Universities 'only teaching students four hours a week'
Leading universities have been accused of letting down students by offering as little as four hours teaching a week for some courses. The lack of support is prompting highly qualified students to drop out, a conference was told yesterday.
Daily Telegraph
Student who fled Taleban loses plea for UK visa
A 17-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker who is studying at Oxford University faces deportation after losing his appeal against the Home Office's refusal to extend his visa.
The Independent, The Times
Doctors fear cuts in university training
Clinical departments could disappear as universities are being forced to close them for lack of funding, the British Medical Association said yesterday.
The Times
Pact on degrees 'could knock US off management pedestal'
Universities will come under increasing competition from their counterparts elsewhere in Europe as 40 countries adopt a harmonised degree system, which should see a leap in masters-level courses. The Graduate Management Admissions Council believes the biggest growth will be in masters degrees in management, including those in business administration. It expects to see up to 12,000 graduate management courses flood the market over the next five years.
Financial Times
Graduate milk round may be soured by new legislation
The milk round, the annual visit by big employers to Britain’s universities in search of graduate talent, is under threat because of new European age discrimination laws. The traditional opportunity for university students to polish their shoes and their wits and present themselves to Britain’s leading companies could contravene parts of the new law, due to be introduced in 2006.
The Times
£3,000 blow for trainee teachers
Trainee teachers will be charged up to £3,000 a year in top-up fees from 2006, ministers confirmed yesterday, sparking fears that teacher recruitment could stall.
The Guardian, The Independent
Ucas to get access to pupils' social data
The universities' admissions service is preparing radical changes to its application process so that colleges get more detailed information about the socioeconomic background of prospective students. Under the plan, tutors can obtain figures on the GCSE and A-level pass rate of an applicant's school at the touch of a button, Ucas revealed yesterday, saying it would give them a better idea of applicants' abilities.
The Guardian