Turkey’s latest education bill
ANKARA (hurriyet) -- Turkey’s education committee has been debating the country’s latest education bill, proposed by new minister . The minister said that the number of courses in Turkish universities will be reduced in an effort to simplify the curriculum. As ESNA reported earlier this month, the bill also contains allows sanctions for the political activities of academics judged ‘deviant’ … read more 27.06.2016
Makeover for Dutch universities
AMSTERDAM (univers) -- The Dutch government has promised 3.5 billion euros to refurbish colleges and universities and allow them to expand. This is in part to create enough accommodation for students so that student numbers can continue to rise … read more 27.06.2016
Students encouraged to use Wikipedia
WASHINGTON (daily herald) -- Students across the United States are now being encouraged to edit Wikipedia pages as part of class assignments. More than 14,000 students have edited or created pages on the online encyclopaedia. Having their work read by the public, rather than just their teacher is far more worthwhile, say professors. A new study also confirms this … read more 26.6.16
‘Juncker Plan’ not delivering for universities
BRUSSELS (science guide) -- The European Universities Association (EUA) has complained that universities are barely benefiting from Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI). Last year Juncker and Commissioner Carlos Moedas promised to make the fund work for universities, not least because it is part-funded by Horizon 2020 money. However an EUA report shows that because the funding structure of EFSI is not suited to universities, they receive barely any funding through it … read more 24.6.16
ESNA press review 2015:
29 June | 4 June | 24 April | 7 April | 6 April | 16 February | 2 February
Back door to privatisation in Portugal?
LISBON (tvi 24) -- Portugal’s National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF) fears that the converting of public universities to private foundations, legal since 2007, is a back door to privatisation and not in the public interest. Rectors argue that the move gives them more autonomy but FEENPROF says that the board of trustees, often including bankers, has too much power over strategic and budgetary matters … read more 27.06.2016
Brexit Q&A with former EU science adviser
ABERDEEN (science mag) -- The EU’s former science adviser Anne Glover has answered questions on the prospects for UK and Scottish science following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Saying she was ashamed of her country, she said that science funding in the UK will almost inevitably decline as EU money is pulled out … read more 27.06.2016
Mediterranean universities against desertification
SASSARI (radio vaticana) -- The universities of Constantine in Algeria, Tripoli in Libya and Cagliari and Sassari in Sardinia, Italy, have signed a statement of intent to combat desertification. They will conduct joint research programme, such as the one in Tunisia and Algeria by the University of Sassari which is developing underground aquifers for water storage … read more 17.06.2016
Sci-Hub gaining traction with academics?
AMSTERDAM (im 2.0) -- A study conducted by an academic from the University of Utrecht suggests that the pirate research website Sci-Hub may be being used by academics for convenience rather than necessity. The site was founded in 2011 by Alexandra Elbakyan and contains over 51,000,000 scientific papers. The research suggested academics were using it despite having access through their university subscriptions … read more 20.06.2016
Norway: student entrepreneurs raking it in
TRONDHEIM (dn) -- Students from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) walked away with the equivalent of over a million euros from a student entrepreneur competition, taking 10 of the 15 winning places … read more 19.06.2016
Spanish universities slimming down
MADRID (el mundo) -- Eleven Spanish universities are amalgamating faculties and departments in an effort to reduce complexity and save costs. The University of Madrid, for example, is cutting 26 faculties to 17 and 185 departments to 72. The students’ union announced strikes and started a petition in protest against the move, which they say will have “dramatic consequences” and worsen the quality of their education … read more | and here 16.06.2016
Greece: improve teaching of Ancient Greek
ATHENS (rethemnos news) -- The teaching of Ancient Greek should be overhauled in Greece, instead of arguing about the number of hours taught a week, a commentator claims. This follows the government’s announcement that one hour less of Ancient Greek will be taught a week. Vlasia Michailidou claims that a new awareness of the cultural richness of the language should be taught. She says that the language, far from being ‘dead’, can be a guide to ‘a bright future’ … read more 22.06.2016
French students not ‘staying safe’
PARIS (ouest france) -- 57 percent of French students in a survey admitted to not always using a condom during sex. The study also looked at overall health, with 38 percent of students saying stress was disrupting their lives … read more 21.06.2016
Scots pushed out by EU students
EDINBURGH (telegraph) -- Scottish Vote Leave, the Scottish Brexit campaign, has published research showing that Scots are being squeezed out of the country’s four best universities by EU students who also pay no fees. It costs 114 million euros to fund their free education and their number has increased at the four top universities markedly, whilst the number has Scots on average has fallen. Three of the university chancellors however called on Tuesday for a Remain vote … read more 21.06.2016
Google floats into universities
WASHINGTON (fortune) -- Google is offering free access to students to some software tools on its cloud computing service. Available software includes an app-building engine and software for processing big datasets. The scheme is currently available in the US and will be rolled out elsewhere soon … read more 21.06.2016
Switzerland: Research funds slipping over the horizon?
