22 May 2022  Issue No: 693

As parts of Beijing followed Shanghai and dozens of other cities into lockdown under China’s strict zero-COVID policy, student anger over lack of warning by university authorities and harsh measures to prevent student movement have led to protests at universities in the capital, including the elite Tsinghua and Peking.

The third UNESCO World Higher Education Conference was held in Barcelona in Spain from 18-20 May 2022. The theme was Reinventing Higher Education for a Sustainable Future and the plan was to forge a common roadmap for higher education to 2030. University World News is the exclusive media partner for the conference.

Political problems, notably the Northern Ireland Protocol, are continuing to sideline science and thwart United Kingdom association with Horizon Europe. University leaders warned this week of teetering on the brink of losing Horizon, while the European Research Council suggested a “miracle” might be required for association to occur.

The cancellation of Advanced Placement or AP exams in some Chinese cities has generated anxiety and misinformation as well as more pressure on Chinese schools. The exams help high-performing students to secure university and college places in America. Greater education is needed about how the admissions system works.

Grant-making data from 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, members of the Science Granting Councils Initiative, showed that only about one-third of research awards went to women and that men often received larger grants than women. This is resulting in “persistent inequalities”, according to a new study.

The reported proposal by the Ghanaian government to allocate ‘fixed block grants’ to public universities as part of measures to address fiscal challenges facing the economy raises concerns, and highlights the need to find sustainable methods of financing accessible and affordable higher education.

The British government has been accused of ‘shying away’ from championing the power of university education to address inequality, leaving the responsibility for such work to individual universities such as Sheffield Hallam University and organisations such as the National Education Opportunities Network.

After years of receiving extra government funding to push selected top universities up international university rankings, three prestigious Chinese universities will no longer participate in overseas rankings. Academics say this could make the rankings landscape less globally representative as Chinese universities pursue their own path.