Today's news

Clinton heads Oxford chancellor wish list
Bill Clinton, who has made no secret of his love for Oxford and whose daughter is a student there, may be asked to stand for chancellor of the university to succeed Lord Jenkins of Hillhead. The death of Lord Jenkins on Sunday leaves vacant the chancellorship for only the fourth time in 70 years. Sixty-thousand Oxford graduates will vote for his successor. With just 50 graduate supporters required for any nomination, the way is open for Britain’s most intriguing intellectual election campaign this year. The ballot is expected to be held in March.
(Times, Financial Times)

Paris university halts Israeli boycott
Paris VI university last night dropped plans to call for a boycott of Israeli academia after hundreds of demonstrators, including some of France's best known intellectuals, gathered to denounce the move as "execrable" and "worse than extremist". Paris VI said its official policy of cooperation with Israel had not changed despite a vote by its administrative council, at a poorly attended meeting shortly before Christmas, that demanded an end to all Israeli-European research and educational exchanges.
(Guardian)

A-level distinction idea dropped
The government has dropped its plan to introduce a new distinction award at A-level because of fears that it would devalue other grades. The decision to abandon the scheme brings a reprieve for the new advanced extension awards that Labour introduced for 17 subjects last year. There were only 7,000 entries for the new "super A-level" awards, which replaced special papers.
(Daily Telegraph)

Sixth-formers feel cheated by top-up fees
Top-up fees, a graduate tax, or something else? As the government's verdict is awaited, a group of sixth-formers and parents at one typical Hertfordshire school comment.
(Guardian)

Cambridge stalker detained
A student expelled from Cambridge University for harassing a fellow undergraduate was behind bars yesterday for continuing to stalk her. Azeem Malik, 22, was initially suspended and then sent down last year from King's College, where he was reading mathematics, for persistently harassing Natalie Soule, 21, by visiting her flat and bombarding her with telephone calls and text messages. He will be sentenced later this month.
(Daily Telegraph)

Small businesses get university help
Businesses still struggling to understand the internet and other recent technological developments will find help at the University of Warwick's new business centre. The National B2B centre, a partnership between leading companies, offers guidance and solutions to small business problems.
Details: www.nb2bc.co.uk

Malaysia brings English back to school
Malaysia put the language of its old colonial master back into the heart of its education system yesterday, almost 30 years after expelling it. For decades, schools for the country's different communities have taught in Malay, Chinese or Tamil, but now all maths and science classes will be in English.
(Daily Telegraph)