Page 1 - ELG1601 Aug-Sep Issue 439

eLgazette

£3.50 • US$6.50 • ¥700 • €5.50 The newspaper for English language and international education Issue 439 | August / September 2016

Europe

hails UK

youth
Inside...

germany’S VICe chancel-
lor Sigmar gabriel has said it’s a
good sign that young Britons are
‘more clever than their bizarre
political elite’, the Guardian
reports. He pledged to raise the
issue of offering dual citizenship
to UK students in the country,
which is normally forbidden in
germany for non-eU citizens.
Courtesy Gage Skidmore called the high numbers of
Italian Pm matteo renzi
‘remain’ voters among under-
25s a ‘historic, tremendous
result’, La repubblica reports,
students who attend university
Page 3: Photographer and is pushing for a plan to allow
in Italy for ‘two to three years’
Steve Pellerine on why NZ hit by visa TURNED OFF BY TRUMP to apply for dual citizenship.
Citizenship and visas, how-
every picture tells a story In a recent survey of 40,000 students from ever, are not the only problem.
118 countries by FPP Edu Media, 60 per
fraud scandal cent said they would not study in the US if Fees could rise too. the Uni-
versity of maastricht, which
Donald Trump (pictured) was elected
welcomes a high number of UK
president. The largest nationality group to
opt out were Mexicans, which comes as no
that, after Brexit, fees could rise
surprise given Trump’s stance on students, told the Independent
barricading the Mexican–US border. The from £1,600 to £8,360 – still
ImmIgratIon new Zealand (InZ) has study, followed up by fake letters with loss of students could potentially cost the lower than the £9,000 a year that
uncovered student visa fraud by educational ‘spoof account numbers’ to show pay- US an estimated $4.75bn UK students pay at home. n
agents based in Hyderabad, India ‘so wide- ments into bank accounts in new Zealand
spread’ that ‘there has been no agent we’ve for study from a ‘hidden’ source. the type
looked at that hasn’t been using it, to some of courses for which these ‘students’ were
extent or other’. applying was not reported.
Documents obtained by new Zealand’s at least one bank manager was found to
Labour Party under the official Informa- have ‘lied’ when questioned by InZ mao
tion act show that Hyderabad-based agents officials, and every Hyderabad agent that
Page 4: Brexit round-up: ‘doctored’ information that was then used InZ scrutinised appears to be in on this
UK vote causes worries by agents as proof that students had the ‘systematic fraud’. the ‘no Surprises’ email
but no slump in ELT funds to pay for their studies in new Zea- names agents Kiwi overseas Services, Fifo
land. Fifteen bank managers from Indian overseas Services and Sunrise overseas
banks were also identified in an investiga- educational Consultancy. the email con-
tion by InZ’s mumbai area office (mao) cludes that ‘this poses a risk to the integrity
as having doctored documents which were of the immigration system’.
then used by agents. In a post on Labour’s Lees-galloway commented that hundreds
website immigration minister Iain Lees- of Indian students now face deportation if
galloway said the InZ documents confirm they can’t prove they have funds to study in
that ‘hundreds, possibly thousands of stu- new Zealand, adding that they needed ‘pro-
dents have arrived in new Zealand with tection from exploitation’. He said, ‘these
these fraudulent papers’. people are desperate for a new Zealand
an email titled ‘InZ Penetration Fraud’ education to better the lives of their families
from InZ official Justin alves details the back in India. they are vulnerable and being
‘rather concerning’ extent of the fraud, preyed on by unscrupulous education agents
with ‘fifteen more catches (of frauds) and bank managers who are making money
reported this week and it’s only tues- out of them.’
day’. a ‘no Surprises Factsheet’ email Asian Correspondent reported that over
Page 8: The academic details how bank managers used appar- half of all student visa applications for new
angle – top priorities for ently genuine data to show evidence of Zealand from India in the first half of 2016
applied linguistics research loans to support students through their were ‘declined due to fraud’. n

Scooby-Doo makes his mark

tHe OxfOrd English dictionary Scooby-doo – ‘Scooby Snack’. this is
brought out its latest update in July, featur- defined as ‘a snack, esp. given as a reward
ing ‘rofl’ (‘rolling on the floor laughing’) or inducement; specifically a bite-sized
as a new word. this acronym comes from treat or a large, multilayered sandwich.
Scooby-doo, the famous US animated also: food eaten to satisfy a hunger induced
cartoon featuring the ghosthunting dog by eating, drinking’.
of the same name. Scooby-doo has been other noteworthy new entries in the OEd,
around in various formats – tV series, widely regarded as the accepted authority
feature-length DVDs and live-action films on the english language, include ‘awesome-
– since 1969. sauce’ – extremely good or excellent – as
12-page supplement: the latest edition of the OEd, which well as the expression ‘wine o’clock’ mean-
Ranking the Gazette’s started life more than 150 years ago, has ing that it is an appropriate time of day for
Centres of Excellence another new entry with its origins in starting to drink wine. n

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