Serbian academics still shortchanged

BELGRADE (blic) -- Despite an increase of four percent in academic wages, it is still not enough argues Srđan Verbić, Serbian education minister. Siding with the unions, Verbić has stated that more was expected from the agreement signed by the ministry and has already flagged it as a matter for the next government to address … read more 07.03.2016

French students oppose labour market reform

PARIS (le revenu) -- Hundreds of thousands flooded onto the streets of France yesterday to protest against changes to employment law to make it easier to hire and fire employees. Many of the protesters were students after UNEF, the national student union, joined trade unions in opposing the labour market reforms, which they branded ‘regressive’... read more 09.03.2016

Euro-Iranian university partnerships

TEHRAN (the) -- Following Iran’s landmark nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions, Iran has been quick to set up higher education collaborations with leading European universities including France’s École Polytechnique … read more 01.03.2016

Two thousand eight hundred dollars per second

WASHINGTON (ajc) -- In the face of ever-rising university fees in the US, many are opting to study abroad - specifically in Europe. CNN Money says US student loan debt is 1.2 trillion dollars and increasing by 2,853.88 dollars per second. In contrast, founder of the advisory service ‘Beyond the States,’ Jennifer Viemont, says she has already identified at least 44 institutions in Europe where Americans can get a bachelor’s degree for free … read more 06.03.2016

Gender inequality pervades Danish academia

COPENHAGEN (information) -- Despite increasing parity at undergraduate and even postgraduate level, the proportion of female Danish professors remains shockingly low at 18 per cent, prompting researchers to suggest economic incentives to address the gender imbalance … read more 03.03.2016

Austria: Art matters

VIENNA (standard) -- Vienna has always prided itself on its equal promotion of arts and sciences. Further proof of this is the launch of the first research-based doctoral program on artistic studies, entitled ‘Art & Cross Disciplinary Communication,’ at the University of Vienna … read more 08.03.2016

Prague: Philosophy matters

PRAGUE (denik) -- Theologian and spiritual Thomas Halik has announced plans to establish an international think tank in the Prague Faculty of Arts, which will work with prestigious universities worldwide. The centre will promote the study of political philosophy, ethics and religion … read more 09.03.2016

Leading academic warns of dangers of internationalisation

MONTREAL (inside highered) -- Hans de Wit, leading scholar on higher education policy, has warned of problematic consequences of internationalisation at a conference in Montreal. Quoting recent studies, de Wit drew attention to the increasing movement towards privatisation and the trend of seeing international students as ‘cash cows.’ He cited the “competitive pressures of globalisation” resulting in an “increasing convergence of aspirations,” claiming that a shift in mentality could be seen, from cooperation increasingly towards competition … read more 24.02.2016

Ireland: Elephant in the room

DUBLIN (independent) -- A student loan scheme is being discussed as a viable way of addressing the third-level funding crisis. Despite being the elephant in the room throughout the Irish election, the report submitted by education minister Jan O’Sullivan would see graduates paying back anywhere between 25-40 euros a week for 15 years. Time is running out for O’Sullivan, with the decision on whether to act on this suggestion likely falling on the new government … read more 08.03.2016

Pleas for Portuguese fees to freeze

COIMBRA (publico) -- The Coimbra Academic Association (AAC) launched an appeal on Monday to freeze tuition fees. They have asked education minister, Manuel Heitor, to include a freeze of tuition fees into the 2016 state budget. The cost of studying has risen steadily since 1992 with the burden of payment frequently falling on their families … read more 07.03.2016

France: Universities no longer masters of selection

PARIS (le revenu) -- France’s Conseil d’Etat, its supreme court for administrative justice, has judged the selecting by universities of master’s students transitioning to their second year of master’s as illegal. In an open letter to the government the presidents of prestigious universities Paris I and Paris II have demanded a change in the law ... read more  09.03.2016

‘Historical figures’ for Spanish grants

MADRID (el diario) -- More grants and scholarships have been awarded over the course of 2015-2016 than ever before in Spain. Over 320,000 university students have benefitted from these grants this year, more than 4,000 more than last year. The final budget came to 1.4 million euros with the education minister attributing the increase of scholars to a more simple application process … read more 03.03.2016

