Media
times higher education, april 12 2023
Jo Johnson: Tuition fee freeze is ‘Corbyn-lite’ policy
Former universities minister Lord Johnson of Marylebone says current fee policy is similar to former Labour leader’s plans for free tuition – minus state subsidy.
uk parliament, march 20 2023
Lords committee launches inquiry into secondary education
The House of Lords Education for 11 to 16 Year Olds Committee is launching its inquiry into the challenges and opportunities faced by the secondary education system in England.
the guardian, january 29 2023
Former education ministers attack plan to reduce vocational qualifications
Coalition fears DfE may break pledges that only small percentage of qualifications will be replaced by T-levels.
The pie news, January 19 2023
UK: “weakening consensus” on int’l students
There is undoubtedly a “weakening consensus” on the benefits of international students among British politicians, Lord Jo Johnson has told sector stakeholders.
Times higher education, January 17 2023
Johnson: fight ‘false narratives’ about international students
Former universities minister warns that UK’s political consensus over benefits provided by students from overseas is ‘weakening’
The National News, January 03 2023
Top British universities offer Afghan women free courses until Taliban lift learning ban
Jo Johnson, chairman of FutureLearn, said the move would provide a “lifeline” for those wanting to learn.
Birkbeck University of london, November 04 2022
Over 800 students graduating next week at Senate House
Former Universities Minister, Jo Johnson will be formally recognised as a Fellow of Birkbeck, receiving the university’s highest award.
Times Higher Education, July 06 2022
rise of China-Russia axis could hobble global science
‘DragonBear’ alliance may force Western universities to cancel research partnerships with China, says former science minister Lord Johnson
Eastern eye, december 11 2021
New study calls for stronger India-UK knowledge ties
THE BRITISH government should make a comprehensive knowledge partnership with India one of the main goals of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, according to a new UK study released this week.
‘Natural partners: Building a comprehensive UK-India knowledge partnership’, led by former UK universities minister Jo Johnson for the Harvard Kennedy School and the Policy Institute at King’s College London, proposes…
Global News Wire, November 23 2021
ApplyBoard Releases First Annual Trends Report on Top Trends and Future Opportunity in the International Education Industry
ApplyBoard’s data-driven trends report shows how international student preferences and trends in the international education space are shifting.
ApplyBoard, the EdTech platform revolutionizing the international student journey, launched their first annual trends report on the future of international education…
The Guardian, april 6 2021
UK faces difficult path as it resumes courtship with India
Boris Johnson is hoping to improve relations with rising superpower but many roadblocks stand in his way.
George Osborne, the former British chancellor, tells the story of how, soon after Narendra Modi had been elected prime minister of India in 2014, he and the then foreign secretary, William Hague, alighted on a plan to fly…
TES, JunE 15 2021
Lifetime Skills Guarantee ‘too restrictive’
The government's new Lifetime Skills Guarantee is too restrictive, former universities, science, research and innovation minister Jo Johnson has said.
Speaking in the Lords during the second reading of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, Mr Johnson criticised the government for excluding creative arts from the list of 400 courses available.
The times, JunE 14 2021
Treasury policy is blocking the way on lifelong learning
For the levelling-up agenda, the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill being debated tomorrow is the most important legislation of this parliament. There’s much to welcome: the “lifelong learning entitlement” and introduction of funding for sub-degree chunks of study will make it easier for adults and young people to space out their studies, transfer credits between institutions and learn while they earn.
The Guardian, March 15 2021
Why Britain is tilting to the Indo-Pacific region
Critics warn of imperial fantasy but the economic and political forces pulling the UK back to the region are real.
Some will call it a tilt, others a rebalancing and yet others a pivot but, either way, the new big idea due to emerge from the government’s foreign and defence policy review on Tuesday will be the importance of the Indo-Pacific region…
Financial Times , MARCH 4 2021
Bethan Staton in London
More than fifth of research in many high impact science and technology subjects involves collaboration with China In the highly sensitive areas of automation, telecommunications and materials science, more than 30% of papers were Sino-British partnerships
More than a fifth of British university research in many high impact science and technology subjects involves collaboration with China, according to a study that urges the UK to “urgently” improve its monitoring of academic links with an authoritarian regime. The report, led by former universities minister Jo Johnson, is the first comprehensive assessment of Sino-British research collaboration, counting the number of papers co-authored by academics in both countries.
