In The News

Draw Foreigners to Private Singapore Schools - and Be Paid for It

Sandra Davie February 20, 2003
Some Singapore private schools are offering monetary sums up to S$1000 for actualized referrals of foreign students. Recruiters believe that prospective students will be more receptive to offers by their friends and acquaintances than by simple brochures. Increasingly higher incentives for foreign students to attend Singapore private schools reflect the competition in the world market for fee-...

Education for All: The Unfulfilled Promise

Koichiro Matsuura January 22, 2003
If one of globalization's key features is an information-technology revolution, then certainly universal education deserves attention. Without ensuring everyone has access to the 'currency' of knowledge, many believe that globalization will only serve to further already-existing inequalities. In this article, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and...

Business Key to Internet Use in Poor Nations

Frances Williams November 18, 2002
Regional and global supply chains need to be linked in order for business-to-business internet commerce to expand. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Unctad, reported that poor countries lack the needed infrastructure and skilled labor to establish and expand the business-to-business sector worldwide. Although Africa and Asia enjoyed internet use growth rates of almost 46%...

Brain Drains Are Not So Bad After All

Jean-Pierra Lehmann November 13, 2002
It is well-known that a brain drain benefits the receiving nation. This nation profits through the innovations and improvements made by the best and brightest immigrants. However, what is not always recognizable is the fact that a brain drain benefits the sending nation as well. The fact that the best minds of a nation leave to live elsewhere puts tremendous pressure upon the home nation to...

Kuala Lumpur Chinese Parties Okay Use of English in Schools

October 31, 2002
Mother-tongue education has long been a priority for people of Chinese descent in Malaysia. A minority in the country, Chinese Malays are also a major player in the ruling coalition government. After several months of wrangling, Chinese political leaders have agreed to allow maths and science to be taught in English at Chinese-language primary schools, but only part-time. Once students move to...

Beijing’s $2b Reminder to US Varsities

Jason Leow October 24, 2002
Recent clampdowns on immigration have prevented Chinese students from attending US universities. China Central Television claimed that China leads the world in providing graduate students to the US. Since 2001, however, larger numbers of Chinese students have had their visa applications rejected. A Beijing scholarship center noted that Chinese students contribute close to US$2 billion to...

Central Asian University Aims to Train Region's Next Leaders

Barbara Crossette August 26, 2002
The new Central Asian University will soon educate students of this multilingual region in a language that goes beyond borders—English. The liberal arts and strong science curriculum contrasts with the specialized Soviet curriculum offered in the past and will be preceded by English lessons and computer-training courses. Some have questioned the choice of language, arguing that Russian is already...