Portuguese education threatened by bureaucracy

LISBON (jn) -- Former presidential candidate Sampaio de Novoa has drawn attention to the ‘hyper bureaucracy’ that exists within the country’s higher education sector, expressing his concern at the uncertainty of the future of quality academia in Portugal … read more 01.03.2016

Czech students stay close to home

PRAGUE (rozhlas) -- New figures reveal that the number of Czech students studying abroad has decreased over the last few years, owing to the increasing quality of the country’s own universities … read more 05.03.2016

Finnish education cuts under fire

HELSINKI (ht) -- The Chairman of the Finnish Green League, Ville Niinistö, has spoken out against the current coalition government’s policies. He has stressed that education cannot really be at the centre of their interests considering the radical cuts to the sector this year, which has removed a couple of billion euros from the budget … read more 07.03.2016

New quality assurance for Swedish higher education

STOLKHOLM (uwn) -- The Swedish Parliament has agreed to the introduction of a new quality assurance system for its universities. This new system includes policies such as triennial checks on standards and hopes to preserve Swedish universities as a competitive international choice … read more 04.03.2016

Spain waves goodbye to top lecturers

SALAMANCA (diario de leon) -- Economic instability and austerity measures have caused Spanish universities to lose more than 400 professors over the last five years. The University of Salamanca is one of the worst affected institutions, having waved goodbye to around 250 senior academic staff members … read more 07.03.2016

Drastic cutbacks at Greek universities

ATHENS (foititikanea) -- Greek universities are being forced to cut back on resources for everyday necessities such as printing and cleaning, as the decline in government funding over the last few years reaches 60 per cent and academic institutions struggle to cover costs … read more 06.03.2016

Dismal proportion of female Dutch professors

AMSTERDAM (nrc) -- The proportion of professors at Dutch universities who are female is only 17 percent, according to a study by the National Network of Female Professors (LNVH). The education ministry has stated that without any extra efforts the current growth of female professors means that numbers will only be equal by 2055. Most universities are striving for 25 percent of their faculty to be female by 2020 … read more 05.03.2016

American ‘higher education institution’ of Malta

VALLETTA (malta today) -- The Sadeen Group, the construction company behind the American University of Malta, have been informed by a judicial letter to cease using the university logo, until it is actually licensed as a university. Currently it can only legally be referred to as a higher education institution due to the lack of degree courses … read more 07.03.2016

Research is the answer to Italy’s troubles

ROME (meteo web) -- “Research is the only real answer to Italy’s problems” declared education minister Stefania Giannini at a recent conference. Giannini has announced that 2.5 billion euros are to be invested into the National Research Plan. This follows on from the publicity, which Giorgio Parisi’s petition received after gaining more than 55,000 signatures, including the education minister’s. Commenting on her decision to sign, Giannini said “I belong to the academic community and for that how could I not not sign it?” … read more 01.03.2016

Bulgaria: Underperforming universities forced to downsize

SOFIA (dvenik) -- Following important changes to higher education laws in Bulgaria, the number of students that are allowed to be admitted to low-performing universities will be reduced by around twenty percent. The performance of universities is judged by quality of education, quality of research, and graduate prospects … read more 29.02.2016

Major funding for Oxford research announced

OXFORD (oxford student) -- Oxford’s leading quantum research facilities and robotics lab are to receive 204 million pounds in government funding. This move comes as part of an overarching government commitment to UK science investment, with 6.9 billion pounds being invested in laboratories and equipment between now and 2021 … read more 06.03.2016

Soaring fees for non-EU students in Belgium

BRUSELLS (lesoir) -- Foreign students from outside the EU who do not have refugee status are to be charged fees as much as fifteen times higher than those paid by domestic students. This new proposal only applies to francophone areas of Belgium, and is part of a draft decree for the restructuring of higher education funding … read more 04.03.2016

Albania invest in rankings

TIRANA (balkan insight) -- The Albanian government has agreed to pay a British company, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), 700,000 euros to rank the quality and standards of the country’s 35 higher education institutions. The ranking would be the first of its kind in Albania … read more 02.03.2016

Russia extends student mobility scheme

MOSCOW (izvestia) -- Russia’s ‘Global Education’ programme, a scheme whereby the Ministry of Science and Education pays for Russian students to attend top international universities, is to be extended until 2020, following success and acclaim … read more 26.02.2016

