Education news from around the world

Ian Livingstone. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Star visiting fellows Lady Margaret Hall, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, has appointed Benedict Cumberbatch and Emma Watson as visiting fellows of the university. The three-year role encourages the stars to attend debates and perform at the college, among other activities. According to the college principal Alan Rusbridger, the move is aimed at adding to the cultural life of the college. Other non-academic appointees include Malorie Blackman, former children’s laureate; Francis Habgood, the chief constable of Thames Valley police; director Beeban Kidron and musician Mark Simpson among others.

Free schools Ian Livingstone, the creator of Lara Croft and Dungeons and Dragons, is planning to open two free schools in Bournemouth and London. The aim is to promote science, technology, engineering, art, and maths (STEAM) subjects with computer science at the core. In a recent address, Livingstone urged fellow digital entrepreneurs to follow him into the education sector “to embed digital creativity in future generations of our society,” according to reports.

Courses in English

A recent research by StudyPortals, a Dutch-based organisation, has revealed that around 8,000 courses are being taught in English by leading universities in non-English speaking countries. The rise of universities where the lectures are communicated in English rather than the local language has become a global phenomenon, says the report. The research also showed that more than three quarters of 1000 universities at the top of international rankings offer a minimum of one degree taught completely in English.