University

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United Kingdom: Education experts criticise Theresa May’s university tuition fees review plans

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United Kingdom/February 27, 2018/By: Eleanor Busby/Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

Theresa May’s plans for tuition fees and the university funding system have faced criticism from across the education sector – with some suggesting they could do “more harm” than good.

The year-long review into higher education, announced by the Prime Minister in a speech on Monday, could result in universities charging students different tuition fees depending on the subject they choose.

Institutions could be encouraged to charge less for humanities courses, compared to science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) degrees.

But critics say the proposals could deter students from doing Stem degrees amid a skills shortage, as well as limiting the career prospects of poorer students pushed to choose cheaper courses.

Lord Baker, a former Education Secretary and chairman of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, which promotes technical education, said: “If Stem degree courses cost more than academic courses, this could have the perverse effect of driving students away from the areas of greatest economic need, in view of the skills shortage.”

 He has called on the Government to offer bursaries to encourage students to take up Stem courses “rather than discouraging them through the fees system”.

Bill Rammell, the vice-chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire and a former higher education minister, added that he would strongly oppose any move to introduce variable tuition fees.

He said: “You can’t judge the value of education based on the salary someone is going to earn or else no one would choose to be a nurse or work in the arts if that was the case.

“Also, it creates a two-tier system – students from poorer families will choose those courses with the lowest fees disadvantaging themselves from the start.”

Shakira Martin, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), warned that variable tuition fees could create more competition among universities and cause long-term damage to the sector.

She said: “We fear that tinkering around the edges without major commitments to supporting students into and through universities and colleges will do more harm than good.

“It is concerning that further investment appears to already have been ruled and the education minister has suggested that institutions will not be forced to make courses more affordable.

“This limits the review to a highly restricted remit, yet leaves the door open to the spectre of further competition through variable fees, which will likely only damage the sector in the long run.”

She added that the proposals can only lead to small piece reform. “The Prime Minister is choosing to move the deckchairs around a ship she already acknowledges to be sinking,” Ms Martin said.

Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary, said: “Our post-18 education system has many strengths. It has a fantastic global reputation, we have record rates of disadvantaged students going to university and we are transforming technical education so employers have access to the skills they need.

“However, with a system where almost all institutions are charging the same price for courses – when some clearly cost more than others and some have higher returns to the student than others – it is right that we ask questions about choice and value for money.

“We also need to look at the balance between academic study and technical education to ensure there is genuine choice for young people and that we are giving employers access to a highly skilled workforce.”

Source:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/theresa-may-university-funding-tuition-fees-review-education-payment-a8219521.html

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Pakistan: Quality education to be provided in AJK under HEC standards

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Pakistan/February 20, 2018/Source: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has said that providing quality higher education at the doorstep of students will be made a reality with the rigorous assurance that HEC standards are met.

The president said this while chaired a meeting held to discuss the modalities and procedural formalities for establishing the Neelum-Jhelum sub-campus of the AJK University. He said, “Our universities will be made competitive and graduating students will be provided education in line with international standards.” The president, who is also the chancellor of AJK public sector universities, asserted the need to provide quality higher educational facilities to the people of Azad Kashmir. He said that the government was committed to establishing tertiary level institutions in AJK.

AJK University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Kaleem Abbasi, in his introductory remarks, apprised the president that a 193 kanal of land for the Neelum sub-campus has been identified at Tangot. The VC informed that payments for the land would soon be made in order to guarantee it acquisition. He also briefed the president that funds for construction of prefabricated structures have been committed by the AJK government and further coordination for acquiring the said funds would be made.

The president said procedural formalities for acquiring the said land needed to be completed on priority and a desired an update on the situation may be presented in a week’s time. He further said that additional land identified at Islampura would also be processed for the sub-campus.

He thanked AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Shah Ghulam Qadir for dedicating his time and extending his sincerest efforts in assisting the university and district administration in addressing issues related to the establishment of the Neelum sub-campus. The president said that timely completion of the derivative projects would be ensured.

Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmad also informed that in the first phase, HEC would provide Rs 5 million for construction of the Neelum sub-campus. The AJK president commended the support of HEC chairman and said that with the help of HEC we would ensure the highest standards of education at all public sector universities in AJK.

Shah Ghulam Qadir, Higher Education Commission Chairman Prof Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, AJK University VC Prof Dr Kaleem Abbasi, Higher Education Secretary Zahid Khan and deputy commissioners of Neelum and Jhelum attended the meeting.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/02/18/quality-education-to-be-provided-in-ajk-under-hec-standards/
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Malaysia: Govt emphasises quality education to produce future leaders, says Zahid

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Malaysia/February 13, 2018/Source: http://www.themalaymailonline.com

The government always emphasises quality education in the country’s education agenda to produce human capital with calibre in all aspects, said Deputy Prime Minister  Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the government set aside huge allocation in its budget every year, whether for early education or higher education, to produce successful students to become future leaders of the country.

“Why do the government have to invest so much? It means the government has focus, in terms of human capital, the government wants to see Malaysia becomes a developed nation.

“God willing, by TN50, the government’s aim of 60 per cent of the work force to have diploma or first degree will be realised,” he said at a session with new students of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) here today.

Also present were Ahmad Zahid’s wife, Datin Seri Hamidah Khamis, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, UTHM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Wahid Razzaly and Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said most of the leaders in the country were produced from the success of the well-formulated national education system.

He said there were quarters pointing fingers at the government saying that the country’s education system was wrong, when they should instead be looking at their own mistakes.

“Leaders should be moulded and not born. We are not born as leaders, but moulded into leaders because of the country’s good education,” he said.

He said the present students of higher institutions were fortunate because the government gave priority to physical and spiritual development to ensure success of the millennial group, hence enabling them to fill the employment market in the future.

Ahmad Zahid advised the UTHM students to fully utilise their opportunity to study at the university.

“The opportunity only comes once in a lifetime to balance the worldly and the hereafter to become a well-balanced citizen and an asset to the country, and not a liability,” he said.

The deputy prime minister also announced a RM2 million allocation for the development of UTHM campus at Tanjong Laboh here. — Bernama

Source:

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/zahid-govt-emphasises-quality-education-to-produce-future-leaders-says-zahi#PzFeKwzR6jytaChb.97

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South Africa: Nzimande on free higher education: ‘Where is the money going to come from?’

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South Africa/ January 09, 2018/By: Derrick Spies/Source: https://www.news24.com

Soweto – SACP General Secretary Blade Nzimande has slammed President Jacob Zuma’s announcement of free tertiary education during his address at the Joe Slovo commemoration held at the Avalon Cemetery in Soweto on Saturday morning.

Nzimande, the former Minister of higher education who was in the spotlight during #FeesMustFall protests, said while the move was welcomed, there was no indication where the money would be coming from.

«It is very important the announcement made by Zuma must be clarified as a matter of urgency. If we don’t handle this correctly, a train is coming,» he said.

«Can we afford free Higher Education, as announced on the 16th of December, and at the same time have a nuclear deal? Can we do these things? Where is this money going to come from?» he asked.

«We want to say now as the SACP we are not going to allow the increase of VAT to fund this higher education, or allow fees to be taken from UIF or PIC to fund it,» he said,

Nzimande said to do so would essentially be saying the poor must fund their own children’s higher education.

He also questioned why the ANC had been quiet on the issue, saying there should be calls for registrations to be done in accordance with agreed upon, and not to allow the EFF’s opportunism to derail the issue.

«Higher education must be transformed and not destroyed,» he said.

Nzimande congratulated the class of 2017, but said it was also important that learners realise university was not the only option available to them.

«As a country we must reflect, are we not putting too much pressure on individuals? We must make sure we don’t put undue pressure on these young people,» he said.

