Oxford On the ‘Top’ again.

Oxford University remains at top of league table for sixth year running. 

The university league tables provide information for more than 600,000 applicants who face tough competition for places

With Cambridge coming second, Warwick comes third and St Andrews fourth – the pair have switched positions from last year. University College London, Lancaster, Imperial College, London School of Economics, Loughborough and York are in the top 10. London Metropolitan has come last.

The tables rank universities according to the following measures: how satisfied their final-year students are; how much they spend per student; the student/staff ratio; the career prospects of their graduates; a value-added score and what grades pupils have to achieve to stand a chance of being offered a place.

The tables provide vital information for the more than 600,000 university applicants who this year face the toughest ever competition for places.

Britain's oldest universities still dominate the high rankings.

Every year, final-year students score their universities according to how satisfied they have been with their courses, as part of the National Student Survey. The tables, compiled by independent consultancy firm Intelligent Metrix, heavily weight the results of this survey when compiling the rankings. Other league tables concentrate on research ratings.

The tables reveal that Kingston has fallen the highest number of places from last year – from 73rd to 98th, but Huddersfield is the biggest climber, having risen from 96th last year to 54th this year. Hertfordshire has also shot up, from 97th place to 60th.

Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of large, research-intensive universities, said maintaining high rankings would be "challenging" because universities face "growing cost pressures and fierce competition from better resourced institutions in other countries". She said:

Aaron Porter, president-elect of the National Union of Students, said universities should be more open and accountable about where their funding is coming from and how it is used. He said: "Students have a right to expect a higher quality of education and improvements to their experience. They should also increasingly demonstrate to prospective students what they can expect from their experience and

Right Approach is the key to ‘Learn English’.

During the last few decades, English has acquired a powerful hotseat in communication throughout the world .All over the world people from different nationalities and communities communicate in English.In India, there has been a quiet ubiquitous rise in the awareness among the people for learning english, but what has been the final result out? Let’s see.

During the last so many years I have experienced as a faculty hearing many cases from my colleagues(since I am just a faculty for Mathematics) and even from my friends, that the students do want to learn English but they lack a zeal to learn it.An interesting  fact is  that many students leave within few weeks after joining the classes unable to speak the English fluently and condemning the teachers for it.

What do you think ? You want to learn English within 3 months something which contains more than 8,00,000 words and the most vast grammar.
 

The language which can be moulded to write a poetic paragraph or to command conversation with a firm tone cannot be easily put into your blood so easily.The core of the issue is that no body understands that it takes years to develop a sound reasonable mind to start speaking a new language.They try to compete with those who speak very well but they forget that they are not learning from last three months rather they have been using it from last 3 years and watching those genuine news channels unlike others who watch those idiotic soap operas , talk in local language all over the day and come to class and expect the teacher to spoon feed them or put a chip in their brain , so that they start immediately.

No body wants to push himself or herself hard to practice and learn the language.

My dear fellows it takes years to be a master of something.Ok  you can be given a good initial start by the teacher but not the brain which he or she has.I will be ultimately you who will have to memorise the words, learn the language from it’s roots, develop the creative ways to deliver the language ,develop an analytical approach to find the reasons where to use what and how, avoiding the misleading people in the market who are using wrong English sometimes.
 

Then only you will be able to put yourself on right track and lead this process of learning for the nest few years until you become a very good conversationalist.
 

That is the reality of learning a language.The more you avoid this fact , the more you are trying to deceive yourself mentally.If anybody says that you can become a master in few days or weeks or months is a deceiver in his profession or a fool but the one who simply believes such people is the biggest fool.Isn’t it ?

Think over it.

Lecturers may go for 'Strike' in UK

Tens of thousands of university students could have their final year exams and graduation ceremonies disrupted this summer after lecturers warned they may strike over job losses. 

The University and College Union (UCU) which represents lecturers may go for industrial action to oppose at least 14,000 job cuts on campuses across the UK. This could coincide with final exams in June and graduations later on in the year. Sally Hunt, the UCU's general secretary, speaking at the union's annual conference in Manchester, warned that if discussions about redundancies broke down, there could be a national strike. 

There have been at least 15 strikes over job losses at universities since March. Higher education institutions are grappling with cuts of £1.2bn between now and 2013. These include £200m that was slashed from their budgets last week. In March, more than three-quarters of universities in England were told they would have their budgets cut for this September – some by nearly 14%, prompting warnings of larger class sizes, further job cuts and a deterioration in the quality of courses. 

