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After months of elaborate discussion, the student government at the University of California, Berkeley, passed a Hindu Heritage Month proclamation. Hindu student groups called it a first such recognition by an American university.

A statement by CYAN Hindus at Berkeley and Hindu YUVA at UC Berkeley said the measure passed nine months after the ASUC Senate first voted down Hindu Heritage Month. The outcome is credited to extensive discussions with the office of the Executive Vice President and student leaders, with the result being termed a step towards Hindu representation in the student government.

According to the statement, the newly passed proclamation "represents a positive step toward better representation of Hindus in the student government," though the groups made it clear that "the new proclamation is by no means perfect."

They thanked the EVP and her office “for opening dialogue with our student organizations respectfully over the past six months, proving that conversations can be had despite even the most contentious disagreements.”

First, the proclamation includes a recognition where the ASUC Senate formally acknowledges the term Hinduphobia and a series of targeted attacks on Hindu temples in the Bay Area.

It acknowledges Sanatana Dharma and its ideals as a decolonial understanding of the term ‘Hinduism’ by the Senate. The Senate further notes that, out of the various unions and coalitions representing religious groups on campus, there is no Hindu caucus representing Hindu students.

The statement invites students and community members to juxtapose old and new proclamations and notice that the ASUC Senate originally voted down Hindu Heritage Month due to concerns over 'Hindu Nationalism, yet the new proclamation does not differ substantively from its predecessor. The groups go ahead to say that none of the two versions has talked about Hindu Nationalism.

The groups claimed the changes could have been worked out with discussion and that their student government holds Hindu students to a double standard. Still, they praised the Senate for a crucial first step toward better relations with the Hindu community.

They hope that the proclamation will “open the door to genuine, good-faith dialogue” between Hindu student organizations and ASUC leaders, pointing out their discussions with the EVP’s office showed such dialogue could happen.

"Too often, dialogue has been hampered by the conflation of Hindu and South Asian identity, leading to gate-keeping by 'South Asian' organisations on campus," the statement said. "Their statements and actions on issues affecting our community--ie, Pahalgam--have eclipsed the lived experiences of Hindu students--oftentimes made without their calling upon our communities directly."

"It is our sincere hope that henceforth discussions relating to Hindu identity and its representation would be informed not by outside political narratives but by the voices of Hindu students on campus," they said. Student leaders celebrated the milestone as the "FIRST EVER US university to recognise Hindu Heritage Month," aiming at finally acknowledging vandalised temples, rising Hinduphobia, among other things. They also congratulated student leaders @aryanshinde21 and Arya Kulkarni, encouraging students to reach out to CYAN. Hindu Heritage Month has gained visibility in recent years across several US states and municipalities, where diaspora organisations formalise recognition and bring awareness to what they term a rising tide of Hinduphobia. This year, UC Berkeley became an especially charged site for debates about Hindu identity and representation amid national conversations about free speech and minority rights.

Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University organized an important academic conference with the theme "Future Context: A New Paradigm for Art and Design Education," which took place in Milan, Italy from Nov 15-16.

Organised by the AADTHU, Tsinghua University Milan Institute of Art & Design, and the China-Italy Design Innovation Hub, Tsinghua University hosted the Tsinghua International Conference on Art & Design Education, ICADE.

Present at the event were more than 100 university leaders, professors, scholars, and representatives of industries in China, Italy, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Singapore, the UK, the US, and other countries.

The Suzhou two-day conference included, among other events, eight keynote speeches, two roundtable discussions with university leaders, four thematic forums, two parallel seminars, and a series of international art and design workshops. The program allowed participants to share experiences through cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural dialogues and investigate how artificial intelligence is reshaping artistic expression and educational paradigms.

Opening the conference, Qin Chuan, secretary of the CPC Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design committee, said the five years since the conference started coincided with dramatic global changes, including revolutionary breakthroughs in AI.

"On such an international platform, we firmly believe that no matter how the global landscape and emerging technologies may evolve, we are staunch companions in art and design education, always committed to increasing communication and deepening cooperation -this is our shared dream," he said. "We are also deeply conscious that art and design are an international language, able even to bind the world together in these uncertain times."

