By Michelle Grattan. A new vocational education and training student loan scheme will aim at putting a stop to rorting by dodgy private colleges. More...

By Daniel Edwards. Stronger academic support for students may help lower attrition rates, new research finds. More...

By Hannah Forsyth. Honorary doctorates are just one of the many honorary degrees that universities can award, though they appear to be the one everyone likes best – possibly an honorary Bachelor of Arts (BA) seems a little shabby. More...

By Katharine Gelber. Some universities are attempting to insert new clauses into their employment contracts that aim to limit academics’ ability to speak freely in public debate. More...

By Mary Leahy and Shelley Gillis. Education Minister Simon Birmingham argues that the new VET Student Loans program – which will replace the flawed and highly controversial VET FEE-HELP scheme – will “restore credibility” and rebuild trust in vocational education and training. More...

By Sara Glover and George Mclean. In an era of demand-driven higher education, where universities have the option of expanding places to respond to student demand and achieve economies of scale, Piccoli has called for reforms to ensure the supply of new teachers matches the jobs on offer and the needs of schools. More...

By Helen Cahill, Catherine Smith and Jessica Crofts. It is possible to talk with children and young people about gender without activating a gender war. More...

By Kasturi Behari-Leak, Elelwani Ramugondo and Harsha Kathard. The new round of protests at South Africa’s public universities was triggered by the announcement that universities will be allowed to raise their fees in 2017. Amid discussions about high fees and free higher education, many may have forgotten that students’ demands aren’t just related to cost. More...

By Daniela Gachago and Asanda Ngoasheng. Apartheid capitalised on differences in race, culture and gender. When it was finally abolished in 1994, South Africa introduced a new ideology in the name of nation building: rainbowism. This emphasised common ground and sameness rather than a focus on difference and was meant to fight racism and discrimination. More...

By Nuraan Davids and Yusef Waghid. Protests at South Africa’s universities didn’t suddenly start in 2015 with the “fees must fall” movement. Students at poorer institutions that cater almost exclusively for black students such as the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Fort Hare University and the Tshwane University of Technology have been protesting routinely against rising fees and the cost of higher education since 1994. More...