, long term weather forecast

Doing global business often involves very long term planning. Events, conventions, and travel schedules are etched out months or years in advance. The only thing we can never plan, however, is the weather.

While we may not be able to bank on what the weather man predicts for the coming days, the World Weather Information Service can at least give you a sense of what to expect out of long term weather patterns.

Use the site to choose when to visit different regions of the planet, how best to avoid major weather events like cyclones and snow storms, and how to plan your events to maximize the best weather conditions or keep attendees focused during the worst ones.

The World Weather Information Service is found at the following:

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