Chinese student numbers in Australia hit high
The number of international students studying in Australia this year has risen by 13 per cent compared to 2015 numbers. Chinese students accounted for the largest increase with a 23 per cent increase from the previous year, with the total number of Chinese students in universities, colleges and schools reaching 46,400. Now Australia’s third largest export industry and worth nearly $20 billion a year, enrolments by Chinese students represented 29.4 per cent of international students. While Chinese student numbers in Australia are growing at a rapid pace, other markets such as India are showing much slower growth. Click here for the full article.
Chinese emphasis on PE grows
The Chinese Ministry of Education called for the greater emphasis on the overall fitness of tudent by high schools and colleges in their admissions process. As part of this, they are encouraged to consider physical education class attendance, fitness level and on-campus athletic performance. Physical education is not currently assessed as part of the university entrance exams and has been partly blamed for the decline in students’ fitness as tested by the National Fitness Survey released last year. The survey found a decline in key athletic abilities among Chinese students and a continued growth in obesity rates. As yet, there has been no date as to when physical education will be tested as part of university entrance. Click here for the full article.
Pilot Project in Bendigo Confronting STEM Skill Shortages in Primary Educators
Bendigo’s La Trobe University has formed a new partnership with a local science and technology centre aimed at introducing student teachers to STEM programs for their younger students. Senior lecturers in Mathematics and Science Education at the university think that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) should be introduced to students at the Kindergarten stage, or at the least in primary school in order to stimulate interest in the area from a young age. Four schools in Bendigo have signed up to participate in this pilot program, with each school allocated a team of three or four pre-service teachers to work with the class to implement a science and technology unit. Click here for the full article.
First Chinese student to deliver commencement speech at Harvard University
He Jiang, a doctoral student from Central Hunan province is set to become the first Chinese student to deliver a commencement speech at Harvard University on the 26th of May 2016. Famed director Steven Spielberg will also be speaking at the commencement. He Jiang is currently studying biology and was chosen by the prestigious university as the only representative of postgraduates at the commencement ceremony. Click here for the full article.