4 September 2022  Issue No: 706

The economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka has prompted a surge in interest from students in studying abroad, but rampant inflation, a collapse in the value of the local currency and a foreign exchange crisis mean that few are able to pay overseas university fees.

The recent decision by a university department in New Delhi to de-register activist and MPhil student Safoora Zargar has sparked campus protests amid claims that the move is linked to Zargar’s public opposition to the contentious nationality law, widely seen as discriminatory towards minority Muslims.

In addition to disrupting higher education for more than two years, COVID-19 will be linked to some permanent or ‘forever’ changes in the sector. These include an increasingly consumerist approach to education in some countries and greater concerns about the mental and emotional health of students.

Intellectual dependency fostered by teaching methods used in many African universities promotes a culture of intellectual laziness that is ultimately detrimental to the development of Africa, a continent that needs citizens who are creative, innovative and critical in order to address its challenges.

The history of Zhejiang University, one of China’s oldest universities and among the fastest growing globally, suggests that through constant adaptation and transformation, and by adopting a ‘global problem-solving mindset’ and collaborating internationally, universities have a better chance of becoming powerhouses for social progress.

In what is claimed to be the first “real world field study” of inoculation theory on a social media platform, United Kingdom psychologists, cooperating with Google experts, found that a single viewing of a pre-bunking video clip is effective in raising awareness of misinformation.

In the aftermath of war and conflict, higher education plays an important role in the process of reconstruction as it provides opportunities for education and training that can assist affected countries to diversify their economies, strengthen technological capabilities and build a skilled workforce.