In today’s talking points: Education city being proposed for Melbourne’s western suburbs; Australian National University and University of Canberra make top 100 ranking; Chinese online education industry booming; Student and staff traffic between China and Australia continues to grow.
Education City Being Proposed for Melbourne’s Western Suburbs
A potential $30 billion dollar super city is nearing reality with the State Government to decide on the project within months. Unused land in East Werribee could potentially become the city’s dynamic centre, with universities, schools, a research and development hub, and a thriving town centre. With Melbourne having a reputation as a top education centre, the project could potentially create 100,000 jobs linked directly to education, research and service industries by 2050. In addition, 1000 construction jobs would be created in the first year of the master plan reaching a peak of 16,500 by the end of year five.
Read more at: heraldsun.com.au
Australian National University and University of Canberra make top 100 ranking
The Times Higher Education inaugural Asia-Pacific University Rankings placed the Australian National University eighth and the University of Canberra 81st in its recent rankings last week. Times Higher Education ranked 243 universities on teaching, research, citations, international outlook and industry income. ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said he was “delighted” the ANU was listed in the elite top 10 in Asia after being ranked amoung the top 20 in the world last month. “Having two Canberra universities recognized for their excellence underscores the strength of the national capital in higher education, as a great place to live, study and research.” Both universities recognize that they need to continue its strong performances as more of east Asia’s top institutions are constantly improving.
Read more at canberratimes.com.au
Chinese online education industry booming
The online education market in China has been growing rapidly, both in market size and user scale in recent years, at an annual growth rate of around 20%. Propelled by favorable policies and governmental capital injections on education, this increasing market is expected to hit an estimated RMB421.6 billion in 2021. However, online education is seeing a shift from PC-based to mobile-based, as mobile phones enable users to study in any place and at any time and to maximize fragmented time to learn.
Read more at ReportLinker
Student and staff traffic between China and Australia continues to grow
An overwhelming flow of undergraduate students in the direction of Australia has been observed over the past decade. The number of Chinese students studying in Australia alone went up 20,000 to 140,000 in March 2017 as compared to a year earlier. Research staff is also joining the exchange, although more balanced in that it is not a one-way traffic to Australia. As Chinese research growingly gains reputation and quality, researchers are seen headed both ways, generating multilateral cooperation that leads to true partnership. Max Lu, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Surrey, believes this exchange to reflect how the economies of East Asia and Australia are increasingly intertwined.
Read more at Times Higher Education