The TopUniversities.com guide to the latest higher education news from around the world, on 5 April 2013.
France: Opposition to plans for university teaching in other languages
Plans to allow French universities to teach courses in languages other than French are facing opposition from those keen to protect the French language, University World News reports. Teaching in French is currently compulsory, except for specific foreign language courses, but this is set to change later this year. Minister for higher education Geneviève Fioraso says offering English-taught courses is essential if the country is to meet its target of attracting more foreign students. The Académie Française, official guardian of the language, says the law “promotes marginalization of our language”.
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Denmark: Universities fined for having too many foreign exchange students
Danish universities are being fined some 97.5 million kroner (about US$16.6m) for having more incoming than outgoing exchange students, The Copenhagen Post reports. The government says current regulations, which state that the numbers should be equal, were designed to encourage more Danish students to spend time studying abroad. But universities say the restriction is “frustrating”, meaning they’re being punished for their success in attracting students from other countries.
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Japan/Brazil: Japanese universities to accept 1,300 Brazilian science majors
Japanese universities are set to accept 1,300 Brazilian students in sciences areas, under a new program funded by the Brazilian government, The Japan Times reports. This will include 550 PhD candidates, 350 doctorate candidates on one-year placements and 100 undergraduates. The scheme aims to nurture links between the two countries, with the hope that academic exchange will grow into economic exchange. Some PhD students have already enrolled, and the undergraduate scheme will begin this fall.
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US: Students call on universities to drop fossil fuel investments
Students at more than 300 US universities have joined a campaign calling on universities to get rid of investments in fossil fuel companies, Bloomberg reports. However, even universities which have made strong commitments on environmental issues are likely to find this challenging, as for many, investment portfolios are a major source of funding and not something they’re keen on changing. While more than 660 universities have signed a commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions, barely any have made commitments about investment policy.
What are universities doing on environmental issues?
US & Canada: Universities criticized for doing too little on ‘neglected diseases’
A study of top research universities in the US and Canada is highly critical of the percentage of funding allocated for research into diseases which tend to be neglected by the private sector, IPS reports. These ‘neglected diseases’ include paediatric HIV/AIDS, malaria, multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis and tropical illnesses such as sleeping sickness, and altogether affect more than a billion people. The University Global Health Impact Report Card, which looked at 54 universities’ research budgets for 2010, found that less than 3% of research funding was allocated to these diseases – despite high demand from students keen to make a difference.