The American International Recruitment Council is deeply concerned by the senseless war in Ukraine and saddened over its impact on the Ukrainian people and others in the region. We support our members with staff, colleagues, partners, students and friends who are impacted by this tragic situation. And we stand with our AIRC member institutions and agencies who recruit and support Ukrainian students to pursue their dream of studying in the United States.
AIRC supports the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration call for Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken to issue a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation and announce Special Student Relief (SSR) for Ukrainian nationals residing or studying in the United States. As the President’s Alliance noted, “TPS provides work permits and protection from deportation for those from designated countries who cannot safely return to their home country. SSR provides additional flexibility and relief for Ukrainian international students, preventing them from losing their F-1 status. There are 104,618 Ukrainian non-citizens in the United States who could benefit from TPS…and TPS and SSR would protect…nearly 2,000 F-1 Ukrainian international students.”
AIRC’s community is dedicated to the ideals of international education and its ability to foster global understanding. Keeping this goal in mind is more important now than ever before. Thank you to the AIRC community for all that you do to forge mutual understanding between individuals, communities, and nations.
National Education Policy 2020 (Snapshot)
Regulatory Body in India
Ministry of Human Resource Development is the apex body of School Education & Higher Education in India. It has been renamed as the Ministry of Education.
Latest development in the education sector in India
The National Education Policy 2020 was announced by the Ministry of Education. It replaces the 34 year old National Policy on Education of 1986. The ministry has released a framework policy document for now, a copy of which is attached in the end.
Major changes brought about in School Education
● Existing 10+2 Curricular and Pedagogical Structure changed to 5+3+3+4.
Foundational (3 years of preschool + Grades 1-2), Preparatory (Grades 3- 5), Middle (Grades 6-8), and High school (Grades 9-12 in two phases, i.e. 9 and 10 in the first and 11 and 12 in the second) stages respectively, with an option of exiting at Class 10 and re-entering in the next phase.
No Rigid Separation between Arts & Sciences, between Curricular and extra-curricular activities, between Vocational and Academic streams
Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships
Board Examination will be Low Stakes, Based on Knowledge Application
360 degree Holistic Progress Card of Child
Every Child will come out of School adept in at least one Skill
National Testing Agency (NTA) to offer Common Entrance Exam for Admission to higher education institutions within India
Major changes brought about in Higher Education
Higher Education curriculum to have Flexibility of Subjects
Holistic and Multidisciplinary Education -Flexibility of Subjects
Multiple Entry / Exit
UG Program - 3 or 4 year
PG Program - 1 or 2 year
Integrated 5 year Bachelor’s / Master’s
Multiple Entry / Exit to be allowed with appropriate certification
Academic Bank of Credits to be established to facilitate Transfer of Credits
Affiliation System in India to be phased out in 15 years with graded autonomy to colleges (currently all higher-ed colleges in India are affiliated with a university and the degrees are awarded in the name of the affiliated universities)
Single Regulator for Higher Education (excluding Legal and Medical) against the current multiple regulatory bodies
Public Investment in Education Sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest
National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture
Internationalization of Education
India should be promoted as a global study destination providing premium education at affordable costs and restore its role as a Viswa Guru (World Teacher).
High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries.
Impact on Recruitment from India
The board exams happening at the end of grades 10th & 12th will remain happening as it is. Only change is that the board exams will test core concepts and application of knowledge.
Students will have flexibility in choosing subjects
No Rigid Separation between Arts & Sciences, between Curricular and extra-curricular activities, between Vocational and Academic streams
Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships
Students will be able to focus on their subjects of choice. This will provide clarity on choosing their fields at the higher-ed level.
Students interested in pursuing higher education outside India will have the flexibility to take subjects of their choice well in advance.
Impact on academic partnerships with Indian institutions
Select universities (e.g., those from among the top 100 universities in the world) will be permitted to operate in India. A legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place, and such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India.
Research collaboration and student exchanges between the Indian institutions and global institutions will be promoted through special efforts.
Credits acquired in foreign universities will also be permitted to be counted for the award of a degree.
