Globalization & Higher Ed Reforms - Asia

China’s Quality Assurance and Economic Strategy

suzannewhite123 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:42:58 +0000

In “China’s Quality Assurance of Higher Education and Training”( http://www.qualificationsrecognition.ie/recognition/int_qual_databse/China/QualityAssuranceofHigherEducationandTraining.html), they describe China’s policies for monitoring and evaluating tertiary institutional quality. China’s economic policies and goals are driving their methods of accreditation and evaluation of their higher education institutions. China has set economic growth goals and sees investing in higher education as a means to reach that goal. As such, Project 211 and Project 985 invest significant money in a select group of research universities to help them achieve top world-wide rankings. They see investing in research as a state interest, as further research and development in specific scientific and technological areas will advance their economic development and global competitiveness. This means that the state has a specific interest in the quality of master’s and doctoral programs. They also see broadening access to undergraduate education as an investment in human capital to sustain and promote economic growth.

These governmental priorities can be seen in their strategies for accreditation and ongoing evaluation. For initial accreditation for bachelor’s degree conferring institutions, the state delegates responsibility to the province by nominating a provincial education committee. For institutions conferring masters and doctoral degrees, accreditation must be obtained by the Academic Degree Committee of the State Council. China established the Higher Education Evaluation Center to organize the five-year cycles of evaluating bachelor’s degree granting institutions. However, master’s degree institutions undergo ongoing evaluation at the provincial level, whereas doctoral program evaluations are conducted centrally. As such, it is clear that China places priority on quality assurance and accreditation at the masters and doctoral level programs as part of their overall economic strategy. China is following the global trend towards quality assurance, self-monitoring practices, and a state-supervisory role containing non-state accreditation and evaluation bodies.

Chronicle: “Obama Pledges to Send 100,000 Students to China in the Next 4 Years”

anniebez — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:18:25 +0000

Hi All,

Today, during his trip to China, Obama pledged to send 100,000 students to China over the next four years. Currently, only about 20,000 U.S. students go to China each year, but 100,000 Chinese students come to the United States. China will be a leader in the global world, and Americans need to understand China better and speak the language.

Best Wishes,

Annie

Here is the link:

http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Obama-Pledges-to-Send-100000/8903/

The Chinese Are Coming…

deanamyknowles — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:54:31 +0000

Hi Everyone.

Please see today’s Chronicle of Higher Education article:

“The Chinese Are Coming, and They Need Help With the Admissions Process” at

http://chronicle.com/article/The-Chinese-Are-Coming-and/49126/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en.

Regards,

Amy

From WSJ — “Palety: Accredited Foreign Universities Should Be Allowed”

anniebez — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:48:18 +0000

Once again — another article on the waning quality of faculty in India. The faculty profession in India is definitely a hot topic these days!

The link to this 11/12 WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125801139346745053.html

Thanks,

Annie

China: a few steps ahead of India

suzannewhite123 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:24:42 +0000

In Altbach’s “A World-Class Country without World-Class Higher Education: India’s 21st Century Dilemma” (http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/newsletter/Number40/p18_Altbach.htm), he discusses higher education initiatives necessary for India to stay competitive in the global economy. While they do posess the strengths of teaching in English and having the third largest higher education system after China and the United States, they still must overcome many challenges.

Currently they only educate 10% of their young people through higher education. They do not have any universities in the top 200 universities in the world. Altbach attributes this to underinvestment, underfunding, and management issues. He suggests that the central government invest more in their higher education system, differentiate the system, employ meritocratic hiring and promotion policies, and strengthen management systems. These are many of the same initiatives that China undertook recently, as Li discussed in “The higher educational transformation of China and its global implications”. Altbach explains that these reforms are critical because “to compete successfully in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, India needs enough universities that not only produce bright graduates for export but can also support sophisticated research in a number of scientific and scholarly fields and produce at least some of the knowledge and technology needed for an expanding economy.”

But what about Taiwan?

zmaggio — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:17 +0000

In all the talk of China, it might be easy to overlook Taiwan’s higher education sector. This week, President Ma Ying-jeou said that Taiwan’s higher education system needs to connect more closely with the outside world, retain talent and attract overseas students.

Canada and China Discuss Growing Opportunities for Education Ties

deanamyknowles — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:07:46 +0000

Hi Everyone.

See today’s on-line Chronicle of Higher Education for an interesting story on increasing the opportunities for educational exchanges between Canada and China.

http://chronicle.com/article/CanadaChina-Discuss/49091/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Amy

What the Shakeup in China’s Education Ministry Could Mean for Reform

deanamyknowles — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:35:17 +0000

Hello.

See today’s Chronicle of Higher Ed at

http://chronicle.com/article/News-Analysis-What-the/49045/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

for the latest on the abrupt dismissal of the Chinese education minister.

Amy

The Game Changers in Indian Higher Education

nupurgoyal — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:18:34 +0000

Below is a collection of articles that appeared in an Indian magazine called India Today on July 27, 2009. The articles describe individuals and institutions that have transformed education in India. The first article is an essay about the state of Indian Education. The rest of the articles such as “The future in the making” discuss the emphasis on computer literacy, “Pushing the Frontiers” discusses the IGNOU-India’s Open University and many more interesting reads. Hope you enjoy it!

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story?sId=52065&secid=30

11/1 Chronicle: On U.S. Visit, India’s Education Minister Presses for More Involvement by American Universities

anniebez — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:51:29 +0000

Hi All:

The India higher education system is currently undergoing major reforms and is involving the U.S. in an unprecedented way.

Annie

Here’s the link:

http://chronicle.com/article/Indias-Education-Minister-/49015/

Here’s the 1st paragraph of the article:

“In an unusually aggressive effort to build alliances with American universities, India’s education minister traveled to the United States last week for extensive discussions on how the United States could more deeply engage with India.

Kapil Sibal, who, just a few months into office, has positioned himself as both a blunt critic of India’s education system and an ardent advocate of educational reform and global engagement…”