He pointed out that ICADE focuses on building a collaborative platform for the future this year, including deep integration in technology and culture. The topics he noticed included redefining creative logic in the AI era, restructuring educational systems in an interdisciplinary context, finding the possibility of symbiotic coexistence in the face of cultural diversity.

We are very much looking forward to collaborating with all the participants at this conference, jointly envisioning the future of art and design education in order to establish a framework for cooperation that could be continuously developed while facing the world and embracing tomorrow.

Other opening-ceremony speakers included Anna Barbara, president of POLI.design, a consortium of Politecnico di Milano; Dalia Gallico, executive vice president of the World Olymp'Arts Council; Lorenzo Imbesi, president of the Cumulus Association; and Wu Jian, head of the Haier Innovation Design Center. Wu Qiong, dean of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, sent a congratulatory letter. Shi Danqing, associate dean of AADTHU, presided at the ceremony.

Design, as a discipline, stands at that critical turning point that technological advancement, imminent social problems, and new business models all push against, together. May this conference serve as a catalyst in sparking in-depth dialogue on reconstructing educational models and integrating art with technology within new contexts, thus inspiring renewal of vitality.

On the first day, keynote speeches and leaders' roundtable took place, gathering together the leaders of world-renowned art and design institutions and pioneering founders of newly established schools that have garnered worldwide attention. The speakers connected classical heritage with future trends and focused on current innovations so as to promote sustainable development of art and design education.

Distinguished speakers included Anna Barbara, president of POLI.design; Rebecca Wright, dean of the S School at Central Saint Martins College of Art; Rachel Dickson, deputy director of the Glasgow School of Art; Francesco Zurlo, dean of the School of Design at Politecnico di Milano; Yang Dongjiang, chair of the academic committee at AADTHU; Kun-Pyo Lee, dean of the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and John Ochsendorf, founding director of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design. Barbara defined the digital revolution as a "revolution of time" and asked designers to turn their attention to forming time and not only physical space. She added that AI will be applied to serve as a tool for harmonizing human needs with the environment, to help resolve the conflicts of a digital world, and to create a more sustainable shared economy. 

According to Wright, design education has to keep optimism in view of uncertainty in the future, and constructing a new "design language" is the key in dealing with challenges. She pointed out, "The real challenge is not whether one must adopt AI, but how to integrate technology with uniquely human wisdom." Dickson said design education needs to break through traditional disciplinary frameworks and promote educational innovation based on cross-field collaboration. She said in the future, design education needs to be grounded in a balance of tradition and innovation, with curiosity at its heart. 

She further called for an interdisciplinary system that is more inclusive and capable of solving global challenges, including sustainable development. Francesco Zurlo developed the concept of interdependent design during his talk and stressed that design education has to be able to face complexity and not simplify problems. According to him, contemporary design needs to reunite humanistic values with technology. This philosophy is necessary in training designers who will be capable of taking on complex social challenges and contributing to building up a sustainable future. Yang discussed how design education must change in the times of AI. 

As such, it is necessary to make a fundamental shift in the basic value from technology-oriented to thinking-oriented. He advocated for a breakthrough in the traditional linear structures of knowledge in developing new teaching systems where professional skill training is preserved, while primary importance should rest on innovative thinking and systematic reasoning capabilities of the students. Through the speech, Lee traced the historical development of the paradigms of design to reveal the transforming direction of design education in the AI era. He said that designers should become "final decision-makers" or "ultimate stewards," and educators should give priority to enhancing the critical thinking and value judgment of students. Ochsendorf emphasized the need to speed up the transformation of higher education nowadays. 

He said that all students should possess basic design skills and personal project portfolios, and the implementation of AI technology should be driven by designers who take human needs as the main priority. In the afternoon of the same day, two roundtable discussions with leaders respectively took place on the themes of "The Future Mission of Design: Interdisciplinary Education and Global Challenges" and "The Coordinates of Institutions Within the Contemporary Context." 

