Last year’s reopening of Cote d’Ivoire’s universities was a grand affair, turning the page on a bloody leadership crisis that had forced their closure with new lecture halls, added student housing and sprawling sports fields.

But two semesters in, student discontent is back on the boil, with questions arising over whether the funds in the overhaul were well spent.

Higher Education Minister Ibrahima Cisse Bacongo felt the full force of student fury early last week when hundreds of them caused him to beat a hasty retreat under a hail of rocks.

“Bacongo is a thief” and “Bacongo is a liar” the students shouted on a visit by the minister to Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny University in the commercial capital’s chic north.

The universities were ravaged during the 2010-11 political crisis which left 3,000 people dead as former president Laurent Gbagbo refused to concede defeat at the polls to his rival Alassane Ouattara.

In the four months of violence that swept the world’s top cocoa producer, campuses were engulfed in clashes between rival student groups.  The Ouattara government says Gbagbo’s supporters manipulated students to foment the violence.

Pro-Ouattara media have pointed the finger at the Student Federation of Cote d’Ivoire (FESCI), a powerful youth group that backed Gbagbo’s 2000-10 regime. At the height of its power, there was an explosion of campus violence and alleged racketeering by FESCI members.

Opposition newspapers for their part depict the violence as a student revolt against President Ouattara.

Student unions

Almost as soon as he took office in April 2011, Ouattara closed the universities to launch the major overhaul costing some 110 billion CFA francs (167 million euros, $215 million).

“A new starts, a complete break with the past,” the president said as he re-inaugurated one of Cote d’Ivoire’s five faculties last September.

“When we saw the facilities, we were happy: the buildings were freshly painted, there was air-conditioning in the lecture halls, the lawns were beautiful,” law student Gaoussou Diabate said.

“But the facilities had barely begun to be used before we were disappointed,” added Diabate, who is also a spokesman for Cote d’Ivoire’s national student alliance.

Students now complain of overcrowded classes and a lack of classrooms — some classes are held outdoors — and insufficient transport. Student unions say several people have been injured, and that some have even died, in the chaos that erupts when a bus stops outside campus.

“They sold us a dream,” Diabate said. “There are power outages, microphones don’t work … and there are no (water) fountains on campus.”

Although the government insists the reconstruction work is still underway, some students blame greedy officials for the situation, accusing them of helping themselves to some of the funds earmarked for the universities.

“It takes a second to see where those [CFA] 110 billion went,” literature student Armand Kakou said.

Education ministry official Krou Adohi pleaded for patience, saying: “We haven’t even used half” of the funds yet. According to Adohi, the work is expected to be completed by the start of the next academic year.

But the attack on the minister was followed by clashes later in the week between student groups at Abidjan’s two universities that left several injured, according to witnesses.

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France’s lower house approved a plan to allow more courses to be taught in English at French universities, despite concerns that such a move might undermine efforts to promote the French language.

The full bill is expected to be approved in the Assembly and the upper house Senate, where the ruling Socialists and their allies have majorities. The vote followed two hours of heated debate, with lawmakers from the main right-wing opposition UMP saying the measure threatens France’s identity.

“A people that speaks a foreign language more and more loses its identity piece by piece,” said Jacques Myard of the UMP.

However Socialist MP Thierry Mandon called the controversy “a storm in a teacup.”

The aim of the measure is to improve the employability of French young people but also to increase the number of foreign students at France’s universities from 12 percent of the total to 15 percent by 2020.

Supporters argue that in an increasingly competitive global market for higher education, if some lectures and teaching take place in English, more foreign students will be attracted to French universities. They will then inevitably improve their French while studying in France.

France’s prestigious and highly selective Grandes Ecoles, which are separate from the less selective university system, already deliver strands of their courses in English, as do many business schools.

30 per cent of students who study outside their home country choose the United States, while 18 per cent choose Britain. France hopes to improve on its current figure of 11 per cent.

Several unions, some public figures and the influential Académie Française, set up in 1635 to regulate and protect the French language, condemned the measure.

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More than 50 staff from Sheffield’s two universities has been dismissed in the last three years, new figures show.

The University of Sheffield dismissed 33 employees, and Sheffield Hallam University 21, between 2009 and 2012.

