NATIONAL NEWS

Conference to discuss the way ahead for colleges

In April, Dr Nzimande started a complete overhaul of the FET system. The government has for years struggled to revitalise the system, despite spending R1,5bn on the colleges between 2006 and 2008.

FETs must up their game

Further education and training (FET) colleges will have to increase their pass rates by up to half again if they are going to have appreciable success in stimulating short- to medium-term economic growth.

New public-funded research rules to have far-reaching implications

The imminent introduction of the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act will have implications for South African companies that contribute to research projects that benefit from public funding and could compel such companies to reconsider their approach to such programmes.

African graduates struggle to find employment - survey

The finding in a recent study that even African graduates who have graduated from historically white universities (HWI) are less likely to find employment than their white counterparts is somewhat unexpected, says UCT's Professor Haroon Bhorat.

Students up in arms as college faces closure

MORE than 100 first year students of Huguenot College took to the streets of Wellington last week, in protest to uncertainty about the college's future.Huguenot College faces closure, after the Department of Education ended the college's partnership with the University of Stellenbosch.

CPUT appoints Director of Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages

Research output at CPUT can no longer be confined to journals. With the establishment of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), research output, where feasible, will be commercialised.Newly appointed Director of Technology Transfer and Industry Linkages, Prof Gary Atkinson-Hope, will be leading the activities of the TTO that was established earlier this year.

Rhodes Library launches Research Commons

When the new Research Commons is opened at the Rhodes Library on 3 September by Dr Saleem Badat, it will represents not only an exciting new chapter in the University's research history, but the near-perfect synergy of a number of decisions, visions and initiatives.

Matric chaos looms

Wildly varying postponements of matric prelim exams across the country are playing havoc with learner's preparations for the final exam.Last week three provinces announced prelims would be postponed and by Wednesday this week another four had done the same, leaving only the Western Cape and Mpumalanga saying they would stick to their original prelim schedules.

Future uncertain for Matric pupils

Matric pupils at Cape Town schools closed because of the teachers' strike say they don't know when they will write their preliminary exams and if they will be prepared to write their finals next month.

REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS

GHANA- Universities must not lose focus on their intended purpose -Dr Banda

Managers of education and the Ghana Education Service have been asked to ensure that the youth study courses that will enhance their entrepreneurial skills to enable them to employ themselves instead of depending on the State for employment.

RWANDA- Change of Mindset On Financing of Higher Education is Urgently Needed

During the 2010/11 Budget , the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (minecofin) announced a 25 percent cut on funding for public institutions of higher learning. The move is likely to radically change the way the higher education system is managed.

UGANDA- Makerere academic staff were unfair to students

ON August 23 leading newspapers reported that Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) was going on strike to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the failure of the University Council and the Government to recover their pension funds from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC).

SRI LANKA- Ten Int'l universities to be set up

Ten International Universities are to be set up as an initial step. The government is helping the Ministry with the ground work, said Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake at the Vavuniya campus.He said this attempt is not to tarnish the free education system but to strengthen it. Though the JVP has protest against International Universities there are 78 private institutions at present which offer degrees.

CHINA- The values of China's most iconic universities

The name of the university is written on a famous tilted board hanging on an eight-meter tall school gate, which people look up to and admire. For a lot of students, Peking University is a spiritual place more than just a place to study.

INDIA- PhD aspirants losing zeal for research

Universities are established for innovation and research, but in India, they've been forced to do administrative work due to wrong policies. Nagpur University is no exception, with research students complaining about endless waits at every stage for the approval of their synopsis or final thesis.

THAILAND- Energy Authorities to Finance Research on Algae Biofuel

Pinthong Engineering, an engineering service provider based in Bangkok, is a company that has been supporting the research and development activities of producing biofuel from algae. Closely on its heels, the Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency Department might be funding the research and development towards algae biofuel.

POLAND- Unis to monitor graduates' career

Starting from October 2011 Polish universities will be obliged to follow their graduates' career paths in research to see how affective higher education is on the job market in Poland.According to an amendment to the law on higher education, universities will periodically check where their graduates found employment and how much time they needed to get employed.

AUSTRALIA- Lecturer offered exam pass for sex

A PERTH lecturer found to have pressured failing Chinese students for sex is unlikely to be the only academic to exploit the vulnerability of students caught up in Australia's visas-for-degrees trade, according to the WA Corruption and Crime Commission.

RUSSIA- Fake Diplomas = Fake Modernization

Three weeks ago, NTV television reported that more than 70 engineers working at a Komsomolsk-on-Amur airplane factory in the Khabarovsk region had obtained fake engineering degrees from a local technical college. The high-security military plant, which belongs to state-owned Sukhoi, assembles the Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35 fighter jets, as well as the much-anticipated Superjet 100 passenger plane.

CANADA- Canada and China seek to exchange students, staff and ideas

The Canadian higher education sector must deal with its fragmented structure if it is to improve its position on the world stage, a university leader has said.Carl G. Amrhein, provost and vice-president academic at the University of Alberta, said the current system was "confusing" for students and faculty from overseas.

USA- Unemployment creates new role, and pain, for community colleges

On this Labor Day weekend, the unemployment rate is anchored near 10 percent, and experts of all stripes are trying to figure out how to create more jobs. There's consensus that community colleges help retrain workers for 21st century tasks and provide students the skills that employers increasingly seek, but funding for these vital institutions remains inadequate.

USA- $85 million in National Science Foundation awards issued to 178 universities, colleges in Massachusetts

A total of $85,601,927 in National Science Foundation awards have been announced for 178 Massachusetts universities and organizations.The funding was secured through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

USA- American university sees $1 million stolen after banking malware intercepts controller's credentials

Attackers have managed to steal around $1 million from The University of Virginia.The attack on the satellite campus of the University of Virginia's College at Wise occurred last week. Speaking to security blogger Brian Krebs, Kathy Still, director of news and media relations at UVA Wise, declined to offer specifics on the theft and said that the school was investigating a hacking incident.