Breaking barriers, building bridges through the Gateway

“Nearly all Pakistani vice-chancellors, rectors and senior higher education leaders have received training in the UK since 2010”

A recent study has revealed that University College London generated £9.9 billion of economic impact across the UK in 2018/19. This equates to the trade boost delivered by the 2012 London Olympics. According to the UCL management, this could only be achieved in collaboration with the varsity’s partners as 77% of UCL’s academic partners are based outside London.

Nothing exists in a vacuum, and higher education is no exception. This stands true for the tertiary education sector in Pakistan.

While the sector is growing fast – with more than 230 universities across Pakistan – the challenges of equitable access, quality and relevance continue to remind us of the potential this sector could possibly unleash and contribute back to society and the economy. A well-connected higher education sector can co-create, curate and cross-pollinate ideas, knowledge, experience, skills and learning across multiple platforms, and hence it is breathing, alive and always open for new interventions.

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The challenges and opportunities of a strong dollar for international students

“Students should also be reminded that loans are only one option to fund their overseas education”

With the US dollar now worth nearly as much as the euro, you might be looking forward to your next Italian vacation. But the same economic trend poses both a challenge and an opportunity for students from around the world.

The Indian rupee has fallen by 6% since January, and the Chinese yuan hit a record low in July. Other countries are experiencing similar trends – though perhaps none worse than Sri Lanka, whose rupee has fallen by half since March. This means that students from these countries could encounter a major financial shortfall when it’s time to pay tuition.

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Using edtech to develop the voice of the next generation

“Edtech platforms that enable young people to collaborate and share their opinions and ideas hold immense potential in facilitating student development”

In June, Qatar Foundation’s LEAPS 2022 Summit saw education experts from around the world come together to share insight on future-proofing and progressing education by disrupting traditional learning methods. Through the focus of re-imaging education, conversations shed light on the need to prioritise teaching both creativity and kindness in lessons, not just traditional subject matters.

A key facilitator of this type of teaching is edtech, which provides platforms for students to develop their own voice and abilities, together with others in online communities.

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The secret to rebuilding study abroad: case study in Ireland’s Phobal

“As we dust ourselves off, we find ourselves trying to embrace and rebuild study abroad in a new way”

Study abroad isn’t what it used to be.

With the collapse of many programs and the seat-of-your pants decisions to cancel, withdraw, shift, digitise, and more in the last two years, many study abroad programs were forced to reduce staff and/or create efficiencies and alternatives to students’ amplifying experiences in the world. Karin Fischer gives a strong voice to the stress and devastation of Covid on study abroad offices in her Chronicle of Higher Education article, raising more questions for the field of international education about our future, and the student experience.

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Designing for a rapidly changing world

“To develop the education paradigm, we should look more to our physical environments”

Some 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist. Designing learning environments for an unknown future call for flexibility, says learning space creator Rosan Bosch.

The lifespan of knowledge and skills acquired in school continues to shrink. Science and technology evolve in a pace that constantly push our global work force to become more adaptable and agile, and despite of this fact schools still have the same layout that was developed for rote learning.

The layout of schools resembles the layout of prisons. Instead, schools should be flexible and encourage different ways of learning.

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The recent fall in the value of the Indian rupee has significantly impacted students’ plans to study abroad

“With the cost of education and living expenses on the rise, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to afford a quality education”

The rupee has been on a downward spiral for the past few months and hit a new low against the US dollar last week. This has caused many students and parents to rethink their plans for studying abroad, writes Prajwal Ikhar, co-founder of EduCred India.

The cost of studying in the US has always been high, but the rupee’s recent depreciation has become even more expensive. Besides the US, the cost of studying in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada has increased by at least 10% in the last few months. But for students planning to study in the US, the pain is too much as they are now facing a 20-30% increase in the cost of their education. This is a major deterrent for students who have plans to study abroad.

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Why getting the university digital experience right will attract more international students

“Students expect their university’s digital experiences to be as good as services like Facebook, Amazon or Netflix”

Historically a strong university brand has to a certain extent guaranteed student numbers and in turn high National Student Survey scores, but for the current TikTok generation of students who expect high-quality and personalised digital experiences in every aspect of their lives, their education is no exception.

Yet despite the Covid pandemic accelerating the move to digital, most UK universities are still not offering what students would regard as ‘state of the art’ digital experiences. The result – a digital experience gap between what students expect from their universities and what is being offered.

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New minimum standards for boarding schools – view from the Guardianship sector…

“Key commercial organisations in the sector agree that closer collaboration will be needed between schools and guardians once the new standards are in place”

The Department for Education’s updated National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools will come into effect from September 5 2022 and apply to boarding schools in England.

The document contains 23 Standards across all areas of governance, including: boarding provision; health and wellbeing; safeguarding & health and safety. One of the major changes of the updated NMS is a new standard dedicated to educational guardians.

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Higher education needs international student engagement more than ever – and the solution is clear

“Set up right, chatbots in higher education can handle over 80% of all queries”

International student engagement is crucial to higher education, from the first touch to the last. Each interaction is vital – from engaging with prospective students to support admission targets, to connecting with current students to ensure they feel supported and don’t add to the worryingly-high dropout rates.

However, many departments are struggling to connect with international students, and it’s having a clear and damaging effect. In the 2020-21 academic year, the number of international students at US colleges fell by 15%, according to the Institute of International Education and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Reimagining university life: how operational leaders are creating the post-Covid campus

“University chief operating officers had an opportunity to rapidly transform operations and find new ways to partner with their executive peers”

Across the globe, universities are planning for a post-pandemic future. Many university chief operating officers are thinking about what the bricks-and-mortar campus should look like if hybrid teaching becomes the norm.

If students are hesitant to return to packed lectures in large theatres and staff are unwilling to commute five days a week, how should universities use their campuses? And how can operational leaders support faculty and students as they research, teach and learn in new ways?

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