12 January 2020  Issue No: 580

The role of international education in the global climate crisis is set to become a key issue for the 2020s. We need to significantly curb short-term study abroad that is not carbon neutral and devote substantial resources to developing ‘internationalisation at home’.

Anger was expressed across universities in India over violence that swept India's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi on Sunday 5 January as dozens of masked men and women assaulted students and teachers inside the campus with wooden batons and metal rods.

We are stuck between two approaches to the effectiveness of internationalisation of higher education – rankings and opposition to all forms of measurement. But what if, by using a mathematical theory, we could understand better what form of internationalisation works best?

The recent protests in Chile and the establishment of popular councils in universities as well as town halls and public squares could bring a new role for its public universities in defending and building the public sphere generally after years of neoliberalism.

Democracy is expanding across Africa with 20 countries due to hold presidential, parliamentary or council elections in 2020. However, participation rates in voting, politics and civic engagement – particularly among the youth – are low. Should African universities be promoting political engagement among their students?