A global network of universities has released a new system for judging higher education, by rating entire countries instead of individual schools.

The inaugural study, published Friday by Universitas 21 , a network of 24 universities and colleges, aims to provide policy makers with insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their national education systems, while giving overseas students better information about the countries where they are considering studying, according to its authors. The United States ranked first in overall performance, followed by Sweden, Canada, Finland and Denmark.

The United States also came in first in terms of the number of publications produced. China came in second in that category, yet was the lowest-ranked country for international connectivity. South Korea, Finland and Greece have the highest participation rates. The countries with the greatest proportion of workers with higher education are Russia, Canada and Israel.

Researchers analyzed data from different areas, including investment from the public and private sectors, research, the production of an educated workforce, international collaboration, government policy, diversity and participation opportunities.

“What the study shows more than anything else is that money matters, resources matter,” said Ross Williams, the report’s lead author and professorial fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research at the University of Melbourne, which spearheaded the project. “The other focus of this exercise is, ‘What do governments need for higher education to contribute to economic and cultural development?”’

The authors said they plan on publishing the country rankings on an annual basis. “The rankings of institutions puts too much emphasis on the research output of selected universities but does not tell you much about the system as a whole,” Mr. Williams said. “Higher education is much more than the top 10 universities.”

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TODAY, there has been a paradigm shift in the way higher education is conducted. It is not just about helping students to get their paper qualifications. Theoretical study alone will not be enough to empower graduates with the ability to build national competitiveness. They are the future and it is essential to have the capacity for global skills.

Rian Putra, a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics student at Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College (KLMU), personifies real world practice championed by the tertiary body. He has invented a chocolate vending machine as part of the Poster Presentation under the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.

This project helped him not just to innovate, but also to acquire problem-solving, presentation and marketing skills. The exposure to each subject makes it conducive to understand intangibles and challenges that cannot be experienced or understood in a classroom. The Work of Art event at Publika in Kuala Lumpur in February is another example of how Faculty of Art and Design students fit into the real world.

Apart from showing their creativity in the fashion, graphic design and multimedia project, they gained experience in planning, people management, teamwork and presentation. Learning takes place when academic performance and business enterprises are fused to provide a meaningful experience. This vision of industry within the university will gather momentum when the new campus in Wangsa Maju is ready in 2015. The campus will also house 4,000 students as residents in its hotel-styled condominiums. The grounds include six blocks of faculty buildings with a medical centre, an administration building and student activity areas. The higher education institution is promoting the Life's a Trip contest to help school-leavers discover their career path. The contest ends June 3. Visit www.discoveru.com.my for details.

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Financial education is crucial to the wellbeing of families nowadays. It is therefore time for all of us to get serious about financial education. In law, they say "ignorance of the law is no excuse". I think the same thing should apply to ignorance of financial matters or money issues.

You need financial education no matter who you are, where you are, and what you do in life. Henceforth it is a necessity to seek financial education, as a matter of urgency, if you don't have it. We need to agree that ignorance is not a good thing because without financial education, you don't have a hope of building a lasting and functional relationship with your money. Moreover, without financial education, you cannot process useful information into financial knowledge.

It is apparent that without financial knowledge many people struggle financially and encounter many social problems in their households. Without financial education, you cannot tell the difference between good debt and bad debt. As a result to delve into more and more debt without even knowing that you are digging deeper into bad debt. People who don't have financial education cannot tell the difference between an asset and a liability. As such, they accumulate liabilities and end up failing to get out of debt or even defend themselves when creditors want their money.

Lack of financial education leads to lack of budgeting and poor financial spending. As result, some people say that budgeting doesn't work. It is because of lack of personal financial education that most people work their whole lives only to remain poorer and poorer. When someone doesn't have proper financial education, he or she leads a tough life of stress and depression.

Some businesses fail because of lack of financial education. Those who run businesses without proper financial education cannot tell the distinction between revenue and profit. Some even think that an overdraft facility will be an answer to their cash flow problems, only to find that it only exacerbates their indebtedness. They bond themselves to financial institutions and loan sharks that prey for people who don't have financial knowledge.

