Microsoft-backed OpenAI is expanding its user base in the academic sector by rolling out an education-specific version of its chatbot, ChatGPT Edu, to about 500,000 students and faculty at California State University's 23 campuses. The rollout aims to provide personalized tutoring and study guides for students, while also enabling faculty to use it for administrative tasks. This move is part of OpenAI's efforts to integrate ChatGPT into classrooms since 2023, despite initial concerns about its potential misuse for cheating and plagiarism. Other universities such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oxford have already been using ChatGPT Enterprise, prompting OpenAI to launch ChatGPT Edu in May last year.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/americas/openai-targets-higher-education-in-the-us-with-chatgpt-rollout-at-california-state-universityOpenAI has been working to integrate its ChatGPT technology into classrooms since 2023, despite initial concerns about cheating and plagiarism. The company has already partnered with several universities, including the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oxford in the UK, which have been using ChatGPT Enterprise. In response, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Edu in May last year. Meanwhile, rival Alphabet is also expanding into education through a $120 million investment fund for AI education programs and plans to introduce its GenAI chatbot Gemini to teen students' school-issued Google accounts. The British government has also partnered with Google to launch the UK's first Google-funded AI university, which will provide older teens with access to resources in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
https://channelnewsasia.com/business/openai-targets-higher-education-us-chatgpt-rollout-california-state-university-4916561The 16th edition of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is set to begin on Friday, featuring a diverse range of events including book launches, panel discussions, movie screenings, poetry recitations, and cultural performances. The festival, themed "Narratives from the Soil," will celebrate Pakistani literary stalwarts and the country's diaspora living abroad who are making significant contributions in literature and creative work. Oxford University Press Pakistan Managing Director Arshad Husain said that the festival aims to inspire a love for reading among people who have less time for literature. The event, which has been held annually since 2010, will feature over 200 speakers, including notable authors such as Iftikhar Arif and Kamila Shamsie, foreign dignitaries, and special guests. This year's festival will also include a "Youth Pavilion" speaker series for young readers aged five to 18 years old. The event is free and open to all, with sessions categorized into genres of public interest, culture, education, and literature, making up about 67% of the total sessions.
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40346268/16th-karachi-literature-festival-klf-set-to-begin-on-fridayThe United Kingdom, United States and Canada are popular destinations for medical education. In the UK, students can apply for scholarships at institutions like the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, but must first pass the UKCAT exam. The US is home to top-ranked medical schools such as Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins, although studying there can be expensive. Meanwhile, Canada offers the NSERC scholarship to support international students pursuing a MBBS degree in the country.
https://en.tempo.co/read/1968362/10-best-countries-to-study-medicine-u-k-and-u-s-includedUkrainian Minister of Education and Science Serhiy Lisovyi stated that while Ukraine's educational institutions still have a way to go before reaching the level of top international universities such as the Sorbonne, Oxford, Cambridge or MIT, they are now capable of providing quality education in applied sciences. The ministry is investing in university laboratory facilities and forecasts a 33% decrease in first-grade students within five years.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/3952474-level-of-education-in-ukrainian-universities-no-worse-than-in-europe-minister.htmlAccording to a list compiled by TimeOut and Times Higher Education, several top universities have been ranked as the best globally for specific academic fields. MIT has been named the top university in Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences, while Oxford University leads in Computer Science and Medicine and Health Sciences. Stanford University is ranked first in Education, Law, Psychology, and Life Sciences. Harvard University tops the list in Engineering and Physical Sciences, with California Institute of Technology also ranking highly in Physical Sciences.
https://en.tempo.co/read/1968090/worlds-top-universities-by-academy-field-in-2025Oxford University has been ranked as the best university in the UK. In other news, Starbucks has confirmed that its policy prohibiting customers from using store facilities without making a purchase does not apply in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto purchased several books during his visit to India.
https://en.tempo.co/read/1968160/todays-top-3-news-8-best-universities-in-uk-oxford-leads-the-listSichuan University in southwest China has surpassed Stanford University, MIT and Oxford University in high-quality research output, according to the Nature Index. The university, located in Chengdu, Sichuan province, rose to 11th place among global academic institutions between October 2023 and September 2024, with nine of the top 10 spots held by Chinese universities, including Harvard University at number one.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3295893/chinas-sichuan-university-overtakes-stanford-mit-and-oxford-high-quality-research?module=top_story&pgtype=sectionRishi Sunak has taken up academic positions at Oxford and Stanford universities while continuing to serve as a Conservative MP in the House of Commons. This move follows a precedent set by former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, who lectured at Yale University, and Gordon Brown, who became a distinguished leader in residence at New York University. Sunak's experience in policy and politics will be an asset in his new roles, according to Kevin Warsh, a fellow at the Hoover Institution.
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/rishi-sunak-former-uk-pm-moving-california-us-buzz-stanford-university-13855587.html