The Overseas Examinations Commission (OEC) was legally established by an Act of Parliament under the Ministry of Education of Jamaica in 2005. This incorporated the old Overseas Examinations Committee, which had been created in 1887 to administer British O level examinations for a few dozen students. Since the 1960s, the Committee had administered examinations for many of the British secondary and pre-university examination boards and became the body responsible for overseeing international examinations conducted in Jamaica. As a result of the new act, the Commission became a statutory board of government. Among its other services, the OEC administers and...

  Image credit: to Iwaria, via Pexels.com   Be sure to also read a shorter version from earlier this year here!   In Benin, recognized higher education is available through public universities whose programs have de facto recognition, private higher education institutions co-signed by the Benin Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, or private higher education institutions approved by the regional accrediting body, Conseil Africain et Malgache pour l'Enseignement Superieur / CAMES (African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education). CAMES has been accrediting programs in Benin since 1988. Benin does not accredit private higher education institutions as a whole;...

  Image credit: Mohamad Mekawi via Pexels.com   Vocational education in Lebanon is offered at several levels and falls under the auspices of the Directorate General of Vocational and Technical Education (DGTVE). Since Lebanon follows the French educational pattern, many of the qualifications are known by their French name, even when taught in Arabic. Vocational training focuses on vocational lower and upper secondary education. After completing 6 years of primary education and 1 year of lower secondary education, students are able to complete a 2-year program leading to the الكفاءة المهنية / Certificat d'Aptitude Professionnelle/CAP (Certificate of Professional Aptitude). Students...

  Image credit: Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com    This two-part blog series discusses two very different types: language proficiency tests after completing a language training program and summer school language immersion programs taken through German higher education institutions.   If you missed the previous post, you can check it out here. In our previous blog post about German language programs, we focused on some of the standardized examinations that students, German and international, may take as part of their educational background. Today’s post focuses on summer school language immersion programs taken through German higher education institutions. These programs are typically...

  Image credit: Gerrit Wilcke via Pexels.comThis two-part blog series discusses two very different types: language proficiency tests after completing a language training program and summer school language immersion programs taken through German higher education institutions. Language programs are popular for students worldwide, and Germany is a popular choice. More than 100 million people worldwide speak German, with estimates ranging widely from 130 to nearly 290 million speakers. German, Austria, Switzerland, Brazil, and France make up the largest share of native German speakers worldwide. However, significant numbers of residents consider German a mother tongue or language spoken at home who...