Last updated 18/10/2006
SCHOOLS
'Bullied' girl ponders legal move
BBC News - 13/10/2006
A schoolgirl who claims to have suffered two years of anti-English bullying is preparing to take legal action against her local council.
Minister 'reckless' over veil row
BBC News - 15/10/2006
A minister has been accused of "reckless intervention" after he said a Muslim teaching assistant suspended for wearing a full veil should be sacked.
New faith schools 'face shake-up'
BBC News - 16/10/2006
All new religious schools could have to offer at least 25% of their classroom places to "non-believing" children, leaked papers seen by the BBC suggest.
FURTHER EDUCATION
University staff could shift sectors if colleges win validation powers
THES - 13/10/2006
A bid to give colleges the power to validate their own foundation degrees could lead to a migration of university lecturers to further education institutions, it was claimed this week.
HIGHER EDUCATION
£18m boost to attract science students
Independent - 11/10/2006
A radical £18 million package to tackle the crisis in university science and technology was unveiled yesterday by Bill Rammell, the Higher Education minister. It will fund projects to reverse the dwindling numbers of students choosing to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics at university, and to attract more women and ethnic minorities.
Boycott of Israel will fail, lecturers warned
Financial Times - 10/10/2006
A boycott by UK lecturers of universities in Israel will succeed only in isolating academics who are critical of their government's policies towards the Palestinians, the Israeli education minister warned yesterday.
Conference to tackle university plagiarism problem
The Guardian - 17/10/2006
Urgent calls are being made today for a clear plan of attack in the battle against students who cheat or plagiarise their essays and assessments. A major conference organised by Universities UK, the umbrella group for university heads, is due to hear from Baroness Ruth Deech, the student complaints ombudsman, who has urged universities to consider creating guidelines for a sector-wide approach to penalising cheating students to avoid inconsistencies from one institution to the next.
EU university 'a white elephant'
The Times - 12/10/2006
A grand European scheme to create a €2.4 billion (£1.6 billion) university to rival the world’s best is struggling to find private-sector support after being dismissed by leading academics as a white elephant.
Litigation fear lets cheats off hook
THES - 13/10/2006
Some lecturers who suspect that their students are guilty of plagiarism are being prevented from taking disciplinary action by rigid university rules and a fear of student litigation, it was claimed this week.
Scarf ban for medical students
Birmingham Post - 18/10/2006
Muslim medical students at Birmingham University have been banned from wearing veils when dealing with patients.
Universities try clocking in to stop students skipping classes
The Guardian - 09/10/2006
University students are being asked to "clock in" to lectures and tutorials in an attempt to ensure attendance and cut drop-out rates from courses. An electronic monitoring system is being tested at two universities and nine more have expressed an interest in using it to track students.
Universities urged to spy on Muslims
The Guardian - 16/10/2006
Lecturers and university staff across Britain are to be asked to spy on "Asian-looking" and Muslim students they suspect of involvement in Islamic extremism and supporting terrorist violence, the Guardian has learned.
Extremism advice alarms academics
BBC News - 16/10/2006
A lecturers' union is warning of an "anti-Muslim McCarthyism" after reports that university staff are to be encouraged to inform on students.
