5 July 2020  Issue No: 605

The National Security Law for Hong Kong which prohibits ‘secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces’ to endanger national security, which could lead to life in prison for ‘primary instigators’, has severe implications for academic freedom both in Hong Kong and abroad.

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Scrapping the SAT and ACT will not in itself negate the influence of family affluence and level the educational playing field. There is a place for standardised testing to address inequalities in school funding, but it needs to measure potential rather than merely achievement.

As Japan prepares for the prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infections, its relatively low death and infection rates compared to many other countries globally has been touted as the success of a government COVID-19 policy closely guided by health experts including academics.

The classic model of the modern research university, embedded in national power and accentuating excellence at the expense of values, has failed to address the global challenges we face. We need a new global university based on the need for universal peace and shared goals.

Being a Chinese international student at a British university in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and then undertaking a tortuous journey home to China via quarantine to see out the crisis provides an interesting perspective on our different societies’ approach to COVID-19.

The United Kingdom government has unveiled a Research and Development Roadmap to “attract global talent, cut unnecessary bureaucracy and cement the UK as a world-leading science superpower” – and has announced that PhD students can stay on in the UK for three years to live and work.

In respect of the PhD, at least, quality would better be served by a peer review model rooted in collaborative networks and partnerships rather than in bureaucratic overlordship.

The appointment of nuclear physicist Professor Zeblon Vilakazi as the new vice-chancellor of one of South Africa’s premier institutions, the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), has received widespread support from stakeholders and industry representatives.