Information obtained through The Star’s Your Right to Know campaign shows the majority of dismissals at Sheffield Hallam were over conduct or attendance.

One was for breach of contract and two failed probationary periods.

Phillip Dixon, human resources director, said the figure of 21 staff represented around 0.1 per cent of the total university workforce per year.

He added: “It is important to emphasise the university takes its responsibility in this area very seriously and, where dismissal decisions have been necessary, they have only been exercised after a great deal of care and consideration. While we are we are committed to resolving issues informally where possible, it is important we can effectively address issues around conduct or capability to maintain our high standards of performance.”

At The University of Sheffield, 15 staff were dismissed over conduct and eight for capability. The remainder came under the category ‘some other substantial reason’.

A spokesman said: “The university employs more than 6,000 staff and is committed to developing a culture of excellence, collaboration, innovation, commitment and respect. We believe we can succeed only by creating the right environment where every person can flourish and is supported.”

Both employers said procedures were thorough, impartial and agreed with trade unions.

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Applications are open for well known KAAD Scholarships for students of developing countries. Each year, these scholarships are awarded to students for pursuing master’s degree, PhD or for a post-doctoral research project (2-6 months for established university lecturers) at a German university. There is no specific subject-preference. Applicants have to request through filling a questionnaire and sending it to the KAAD offices for applying these scholarships. Applications for the September selection need to be complete by end of June. 

Study: There is no specific subject-preference. However, the selection board has often given preference to courses and subjects that they felt to be of significance for the home country of the applicant. This holds true especially for subjects of PhD-theses. There is therefore a certain leaning towards “development oriented” studies – this does however not mean that other fields (cultural, philosophic, linguistic, etc.) cannot be of significance for a country and are ruled out.

Course Level: These scholarships are for pursuing master’s degree or a PhD at a German university or do a post-doctoral research project (2-6 months for established university lecturers) at a German university.

Scholarship by: KAAD

Location: Germany

Eligibility: For the scholarship programme 1 of KAAD you can apply if you:

-come from a developing or emerging country in Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America

-have a university degree and professional experience from your home country

-want to acquire a master’s degree or a PhD at a German university or do a post-doctoral research project (2-6 months for established university lecturers) at a German university

-are a Catholic Christian (or general belong to a Christian denomination). Candidates from other religions can apply if they are proposed by Catholic partners and can prove their commitment to interreligious dialogue

-possess German language skills before starting the studies (KAAD can provide a language course of max. 6 months in Germany). 

Scholarship Open for: The students from a developing or emerging countries of Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon and Nigeria (Africa), Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and China (Asia), Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Syria (the Middle East) or Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil (Latin America) can apply for these scholarships. 

Scholarship Description: The KAAD Scholarship Program 1 is addressed to post-graduates and to academics who already gained professional experience and who are interested in postgraduate studies (or research stays) in Germany. This program is administered by regional partner committees, staffed by university professors and church representatives. Normally documents are submitted to the committee of the applicant’s home country.

Apply: The first request is placed through filling the application questionnaire and sending it to the KAAD offices. Normally documents are submitted to the committee of the applicant’s home country. In the course of the application process, more documents need to be provided by the applicant and the KAAD-Partner-Committees are involved. If the pre-selection process has been positive for the applicant, the application is passed on to an independent selection board, which sits twice per year (in March and in September).

Deadline: Applications for the September selection need to be complete by end of June. Many times, applicants get admission letters (especially for Master-courses) only when these deadlines have passed. In these cases, the university has to be asked to defer the admission to the next academic year. Applications can be made already before admission letters are received. However at the end of the application process, the applicant needs to show either an admission letter or a confirmation by the university that they are eligible for the course and that the application has been received and being processed. 

Further Information: http://kaad.de/1/scholarships/scholarship-program-1/

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Higher Education Commission (HEC) has decided not to recognise the degrees issued by the universities or institutes which are operating without having the formal No Objection Certificate (NOC) from HEC. An official of HEC told APP that the decision has been taken in light of Judgment passed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

HEC has advised the students and their parents to ensure the status of the university or institute from the website of the Higher Education Commission before seeking admission, the official said.

