9 December 2021  Issue No: 340

Several African governments are restricting and curtailing the freedom of movement of academics and students through targeted actions, policies and practices that have frustrated the free flow of ideas, according to a report by Scholars at Risk on academic freedom and open public discourse.

Five professors at Hassan I University in Settat, Morocco, are under investigation after conversations on social media were leaked in which they were allegedly discussing the ‘sextortion’ of female students for extra credits. The five academics work in law, economics and politics.

Despite some effort to respond to the deficiencies of higher education leadership, the development and training of leaders has, by and large, been patchy. Given the growth and complexity of the Ethiopian sector, it is imperative that leadership development receives the attention it deserves.

Despite the recommended removal of a few journals from the Department of Higher Education and Training’s accreditation list, a review of maths and science journals in South Africa found that the structures, systems and processes associated with these publication pipelines were robust.

Alphonsine Neema, who graduated from Kepler in Rwanda, is one of a small group of refugees across the world who have had access to basic and higher education. The institution is committed to drawing at least 25% of its students from refugee communities.

Despite the government’s support for inclusive education in Burundi, a 46-year-old visually impaired undergraduate’s difficulties suggest that mountainous barriers prevail if you are disabled. Moreover, those with visual impairment are stigmatised in society and often discriminated against by their own families.

Universities engaged in agricultural research and education are contributing to sustainable economic development through tackling food security challenges due to climate change and also by enabling the growth of agri-businesses and entrepreneurship. In these efforts, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture and its 143 member institutions are playing a leading role.

Do we need to ban education agents or is there another more ethical way of recruiting international students? One way is to create an impartial advisory body that treats students and parents as the primary clients and is based on fees or commissions, but not both.

Despite concerns that Chinese students will stay close to home after COVID, there are reasons to believe they will continue to want to study abroad, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. These include the cultural experience, pressure from parents and influencers and gaokao frustration.

While two-thirds of their students come from disadvantaged families, historically black colleges and universities or HBCUs in the United States are more than two times more successful in propelling their graduates into the middle or upper classes than the nationwide average, says a report from the United Negro College Fund.