Pandemic exacerbates old inequities in HE worldwide

The third World Access to Higher Education Day or WAHED, held on 17 November, was marked by more than 30 events across 25 countries, including six online conferences involving over 2,000 delegates held in association with University World News, with a strong focus on the impact of COVID-19 on equity.

GLOBAL

Digital divide ‘catastrophic’ for many students – World Bank

Brendan O’Malley

ASIA

COVID-19 a threat to higher education access and success

Kalinga Seneviratne

AFRICA

COVID-19 is stoking inequality but also innovation in HE

Munyaradzi Makoni

LATIN AMERICA-CARIBBEAN

The pandemic is hindering access and retention in HE

María Elena Hurtado

Latin America is the region where access to higher education has increased the most in the past two decades, according to UNESCO. But there are huge variations between countries and the COVID-19 pandemic is hindering access and retention for disadvantaged students in particular.

AFRICA

Country responses to equity still a challenge – UNESCO global report

Christabel Ligami

Representation matters – in particular in education. This has been emphasised again by UNESCO in its Global Education Monitoring Report 2020 titled Inclusion and Education: All means all, which includes data on higher education participation rates and scholarships.