A draft copy seen by the Financial Times, said a rapid growth in joint research and Chinese student numbers had created a “strategic dependency” on Chinese partnerships, exposing British universities to “poorly understood” risks, including financial dependency, intellectual property theft and exploitation by an economic rival. Increased tensions between the UK and China, reversing the closer collaboration encouraged by David Cameron’s government, have highlighted the risks of closer academic ties between the two countries.
Last month, the influential think-tank Civitas warned about closer ties between major British research universities and institutions linked to the Chinese military, and the UK government said it would extend security checks to overseas researchers, warning of a “significant threat” to national security. Johnson, the brother of prime minister Boris, praised the drive to collaborate with “excellent” scientists that had drawn together British and Chinese academics, but said such partnerships brought risks.
“Such a degree of integration makes any idea of decoupling from China difficult to pull off,” he said. “The UK urgently needs to put in place a framework for this key relationship so that it will be able to withstand rising geopolitical tensions.” According to the report the number of academic papers co-authored by Chinese and British researchers rose from 750 per year in 2000, or 1 per cent of UK output, to 16,267, or 11 per cent of output, in 2019. In at least 20 subjects, including many in science and technology, collaborations with China now account for more than a fifth of high-impact research. In the highly sensitive areas of automation, telecommunications and materials science, more than 30 per cent of papers were Sino-British partnerships.
China still trails the US as the UK’s largest research collaborator with 19 per cent of British papers including an American co-author. But the growth in Chinese higher education spending means it is set to overtake the US as the world’s leading funder of research and development by 2022.
The popularity of higher education in China could also pose a financial risk to the UK if Chinese and other international students opt to study there rather than at British universities, Johnson said. Recommended Universities Superannuation Scheme Universities face big rise in pension contributions as deficit quadruples Higher education exports to China are now the single largest UK services export to any country, Johnson added. The net value of hosting full time Chinese students was approximately £3.7bn in 2019 and 35 per cent of the UK’s non-EU student population are Chinese.
Kerry Brown, the director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, who was consulted for Johnson’s report, said it was an “anomaly” that one of the largest stakeholders in liberal education was a group of students from a politically illiberal state. He supported the report’s recommendation for a more holistic approach to managing risk, including increasing UK government funding for research to reduce the reliance on Chinese money. “Risk is spread across lots of areas. There needs to be something a bit more systematic,” Brown said. “If you want to cure this dependency, you up the funding given to universities.”
The times, march 5 2021
Warning over Chinese influence on British universities
The report, to be published next week, says the UK must do more to mitigate risks of British universities working with Chinese students
Almost a third of research in sensitive areas by British universities is carried out in collaboration with China, a report is about to reveal.
The Office for Students (OfS), the student watchdog, must “actively monitor” the risk from China and should require universities to recruit students from a wider range of countries, it says.
A draft of the report, whose lead author is Jo Johnson, the former universities minister and brother of the prime minister, has been seen by The Times before its publication next week. It is expected to say that the extensive relationship between British universities and China is “inadequately mapped” and that the UK must do more to mitigate risks that are “poorly understood and monitored”.
Almost 26,000 Chinese have applied to study in Britain this autumn, and they pay much higher fees than domestic students. The number accepted has risen by a third in the past five years.
The report estimates the net value of higher education exports from hosting full-time Chinese students was £3.7 billion in 2019, third only to gold and petroleum. In total, fee-paying international students bring nearly £8 billion in revenue, subsidising the system.
But it says the UK is becoming dependent and potentially vulnerable because of its reliance on Chinese tuition fee income and research links. Collaboration with China accounts for more than 30 per cent of high-impact research in three key subjects: automation and control systems, telecommunications and materials science, it says.
