An infectious diseases expert says the significant problem that led to the latest Victorian coronavirus outbreak was poor infection control, and not the more-contagious British variant blamed by the state government.
The architect of the HECS system has criticised an Australian Productivity Commission proposal for the federal government to recover unpaid student loans from the estates of people who have died.
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Students have continued to enrol in humanities degrees in high numbers despite fee hikes of more than 100 per cent, amid a broader surge in demand for university places this year.
But many universities cautioned it was too early to assess the impact of the federal government’s university funding reforms, which have increased fees for a range of courses while slashing the cost of science, maths, nursing and teaching degrees.
The University of Sydney said demand for places was higher than ever this year, but it was too early to assess the impact of the government’s funding reforms on students’ course preferences.
From tenured academics to podcasters: Universitiesâ move to online goes permanent
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Australian universities are outsourcing their online teaching to private companies to reduce costs and reach greater numbers of students, as temporary changes made in response to the pandemic become permanent.
Education technology companies are expected to double their $36 billion global online market within five years as public universities increasingly form commercial partnerships with them to help deliver online courses.
Universities are increasingly partnering with private companies to deliver online courses.
Credit:Andrew Quilty
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Universities and private colleges across Australia are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on fees disguised as scholarships and lowering course entry requirements to attract more students.
Internal analysis of annual reports by a NSW university and provided to
The Sydney Morning Herald and
The Age suggests some institutions including the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Southern Cross and the University of NSW are also particularly vulnerable to depleting cash reserves if international fee revenue continues to drop by a third or more, as expected this year.
Competition between Australian universities and private colleges for more international students has increased.