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Foreign Office spends £14m on private school fees

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

foreign office

The Foreign Office spends more than £14m per year on private school fees for children of its staff, including £6m for staff based in the UK.

The figures were revealed in a ministerial response to a parliamentary question by Liberal Democrats.

It meant that last year staff stationed in the UK received school fees worth on average more than £33,000 per year.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “That is a perk of the job that needs to be looked at seriously.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said diplomats who worked overseas who might have to travel at short notice had allowances for school fees so that their children could avoid having their education disrupted.

Foreign Office ministers were asked how much the department had spent on private school fees for the children of staff stationed either overseas or in the UK during 2015-16.

Call for review

The response, from Sir Alan Duncan, said that 179 diplomatic officers stationed in the UK were in receipt of school fees of £6,005,124.

For 173 diplomatic officers stationed overseas, school fees cost £6,403.938.

There was support paid for a further 1,108 children, said the answer, with the total annual cost of fees being £14,207,444.

Mr Farron said that paying so much on private and boarding costs, particularly for staff based in the UK, was “not acceptable”.

“Why can’t staff send their children to the good or outstanding local school?”

Mr Farron said the Foreign Office should review this spending – and if there was any spare cash it should be targeted at pupil premium support for disadvantaged pupils.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said that “some members of the diplomatic service must be prepared to serve anywhere during their career, sometimes at very short notice”.

“In some parts of the world we do not permit staff to take their children with them for safety reasons, in others local schools of an acceptable standard are not available.

“In these cases it is longstanding practice that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helps staff by providing support for their children’s education.”

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Foreign languages A-level slump blamed on cuts

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

French

A sharp decline in entries to modern foreign language A-levels has been blamed by head teachers on severe funding pressures.

Entries to A-levels in French have dropped by 6.4% from last year, in German by 4.2% and in Spanish by 2.7%.

Malcolm Trobe of the ASCL heads’ union said schools and colleges were finding it hard to run courses with small pupil numbers, due to funding shortages.

The government replied that it had been encouraging pupils to take languages.

This is mainly through the English Baccalaureate – the wrap-around qualification which requires pupils to sit a range of certain GCSES including a language.

‘Narrowed choices’

The claimed effect of funding shortages comes as pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are receiving their A-level results.

But Mr Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said he was worried about the “continuing decline” in the number of A-level entrants in modern foreign languages, and other “minority” subjects such as music, and design and technology.

“These statistics reflect the fact that sixth forms and colleges are finding it increasingly difficult to run courses where there are relatively small numbers of students because of severe funding pressures,” he said.

“The level of post-16 funding is woeful and urgently needs to be addressed.

“We are in danger of becoming trapped in a vicious circle where entries to these very important subjects continues to decline and there are consequently fewer people to teach them in the future, exacerbating an ongoing recruitment crisis,” he added.

Mr Trobe also said changes to the AS-level – which do not now count towards the final A-level grade – had also effectively narrowed pupils’ choices.

In the past, pupils had generally been allowed to take four subjects and then drop one at the end of the first year, he said.

Now, he argued, “we are just reducing curriculum choice, full stop.”

‘Worry’

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary, Russell Hobby, said that while it was “good to see an increase in the top grades awarded in modern foreign language”, a national strategy needed to be implemented to address the drop in entries.

He said: “Yet again we see a decrease in the number of students taking these subjects.”

“We need to ensure that there are enough trained teachers to offer a breadth of languages, and for schools to be supported to ensure primary pupils are also exposed to the challenges of learning a language,” he added.

Schools minister Nick Gibb acknowledged that the drop-off in foreign languages was a “worry”.

“There has been a slight decline in modern foreign languages but the introduction of the EBacc has arrested the historic fall of foreign languages at GCSE and we expect this will grow the pool of young people who are equipped to go on to study languages at A level.”

The Department for Education said it was protecting funding for 16- to 19-year-olds and ended the unfair difference between post-16 schools and colleges.

[Source:- BBC]

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Education

Foreign investment in the Indian Education Sector: Possibilities of growth and strength

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Foreign investment in the Indian education sector: Possibilities of growth and strength

Foreign investment in the Indian education sector: Possibilities of growth and strength

India is a treasure trove of inquisitive minds. With around 500 million of its citizens in the 5-24 year age bracket, the nation is home to the world’s largest population of the young. When such a huge expanse of its people is in a developing and growing phase of their lives, education has a huge role to play in there and the country’s growth.

When Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stepped into the Parliament to deliver her speech on Budget Day 2020, India’s young and learning youth had their hopes on her shoulder. And the government didn’t disappoint. Over the course of her detailed and strategic speech, Sitharaman outlined certain developments that hold great promise for India’s education sector.

The big news was – a massive allocation of INR 99,300 crores in the country’s educational development, INR 3000 crores allocated to skill developments and above all an ease of rules to facilitate foreign investment in India’s education sector.

Foreign Investment in the Indian Education Sector: Possibilities of growth and Strength”

So, what does the government’s decision towards supporting the influx of foreign investment signal for India’s education sector?