The number of co-authored UK/China papers has risen from about 100 before 1990 to 750 per year in 2000 and 16,267 in 2019, 11 per cent of UK output.
The report, commissioned by Harvard Kennedy School and King’s College London, says: “The UK’s dependence on a neototalitarian technology power for the financial health and research output of its universities is now a particular point of vulnerability.”
Universities UK said that national security was of the utmost importance and every university had mechanisms for dealing with the risk linked to international collaboration. The safeguards were being tested and improved.
9th February 2021 FT Financial Services Conference - Jo Johnson keynote interview
January 18th 2021 - Nehru Centre - National Education Policy 2020 Outreach
India’s Cabinet Minister for Education in Conversation with EP with Jo Johnson, Educationist, Former Universities Minister UK
Tuesday, 3 November, 2020
Policy Exchange Keynote Speech: Jo Johnson interviews India’s Foreign Secretary, H.E. Harsh Vardhan Shringla
October 20 2020:
Jo Johnson, formerly government Minister for Universities, Science and Innovation, joins Tech Nation’s Board as the fifth new Director announced in recent weeks. He brings extensive expertise in the technology, education and creative industries and will draw on his dedicated experience in both academia and government to support Tech Nation’s work to foster world-changing innovation in the UK.
Stephen Kelly, Chair, Tech Nation, comments:
“I’m pleased to welcome Jo Johnson onto the Tech Nation board. We have an ambitious mission ahead of us – to unlock the growth potential of 1,000 scaling tech companies, and to generate $1bn for the UK economy by March 2022 – and every intention of surpassing those goals. The UK’s tech scaleups are key to the productivity and health of the UK economy in the digital age, to high value job creation and high-value digital exports.”
Formal meeting (oral evidence session): A new UK research funding agency
The Rt Hon Jo Johnson gives evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee
October 7th 2020
Jo Johnson gives evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee will inquire formally into the nature and purpose of this new UK research funding agency.
This will include:
What gaps in the current UK research and development system might be addressed by an ARPA style approach?
What are the implications of the new funding agency for existing funding bodies and their approach?
What should be the focus be of the new research funding agency and how should it be structured?
What funding should ARPA receive, and how should it distribute this funding to maximise effectiveness?
What can be learned from ARPA equivalents in other countries?
What benefits might be gained from basing UK ARPA outside of the ‘Golden Triangle’ (London, Oxford and Cambridge)?
UK: Apiary Capital takes stake in further education provider, installing Jo Johnson’s as chair
Education Investor
4th September 2020
Coronavirus: Four-year visas needed ‘to lure students’
June 15 2020, The Times
Thousands of overseas students are likely to defer their place because of the Covid-19 pandemic
Foreign students would be able to work in the UK for four years after their studies under plans from Jo Johnson, the former minister, to boost universities and put the “bounce” into Britain.
He said that the UK should begin a recruitment drive for overseas students with the aim of doubling the number from India by 2024 and targeting those in Nigeria and Malaysia.
He also said that the British Council should be overhauled and put in charge of the recruitment drive, paid for by a levy on the £8 billion a year universities get from overseas students’ tuition fees.
Mr Johnson, who was universities minister twice and is the prime minister’s brother, set out his blueprint for universities as thousands of overseas students are likely to defer their place because of the 19 pandemic.
This year the post-study work visa will increase to two years from four months. “A four-year post-study work visa would help restore our competitive position vis-à-vis the US, Canada and Australia,” Mr Johnson said in his paper published by King’s College London and the Harvard Kennedy School.
The offer to work after graduation would be particularly popular for young people in countries other than China, whose students usually go straight home to start work. “Specifically, it would give the sector the tools to mount a marketing push, with the aim of doubling numbers from India (balancing China, which accounts for 40 per cent of visa approvals) and increasing them from key countries such as Malaysia and Nigeria,” he said.
For many years the top three destinations for international students have been the US, the UK and Australia. Recently the UK’s market share has declined in 17 out of the world’s 21 top countries for sending students and overall growth has been flat. More students from China come but between 2010 and 2017 the numbers from Nigeria fell by 30 per cent and by 15 per cent in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Australia has now seen steady year-on-year growth and is about to overtake the UK in total numbers.