Open science experts wanted

Slovak universities demand radical change

BRATISLAVA (pc revue) -- Key figures in Slovakian higher education, including Settey Hajdúchová, head of the Slovak University of Technology, have demanded drastic conceptual adjustments to university funding, if the quality of the country’s research output is to be increased … read more 02.03.2016

More autonomous Portuguese universities

LISBON (dn) -- Portugal’s new state budget will increase the autonomy of universities, especially with regards to the employment of academics. The Portuguese education minister  announced plans to relax the current rules regarding the hiring of professors, hoping that this will rejuvenate the struggling higher education sector. Over 1000 university lecturers have abandoned the profession over the last four years … read more 27.02.2016

Ministerial reshuffle in Denmark

COPENHAGEN (ufm) -- Following the threat of a vote of no confidence, the Danish cabinet has undergone serious changes. The former higher education minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, has been replaced by Ulla Tørnæs, a Member of Parliament since 1994 and former Minister for Development Cooperation … read more 29.02.2016

Conflicting laws threaten Ukrainian science

KIEV (nature) -- Despite passing a law in January to modernise the National Academy of Sciences in the Ukraine (NASU), the austerity budget implemented at the same time is making this impossible. The resultant cuts to science funding have hit junior scientists particularly hard, though they hold the key to a revitalisation of the nation’s science policy … read more 02.03.2016

Study grants to fall by nearly a third in Finland

HELSINKI (ilta sanomat) -- The Finnish student financial aid reform has revealed further cuts to the sector. Study grants are to fall from 330 euros a month to 250, with student loan guarantees promised to rise in compensation, placing more financial burden on students in the long term. The government agreed to the brutal cuts, which they see as necessary, reducing student aid spending down to 70 million euros by 2019 … read more 01.03.2016

New Zealand wants to follow Estonia’s example

TALLINN (sunlive) -- The education minister of New Zealand, Hekia Parata, has visited Estonia to learn about the rapid improvements achieved in their education sector. Estonia is one of the top performing countries in the OECD, with New Zealand looking to them due to their similarly small populations and government approaches … read more

Italian academics protest against dire funding

ROME (corriere) -- Researchers held a protest at the Sapienza University of Rome on 25 February, calling the Italian government’s support for research insufficient and erratic. The protest followed a correspondence in nature earlier this month by Sapienza physicist, Giorgio Parisi, that was supported by 69 researchers. Parisi has started a petition urging the Italian government and the European Union to come up with a concrete course of action for Italian higher education and had already received around 55,000 signatures as of 1 March. Italy spends 1.25 percent of its gross domestic product on research, but the petition says that the EU should require governments to set a minimum of 3 percent … read more | and here 26.2.16

Just how accessible are Spain’s universities?

MADRID (estrella) -- A new study investigating disability at Spanish universities has revealed that more disabled students than ever before are studying at traditional higher education institutions rather than opting for online distance courses, suggesting a welcome increase in accessibility … read more

EU funding for Slovakian science park

BRATISLAVA (vzdravotnictve) -- Slovakia’s Comenius University has opened its science park (CUSP), where cutting-edge biomedical and environmental research will be carried out. The total cost of the project, which it is hoped will create jobs and promote excellent research, was 42 million euros, the majority of which was covered by EU funds, with state investment and the university’s own resources accounting for the rest … read more 26.02.2016

New network of Russian universities

MOSCOW (mngz) -- After many years of preparation, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science has succeeded in launching the Network University ‘BRICS,’ a joint project aimed at improving the quality of higher education in Russia through co-operation between top universities … read more 26.02.2016

Coffee, honoris causa

POLLENZO (targatocn) -- For the twelfth year running, students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, the world’s first university dedicated to food and culinary culture, will discover the secrets of coffee through theoretical lessons and practical workshops at the Lavazza Training Centre. The centre is the first institution dedicated to coffee-related training and product innovation … read more 27.02.2016

Polish research and HE more market-oriented

WARSAW (polskie radio) -- Considerable changes are set to take place to Poland’s higher education and research sector. The education minister, Jarosław Gowin, hopes that planned new tax laws will encourage entrepreneurs, from both small and medium sized businesses, to invest in Polish research and innovation. Three proposal drafts for higher education laws are also to be put forward, competing to be implemented within the next three years … read more 25.02.2016