To begin with, it definitely holds immense potential for growth. The government’s new policy will open up India’s regulated education sector to global players. With an increasing requirement of quality education for its youth, the nation will now encourage Foreign Direct Investment and external commercial borrowings in education.

  • According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, since the turn of the millennium till 2019, India has seen an influx of USD 2.47 billion into its education system. And the growth in those two decades has been clear for everyone to witness.
  • With around 3900+ establishments, India leads the way in nations with most universities. The country is also amidst a rapid expansion in internet education.
  • India currently stands just behind China, in its population with internet reach and usage of mobile phones. With the widespread use of the internet supporting the country’s educational pursuits, India also finds itself as one of the leading powerhouses of the e-learning industry.

And these numbers are just the tip of the iceberg, as to the potential that education in India holds. The India Brand Equity Foundation projected that by 2019 end, India’s education industry was set to be valued at over 100 billion US Dollars. Plus add to that a burgeoning population of youth in their school and college-going years, quality education is a primary need for the nation. And you can envision the expansion that’s required in our current education model and how the emergence of foreign players can support that.

Be it the Indian government signing a loan agreement with World Bank for the SANKALP (Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) Project or state authorities like the Maharashtra International Education Board signing a partnership with Google, foreign investment has been trickling in steadily into the education ecosystem.

As a part of her Budget 2020 speech, Nirmala Sitharaman also highlighted the importance of foreign investment and talent coming into the Indian education sphere. She strengthened the government’s vision of making India an education destination for other countries, with the launch of the IND-SAT exam for Asia and Africa.

And as India opens its doors to the world’s best in education, the nation stands to nurture, hone and be home to an educated, skilled and ready bunch of bright minds for the future.

[“source=indiatoday”]

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Internet

Russian Telcos Press for Foreign Internet Companies to Pay for Data Storage

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Russian Telcos Press for Foreign Internet Companies to Pay for Data Storage

Russian telecoms operators have proposed legislation that would oblige foreign Internet companies to share the financial burden of a new law on storing data in the country, a draft bill seen by Reuters shows.

If adopted, the legislation would allow Russian telecoms companies to claim compensation from foreign Internet companies, including social media and messenger services such as Google and Facebook, for compliance with the data storage rules that come into effect from October.

If foreign Internet companies refuse to comply, Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor could be allowed to reduce the speed of access to their websites for Russian users.

Google declined to comment and Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The bill will be sent to the government as soon as all operators reach a harmonised position,” a senior manager at one of Russia’s telecoms companies told Reuters.

A representative of Rostelecom, a leading Russian telecoms operator, said the company supported the notion of spreading the data storage costs with foreign Internet companies.

Russian telecoms operators MTS, VimpelCom and Tele2 declined to comment.

Megafon, which would not comment on the draft legislation, told Reuters that all interested parties — not only telecom operators – should take part in the development of Internet resources.

The cost for Russia’s three largest telecoms operators – MTS, Megafon and VimpelCom — of creating and sustaining a system to store data to comply with the law will reach RUB 145 billion ($2.17 billion) over the next five years, the companies have said.

Russian telecoms operators still do not have the necessary infrastructure in place to store users’ data, industry sources have said.

They will also have to use foreign technology to comply with the data storage law, even though President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to ensure that local companies produce the equipment.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]

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Online Marketing

GST refund to foreign tourists at airports on the cards

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Image result for GST refund to foreign tourists at airports on the cards

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Foreign tourists may soon get to claim GST refunds at airports at the time of exit as the revenue department is working on a mechanism to refund taxes paid by them on local purchases.

Initially, only purchases made by tourists from big retailers would be eligible for Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds at the airports when the tourist is leaving the country, an official said.

In several countries VAT or GST are refunded to the tourists for purchases made beyond a prescribed threshold.

The department is working out a mechanism which will ensure refund of GST to foreign tourists and for that the field offices have to be sensitised, the official said.

“It has to be ensured that refunds are not claimed on the basis of fake invoices. The refund mechanism could start on the basis of invoices issued by big retailers,” the official told PTI.

A provision for GST refund to tourists have been made in the GST law, but it is yet to be operational.

The law has defined the term tourist as a person not normally resident in India, who enters India for a stay of not more than six months for legitimate non-immigrant purposes.

AMRG & Associates Partner Rajat Mohan said tourist refund claims are a great inbound tourism marketing technique with a low cost to the exchequer.

“Internationally, countries like Singapore and Australia have an online robust system connecting multiple refund agencies and retailers on a single platform, offering tourists a seamless and hassle-free experience while verifying, processing and disbursing the tax refunds. Matching such state-of-the-art systems could be a technological nightmare for Indian counterparts,” Mohan said.

Countries like Australia, Germany, France, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Switzerland offer VAT or GST refund to international tourists subject to certain conditions. These countries also have a threshold of the minimum amount spent for availing these tax refund advantage.

