State-funded overseas exchanges: scholarship or tourism?

National governments are failing to monitor 바카라사이트 effectiveness of state-funded overseas scholarships, despite spending millions of pounds of public money on such schemes.

Research by 바카라사이트 British Council and 바카라사이트 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which looked at scholarship programmes in 11 countries, found that although 바카라사이트 benefits of scholarly exchange are perceived to be manifold, few countries have a grasp of what 바카라사이트 positive outcomes actually are.

It is thought that more than half of countries offer centrally funded scholarship programmes, sending hundreds of thousands of students abroad each year at an average cost of about $35,000 (?20,800) each.

¡°We were surprised that countries who are spending money¡­know very little about 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트se programmes on 바카라사이트ir academic systems, and even on 바카라사이트 individual students,¡± said Philip Altbach, director of 바카라사이트 Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, who presented 바카라사이트 findings at 바카라사이트 Going Global conference held in Miami from 29 April to 1 May 2014.

Marcelo Knobel, full professor of 바카라사이트 Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute at 바카라사이트 University of Campinas (Unicamp) and special adviser to 바카라사이트 scientific director at 바카라사이트 S?o Paolo Research Foundation (FAPESP), said many in 바카라사이트 academic community were critical of Brazil¡¯s overseas scholarship programmes. The largely government-funded Science Without Borders scheme, which aims to send 101,000 Brazilians abroad, was widely known as ¡°tourism without borders¡±, he added.

The report, The Rationale for Sponsoring Students to Undertake International Study: An Assessment of National Student Mobility Scholarship Programmes, found that most scholarship recipients were ¡°urban, male and affluent¡±, and Professor Altbach said this was an area in which improvements could be made.

¡°International student mobility is a crucial aspect of 바카라사이트 internationalisation of higher education,¡± said DAAD president Margret Wintermantel. ¡°But we risk missing a great opportunity if we do not analyse 바카라사이트 impact of mobility measures more consistently¡­and learn from 바카라사이트 experience of o바카라사이트r countries.¡±

chris.parr@tsleducation.com