Spanish-American university ties strengthened

CASTILLE (telecinco) -- The Spanish government has committed to improving exchange programmes between American and Spanish universities. The importance of the relationship between the two was emphasised by both sides, with Spanish fast becoming the second language of the US and 27,000 Americans already studying in Spain … read more 26.02.2016

Warwick on the barricades

LONDON (independent) -- A large group of student protesters at the University of Warwick have formed a roadblock in a day of protests against the rising cost of higher education in parts of the UK. Demonstrators had marched through the campus and blockaded its main road for half an hour in protest against maintenance grant cuts … read more | and here 26.02.16

No student flats for Bergen

BERGEN (studvest) -- Government plans to fund the building of 2,200 new student houses in 2016 have been generally welcomed in Norway, but some university towns have been left out, including Bergen, a student city in west Norway. Linnea Reitan Jensen, head of the Welfare Council of Bergen, was quick to express her frustration at the fact that her city has not been assigned any student accommodation funding in a time of high rental prices, and with properties in short supply … read more 29.02.2016

The EU Commission and the 7 wise men

BRUSSELS (aca) -- The newly established High Level Group of Scientific Advisors is up and running, having met for the first time on 29 January in Brussels. The group forms a core element of the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) ... read more | and here 01.03.2016

Leipzig students rally against racist professor

LEIPZIG (wsws) -- Students at the University of Leipzig have spoken out against Thomas Rauscher, an international law professor whose remarks concerning refugees and migrants have prompted fierce criticism even from his colleagues and university management. Rauscher has been taking to Twitter in order to voice his opinions, calling for a cultural war against non-white people and accusing all Muslims of terrorism … read more 27.2.

Moody’s predict more uni mergers

LONDON (the) -- Many more universities are set to merge or restructure in an effort to save money, a credit rating agency has predicted. In its latest analysis of global higher education, Moody’s states that both governments and universities themselves will seek further mergers to achieve economies of scale and improve efficiency ... read more 24.02.2016

Erasmus+ not just confined to Europe

BRUSSELS (pienews) -- Erasmus+ paid out 918 million euros in grants for studying, training and volunteering abroad in 2014. A report on the first year of the EU mobility programme found that the largest number of participants came from Germany, France and Spain, as has long been the case. However more than 2,000 students from outlying countries, such as Guadeloupe, were also provided with extra funding … read more 17.02.2016

Blatant plagiarism case in Moscow

MOSCOW (moscow times) -- The acting chief of the Moscow State Linguistic University, Igor Manokhin, who recently called for the restoration of the school’s standing as a competitive intellectual centre, has been caught cheating. His case is unusual as he plagiarised a dissertation in full from a single source … read more 23.02.2016

Protests spell trouble for Slovakian Prime Minister

BRATISLAVA (nzz) -- Sustained strikes and protests in the higher education sector have put increasing pressure on Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, ahead of the parliamentary elections in March. There have been demonstrations in seventeen cities across the country, and in mid-February university lecturers joined school teachers on strike, as a result of low pay and insecurity in higher education. The education system in Slovakia is chronically underfunded: in 2011 only 4.1 per cent of the country’s GDP was invested in educational institutions, one of the lowest figures of any EU country … read more 28.02.2016

Swiss announce latest higher education budget

BERN (bluewin) -- The Swiss Bundesrat has pledged to give 26 billion Swiss francs (23.8 billion euros) to education research and innovation (ERI) over the next four years. ETH Zurich alone has been promised 10 billion francs (9.1 billion euros) and the reforms also include an increase in foreign student fees. However, many universities and research institutions are concerned, as there has been a decrease in state funding of ERI which they worry will lead to long- term negative effects … read more | and here 25.02.2016

Armenian education minister substituted

YEREVAN (armenpress) -- Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has appointed Levon Mkrtchyan as the new Education and Science Minister, replacing the long-serving Armen Ashotyan after his resignation ... read more

Dutch rectors travel first class

AMSTERDAM (nrc) -- Following a travel expenses scandal involving higher education managers in the Netherlands, education minister, Jet Bussemaker, wants to establish clearer rules. In a letter to parliament, Bussemaker has promised to work on unified, clear, and concrete definitions … read more 24.02.2016