Judicial Enquiry into State Capture urgent

Nzimande said the SACP’s position on the judicial enquiry into state capture was clear, and that the matter must be addressed as a matter of urgency.

«We want immediate decisive action to stop corruption and wide spread corporate state capture.
We are being kind in how we define state capture, it is actually treason,» he said.

Nzimande said Zuma’s appeal against the State Capture ruling compromised the integrity of the ANC.

«It is clear he is conflicted, you can’t appoint a commission to investigate yourself,» he said.

Nzimande said Zuma was only delaying the inevitable.

He also lambasted the alliance’s leadership for allowing themselves to reach a position where the judiciary was compelled to grant relief, when the leadershi could have taken action themselves.

«We are opening ourselves up for the judiciary to make decisions on our behalf,» he said.

There can’t be two centres of power

Earlier in the day, Cosatu General Secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali called for members to continue to support the ANC, but said that the newly elected ANC NEC had to look at how to implement the judicial commission of enquiry into state capture.

«There can’t be two centres power, there must be one president. President Zuma must step down,» he said.

ANC National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, speaking before Nzimande, said there was a cult of personality developing within the ANC and this was killing the ANC and the movement.

«Once we start worshipping them, we can’t question them and they become bigger than the organisation,» he said.

Mantashe reiterated his call that the organisation must rid itself of corruption, saying that when this was done, they would realise that state capture was not a myth.

Calls for Zuma’s head will cause ANC to close rank

Mantashe said immediately after the election, there had been calls for Zuma to be replaced, referring to Archbishop Thabo Makgoba in particular.

Source:

https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/nzimande-on-free-higher-education-where-is-the-money-going-to-come-from-20180106

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Kenya: Why we must urgently address this ugly face of inequality in education

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Kenya/December 12, 2017/By Duncan Omanga/Source: ttps://www.standardmedia.co.ke

Once upon a time, parents encouraged their children to work hard in school to secure a better future. As a young boy, life was a simple reductive. Good grades begat a good life and more options. This remains partly true, but in modern Kenya making the grade is not just about career and choices. Getting the right grades has become symbolic of social status and a tool for both maintenance and negotiation of one’s position within complex social class categories.

There was a time when a poor boy or girl from Nyamakoroto could top the exams amid a punishing routine of tea picking, rearing goats and being a pupil. Those days are gone. As the recently released Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) results indicate, the new heroes of our examination system are the urbane, privately schooled children of middle and upper-middle class families.

A similar trend is likely to be repeated when the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results are released. Of the primary schools that featured in the top 100, I could barely identify a single public school. Being poor and possessing a lower social-economic status is now officially the greatest hurdle to academic success in Kenya.

Kenya’s poor are having a raw deal right through to universities. Scholars define education inequality as the extent to which supply of education as a good, and the benefits that accrue from it favour certain individual(s), group, generation, race or region.

I shall restrict my focus to the social class divide and how it impacts higher education in Kenya.

Kenya is a most unequal society. This inequality partly draws from a colonial project that rewarded and privileged specific ‘railway line’ administrative outposts over outlying areas. The colonial regime later bequeathed newly independent Kenya with an education system that was set up to offer unequal treatment based on racial or ethnic criteria.

Over time, the exaltation of a capitalistic dispensation in successive post-colonial regimes only made worse the inequality. With the entrenchment of political tribalism and moral ethnicity, access to political power further accentuated this divide along ethnic fault lines. While counties in the former Central Province have 100 per cent access to primary education, in the former North Eastern Province the figure stands at around 34 per cent, despite primary school education being free. In the ‘80s, counties in the former Rift Valley Province had low literacy rates. This radically changed under former President Daniel Moi’s reign. The link between political power (whether real or imagined) and quality education is significant.

Poor quality

Experts also cite the advent of free primary education as a contributor of poor quality, and the reason for the flight from public to private schools by parents who value quality over massification of learning.