These institutions are advised to approach HEC for grant of NOC before initiating any academic activity including admission in any degree programme. HEC has identified eight private universities/institutes which have been granted charter by the respective authorities without fulfilling the cabinet criteria for establishment of new university/degree awarding institute including NOC from HEC.

HEC will not recognize any degree/certificate of the universities including My University, Islamabad, The Dar-ul-Madina International University, Islamabad, South Asian Strategic Institute University, Islamabad, Capital University, Islamabad, Pakistan Institute of Management, Karachi, Habib University Foundation, Karachi, Nazeer Hussain University, Karachi and Lal Shahbaz University, Karachi. The Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognizes degrees of 146 universities/institutions from public and private sector in the country.

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The Board of Regents is following up on its promise of freezing tuition at Iowa’s public universities now that an education budget is in the books.

The board says the undergraduate tuition freeze, which will be applied for the 2013-2014 school year, will be the first in 30 years.

The Legislature approved the $897 million higher education budget last week. It increases the board’s budget by 2.6 percent – or $12 million – which is something officials said was needed for the freeze to happen.

The budget also gives $10 million to the University of Northern Iowa.

Interim Board President Bruce Rastetter called the budget a testament to the Legislature and “the value these institutions provide.”

The Iowa Legislature adjourned its session Thursday.

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Forty-one Carleton University researchers and 39 graduate students have been awarded funds from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for 2013.

These awards cover research in fields ranging from cognitive science and environmental studies to physics and computer science and are made up of NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships. The funding covers Carleton projects over a span from one to five years and totals more than $7.5 million.

“Canadians are taking notice of the cutting-edge research being conducted at Carleton and we are attracting some of the best new scholars in the world,” said Kim Matheson, vice-president, Research and International. “Our NSERC funding is fundamental to maintaining the momentum we have built doing practical research aimed at addressing the issues of today and anticipating the concerns of tomorrow.”

Carleton researchers and projects that have been recognized include:
* Elyn Humphreys from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies received $240,000 to study changes in Arctic permafrost ecosystems that are shifting due to a warming climate. The results of her study will directly improve Canada’s climate change modeling.

* Paul Van Oorschot from the School of Computer Science received $220,000 to study geometric data structures and how patterns can be effectively used to speed up query times and reduce storage requirements.

* Ian Beausoleil Morrison from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering was awarded $225,000 to study innovative energy systems for housing. Despite advances in building codes and regulations, equipment efficiencies and construction practices, there has been a 13 per cent increase in energy consumption due to single-family housing in the past two decades.

* Nicola Santoro from the School of Computer Science received $220,000 to study distributed computing and mobility. Her research explores open security problems involving Internet authentication, secure software installation and the security of mobile devices. The goal is to design new mechanisms that improve Internet security.

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DAAD is offering scholarships for two German-Egyptian Master degree programs. The Joint Master in Heritage Conservation and Site Management is offered at BTU Cottbus / Helwan University and joint M.A. Program in Comparative & Middle East Politics and Society(CMEPS) is offered at Eberhard Karls-University Tübingen / American University in Cairo (AUC). Student must have bachelor’s degree in the area of Political Science, Social Sciences and Middle East Studies. English proficiency is required for students of Arab region. 

About Scholarship: Within the framework of the Transformation Partnership the DAAD promotes the development and implementation of two German-Egyptian Master degree programs in Heritage Conservation and Site Management and Comparative & Middle East Politics and Society. 

Study: Master program in Heritage Conservation and Site Management and Comparative & Middle East Politics and Society

Course Level: Master’s degree level at BTU Cottbus / Helwan University and Eberhard Karls-University Tübingen / American University in Cairo (AUC)

Scholarship By: DAAD

Location: Germany and Egypt 

Eligibility:

-TOEFL minimum of 90 points (iTB) or another comparable test

- Bachelor degree in a relevant study field

- The university’s degree (Bachelor‘s degree) should not be older than 6 years.

-Completion of the Bachelor’s degree with an above average result (upper third performance level).

- Fulfillment of all eligibility criteria of the University of Tübingen and the AUC.

Scholarship Open for: Applications are open to participants from the following countries: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. 