There are thematic forums and seminars covering a wide range of professional and academic fields like spatial environments, fashion design, industrial design, information design, smart manufacturing, contemporary art, craft art, and digital art. Scholars and industry experts conducted extensive discussions about the above-mentioned disciplines with topics such as "Rhetorical Translation: Aesthetic Resonance Across Cultures", "Double Subjects: Human-Machine Collaboration and Interdisciplinary Integration", "Plural Spaces: The Narrative Tension of Multi-Dimensional Experience" and "Sensory Verbs: Bodily Experience and Artistic Expression"

The allegations of admissions fraud continue to spread more widely in Hong Kong, where the city's police this week disclosed that 126 reports of allegedly fraudulent academic qualifications from the city's universities had been received in the first seven months of this year.

But these figures represent just the tip of an iceberg since many cases are not reported to the police by universities, raising concerns that any acceleration in cases could hurt Hong Kong's reputation as a higher education hub.

“ HKU has so far received a few hundred cases this year involving applicants suspected of submitting false academic credentials for admission, a spokesperson from HKU said on 13 October, while adding “none of these cases has been enrolled.

The cases in question principally involved applications to the city's universities by students from mainland China, which have grown in the past 2 to 3 years.

More than 30 students from mainland China were found to try to use fake documents to enroll in HKU's business school last year, even though the institution played it down at first. Then dozens of such cases started coming up one after another.

In May, a student from the mainland Li Sixuan was given an eight-month prison sentence in Hong Kong after she pleaded guilty to faking her Ivy League qualifications in order to apply to HKU for a master's in applied linguistics. She had falsely claimed that she graduated from Columbia University.

Her defence lawyer told the Hong Kong court that his client was “very determined” to study at HKU.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has announced that it refused "several hundred" applications with suspected fake credentials during the application period this year, most of them from applicants from mainland China.

CUHK's director of admissions and financial aid, Andy Wong, had said, in remarks on 11 October, that their university did not lodge police reports "since the applicants were outside of the city and there is no evidence that the applicants had accomplices in Hong Kong - there is not much they can do".

It was nonetheless a sharp increase from about 10 cases at CUHK the previous year, academics noted, pointing to an escalating problem with exaggerated admissions statements, falsified references and fake credentials.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University said it had found about 10 cases of fraudulent applications, and the respective applications and admission offers have been canceled.

The police said that, following reports of fraudulent academic qualifications, 55 had been arrested between January 2022 and July this year, with nine so far charged and six convicted. Others were still under investigation.

Hong Kong police also said 21 suspected "unlawful intermediaries", or agents, in mainland China, had been referred to mainland authorities.

More than half of the arrests were made during the first half of this year.

Fear of reputational impact

"Hong Kong is seriously concerned about the implications of such fraud for the reputation of its highly reputed universities. It has much to lose, having vigorously promoted Hong Kong internationally as a higher education hub," a CUHK academic, who wished to remain anonymous, told University World News in an interview.

"There has been a big rush of applications from the mainland because of Hong Kong universities' good results in global university rankings. But the downside is many want to get a Hong Kong degree by hook or by crook. And some are assisted by unscrupulous agents in China."

In January and earlier this month, the ICAC, an independent Commission Against Corruption, in Hong Kong conducted anti-fraud workshops for 40 admissions officers and other staff at universities. Cheuk Chi-yan, head of the Corruption Prevention Department at the ICAC, said in early October that the participants were all managers of the admissions procedures.

They are not only implementers of the system but also guardians of educational values, he said while addressing the workshop.

Hong Kong's undersecretary for education, Shi Junhui, said in the same workshop that with the plan for Hong Kong to turn into a higher education hub "the authorities attach great importance to safeguarding the integrity, quality and reputation of Hong Kong's post-secondary education sector".

He called on the institutions "to work together to safeguard the reputation of higher education in Hong Kong, establish an effective anti-corruption mechanism, uphold the principles of fairness and justice, and work together to create clean campuses".

A Hong Kong Education Bureau spokesperson said on 9 October that with the release of the World University Rankings 2026 announced by Times Higher Education, the publicly funded universities "have continued to hold top spots, rendering Hong Kong the only city in the world with five universities ranked among the global top 100, with all its ranked institutions gaining higher positions".

In the latest THE World University Rankings, released this month, HKU rose two places to 33rd globally, while the CUHK moved up three places to 41st, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology jumped eight places to 58th.

"Mainland families are highly rankings-orientated when choosing a university, and these results make an impact. Many more families are turning to Hong Kong, especially with visa problems in Australia and Canada and uncertainty over visas for Chinese students wanting to study in the United States ," said the CUHK academic.