Reliance on China is looking increasingly precarious as the country is rapidly building more and more of its own universities. Tension between the UK and China over Hong Kong could also jeopardise the flow of students.
The British Council, the government body that promotes culture abroad, should be overhauled to take on the task of keeping the UK a global study leader, Mr Johnson says. The reformed council would focus on promoting the UK as a global study destination and creating and operating a global student mobility network to replace Erasmus, the EU student exchange programme that the UK may leave after Brexit.
Jo Johnson LBC INTERVIEW: Government is right that schools need to go back
21 May 2020,
Jo Johnson: Schools need to return as soon as it is safe
Jo Johnson told LBC that it's vital for schools to re-open as soon as it is safe to do so.The former Universities Minister said children are missing out on huge amounts of learning and it's important for them to return as quickly as they can.
Edtech’s newest unicorn, ApplyBoard, lands $1.4B valuation with fresh funding
5 May 2020
Brothers Martin, Meti and Massi Basiri all left Iran to study abroad in Canada. After struggling with every aspect from the visa process to grade conversions, the brothers saw an opportunity to make the transition to study internationally more seamless. So, they started Applyboard in 2015 at University of Waterloo’s Velocity Garage.
ApplyBoard has two main parts of its business. First, the company helps international students search and apply from a single platform to universities and colleges across the world. Similar to how American students use the Common App to apply to schools, ApplyBoard seeks to be the college undergrad application for international students, and serve as a marketplace. It is free for students.
The other part of ApplyBoard’s business is on the university side. The startup makes money from revenue-sharing agreements with colleges and universities. If a student attends a college from using their services, ApplyBoard gets a cut of the tuition.
While the SaaS-enabled startup did not disclose revenue, it said it took in $300 million in sales last year.
Five years after founding, ApplyBoard has helped assist over 100,000 students across 110 countries to study internationally. Today, the Ontario-based startup announced it raised $75 million (USD) at a $1.5 billion valuation, making it the latest edtech unicorn.
Unlike most of the reported rounds we’ve been covering these days, this round was closed at the end of March in the thick of the pandemic for Canada, co-founder Martin Basiri told TechCrunch . It means that ApplyBoard’s new valuation is yet another example of how edtech as a sector is feeling dollar sign momentum from COVID-19.
The pandemic has forced millions of students to learn from home, putting tech companies at the forefront of making remote education possible. ApplyBoard, said Basiri, had a 200% month-over-month surge of new schools signing up for its service.
“A lot of investors noticed the importance of our digital platform that can do such an important job,” said Basiri.
While most unicorns in the edtech space hail from the B2C space, like Duolingo and Udemy, the story with ApplyBoard shows that there is promise in selling to large businesses. Across the world, colleges have been turning to alternative marketing channels as campus tours and limited travel hurts their exposure to international students.
The new round was led by Drive Capital. Other participating investors include Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, Business Development Bank of Canada, Anthos Capital, Artiman Ventures, and Plug and Play Tech Center. ApplyBoard plans to hire 100 more employees, atop its existing 400 staff.
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February 2020
ApplyBoard Appoints The Right Honourable Jo Johnson Chairman of Advisory Board
Helping facilitate the growth, reach, and innovation of ApplyBoard as they continue their mission to educate the world.
Jo with co-founders, Meti (left) and Martin.
Kitchener, Ontario – Feb 13, 2020 – ApplyBoard, the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment, announced today the appointment of The Right Honourable Jo Johnson—former Minister of State for Universities, Science & Innovation, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, and President’s Professorial Fellow at King’s College London—as Chairman to its Advisory Board.
“We are thrilled to have Mr. Johnson leading our Advisory Board, bringing with him his years of experience within the education sector,” said Martin Basiri, ApplyBoard Co-Founder and CEO. “Jo has been instrumental in driving positive change for international students studying in the U.K., specifically leading the reintroduction of two-year work visas.”