The UCU's representatives on campuses were reporting new redundancies each day, 

Hunt said she wondered how long "this will remain a local action", adding: "Soon our members will want us to take this to a national level and make a national response too." 

Academics at Westminster University have said they will not mark essays and exams in protest over plans to cut 50 posts. A university spokesman said it was taking "every reasonable measure to minimise the impact" on students. 

Meanwhile, academics today accused the government of forcing them to spy on international students. They claim new visa rules, under which academics must report an overseas student who fails to enrol, miss lectures or drops out of a course, are against academic freedom. The rules were devised so officials could keep track of the whereabouts of international students. 

Lecturers called for the union to put up a legal challenge to the points-based immigration scheme. They said they would be prepared to appeal to the European court of human rights if necessary. 

Courtesy guardian.co.uk

Elite universities ponder over 'bond issues' to raise funds

The UK's elite universities are considering proposals that would allow them to raise potentially hundreds of millions of pounds on the financial markets by issuing bonds . 

Selling the bonds – long-term debts issued by companies – would enable them to reduce their deficits and dependency on the taxpayer. A university would have to pay back, with interest, the amount it borrows – likely to be £100m or more – on a specific date in say 30 or even 50 years time. 

The Russell Group of 20 leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge state that, at present, the state does not provide sufficient funds to cover the cost of teaching undergraduates and universities are left with a shortfall. It says institutions that raised cash in this way would be far less dependent on taxpayers' money. A group of universities would allow a large bond issue, capable of attracting "major investors", it said. The bonds could even be marketed to alumni, who might be encouraged to buy them at lower than market rates. 

The Russell Group made the argument for issuing bonds in its submission to a cross-party review on university funding and tuition fees led by Lord Browne, the former BP chief executive. The review will report in the autumn. 

Fram Dinshaw, finance bursar at St Catherine's College, Oxford University, said this would be a good idea, if the loan was "properly structured", because it would be "a way out of the dependency on state funds". 

In January this year, it was revealed that Cambridge University was planning to raise up to £400m from its first bond issue. Ivy League universities in the US, such as Harvard and Princeton, have issued bonds for several years. 

One problem which may arise is that bond markets are inflexible and can make it impossible to pay back the debt early. 

courtesy Guardian.co.uk

Regulations to set 'Standards' of Universities in UK

Students have a right to expect contact time with lecturers and reasonable class sizes, says vice- chancellor 

Universities would face financial penalties if their lecturers teach for only a few hours a week, or class sizes exceed an acceptable limit as it appears in the future. Professor Paul Wellings, chair of the 1994 Group of 19 small research-intensive universities, recommended all students be given minimum expectations of contact hours with lecturers, class sizes and feedback. Wellings, the vice-chancellor of Lancaster University, was giving evidence to a cross-party review into tuition fees, led by the former BP chief executive Lord Browne. The review will report this autumn. Wellings said the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the organisation that gives public funds to universities, should issue penalties if institutions fail to live up to students' expectations will be chaged.

courtesy guardian.co.uk

Indian Universities ' Leap Forward' to Abroad

MUMBAI — Indian universities too have been looking in the foreign to set up their own institutions and to better equip students for the demands of the global economy.

Some top Indian higher education institutes have had foreign annexes for several years but expansion plans aim to offer students a chance to broaden their horizons and give them an edge in the competitive jobs market.

Among them is the private university Amity, which is opening two new global business schools for Indian and international students in New York and San Francisco in July, adding to its existing centres in London and Singapore.

The moves come not just as part of a worldwide trend for international education but as the government in New Delhi looks to improve education standards to maintain India's economic growth in the years ahead.Nearly one in three Indians is under 14 and ministers say that 800 to 1,000 new universities are needed in the next decade to increase the number of students going into higher education from the current 12 percent to 30 percent.

Some foreign universities, many of which already have tie-ups with Indian establishments, including student exchange programmes, have expressed an interest.Foreign companies, for example, have said many Indian graduates, although academically well-qualified, often lack essential "soft skills" required for global business, in particular telephone manner or email etiquette.Amity and S.P. Jain said many of these problems can be eliminated just by mixing with students from different countries, backgrounds and cultures and through a more "all-round" education in and out of the classroom.

