Germany To Spend €1.9 Billion To Develop Elite Universities

[Arunpksh]

Berlin is planning to give its stagnating university system a shot in
the arm with a €1.9 billion program to create Germany's version of
Ivy League elite colleges. Officials hope it will spur academic
competition.

Faced with overcrowded lecture halls, outdated teaching materials and
unmotivated professors, students in Germany often take years to
finish courses. But Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's center-left
government now wants to reinvigorate the country's system of higher
education, aiming to spend about €1.9 billion in extra money for
universities over the next five years.

Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn says the money is to encourage
competition between universities and to reward centers of excellence.



"We need a climate where universities engage in competition," Bulmahn
said on Monday. "We have a lot of experience funding and organizing
outstanding scientific excellence in our research institutes. But we
don't have high-performance universities that are acknowledged
worldwide. So that means we need more competition between
universities and the willingness to attract people not only from our
own universities and surroundings, but from abroad as well."

Germany's long-standing image of the land of poets and philosophers
has been severely tarnished in recent years as international studies
on education have shown the German primary school system to be
mediocre at best. The situation in the country's universities is only
slightly better.


Academic competition

Bulmahn wants Germany to become more active in the race for the
world's best brains by establishing elite universities that one day,
the government hopes, will rival Harvard, Oxford or American Ivy
League universities. The plan for the extra funding has received the
full backing from the country's powerful state premiers, who are in
charge of education here, and a competition to determine which
universities get the money will be held later this year.

Ten will be singled out, with each receiving an extra €25 million a
year. A parallel program will also reward individual departments with
strong academic records and leading research groups. The competition
for the pot of gold will be fierce because many university heads,
including Dieter Lenzen of Berlin's Free University, think they stand
a good chance of winning.

"There is already a ranking of German universities," he says. "And
after Munich and Heidelberg, Berlin's Free University is in third
place. So I think we are well-positioned for the competition."

A jury of German research and science experts is to establish
criteria for selecting the best universities. Internationally
renowned research results and an emphasis on promoting talented
students, are said to be among them.

Fear of neglect

But some observers have warned the government against neglecting the
broader spectrum of university education in its drive for top
performance and elite schools.

"It is of course important to establish elite institutions," says
Karl Einhäuptl of the National Science Council, "but at the same time
we must strive to maintain the high standards of our universities in
general. It's not surprising that German scientists are wanted by
American institutions. That's because they are well-trained."

The initiative is also meant to attract more foreign students to
German universities. Easier access to jobs here, which is expected to
come with a new immigration law and the absence of tuition fees, the
government hopes, will serve as extra incentives to aspiring
academics from abroad.

[bhatdinu]

Aha. Canada bittu Germany ge baronvo henge :confused:

[neo]

Aha. Canada bittu Germany ge baronvo henge :confused:

haage ondhu round hogi baaa.... Germany noo noDidangaagutthe haage Arun, Srikz ellarnu meet maaDabahudhu.

[avinashr77]

Aha. Canada bittu Germany ge baronvo henge :confused:

Beda ree bhattare, USA haagu Canada dhalee thumba desigalu idhare.....! So think again before going to Germany.....Ja, Arun??
Thanks for the info, Arun its very informative!

[Arunpksh]

Beda ree bhattare, USA haagu Canada dhalee thumba desigalu idhare.....! So think again before going to Germany.....Ja, Arun??
Thanks for the info, Arun its very informative!

Illu saakashtu desigalu iddare, Digs kadime... neevugalu bandare digs' population hechchaaguthe nodu