2 June 2019  Issue No: 554

The prosperity of nations is increasingly dependent on their ability to attract talented and skilled individuals from abroad. Countries compete for this pool by implementing benign migration policies, which for the first time the OECD has ranked in a just-published index. Switzerland and Australia lead in attractiveness, appearing in the top six in three talent categories of migrants – postgraduates, students and entrepreneurs.

Top Russian universities are accelerating their battle for the world’s best researchers, according to statements by representatives of leading universities and senior officials in the Ministry of Education and Science. This will be possible thanks to a boost in funding for the ‘5-100’ university development programme, recently approved by the government.

Despite assertions that the Bologna Process has turned all European students into consumers, research shows that the truth is more complex, that context matters and that ideas of European homogenisation are premature.

Service-learning is an experiential learning activity based on a community service educational model, mixing theory and practice in the real world. The aim is to create a more meaningful learning experience for students and to improve community engagement.

Universities offer a natural link between local culture and the global world of ideas. They can create campuses that draw together the local community as well as providing a space for global encounters. That is an important contribution in a divided world.

South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training has begun clamping down on academics publishing in predatory journals, withholding at least ZAR62 million (US$4.2 million) in subsidies during the 2016-17 academic year, with further action on the cards once a study is completed, according to Mahlubi 'Chief' Mabizela, a senior department official.

In April, third-year law student Ann Mwangi Mvurya became the first female leader of the University of Nairobi Students' Association after contesting Kenya's second university student elections, made possible by the Universities Amendment Act of 2016. She spoke to University World News about her winning strategy and the changes she hopes to make in her new role.