Mr. Johnson’s extensive knowledge and advocacy within the higher education sector and international studies make him an excellent fit to help ApplyBoard continue its rapid growth and adoption in new markets.
“It is great to see a company leading the way in education, developing new technology and innovations to make students’ lives easier,” said Jo Johnson. “Today’s international students are tomorrow’s world leaders. They take friendships and loyalties home with them that later become trade links, cultural bonds and diplomatic ties. This is why ApplyBoard is the right fit for me—I’m thrilled to join the team.”
Jo Johnson attended Cabinet as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation and is also the non-executive chairman of TES Global, owner of the Times Educational Supplement and the leading U.K. peer-to-peer marketplace for teacher resources, recruitment, and software services.
Prior to his time in Cabinet, Mr. Johnson spent 13 years at the Financial Times, where he was Associate Editor and won a number of awards for his journalism.
“I am excited to be joining Canada’s fastest-growing technology company, that is bringing higher education within reach of millions around the world,” said Jo Johnson. “ApplyBoard is lowering barriers to the transformational benefits education brings, and I can’t wait to help the Basiri brothers, and talented team at ApplyBoard write the next chapter in their incredible story.”
– 30 –
About ApplyBoard
ApplyBoard empowers students around the world to access the best education. Connecting international students, recruitment partners, and academic institutions on its platform. Founded in 2015, the company has built partnerships with over 1,200 primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools, and works with 3,500 recruitment partners, to drive diversity on campuses across Canada and the United States. To date, the company has assisted more than 80,000 students with their educational journey. ApplyBoard is headquartered in Kitchener, ON Canada, with representatives in 8 countries. For more information, visit www.applyboard.com.
Contacts
Hannah Cameron
ApplyBoard – Manager, Marketing Communications
hannah.cameron@applyboard.com | press@applyboard.com
Alicia Bedard
ApplyBoard – Director of Marketing
alicia.bedard@applyboard.com | marketing@applyboard.com
31 January 2020
Harvard Kennedy School welcomes incoming senior fellows
Harvard’s Mossavar-Rahmani Centre for Business and Government has announced new senior fellows who joined the Center in January. They include:
Jo Johnson is a President’s Professorial Fellow at King’s College London and Chairman of TES Group, owner of the Times Educational Supplement, a leading peer- to-peer marketplace for teacher resources, recruitment and software services. He was also a Member of Parliament from 2010- 2019. While at M-RCBG, he will pursue a research project called “Global Britain.”
30 January 2020
Jo Johnson to join King's College London as President's Professorial Fellow
The former universities minister will lead a new project on Britain's place in the global knowledge economy
King’s College London is pleased to announce that Jo Johnson will join the university as President’s Professorial Fellow. His work will include leading a new project examining Britain’s place in the global knowledge economy.
Jo Johnson said:
“As a university that has influenced many of the advances that shape modern life, King's is the ideal place to consider how Britain’s knowledge assets – including its academics and innovators – will be central to the UK’s economic success and relevance as a knowledge economy on the global stage.”
Professor Ed Byrne AC, President & Principal of King's College London, said:
“I am delighted that Jo Johnson is joining King’s as President’s Professorial Fellow. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, both within higher education and policymaking. This new research will help us understand our strengths and weaknesses, and what more the UK can do to be a leader of the global knowledge economy.”
Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, said:
“Understanding and leveraging the UK’s place in the global knowledge economy is vital to our future economic success. This project, drawing on Jo’s insight, will provide an excellent basis to identify and prioritise actions that will cement the UK’s world-leading role.”
Mr Johnson began his career in Parliament as the MP for Orpington in 2010. He served as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, Minister for Transport and Minister for London. He was also the Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit. Prior to his political career, Mr Johnson worked in investment banking, and later, at the Financial Times.
Education investor global
November 2019
Tes
november 2019
The Guardian
September 2019
dAILY tELEGRAPH
nOVEMBER 2018
“Boris’s usually quiet brother let out an almighty roar when he resigned as transport minister two weeks ago. Mary Riddell meets Jo Johnson, whose departure heralded the latest Brexit earthquakes”
