Latest update: 23/03/2011

- China - education - France - university

Chinese university students fail to make the French grade

Many Chinese university students who are unable to make the grade to enter Chinese, US and UK universities are flooding France. And French educational authorities worry these inferior students are dragging the country's standards down.

FOCUS

Programme prepared by Kate Williams, Marie Billon and Patrick Lovett

23/05/2012 - CANADA

Students in Quebec march against tuition fee hike

Student protests in the Canadian province Quebec are into their fourth month. Hundreds were arrested at marches to mark 100 days since the protests began. Students are demonstrating against an 80 percent rise in tuition fees in Quebec, the Canadian province that has until now enjoyed the country's lowest rates for higher education.

23/05/2012 - EGYPT

Egyptians head to the polls

Egyptians go to the polls in the country's first truly contested presidential election on Wednesday. With an array of candidates to choose from, voters will decide who's the best man to lead them through the last phase of the country's troubled democratic transition that began with Egypt's revolution in January last year. Cairo correspondents Kathryn Stapley and Sonia Dridi talked to some of the activists whose protests in Tahrir Square changed the course of Egypt's history.

22/05/2012 - EGYPT

A troubling time for Egypt's Coptic Christians

Egyptians go to the polls tomorrow to vote for a new president for the first time since Hosni Mubarak was ousted during the revolution last year. Two of the front-runners in the presidential race with a realistic chance of winning are devout Islamists, which is troubling for Egypt's Coptic Christians. They are Egypt's largest religious minority and many of them don't think any of the candidates are capable of protecting them from the religious violence that has been steadily increasing.

22/05/2012 - WEST BANK

'The Battle of the Empty Stomachs'

Palestinians nicknamed it "the battle of the empty stomachs". For weeks, 1,600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails refused food and drink in what became the longest ever mass hunger strike. Israel finally capitulated and a deal was reached, allowing those in isolation back onto the general wards, and visas for those family members wishing to visit from Gaza. In exchange, prisoners agreed not to carry out "security activities" such as recruiting for terrorist missions.

21/05/2012 - SERBIA

Serbia's new president - nationalist or not?

Serbia has elected a new president - and it's not the one that most people were expecting. Tomislav Nikolic has unseated Boris Tadic, the man in power since 2004. Observers are worried about the new head of state, who used to be part of the ultra-nationalist Radical Party. He once said he would prefer to be allied with Russia than join the EU, but he has since toned down the rhetoric, saying he will take Serbia to Europe after all.

Comments (4)

Chinese government should step up with higher education reform

by Anonyme - 06/07/2011 - 23:42

I think China should just improve the standards of their universities if a foreign education is seen as "more valuable". The government over there should make higher education more accessible to families across the income range. Also the implication of the one child policy often means that children are either extremely spoilt and somewhat lazy or are constantly under pressure to please their children so a division is created between the 'cream of the crop' and the less motivated students. I personally think that the Chinese government is doing a great disservice to its students by letting foreign institutions do the tough job of educating the uninterested and from taxpayers' money as well.

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I've taught in the US and in

by Anonyme - 09/06/2011 - 09:59

I've taught in the US and in Europe at the university level and I'm currently teaching in a Chinese college. I'm shocked by the low level of the students and it seems the worst of the lot fancy they will go abroad to continue their "studies" (which currently consist of sleeping in class, texting on their phone, and laughing at the teacher who is trying to put something into their empty skulls.) The problem is that due to the Shanghai student's high PISA result, the stereotype is being perpetuated of the brilliant Asian student, full of Confucian love of learning. The reality on the ground is far from the stereotype, as I and many other foreign teachers in China have learned. I'm not a sociologist and don't know the reasons behind it, but many of these Chinese "students" are sub-par academically, have little thirst for learning, and should be politely kept away from Western colleges, and even from Chinese "colleges" assuming the latter had any shame for their admissions practices.

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expected

by Anonyme - 11/01/2011 - 20:00

This is happening in Canada too. In the past Chinese and Indian students to the west came from the crop of their respective countries. Now the ordinary citizens are coming in and not living up to their predecessors expectations.

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Ryan

by Anonyme - 11/01/2011 - 09:54

I'd be far more worried about the Muslims and African immigrants dragging down the countries education standards.

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