The World Conference on Higher Education will be held in July at Unesco headquarters in Paris on the theme of The New Dynamics of Higher Education. It follows the 1998 World Conference, which was important for recognising higher education as a key factor in the progression of nations and their people, for sustainable development and for human rights as well as for democracy, peace and justice.

Higher education values - academic freedom, institutional autonomy and social responsibility including respect for human rights - were major themes at the 1998 conference and an important component of the concluding plan of action and Unesco's activities in higher education in the decade since.

NEAR and Scholars at Risk (SAR) have submitted a platform urging the organisers and participants to ensure that higher education values remain a major theme of the 2009 conference. Specifically we have asked for:

* Further dissemination of the 1997 Recommendation Concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel and also dissemination of information about existing mechanisms designed for ensuring such standards are put into place.
* More discussion and activities with regard to Unesco's complaint procedures relating to breaches of academic freedom and a review of the steps taken to involve organisations that represent higher education communities in activities aimed at promoting and defending their academic freedoms.
* Leadership from Unesco, in the form of a directive or other broadly distributed statement and related activities, on the responsibility of the higher education sector to assist professionals displaced by threats in their own countries and a specific plan of action to deal with the grave threats in Iraq and the many thousands of refugee scholars from there.
* Leadership in establishing an annual International Academic Freedom Day to highlight the importance of academic freedom, institutional autonomy and social responsibility not only for the education sector but for all members of society.

The executive director of NEAR, Professor John Akker, has been invited to speak at the event as an expert on academic freedom issues.

INDIA: Public health activist remains in prison

The trial of Indian human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen has suffered further delays, prolonging the doctor's unjust stay in jail, Amnesty International has said. Sen's trial resumed at the end of April at Raipur district court but moved slowly, leading to an adjournment until 25-27 May.

Sen, a pioneer of health care to marginalised and indigenous communities in Chhattisgarh state, has been illegally incarcerated for two years. Security legislation enables the authorities to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals, as well as seek their punishment, on unclear grounds. If convicted, Sen could face a life term in jail.

He continues to be refused medical care at a place of his choice, despite fears for his health. During the trial, the Chhattisgarh government contested a plea from Sen, who suffers from recurrent chest pain, to be transferred to a hospital outside Raipur.

As the national vice president and Chhattisgarh general secretary of the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), Sen was arrested on 14 May 2007 and charged with facilitating armed Maoist violence. Amnesty International believes the charges and evidence against Sen are politically motivated.

UK: Overseas students denied entry

Business school leaders have warned that the enforcement of complicated new visa laws is deterring overseas students who bring billions of pounds to the UK economy, The Guardian reported. On 31 March, the government introduced a new points-based immigration system for non-European students to prevent terrorists from entering the country and to crack down on bogus colleges.

There is increasing concern that UK Border Agency officials are rejecting genuine students and therefore limiting revenue when the UK is already in financial crisis. Rather than focusing on fraudulent applications, officials are making decisions based on photo backgrounds and addresses written in the wrong order, The Guardian said. This could be a major problem for institutions as their recruitment cycle peaks this summer and students are left unable to start their courses in September.

SOUTH AFRICA: No risk to academic freedom

University of KwaZulu-Natal Rector Malegapuru Makgoba has been cleared of claims that he suppressed freedom of expression at the university, Independent Online said. The university appointed a committee of seven people in 2007 to probe accusations that Makgoba was managing the institution with an iron hand, following negative publicity in relation to academic freedom.

The issue of academic freedom at UKZN sparked debate when the university brought charges against physics professor Nithaya Chetty and mathematics professor John van den Berg in July last year. They were charged for bringing the university into disrepute by communicating with the media.

Both professors had accused Makgoba of blocking a science and agriculture faculty report from the senate. Van den Berg signed an agreement and continues to work at the university while Chetty resigned.

* Jonathan Travis is programme officer for the Network for Education and Academic Rights

jonathan.travis@nearinternational.org

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