BERN (df) -- Switzerland’s continued access to the EU science funding programme Horizon 2020 remains uncertain. The parliament voted to allow Croatians freedom of movement, which is the EU’s condition for continuing Switzerland’s participation in the scheme, but only with quotas. It remains to be seen how the EU will react. The country’s universities, who profit handsomely from the scheme, certainly hope it will continue … read more 20.06.2016
Oxford universities had backed Bremain
OXFORD (ox times) -- Before this morning’s Brexit result, the vice-chancellors of Oxford had written an open letter backing a ‘remain vote’ in Britain’s EU referendum. They said they were ‘gravely concerned’ about the impact of possible Brexit on their universities and students … read more 22.06.2016
Greece: where have all the teachers gone?
ATHENS (ipaideia) -- The number of teaching staff at universities and technical institutes in Greece has sunk by 40 percent since 2009. The staff-student ratio has risen to 1:17, which is disproportionately high by European and international standards … read more 22.06.2016
Ibero-American university alliance
MADRID (el pais) -- The universities of Madrid, Barcelona, São Paulo, Mexico City and Buenos Aires have formed the Latin American Union of Universities, which aims to act as a lobbying and consulting organisation. Dídac Ramirez, rector of the University of Barcelona, said they wanted to “project influence internationally in a joint and coordinated voice”. Five more universities will join but are yet to be confirmed … read more 20.06.2016
Austria: Public unis should keep out of private ones
VIENNA (presse) -- The Green Party in Austria has demanded that public universities be banned from holding shares in private universities. The TU Vienna intends to become the fourth Austrian public university to hold such shares. The Greens condemn the education ministry’s condoning of the move as ‘circumventing national education policy’ … read more | and here 16.6.16
Private German university under suspicion of corruption
HEILBRONN (stuttgarter) -- Lidl founder Dieter Schwarz has supported the private school Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) generously in recent years. The lack of transparency, however, has aroused mistrust over the food corporation’s interest in the university. The independence of research at the DHBW is in question, especially after former university president Reinhold Geilsdörfer was once again placed under investigation by the public prosecutor for corruption … read more 8.6.16
Deal reached on Germany’s excellence initiative
BERLIN (wiwo) -- Germany’s federal and regional governments have finally reached an agreement on the country’s new excellence initiative programme. 11 universities will form a group of elite institutions receiving 533 million euros per year. The plans were first opposed 10 years ago by academics and commentators who said it unbalanced the university system and damaged its democratic foundations … read more 17.06.2016
Switzerland: can’t feed people with studies
BERN (bieler tagblatt) -- Switzerland’s lower house of parliament has decided not increase spending on education. Main coalition partner the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) justified it on the grounds of austerity. When the Social Democrats pointed out that farmers were having their funding increased, the SVP asked if they wanted to feed the people with ‘useless studies’ if there were a food shortage … read more | and here 09.06.2016
More public support for students in Italy
ROME (repubblica) -- More Italian sudents will now be able to benefit from public student grants, after education minister Stefania Giannini raised the income threshold for payments. Due to a delay in approving the reform in the south of Italy, students there will have to wait longer … read more 15.6.16
Anti-Semitism at Dutch high school
AMSTERDAM (haaretz) -- Dutch Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs has called for high school pupils at Elde College near Amsterdam to be prosecuted for hate speech after they sang ‘together we’ll burn Jews, because Jews burn the best’ at their graduation party … read more 11.6.16
EU research policy according to Holtzbrinck
BRUSSELS (nature) -- In a special report by Nature the ways in which the EU has shaped research are examined: The EU has boosted science mobility and collaboration, enabled studies across member countries that would have otherwise been impossible and promoted ‘excellence’ in science through its funding competitions … read more 15.06.2016
Ireland: why retire when you can reskill?