Personal financial education is an important personal endeavor worth undertaking for the good of all. Financial advisors may tell you so many stories to get you buy their products that there is off-shore this or off-shore that. If yu don't have financial knowledge you won't understand what they are talking about because you don't have financial education. The greatest enemy of mankind nowadays is the lack of financial education.

As Robert Kiyosaki, one of the financial gurus of all time puts it, "… it is not the love of money that is evil-it is the lack of money that causes evil… it is being deeply in debt that is evil …it is fighting with the people you love over money that is evil. Money by itself is not evil. Money is just money."

Unfortunately most of the people hold on to these negative beliefs about money simply because they lack of financial education. In most of the households, talking about money has become a taboo subject. Money issues are a secret and yet they are root causes of many family problems. It is important that there is kids financial education in families and in schools. There is a need to break the silence with our children in schools and start exposing them to financial education.

There is need for in-service training who are employed and earning money because it is never too late to learn. We encourage you to take it upon yourselves to buy a financial education book or get a financial audio program to learn more about money management. You need to see to it that you attend a seminar on financial education. Many parents tend to pamper their children by giving them truck loads of money to silence them from nagging. This is no good!

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In what is nearly a biannual rite of passage, Harvard undergraduates­—nearly one thousand of them—flock to Sanders Theatre to attend “Justice,” a course taught by government professor Michael J. Sandel every other year that challenges students to consider difficult moral dilemmas.

But even with the lofty enrollment figures, Harvard students make up only a small portion of people engaged in the course. In the five years since the course became publicly available online, more than 15,000 viewers from around the world have “taken” Sandel’s course, according to the course’s website. Virtual students have the opportunity to watch all of Sandel’s lectures and post their thoughts on discussion forums.

Now, as a result of the Harvard-MIT partnership announced last Wednesday, ”Justice” will be just one of many Harvard courses open to the general public online.

Harvard and MIT have each pledged to spend $30 million to establish a joint online platform called edX, which will offer lecture videos, class exercises, and quizzes. Building off of MIT’s open courseware platform MITx, the jointly run online education network will eventually incorporate instructional offerings from many universities, administrators hope.

Soon, undergraduates at both colleges will not be the only ones listening to lectures and chugging through problem sets.

Faculty response to the announcement has been largely positive, with professors across a wide range of disciplines citing not only increased public access but also on-campus advantages and applications of edX.

“By opening access to the Harvard classroom, we not only share our resources with others, we also enrich the learning that takes place here at Harvard,” Sandel wrote in an e-mail.

“Being very inclusive of the rest of the people in the world who want to learn, I think, is a very admirable and very good thing to do,” said Ali Khademhosseini, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and affiliate of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Professors also agreed that in addition to opening up Harvard and MIT’s resources, data collected from edX has the potential to significantly improve the classroom experience of students on campus.

“The problem with online education as a whole is that it hasn’t been interactive, just a source of information,” Khademhosseini said. But edX could change that, he continued.

David J. Malan ’99, who teaches the popular introductory computer science course CS50, added that while Harvard has yet to decide which courses to offer through edX, he would be very open to including CS50 on the class list.

CS50 has posted lectures online for five years now, but Malan acknowledged that a platform like edX—with its research potential and broad reach—would significantly expand his course’s potential to “leverage the internet and web-based tools.”

Data from edX could tell professors which lecture formats and exercises are most effectively communicated online, allowing faculty to cover basic material more efficiently and reserve classroom time for question and answer sessions or interactive activities.

“Merely listening to someone like me lecture for 60 to 90 minutes cannot possibly be the most effective way to learn and absorb complex material,” Malan said. “We would love to be part of something like this.”

Professors agreed that re-thinking the format in which learning takes place—in all disciplines—must be a key part of the new initiative.

“The humanities in general have been taught in a relatively traditional format—the lecture hall, or the seminar room,” said Martin Puchner, professor of drama and English and comparative literature. “It’s gotten good at it, but there are new opportunities provided by different types of technologies.”