Hardline stance

HKU is one such institution adopting this tough stance. This week, the HKU spokesperson said: “HKU consistently treats cases involving fraudulent documents with the utmost seriousness, adopting rigorous measures during the admissions process.

"Applications suspected of containing fabricated qualifications will not be considered. Applicants who are discovered to have falsified academic credentials will be subject to action by the University." The spokesperson added: "Where concrete evidence of fraudulent misrepresentation is established, we will invariably report the matter to the police for further investigation and prosecution." The Hong Kong government raised its cap on the number of non-local students at undergraduate level in publicly funded universities last year. More than 90 per cent of non-local places have been taken up by mainland Chinese students. 

"Following the Government's doubling of the enrolment ceilings for non-local students of UGC-funded universities from 20% to 40% from the 2024 to 2025 academic year, the number of non-local students enrolled in the UGC-funded programmes has recorded double-digit year-on-year growth," the education bureau spokesperson said. Starting from the 2026 and 2027 academic years, the Hong Kong government will raise the enrolment ceiling for self-financing non-local students for taught programmes from around 40% of local student places to 50% the city's Chief Executive John Lee said in his 17 September policy address. 

Universities fear even more fraud with the number of non-local students set to rise even further as students from mainland China flock to Hong Kong's highly regarded universities. AI-powered verification A HKPolyU representative said at the ICAC workshop earlier this month that it had a stringent qualification and other document verification process, which included interviews and credential checks, for applicants. HKPolyU now plans to include AI technology in its application process for better academic verification. HKU's assistant director of admissions, Raymond Wong, stated that the AI-assisted interview system adopted by his institution would check students' identity and anomalies during the interviews, thus helping it block impersonation and cheating.

On December 4, 2025, the Russia Education Agency, a joint venture between Synergy Corporation and Innopraktika, opened its first representative office in New Delhi. The opening is timely, as it coincides with the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, hence heralding closer bilateral relations in education and culture between the two countries. It also bills itself as the much-needed connecting bridge, offering Indian students access to Russian higher education in fields of emerging demand like medicine, IT, and engineering. ​

The New Delhi office is a single-point support for aspiring students and includes personalized counseling on the selection of universities and programs, admission processes, visa support, preparation of documentation, and cultural orientation that enables them to make a hassle-free adaptation in Russia. The leadership of the agency is likely to facilitate more than 10,000 Indian students in Russian universities next year, adding to the legacy of Soviet-era education that created Indian goodwill ambassadors.​

Vadim Lobov, head of Synergy Corporation, termed the opening a very important day and said new frontiers of collaboration would be opened during the visit by Putin. He underlined the importance of establishing people-to-people links through effective access to possibilities of study in Russia, job opportunities, and professional skills. First Deputy CEO of Innopraktika Natalia Popova underlined that Russian-educated Indians could be integrated into innovation ecosystems for developing high-tech ties between the countries.​ Further expansions include the opening of branches in Mumbai and Chennai by 2026, along with collaborations with Indian schools in Russian language courses and other events for cultural exchange. In fact, the maiden "Bridge of Friendship: Russia and India" session organized by the agency drew in more than 1,000 Delhi high school students, while plans are afoot for its national rollout. This program fits into larger frameworks such as India's SPARC and GIAN programs, and Russia's ITEC scholarships; hence, it depicts robust academic exchange.​ The inauguration of the branch shows the surging interest in the best Russian programs and has thus facilitated pathways for Indian youth to get global exposure. It nurtures future leaders by fostering cross-cultural understanding in order to consolidate long-lasting relations between India and Russia.