In Australia, to avail the tax benefit the minimum spend should be 300 Australian dollars (around Rs 15,000). Also, the goods have to be purchased from a single business with same Australian business number.

In case of Singapore, the norms are more relaxed and the minimum purchase amount fixed is SGD 100 (around Rs 5,000), while for Japan and Switzerland the threshold has been fixed at 5,401 yen (around Rs 3,000) and 300 Swiss francs (around Rs 20,000), respectively. PTI JD MKJ

[“Source-businesstoday”]

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News Update

Govt may offer GST refunds to foreign tourists to boost tourism

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Govt may offer GST refunds to foreign tourists to boost tourism

Singapore, Australia, Canada – these are just some of the countries that have implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST) and offer overseas visitors tax refunds at their international airports as they head back home. India, too, may soon follow suit. The revenue department is working on a mechanism to refund GST paid by foreign tourists on local purchases, which will allow them to claim the refunds at airports when they are leaving the country. According to an official, in order to do that, the field offices will have to be sensitized first. So, initially, only purchases from big retailers would be eligible for GST refunds. “It has to be ensured that refunds are not claimed on the basis of fake invoices. The refund mechanism could start on the basis of invoices issued by big retailers,” the official explained, as mentioned in agency reports.

Although a provision for GST refund to tourists has been made in the GST law, it is yet to be operational. The law has defined the term ‘tourist’ as a person who’s not normally a resident in India, who enters the country for a stay of not more than six months for legitimate non-immigrant purposes.

According to AMRG & Associates Partner Rajat Mohan, tourist refund claims are a great inbound tourism marketing technique with a low cost to the exchequer. “Internationally, countries like Singapore and Australia have an online robust system connecting multiple refund agencies and retailers on a single platform, offering tourists a seamless and hassle-free experience while verifying, processing and disbursing the tax refunds. Matching such state-of-the-art systems could be a technological nightmare for Indian counterparts,” he added, as mentioned in the agency report.

Countries like Australia, Germany, France, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, United Kingdom and Switzerland offer VAT or GST refund to international tourists for purchases made beyond a prescribed threshold and subject to other conditions . For instance, in Australia, if you want to avail the tax benefit, your minimum spend should be AUD 300 (around Rs 15,000). Also, the goods have to be purchased from a single business with same Australian business number.

The norms are more relaxed in Singapore and the minimum purchase amount fixed is SGD 100 (around Rs 5,000), while for Japan and Switzerland the threshold has been fixed at 5,401 yen (around Rs 3,000) and 300 Swiss francs (around Rs 20,000), respectively.

[“Source-businesstoday”]

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Education

Study in India: Govt sets target to attract 200,000 foreign students

by Loknath Das
written by Loknath Das

Currently, India has some 47,000 foreign students—a tiny number compared to countries with traditionally strong higher education sectors. Photo: HT

Currently, India has some 47,000 foreign students—a tiny number compared to countries with traditionally strong higher education sectors. Photo: HT

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday announced an ambitious plan to attract 200,000 foreign students to India, more than four times the current number.

The target is part of a “Study in India” scheme launched jointly by four ministries—human resource development, external affairs, home and commerce.

From easing the visa process to giving a sizable fee waiver to foreign students from Asia and Africa, the scheme marks a concerted effort to make Indian campuses diverse, in terms of the number of international students.

Union human resource development minister (HRD) Prakash Javadekar said Indian higher education sector often complains about restrictive rules but now the government is making a conscious effort to liberalize it. “India can become a hub of affordable education for foreign students,” he said, adding that they are opening up top universities to foreign students.

“Study in India will open the gates of prominent educational institutions of India for foreign students,” Javadekar said.

As part of the move, India will target students from countries in South, South-East and West Asia, Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States that were part of the former Soviet Union.

“Initially, we are targeting 30 partner countries,” said R. Subrahmanyam, higher education secretary, adding that his ministry has shortlisted 160 colleges and universities to execute the plan initially.

Authorities said that in order to make the plan attractive, institutions and government will offer fee waiver—partial or full —to over 53% of these foreign students. All admission will happen via a single window system: applicants from these 30 countries will apply on an online platform for selection to 160 institutions.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said that though her ministry attracts foreign students through two dedicated institutions—Nalanda University and the South Asian University—the new move has limitless possibilities in terms of attracting foreign students and tying up with other countries. “Study in India is an invitation to foreign students,” she said.

“The move will bring multiculturalism and diversity to Indian universities,” said Satyapal Singh, minister of state for HRD. The lack of diversity on Indian campuses is affecting institutions’ international rankings.

Besides, it is expected to bring in revenue over time. Currently, India has some 47,000 foreign students—a tiny number compared to countries with traditionally strong higher education sectors. The US in 2016-17, for instance, was home to more than one million foreign students, including around 187,000 from India alone.

The “Study in India” scheme also marks a departure from the government stand that it must attract foreign universities to India. The union government put its plan to allow foreign universities to operate in India on the back burner after pursuing it for the last several years, Mint reported on 14 August 2017.

[“Source-livemint”]

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