EdX is an evolving platform, and students may have a chance to contribute feedback and classroom modules as early as the fall, according to Malan.

Although many people view Harvard’s exclusivity as one of its defining features, professors say that increased accessibility of Harvard’s educational offerings to the broader community will not diminish the University’s prestige.

Puchner said that much of the “residential, liberal arts college” experience cannot be duplicated simply by putting classes online. Daily interactions among students and between students and their instructors, he said, are incredibly important as well.

“I don’t think the online courses will dilute the brand,” Puchner said. “I think it will make Harvard College even more desirable than it already is.”

While some professors feel strongly that edX will supplement, rather than displace, tradition learning models, Khademhosseini said that he can imagine a future in which online portals provide an education that is on par in terms of quality with in-person classes at universities.

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LAHORE: A University of Health Sciences (UHS) team visited the Post Graduate Medical Institute (PGMI) and Lahore General Hospital (LGH) on Saturday to inspect facilities and assess whether they were up to the standards required for a public sector medical college.

The seven-member team visited various departments and obtained information about the faculty, teaching facilities, clinical facilities, diagnostic structure and laboratory that are to be part of the new Ameeruddin Medical College, said a press release from the PGMI.

The inspection team expressed satisfaction at the standard of the facilities, said the press release. Prof Saeed Ahmed, the principal of Shaikh Zayed Hospital Rahim Yar Khan and the head of the inspection team, said that Ameeruddin Medical College would be the fifth public sector medical college in the city. The college will have room for 100 MBBS students.

“The inspection team also appreciated the efforts of Prof Tariq Salahuddin, the principal of PGMI and LGH … to upgrade educational as well as treatment facilities. They said that the PGMI faculty had a great reputation at the national and international levels and would be very beneficial for students,” said the press release. Prof Salahuddin told the inspectors that all arrangements for admissions at the college had been finalised and the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council had approved it. He hoped that the new college would raise the standard of medical education.

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BOISE -- Despite his flashy smile and willingness to help students, it might be fair to say that Sal Khan isn't your average teacher. It also might be fair to say he isn't your average venture capitalist, or your average ex-hedge fund manager.

That's because Khan -- who boasts three degrees from MIT along with an MBA from Harvard -- is using all that knowledge to start his own revolution in teaching and learning:  The online Khan Academy -- based in Mountain View, California.

The Khan Academy offers thousands of free, YouTube-based lessons on hundreds of topics from algebra, to organic chemistry, to venture capitalism. While the lessons are designed for K-12 students, most adults would probably find themselves scratching their heads while frantically searching for answers.

You heard right:  Khan's academy mostly focuses on how to understand math and science.  However, topics like art history, health, and medical studies are also represented. Students can even watch lessons that show them how to prepare for specific sections of the SAT and ACT tests.

All of the videos feature expert teachers (Khan included) who walk students through the various steps needed to understand complex problems. For those who want to test their knowledge, the Khan Academy also offers interactive practice sections, and ways for students to track their knowledge and comprehension.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan needs to focus on higher education and promote social sciences so that scholarly discourse may help policymakers resolve national issues. This was stated by scholars at the conclusion of the three-day international conference on “Emerging Issues of Social Sciences in Pakistan”, organised by Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

They recommended that the aspirations of academicians and policymaker should be aligned so that the body of knowledge can be utilised to the fullest to the broader benefit of the country. They also urged the government to understand problems in a societal context before searching for their remedies. The scholars highlighted the significance of healthcare, education and trade in ensuring sustainable development, and also underscored the need to introduce a liberal trade policy and to allow interest-free economic transactions to improve economy.

The first day of the conference was marred by massive protest by students of QAU demanding perks in the university hostels. Following the protest the venue of the conference was shifted to the HEC premises in H-9.
On the final day, participants of a technical session discussed the role of the youth in the country’s development. They highlighted gender issues through global workplaces (call centres) and how media advertisements subliminally foster careless attitudes in the youth.