Duration: Scholarships are offered for 2 years, starting winter semester 2013/2014 

Value: For master program in Comparative & Middle East Politics and Society: The DAAD awards a monthly scholarship of € 400 (semesters in Egypt) and € 750 (3rd semester in Germany = winter semester 2014/15). For master program in Heritage Conservation and Site Management: The DAAD awards a monthly scholarship of € 400 (1st, 3rd and 4th semester in Egypt) and €750 (for the 2nd semester in Germany = summer semester 2014). The scholarship also includes health insurance and insurance for accident and personal liability for the semester spent in Germany; additionally a health insurance will be provided for the semesters in Egypt. Furthermore, the DAAD pays a subsidy towards the travel expenses. Please note that no other subsidy will be paid (e.g. family subsidies). 

Selection Criteria: Aside from the study achievements and the academic quality of the applicant, the most important selection criterion will be a convincing personal presentation of his/her professional and personal motivation for participating in this program. The candidate has to introduce himself/herself personally to a committee consisting of professors and DAAD representatives. 

Apply: Please send your electronic application to: internationaladmission-at-tu-cottbus.de for applying to BTU Cottbus / Helwan University and cmeps-at-aucegypt.edu for applying the Eberhard Karls-University Tübingen / American University in Cairo (AUC). Documents needed for scholarship application are as follows:

-Hand-signed DAAD application form “Application for Research Grants and Study Scholarships”

Please select other Programmes!

-Hand-signed CV (please use the europass specimen form)

-Hand-signed letter of motivation (with reference to current occupation) with precise description of the academic/professional and personal reasons for wishing to participate in this programme.

-Two recommendation letters from your university; please use this form. Additionally a recommendation letter of a former employee can be submitted as well.

-Proof of language abilities in English (e.g. TOEFL 80 points or comparable) and if applicable German or Arabic.

-Certified copies of awarded academic degrees; school leaving certificate, transcripts

-Certified of admission for the study programme (can be submitted up until the start of the scholarship)

-Explanation of the grading system

-Copy of the passport. 

Deadline: 15th June, 2013

Further Information: http://cairo.daad.de/

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China unveiled a plan to support universities in its less developed central and western regions, with these institutions having been left behind by peers in the country’s richer coastal areas.

The ministries of education and finance along with the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top planning agency, jointly issued the plan designed to help strengthen the faculties and facilities of universities in central and western China before 2020.

Government authorities plan to inject 10 billion yuan (around 1.62 billion U.S. dollars) between 2012 and 2015 into 100 higher education institutions where bachelor degree programs are available in those regions, according to the official document.

Zhang Daliang, head of the higher education department under the Ministry of Education, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the relative weakness of these universities has created a bottleneck for higher education development in central and western China. He said it was an urgent matter to shore up strength in this regard.

Currently, the number of on-campus students studying for bachelor degrees or junior college qualifications in central and western China account for 65.5 percent of the total nationwide.

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The University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA) has recently formed a partnership with two universities in Cuba, namely Universidad de La Habana, one of the three largest universities in Cuba, and Instituto Superior Politecnico Jose Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE), the largest technical university of Cuba.

To sign these agreements, the Rector of the UNA, Dr. Francis de Lanoy, and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the UNA, Mr. Wilfred Flocker, traveled to Havana. The agreements were signed on Monday, May 13, 2013. At the signing of the cooperation agreement with the Universidad de La Habana the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr Norbert Braakhuis, was present.

In Havana there were in depth discussions conducted between the rectors and professors n order to come to concrete implementation of the cooperation on short term. The agreement allows for the exchange of students and teachers, professors for supervising PhD students and research, joint research and exchange of study. In the framework of activating its Faculty of Medicine, the UNA delegation also held exploratory talks with Cuban authorities for Cuban technical and scientific support for this faculty. The UNA wants with the activation of its faculty, support the medical education in Curaçao and where possible, diversify.

The new building of the Embassy of Netherlands in Cuba was also inaugurated on Monday, May 13, 2013. To the Rector of the UNA was the honor, in connection with the signing of cooperation agreements, to hold a speech and cut the ribbon together with the Director-General for Political Affairs, Dr. Charles J. G. van Oosterom.

The working visit to Cuba can be called a success for sure. The UNA is confident that there will be a strong collaboration with local universities actually bear fruit.

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