The popularity and spread of private schools and ‘academies’ deep in the rural areas is an indictment of the publicly offered free education, and evidence of a hunger for quality even among less endowed households. But how does such inequality affect the texture of higher education in Kenya?

Private primary schools constitute about 10 per cent of all primary schools, but about 60 per cent of pupils from these schools are admitted to national secondary schools and over 75 per cent of access university education. However, in the ‘90s universities admitted students from more socially diverse backgrounds than they are today.

Programmes like Medicine, Engineering and Law comprised a mix of individuals from diverse social-economic backgrounds.

Today, owing to the nature of pupils in primary schools securing places in elite secondary schools, these programmes are socially homogeneous. The students who attend private primary schools eventually end up dominating the more competitive programmes in universities. As such, growing up in a poor home in a rural area is a handicap.

When relatively economically disadvantaged students end up in university, there is a greater chance of them getting admitted in those programmes perceived to be unpopular. Most of these programmes are often those that comprise huge classes, are superficially taught and are usually the easiest for universities to mount as they require little physical or financial resources. And because of the limited agency that socially disadvantaged students have in making a choice of both the university programme and campus of choice, it is mostly this category of students that often act as sites of experiment for far-flung university campus or newly established ‘political’ university campuses that need students to start off.

The situation is even more complicated for graduate studies. It is no longer possible for ‘sons and daughters of peasants’ to access graduate studies. For the past 10 years, graduate studies in local universities have more than tripled.

Meanwhile, most universities no longer offer scholarships to bright but needy students. A graduate study has become an elitist preoccupation. The higher education system now rewards more the paying rather than the capable student.

To address the inequality in education, the government must stop politicising education, and move from articulating provision of education as a political freebie, to provision of free education as a basic right. This means heavy investment in public education.

Public education should not be allowed to suffer the same fate as the public health sector. Further, there is need for proper resource based devolution of the education function to counties. In Germany, where education is completely devolved to the states, healthy competition has improved quality.

Source:
Read more at: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001262669/why-ugly-face-of-inequality-in-education-will-cost-us

 

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Smoking contributes to less increase in life expectancy among women with only primary education

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EEUU/December 11, 2017/Source: https://www.news-medical.net

Life expectancy in Sweden has risen steadily during the last few decades for most groups. One exception is women whose highest educational level is compulsory school. This is mostly because of smoking, says a new dissertation in sociology.

«Life expectancy has stayed level in the last 20-30 years for women with only a compulsory schooling in Sweden, but it’s increased for other social groups. A big piece of this puzzle is smoking,» say Olof östergren, sociology researcher at Stockholm University.

The study is based on data from the registries of causes of death and education for all Swedes who were 30-74 years old between 1991 and 2008. The research shows that inequality in longevity between different groups have increased among women during this period.

The statistics show that anticipated life expectancy among women with only a primary education increased a little over a month between 1991 and 2008, while the comparable number for university educated women were five months. Not counting deaths attributable to smoking, the former group’s life expectancy increased to four months and the latter’s to just over five months.

«The differences may seem small, but when it’s about anticipated life expectancy these numbers are dramatic. Deaths from smoking are three times more common among women with a compulsory education versus university educated ones,» says Olof östergren.

«Despite ambitious welfare policies, the social health disparities are not smaller in Sweden than in other countries, and these disparities are increasing more rapidly in Sweden than internationally. Alcohol consumption and smoking have been highlighted as contributing factors to these issues. My research backs up this picture,» says Olof östergren. «Deaths from smoking in Sweden has decreased among men and increased among women, particularly those with compulsory schooling. One possible explanation as to why men are less harmed by tobacco is snus. Snus isn’t as dangerous as smoking, and it’s much more common among men than women.»

«Earlier research has shown that people in stressful life situations have a harder time stopping health endangering habits like smoking. This is partly because fewer of them try to quit and partly because people with fewer economic and social resources have a smaller chance of breaking the habit,» says Olof östergren.