In support of these view, Dr Karim of George Mason University USA presented a case study on Karachi’s youth. He discussed their perceptions, ambitions and entrepreneurial potentials. In the session on Internal Challenges in National Integration, Dr Jamal Malik from Germany, Dr Lubna Abid Ali of QAU, and other scholars highlighted structural problems affecting the country’s democratic setup. In the last session on the role of media, the scholars highlighted the role of the media in developing a vibrant and tolerant society. They said that media has helped create political awareness in the country and should be harnessed to educate and build the country’s image. The conference was organised to discuss emerging issues of social sciences in Pakistan, especially sustainable human development, cultural diversity, human rights, and role of the media.

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As college students increasingly embrace online courses, measuring the effectiveness of distance learning is becoming a critical necessity to protect students, taxpayers who subsidize higher education, and future employers looking for skilled graduates. But are the current gatekeepers of education quality, a complex system of institutionally funded accreditation agencies across the nation, up to the job?

The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) will continue its examination of the policy implications of distance learning on the $1.5 billion Cal Grant program during a hearing on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

In his opening statement, CSAC Chair Barry Keene ties the quality of education directly to CSAC's mandate to see that Cal Grants are used in a cost-effective manner.

"If the explosion of online learning, and the quality challenges it presents, is not our business, whose business is it? Is it the business only of those institutions to police themselves - to conduct their own oversight of themselves? We need to know what oversight exists...We do not ourselves seek to measure the quality of education delivered to students. But in line with our statutory charge, we need to ask about the reliability of those who do purport to measure that quality."

In February, CSAC conducted a daylong hearing on both the effectiveness and shortcomings of various models in delivering online courses. During the April 26 meeting, CSAC will hear testimony from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the accrediting agency for the majority of Cal Grant-certified institutions that California students attend.

"The February hearing made it very clear that online education is not suitable for all students, and that the quality of programs varies greatly," Keene said. "Taxpayers are trusting us to make sure student aid dollars are used cost-effectively. And employers are relying on the college degree that a job applicant presents to them as evidence of solid achievement."

The invited speakers are expected to talk about the role accreditation plays in providing oversight for distance learning. They include: Ralph Wolff, President, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Barbara Beno, President, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, WASC
The CSAC hearing is designed to spotlight the issues for the public, provide informed advice to lawmakers, and lay the foundation for any needed regulatory measures for the protection of Cal Grants.

The hearing will be conducted at the CalPERS Building, 400 P Street, Room 1190, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 26, 2012.

The California Student Aid Commission is the principal state agency responsible for administering financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California. The Commission distributed over $1.3 billion to California's college students during the 2010-11 academic year through its Cal Grant, specialized and loan forgiveness programs. The Commission also administers financial aid awareness and outreach programs, such as Cal-SOAP and Cash for College, in collaboration with business, private industry and community-based organizations.

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Laureate Online Education B.V. today announced it has entered an agreement with the University of Roehampton, London, for the delivery of online master's degree programs. The new online degree programs, set to launch in the autumn of 2012, will expand access to online higher education for working professionals worldwide. Through this agreement, the University of Roehampton, London, joins the Laureate International Universities network, a global community of more than 60 accredited campus-based and online institutions of higher education with more than 675,000 students in 29 countries.

Located in southwest London, the University of Roehampton offers degrees in business, education, the arts and humanities, social sciences and human and life sciences. The University has a diverse student body, consisting of more than 130 nationalities. Students in the new online programs can earn management-focused degrees, including an MBA, an MSc in Project Management and an MSc in Information Systems Management.

"Through our relationship with the University of Roehampton, London, working adults worldwide will have access to online higher education programs that are designed to meet employer needs in our global economy," said Norman Bloomberg, chief operating officer, Laureate Online Education B.V. "Both the University of Roehampton, London, and Laureate Online Education have much in common, including a shared belief in the ability of education to transform lives and communities. We also share a commitment to student outcomes, to an international approach to higher education, and to programs that are aligned with real-world business needs. We look forward to working with the University of Roehampton, London to develop an online curriculum and student support services that further the University's reputation for delivering these qualities and values."