DUBLIN (it) -- Dublin City University is offering a new programme to retirees or those soon to retire to help them embark on a second career. The number of over-65s in Ireland is expected to triple in the next 25 years … read more
New initiative for Universities of Applied Sciences launched
BRUSSELS (eurashe) -- A new European association of universities of applied sciences has been founded, its name: UAS4EUROPE. They want to function “as regional connectors, key international players, competent EU project leaders, consulting bodies, and promoters of entrepreneurship ... read more | video
Apple lures European students with discounts
LONDON (bidness etc) -- Apple is offering students in France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, and the UK discounts on iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices as part of their ‘Back to School’ programme. In addition, students will receive free headphones. One quarter of Apple’s global quarterly revenue of 75,9 billion dollar is made in Europe … read more 15.06.2016
Google research in Switzerland
ZURICH (business insider) -- Google has set up a new AI research group in Zurich to focus on machine learning. Companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft are all investing heavily in these areas as they look to make their platforms and services more intelligent … read more 16.06.2016
‘Useless’ Swedish degree refunded
STOCKHOLM (wp) -- A Swedish college has been ordered to repay the tuition fees of a US student whose course was ruled to be of ‘no practical value’ by a Swedish court. The ruling should make clear that colleges ‘must comply with laws and regulations’ … read more 14.06.2016
Rap wins top Marx in China
BEIJING (standard) -- In May the head of the Communist Party in China demanded Marxism be restored to its leading place in universities. Since then economists have written an open letter to the education minister deploring the lack of knowledge of Marxism at universities. Part of China’s response is the rap song ‘Marx is a post-90’ (i.e. millennial) which aims to present Marx as a role model for China’s youth and has become an internet hit … read more
Skills agenda for the EU
BRUSSELS (ggf) -- The European Commission has launched a ten point ‘skills agenda’ for EU member countries. Employment commissioner Marianne Thyssen said that “70 million Europeans lack sufficient reading, writing and numeracy skills and 45 percent of the EU population lack a sufficient level of digital skills” … read more | and here 13.06.2016
Huawei invests in maths in France
PARIS (finanzen) -- The technology company Huawei has announced the creation of a maths centre in France. The centre will develop algorithms to facilitate the use of big data sets and exploit France’s mathematical expertise for Huawei’s product development … read more | and here 14.06.2016
Andorra needs research funding
ANDORRA (bon dia) -- The Andorran Institute of Research (IEA) fears that the country is slipping behind others like Ecuador in research funding. It proposes private financing of research and joining the EU to gain access to its research funds … read more 13.06.2016
Who’s the king of the castle?
BRUSSELS (reuters) -- The Catholic University of Leuven has been crowned ‘most innovative university’ in Europe by a Reuters ranking. As the largest university in the Benelux region and one of its most elite, this is hardly surprising … read more
ESU light years away from student interests
BRUSSELS (esna) -- The European Student Union (ESU) has proudly announced a ‘landmark declaration to unite in a global student voice’. Attentive observers of ESU, the fig leaf of student dissent permitted at the doorstep of the European Commission, will note how this umbrella group of European student unions removes itself further and further from the real political action, students are capable of and urgently need. A ‘landmark declaration to unite in an interplanetary student voice’ is soon expected ... read more 01.06.2016
Netherlands must retain more internationals
AMSTERDAM (ep nuffic) -- The Netherlands must retain more international students according to a new report. Ten percent of the Dutch student population is from abroad, one third of these 70.000 students leave the country right after graduation … read more 15.06.2016
Germany to overtake Britain for international students
DELHI (pienews) -- Germany will beat Britain as the top destination for international students in Europe if its intake keeps on growing at a rate of 6.6 percent. Even India, an important ‘TNE market’ for the UK, is looking more towards Germany and its abolished tuition fees ... … read more | and here