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15 August 2021 Issue No: 655
AFGHANISTAN
Shadi Khan Saif
 Never in the history of Afghanistan’s conservative and remote corners have so many girls made it into higher education, as in the past few years of relative peace. Now, amid swift and deadly advances by armed Taliban insurgents, these gains – and their lives – are under threat.
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UNITED STATES
Nathan M Greenfield A recent report by the American Association of University Professors confirms tough times for higher education staff and institutions in the United States, over and above COVID-19. The report charts the first decline in academic salaries in a decade. The $336-billion debt universities and colleges have amassed is a ticking time bomb for the sector. |
GLOBAL
Nathan M Greenfield Jürgen Wertheimer, professor of comparative literature at Universität Tübingen, conceived and leads Project Cassandra, a social strife early warning system based on literature that has been supported by the German military. Wertheimer believes literature affects the way readers think and act in the real world – and his research correctly forecast civil strife in Algeria in 2019 and war in Nagorno-Karabakh last year. |
UNITED KINGDOM
Nic Mitchell
| EdTech in Higher Education |
GLOBAL
 After 18 months of global disruption by COVID-19, including of higher education, it is time to shine light and reflect upon two active areas of response – educational technologies and innovation. How have these pre-existing spheres evolved since institutions shifted online? What's happening? How might they help tackle inequalities in the sector locally and globally? How might they shape teaching and learning, and higher education's future? These are some of the questions probed in two Special Reports published this and next weekend.
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GLOBAL
Laura Czerniewicz
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GLOBAL
Sonal Minocha
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GLOBAL
Karen MacGregor and Yojana Sharma
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UNITED STATES
Paul Cochrane
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SOUTH KOREA
Yojana Sharma
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GLOBAL
Jill Jameson
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SOUTH AFRICA
Eve Ruwoko
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AFRICA
Wachira Kigotho
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SINGAPORE
Kirsten Han
 Nanyang Technological University’s international academics and students who have travelled abroad recently may lose pay and education as they wait for Singapore to let them back in. Stranded academics say that they have been told they will not be allowed to teach remotely, unless granted compassionate leave.
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UNITED KINGDOM
Paul Cochrane
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CHILE
María Elena Hurtado
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GLOBAL
Wagdy Sawahel
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ETHIOPIA
Wagdy Sawahel
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AFRICA
Eric Fredua-Kwarteng
 Universities have an important role to play in educating young people about ethics and addressing corruption and bribery in the wider society. A key strategy could be the provision of a conscientisation course to help students to assess and develop ethical decision-making skills.
UNITED STATES
John Aubrey Douglass
 The administration of President Joe Biden is reported to be developing a federal strategy for internationalising higher education in the United States. To do so, it should consider a range of factors, beginning with changing the mindset about international engagement.
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INDIA
Malish CM
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EUROPE
Nadine Burquel
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INDONESIA
Kafil Yamin
 Opposition is growing against Indonesia’s new overarching research and innovation body as academics and the public question its ‘politicised’ steering board and the dismantling of many of the country’s specialised research agencies. The new research agency is in charge of issuing permits for foreign researchers wanting to work in Indonesia, which has also been a contentious issue.
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