Around the world in five

Australia  

Students express anger over visa fee hike 

Students are expressing anger, sadness and disgust in response to the Australian Government’s announcement on Monday that say student visa application charges increase by 125 per cent to $A1600. Many are saying the rise in fees is unfair and excessive.  

Canada 

International students contributed $31 billion to Canadian economy in 2022  

An updated analysis from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) estimates that the combined direct and indirect GDP contribution of all students expenditures in the country amounted to CDN$30.9 billion (US$23 billion) in 2022. That amounts to nearly a quarter of Canada’s service exports for the year, placing education among Canada’s top export sectors. 

United Kingdom 

Researchers fool university markers with AI-generated exam papers 

Researchers at the University of Reading fooled their own professors by secretly submitting AI-generated exam answers that went undetected and got better grades than real students. The university’s markers – who were not told about the project – flagged only one of the 33 entries, with the remaining AI answers receiving higher than average grades than the students. 

China 

Exam scandals spark fears for overseas student recruitment 

China has become embroiled in a fresh cheating scandal involving the international exams used for admissions to universities overseas after a large number of test-takers reported having their scores in the United States Advanced Placement (AP) exam cancelled because of alleged misconduct. 

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh “rising market” that could be key to diversifying – report  

An improving economy in Bangladesh with more families choosing to invest in education has seen the country rapidly emerging as a “significant market in the global education sector”, a Sinorbis and ETS report said.