"We are delighted with this partnership, which means that in the future a great many students around the world will be able to study for a Roehampton degree using the latest technology and online pedagogy," said Professor Paul O'Prey, vice-chancellor of the University of Roehampton. "The move into online, through our partnership with Laureate Online Education, puts the University of Roehampton, London firmly on the map for its use of innovative technologies in educational provision."

About Laureate Online Education B.V.:
Laureate Online Education B.V., is a subsidiary of Laureate Education, Inc., a private company that provides undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs to traditional and adult students worldwide. Laureate Education, Inc., provides its higher education programs through Laureate International Universities, a global network of more than 60 accredited campus-based and online universities serving more than 675,000 students in 29 countries throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, North Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Laureate Online Education B.V. is the exclusive global education partner in delivering online education for the University of Liverpool, Glion Institute of Higher Education and University of Roehampton, London. For more information about Laureate Education, Inc., and the Laureate International Universities network, visit www.laureate.net .

About the University of Roehampton, London:
The University of Roehampton, London, provides a high-quality learning experience in a friendly and supportive environment. The Roehampton ethos sees higher education as an important driver of both personal growth and social change. Roehampton has a proud and distinguished history dating back to the 1840s, its Colleges were also among the first colleges of higher education in the UK to admit women. That tradition of commitment to equality continues to be part of the ethos of Roehampton, which has one of the most diverse communities of students in the UK. Today the University has a broad range of expertise across business, the arts and humanities, social sciences and human and life sciences, at the same time as maintaining its historic strength in education. In an era of globalisation, studying in a community that consists of more than 130 different nationalities prepares graduates to do business with people from around the world. And because Roehampton students are taught directly by academics with national and international reputations for their research, they learn in an environment that is rich in creativity and new ideas.

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PATNA: Even as the Nitish government has been able to bring in considerable improvement in the working of different sectors in the state, higher education is yet to feel the touch of his magical hand.

Academics feel almost all the universities are being run on an ad hoc basis and most teachers and non-teaching staff are involved in litigations. More than half a dozen committees have been constituted by the chancellor and the state government during the last three decades, yet things have only moved from bad to worse. Instead of implementing the recommendations of these committees, the powers that be prefer setting up of a fresh committee.

In the late seventies, the V S Jha University Inquiry Committee, constituted by the then chancellor, A R Kidwai, had suggested widespread reforms in the university. Then in the eighties, another committee headed by the late K N Sahay had also recommended some concrete measures for improving the fiscal system of the universities. Then, on the initiative of the state government, the posts and payscales of teachers and non-teaching staff of all the universities were thoroughly examined by the government auditors between 1991 and 1996 at Patna University Guest House.

Again, in the nineties itself, on the instructions of the Patna high court, a special audit cell of the state government examined the pay and posts of all the teachers and non-teaching staff of all the universities and issued entitlement slip to individual staff. Recently, the government deputed over a dozen auditors in each university for pre-audit work to ensuring fiscal discipline.

Academics have taken strong exception to the recent cabinet decision to set up an estimate committee to assess the number of sanctioned posts and validity of appointments, promotions, pay fixation and payment of arrears in the universities and urged the CM not to allow the bureaucrats to complicate the issues.

Federation of University Teachers' Associations of Bihar (Futab) working president K B Sinha said that instead of settling the claims of teachers and non-teaching staff with regard to payment of their arrears, the government has initiated steps for lingering the matter and harassing the university staff. Constitution of the present committee is aimed at misleading the HC and delaying the release of funds for payment of arrears, he said, adding that a large number of such probe committees have already been constituted by the government without any tangible results.

Bihar State University and College Employees' Federation president Ganga Prasad Jha said by setting up yet another committee, the government wants to intimidate the university staff and delay the payment of their hard-earned money. The government is not interested in streamlining higher education as the process of appointment has been stalled by it through an executive order despite the fact that thousands of posts are lying vacant for the last several years, he added.

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