On December 4, 2025, a joint initiative by Synergy Corporation and Innopraktika called the Russia Education Agency opened its first branch in New Delhi. The launch falls during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, hence signaling deepened bilateral educational and cultural ties between the two nations. It also bills itself as a much-needed connecting bridge, offering Indian students access to Russian higher education, in fields of emerging demand such as medicine, IT, and engineering. ​

The New Delhi office acts as a one-stop support for aspiring students, including personalized counseling on the selection of universities and programs, admission processes, visa support, preparation of documentation, and cultural orientation to help them make a hassle-free adaptation in Russia. The leadership of the agency is likely to facilitate more than 10,000 Indian students in Russian universities next year, adding to the legacy of Soviet-era education that created Indian goodwill ambassadors.​

The head of Synergy Corporation, Vadim Lobov, termed the opening a "very important day" and said that new frontiers of collaboration would be opened during the visit by Putin. He underlined the importance of establishing people-to-people links through effective access to possibilities of study in Russia, job opportunities, and professional skills. First Deputy CEO of Innopraktika, Natalia Popova, underlined that Russian-educated Indians could be integrated into innovation ecosystems for developing high-tech ties between the countries.​

Further expansions will see the opening of branches in Mumbai and Chennai by 2026, along with collaborations with Indian schools in Russian language courses and other events promoting cultural exchange. In fact, the maiden "Bridge of Friendship: Russia and India" session organized by the agency drew in over 1,000 Delhi high school students, while plans are afoot for its national rollout. This initiative fits within broader frameworks like India's SPARC and GIAN programs and Russia's ITEC scholarships, hence showing robust academic exchange.​

The opening of its branch shows the surging interest in top Russian programs and has facilitated pathways for Indian youth to receive global exposure. It thus nurtures future leaders by fostering cross-cultural understanding to consolidate long-lasting relationships between India and Russia.

With visa rules evolving, living costs growing in large economies, and newer geopolitical alignments beginning to emerge, Indian students planning their overseas education for 2025 do so more judiciously than ever.
While interest in traditional destinations still leads by a considerable amount, the popularity now is being weighed against policy predictability, affordability, safety, and long-term employability.

1. GERMANY

Recent trends have shown an increasing Indian enrolment in different courses offered by German institutions in engineering, automobile research, robotics, and AI. This strong industrial ecosystem of the country has continued to show promising employability opportunities, specifically in the fields of STEM.
According to upGrad Transnational Education Report 2024–25, where applications to traditional destinations are, in fact, on the decline, Germany sees a sharp spike in popularity.
But students also have to equip themselves with practical realities like visa processing backlogs, blocked accounts, and German language skills for performing well at the workplace.
Despite all the challenges, in 2025, Germany stands out as one of the most preferred destinations for applicants from India, buoyed by policy stability and an industry-driven education ecosystem.

2. UAE

According to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, Indians comprise 42% of international students enrolled in Dubai's private institutions of higher learning for the 2024-25 academic session.
It is a combination of reasons, including safety, proximity to India, high-quality infrastructure, and international branch campuses offering UK, US, and Australian degrees closer to home that have made it an attractive destination.
Other growth sectors, like technology, logistics, finance, and hospitality, have opened new career opportunities for the students.
The UAE, though facing growing incidents of xenophobia, shortage of housing, and sudden shifts in visa policy, is a sign of stability and cultural familiarity to parents in today's West. Tuition does vary, of course, but newer campuses in the UAE, greater working opportunities, and general safety hasten its rise in 2025 to a destination of choice.

3. CANADA

Canada remains an attractive option for Indian students, though admittedly the enthusiasm is considerably less than in the preceding years. Over the years, Canada has built a good reputation as a student-friendly destination. Canada's immigration policies are generally recognized as stable, transparent, and inviting. 

The Post-Graduation Work Permit and clear pathways to permanent residency provide tangible long-term prospects that are often missing in the US model. More than that, however, Canada has carved out a niche for itself as a high-quality but affordable alternative. 
The Canadian universities will most likely never have global brand recognition like Ivy League schools, yet generally match these in academic performance, career services, and industry connections. This unique blend of affordability with employability makes Canada very attractive to Indian families weighing the return on investment. 

4. UNITED STATES 
The United States remains one of the most aspirational destinations for Indian students, particularly in subjects related to artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, engineering, public health, and business analytics. This continuous boom in AI and technology creates unparalleled demand for highly competent graduates, hence making US universities and research hubs very appealing. In the last year, the US also simplified its student visa processing for Indians, considerably cutting appointment backlogs and increasing approval rates. India has retained the position of the biggest contributor of international graduate students to American varsities, with industry demand and flexibility offered by the STEM OPT extension, which makes possible up to three years of work experience postgraduation.