A stressful life situation can also make the body more susceptible to the damaging effects of tobacco and alcohol. This means that differences in mortality depend both on behavioral differences and social and economic differences. On the other side, education provides access to a better work environment, higher status in the job market, more control over the work situation and higher income. The dissertation also shows that education is particularly important for health of those with low incomes.

«The theory behind this is that the fewer economic resources a person has, the more important the way that they spend the resources becomes. Education promotes effectiveness and the proper handling of resources, and that means that highly education groups can use all of their means to improve health. That’s why education is particularly important for those with low incomes. Education is always good for health,» says Olof östergren.

Source:

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20171211/Smoking-contributes-to-less-increase-in-life-expectancy-among-women-with-only-primary-education.aspx

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EEUU: UPTB looks to infuse rigor into College of Education

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EEUU/November 28, 2017/By: By Ruth Campbell rcampbell@oaoa.com/ Source: http://www.oaoa.com

President wants to grow the university, provide more hands-on opportunities.

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin officials say they are reorganizing the College of Education to ensure that prekindergarten through 12th grade activities are connected to the rigor of the university and the academic programs it offers.

This would include creating linkages between the College of Education, Childcare Center, UTPB STEM Academy and Ector County Independent School District’s Falcon Early College High School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.

President Sandra Woodley also is formulating plans to promote future growth at UTPB.

Dean of the College of Education Selina Mireles said the core of what the university does is academics and research, so the goal is to bring all these aspects together to prompt more faculty involvement and research. Mireles said this will also strengthen these parts of the university and local education system.

In separate interviews, Mireles and Woodley said First 5 Permian Basin, which offered a variety of services for new mothers and fathers in their child’s first years of life, still exists and still offers the same programs, but are being infused with a more academic component.

First 5 currently falls under Roy Hurst, associate dean of the College of Education.

She added that the College of Education also is examining its mission statement and how it can better tailor what it does to the community.

Mireles said energy, agriculture and water are important to West Texas and the College of Education is looking at the path from theoretical academic concepts to work and careers.

She noted that the STEM Academy was part of the College of Education, under its charter, and programs that were part of First 5 still exist, but plans are to make them more research based.

Woodley said she thinks the First 5 programs were working fine, but her observation was that they could be enhanced if they were directly connected to the academic rigor of the programs in the College of Education.

“The programs were good and they can be better and we hope to make them better by this alignment with the College of Education. … We have an early childhood program in the College of Education that there was no connection to. The faculty and the students in that program and the work of … First 5 benefit from being together. That’s the reason I made the decision to align them,” Woodley said.

Tara Wilson, an assistant professor of reading at UTPB, is going for a grant related to incarcerated fathers reading to their children through video and studying the educational impact that may have, Mireles said. She said the grant has been submitted and is pending.

“It’s starting to look at the efficacy and the impact on their social-emotional learning and we will look at reading scores, of course. It’s not the end-all of interventions, but these are the kinds of investigations that we’re starting and that we’re utilizing our current structure to springboard and continue,” Mireles said.

The journey to future teacher’s early childhood certificates and continuous credentialing and experiences also are being examined.

For instance, if someone wants to become a math or science teacher, they could gain experience by tutoring at the local schools, attain tutoring certification and start building their portfolio that way, Mireles said.

The college also is looking for opportunities for externships and internships for students to equip them with the practical knowledge and experience they’ll need in the future.

“Putting those field-based experiences up front is really critical …,” Mireles said.

Starting young students on a path toward a future career also is part of the discussions, for example, having kindergarteners learn how to test the acidity of a lemon.

“… We’re working on grade appropriateness and linkages to the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills),” Mireles said.

Future Falcon Leaders in Teacher Education, UTPB’s program for high school students interested in becoming teachers, also will still go on.