The elite Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, for example, said cultural and sporting activities are increasing on its campus and could benefit students in the long run, including in their future careers.

"I'm sure recruiters look at this," said Jaya Josha from the IIT.

Courtesy AFP

Lecturers walk out in UK

Implications due to funding cuts in UK Educational system have started showing up.

Thousands of students in colleges and universities were affected by 'widespread disruption' today as planned protests took place over cuts and possible job losses

This has been the biggest outbreak of industrial action in more than two years .

Union members at 11 further education colleges and two universities in London, plus Sussex University, are taking part in the action, which will include a march and rally in Westminster this afternoon.These are the protests against funding cuts for higher education which the UCU says are nearing £1bn , on top of the £340m savings furtherwhich  education must make in the next academic year.

The London universities taking part are Westminster University and King's College London, which is seeing its second action this year.

The FE colleges are Barnet College; City and Islington College; College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London; College of North West London; Greenwich Community College; Hackney Community College; Lambeth College; Lewisham College; Richmond upon Thames College; Tower Hamlets College and Westminster Kingsway College.

Legal Challenge By English Language Schools

English language schools are planning a legal challenge against the Home Office over fears that the UK will lose thousands of jobs and £400m in income through tighter visa regulations this year. 

English UK, the body representing most language schools plans to seek a judicial review of home secretary Alan Johnson's decision to prevent students with only beginner's English from entering Britain for English language courses. 

The regulations, announced last month, were raised due to concerns about illegal immigration and radicalisation of students at UK institutions following the bombing attempt on a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a British-educated Nigerian. 

The clampdown coincides with sharp cuts to university funding. Vice-chancellors fear that a decision in January to suspend student visa applications from large parts of the Indian subcontinent because of suspected abuse of the rules will affect enrolment numbers. 

English UK, which represents 440 schools and colleges, describes the government's insistence that those who come to learn English must already be competent in the language as an absurd remark. The home secretary has not brought the changes before parliament which is claimed ‘unlawful by the association’. 

The schools claim as many as 100,000 students will be deterred from entering the UK, that £400m in income and 3,400 teaching jobs will be lost, and a further £1bn forfeited in university fees because higher education institutions recruit as many as 70% of their students from among those already studying English language and foundation courses in the UK. 

Many English language schools are based on the south coast, particularly in Brighton and Bournemouth. Others are in Oxford, Cambridge and London. Students come from countries such as South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, Japan, Venezuela and Vietnam. 

Restricting these students will cause a huge loss to the economy of UK and further create slump in the coming years as far as enrollments are concerned in English Language schools. 

Increase in Admission Indian Students in UK universities

Press Trust of India, Friday April 2, 2010, London

The number of Indian students getting admission in courses in British universities rose by almost a third in the previous academic year, according to official figures. More than 34,000 students from  India studied at British higher education institutions in 2008-09, up 31.5 per cent on the year before. William Lawton, policy adviser at the  UK Higher Education International Unit, said, "The predicted fall in our share of the global market - as a result of other countries wooing  international students - does not seem to have happened." Recruitment may have been helped by a weaker pound, he added, "but it most likely reflects a reputation for good quality and sustained brand strength". The Higher Education Statistics Agency figures also show that Nigerian nationals have overtaken Americans to become the third most numerous overseas-student population in Britain. A total of 14,380 Nigerians came to the UK to study in 2008-09, a 22 per cent increase on the previous year, compared with 14,345 from the US. Arrivals from Saudi Arabia showed the most dramatic rise, up 47.2 per cent. However, this was from a relatively low base, from 3,535 students to 5,205. Students from mainland China remained the largest overseas group at 47,035 - up 3.7 per cent on the year before. However, numbers from Taiwan fell 6.8 per cent to 5,235, and from Hong Kong by 1 per cent to 9,600. Allaying fears that the UK may be losing its grip on the international student market due to it’s point immigration system,  total numbers from outside the European Union who pay the highest fees rose by 9.4 per cent, topping 250,000. Numbers from within the EU rose by 4.9 per cent to 117,660.

International Students can shun UK, thanks to new VISA rules

Last week in UK universities declared that their seats are full.But now they are worried due to the fear that in next session they will have 20% less students as compared to previous sessions.  