Conclusion
Built on the foundational pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability, this
policy is aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and aims to transform India into a vibrant knowledge society and global knowledge superpower by making both school and college education more holistic, flexible, multidisciplinary, suited to 21st century needs and aimed at bringing out the unique capabilities of each student.
Internationalization of education being a separate point mentioned in the document is an encouraging step to promote research and academic collaborations among institutions across borders. This will not only take India to the global platform but also help institutions from outside India to widen their outreach efforts in India. Overall a win-win situation for all.
Please access the document released by the Ministry of Education here: Link
For full PDF file download here
Originally Posted on Aug, 1, 2020 by Simpled.
What you should know about the Thrive Act 2021
To Recap:
The U.S. Congress recently passed the THRIVE Act, which updates Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) training and education policies and programs. An overarching goal of this new legislation is to improve veteran employment and codify the VA’s Principles of Excellence program through amendments to the Isakson-Roe Act. One amendment limits “providing a commission, bonus or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on success in securing enrollments or financial aid to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting or admission activities or in making decisions regarding award of financial assistance.”
This new language is clearly not in alignment with the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended, codified at 20 USC 1094(a)(20), which allows incentive compensation for the recruitment of “foreign students residing in foreign countries who are not eligible to receive Federal student assistance.” Because U.S. institutions receive funding for helping to educate veterans through the GI bill, there is concern that the THRIVE Act may impact GI bill funding to institutions if incentive compensation is paid for the recruitment of any student, including international students.
AIRC is now working with other associations and groups to call for corrections to the THRIVE Act. As an AIRC member, your institution has an important role to play.
How AIRC Members Can Help? Act Now:
AIRC members can play an important role on this issue through the following steps:
1. Review information on NAFSA’s website: https://www.nafsa.org/regulatory-information/thrive-act-veterans-benefits-provision-poses-unexpected-challenge-use
2. If you work at a U.S. higher education institution, speak with your institution’s federal relations officer about the potential impact of this legislation on your institution. Explain the specific impact on the recruitment of foreign students.
3. Ask the federal relations officer to reach out to the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to request a technical correction be made that aligns the THRIVE Act with the language included in the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, codified at 20 USC 1094(a)(20).
Below are links to the members of both the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs. It is particularly important for members in states that have representatives on one or both committees to reach out to the Committee members.
Senate Committee Members: https://www.veterans.senate.gov/
House Committee Members: https://veterans.house.gov/about/members
Talking Points When Reaching Out to Committee Members:
1. Emphasize the economic impact that international students have on the state and the congressional district where your institution is located: https://www.nafsa.org/isev/reports/state
2. Describe the positive impact of international students on your institution. Explain what percentage of international students come from agency, pathway and other recruitment partners.
3. 1 in 5 international students responding to last year’s QS survey indicate that they used the services of an educational agency: https://monitor.icef.com/2020/11/students-relying-more-on-education-agents-for-assistance-with-study-abroad-decisions/
4. The AIRC/NACAC survey from earlier this year indicates that 49% of U.S. institutions partner with educational agencies: AIRC - NACAC Survey Provides Insights Into Institution – Agency Partnerships — AIRC (airc-education.org)
5. The THRIVE Act fails to align with the language in the Higher Education Act of 1965.
6. Review any decline in international student enrollment that your institution has experienced over the past few years. How will this new legislation have a further negative impact on international student enrollment?
Next Steps
1. AIRC will continue to advocate for a Technical Corrections bill that would modify the THRIVE Act so that it does not adversely impact institutional – agency partnerships and the recruitment of international students.
2. AIRC will keep members informed and let you know what you can do to assist in these efforts.
Thank you for your active membership in AIRC. Please feel free to contact, AIRC Executive Director, Brian Whalen, directly if you have any questions.
AIRC Signed the Alliance Letter Regarding the Duration of Status Proposal
AIRC wrote to its institutional members to encourage them to make a public comment about the proposed Duration of Status changes. Did you know you can also comment as an agency? Since your client’s dream of study in the U.S., they may be affected by this proposed rule. You can comment by following the links in the letter