“We’re soliciting more grants to support some of these things so that they continue and we look at them from different avenues,” Mireles said. “We’re looking at what does it mean to be teacher- ready? Does it mean you have content expertise, pedagogical knowledge? What does that mean? What does that profile look like, so developing an instrument that could contribute to the research knowledge and actually piloting that and looking at that, that’s another area where we’re interjecting that research piece.”

The Early Childhood Coalition also still exists and they are examining the same community issues. “What (existed) is still in motion. What we’re doing now is just adding and strengthening the pieces that were part of the program to begin with,” Mireles said.

Something Mireles said that Woodley has brought to the table is the idea of stackable credentials for people who have gone through different pathways and experiences to get to a four-year degree.

Another aspect is a desire to investigate going from at-risk to no-risk students.

For at-risk students, Mireles said the college would try to figure out how to make at-risk students less at risk and address soft skills such as communication, reading and writing.

“We’re not quite sure what that’s going to look like when all said and done, but know it has to be addressed,” Mireles said.

Woodley said she thinks the College of Education has a chance to ramp up the number of teachers it trains.

“There’s a shortage of teachers here and teachers that stay. We want to be part of that solution and we want the teachers that we graduate to know about and to be involved in developing these innovations around teaching and learning. The First 5 and the STEM Academy and the early college high school give us an opportunity to do that through the College of Education,” Woodley said.

Woodley said she and Mireles have both talked to ECISD Superintendent Tom Crowe and are collaborating on several ideas with a view to improving education in Odessa and Midland.

“I think the university being the university, we have a responsibility here. We need to look to that k-12 pipeline. … We have a self interest in that, as well, in the sense that we have STEM programs that we need students to choose and be successful at like engineering, math and nursing. The STEM Academy, the teacher training and all the things that we’re doing around that provide us with the ability to grow our own pipeline here, too, to make sure that these students are academically well prepared to be successful in our STEM programs,” Woodley said.

Woodley also has been working on a strategic plan for UTPB. The planning process for that will be kicked off more formally in the next several weeks, she said.

“We’ll look at key themes and some goals and objectives. I’ll be spending time with key stakeholder groups. I have already talked to students and will be spending more time with them, time with faculty, the leadership here and our professional staff but also we’ll be spending time with external stakeholders and looking for what are those key contributions that University of Texas of the Permian Basin needs to make to have the maximum impact to this region,” Woodley said.

Woodley said UTPB has a lot to be proud of and a lot of “really great programs.”

“We’re a growing institution. We’ve got new state-of-the-art facilities coming on board. I think growing our student population will be really important and we’re paying close attention to continuing to have very high quality programs for the students when they are here,” Woodley said.

Another key thing is greater connectivity between what is done on the UTPB campus and what is needed in the economy, particularly with the university’s business and industry partners.

“For example, in the engineering programs we want to connect with those that are hiring our graduates to make sure that they’re getting what they need. We want more internships and coops from those companies so that our students can get more hands-on learning experience in those business and industries here in the Basin,” Woodley said.

“We think those are things that will set our students apart, provide an area of expertise that not all students have in engineering programs. We have so much going on in the Permian Basin around the energy industry and that concentration of work that’s going on in the companies that do business here, that’s not true everywhere. I think the ability for our students to connect with that hands-on learning experience here in the Basin will be something that we’ll be spending a lot of time working on … over the coming years,” she added.

Mireles will be working with people in the university’s Student Success centers to see how the university can improve the way UTPB handles developmental math, Woodley said.

“I want to make sure that our engineering programs, our nursing programs and our science programs (are) … able to reach students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity. We’re going to have to be the best at developmental math and those kinds of things if we’re going to grow that pipeline. That’s part of what’s exciting about having the First 5 and the STEM charter and the early college high school because that’s your training ground for trying out some of these new things” and perfecting math teaching techniques for those who may not be as good at it, Woodley said.

Source:

http://www.oaoa.com/community/article_f8212f16-d168-11e7-8c01-ff23d55a00e7.html

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