The "house full" sign was visible  at most of the country's top universities last week as students snapped up the few spare places in record time.

In April, the government changed the immigration system and introduced a points-based system for, among others, international students applying for study visas. Well, So far, it has not been a success, as far as many in the sector can tell.

To get a visa, international students are now expected to show that they can afford their tuition fees 28 days before they apply, have at least an extra £600 a month and £400 for each dependant in living expenses, and to keep it all in a bank account in their own name for the first year of their study. They also need to show  a biometric identity card and should  have received their exam results by the time they apply.

Agents who apply for UK visa on behalf of students are finding these these requirements  too much and these take take too much time.

Many more student visas are being rejected than in previous years, they say, encouraging students to give up on the UK and opt for Australia or the US for their higher education instead.

Universities hoped that they would find out last Thursday exactly how many student visas had been accepted since the new immigration system came in. But, when the Home Office and the Office for National Statistics published data on immigration, student visa data for the second quarter of this year was nowhere to be found.

Diana Warwick, chief executive of Universities UK, the vice-chancellors' umbrella group, says: "Unfortunately, the information published is of limited value to us in assessing how effectively the new immigration system is working. It does not provide data on visa applications and their approval and refusal rates under the different tiers of the new system.”

"This is our busiest period for student visa applications and there are worrying indications of problems with the operation of the system overseas. We know the UK Border Agency is working hard to process applications in time and we are continuing to work with them to identify and tackle issues raised by universities.

"We remain concerned, however, that the system may delay or deter international students who wish to study in the UK." .

Anecdotal evidence indicates numbers of these students are down as much as 20%, in some cases, on what course leaders were expecting this year, says Dominic Scott, chief executive of the UK Council for International Student Affairs.

Brendan Webb, sales and marketing director of Study Group, which runs classes at colleges and universities for international students who want to improve their English, says overseas students are either "not turning up or turning up very, very late" because of the visa problems.

"We have had to postpone some courses by two weeks," he says. "We still don't know when they are going to arrive or be rejected at the border gates. The agents in our regional offices across the world say there have been delays. They have been shouting and screaming about them."

It is estimated that there are more than 340,000 non-EU students at UK universities. They generate more than £1.25bn in fees, spend a further £1.6bn in living costs and contribute a total of around £8.5bn to the British economy each year.

Alasdair Murray, director of Centre Forum, a liberal thinktank, says: "While the short-term damage in terms of disruption and unfilled places could be considerable, it is the longer-term impact which is the real worry.

"Aside from the overall economic benefit generated by overseas students, the fees help cross-subsidise their UK counterparts. The government faces depriving universities of vital funds at the very moment it is scrabbling around for cash to help tens of thousands of extra UK applicants escape the recession. Universities fear that any ongoing fall in overseas student numbers will only exacerbate the looming problem posed by much tighter public spending."

Webb says there is going to be a "big black hole ahead".

"This was going to be the year for the UK in terms of opportunities," he says. "Visa applications are up, but down in Australia, because the UK was seen as more affordable and providing a much wider choice. This is a massive missed opportunity.”

Statements Courtesy guardian.co.uk

There is no doubt that UK has tightened the rules which will lead to depression in UK market regarding students.The rules are too much and take long to be fulfilled up.Well if this scenario remains then the majority of students will move over to USA or other favourite study destinations.

Sense of Recognition for Overseas Students

26 March, 2010

It is appreciable of Martin Davidson , British council chief executive has raised this issue of taking care of international students rather than treating them only as for their money .

Martin Davidson, British Council chief executive, spoke as the organisation launched its international education conference “Going global”, which is being held in London on 25 and 26 March.

This conference  which will draw together some of the leading figures from international higher education to discuss issues like overseas student security, university rankings and the role of the private sector.

In the UK, it is evident that the international students have become an important source of income, a situation likely to be accentuated by government funding cuts. Here international students have to pay higher fees at undergraduate level. Fees are capped for domestic and other EU students, on the other hand there are also strict quotas limiting recruitment.

He also stressed on the fact that International students have more study options today than ever before, and in this  internet-connected world, It will be devastating if the word spreads that they are treated as ‘cash cows’. In today’s quickly  evolving marketplace, overseas governments will go against foreign universities that are clearly interested only in recruiting students from their country and giving nothing in return.

Well,  it appears that the world education scenario in UK is changing.