Latest news

Benin closes doors after student protest
The University of Benin has been closed indefinitely after violent protests by students allegedly angered by attempts by university authorities to interfere with union elections.   

Floud urges return of student grant
The government should reintroduce student grants urgently to encourage people from poor families to go to university, Roderick Floud, president of Universities UK, told the annual conference of vice-chancellors in Southampton today.

Funding chiefs impose criteria for student bids
University and college funding chiefs are demanding that bids for extra students demonstrate they meet one of four further criteria from next year. They are: expanding high quality in learning and teaching; widening participation by providing vocationally oriented programmes; increasing provision within a region; or meeting skills shortages.

Bilston considers suing council
Former heads of Bilston Community College are considering legal action against further education funding chiefs over false allegations of fraud. The move follows the conclusion of a two-year police investigation, instigated by the Further Education Funding Council, into the college’s financial affairs.

Female longevity may lie in immunity
Women may live longer than men because they gain inner strength from a more powerful immune system, says New Scientist magazine. Researchers at Imperial College School of Medicine found that women produce more infection-fighting white blood cells than men of the same age.  

Aberdeen plays host to Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament will move into Aberdeen University next May when it vacates its Edinburgh premises for the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. Senior parliamentarians have agreed the parliament will sit in the university’s state-of-the-art King’s College conference centre.