By . The challenges and opportunities of integrating refugees into European institutions for higher education were the focus of a two-day seminar held in Amsterdam on June 9 and 10. More...
European Universities Seek to Integrate Refugees
A Peek Inside Mauritanian Higher Education
By . Mauritania is a country that is rarely heard from in international education forums. Although it is of a comparable size to Egypt, this largely desert nation has a population of 3.5 million, a fraction of the population of Cairo. More...
Leaked Questions and Answers Disrupt National Exams
By . The online disclosure of college admittance high-school exams has led to nationwide disruptions in Egypt and Algeria. Despite vows by authorities to make sure tests are secure, exam questions have been leaked prior to exam administration in both countries for several years. More...
A Research Victory in Bahrain, But With Limits
By . Scientists in Bahrain have used genetics to further the understanding of how the brain interacts with the immune system, a discovery that could lead to improved cancer treatments. But the work also shows the challenges that even internationally recognized research in the region faces to get to such therapeutic results. More...
Integrating Syrians: A Discussion in Germany
By . A recent one-day event here focused on how to integrate Syrians in Europe and provide them with access to higher education. More...
The paradox of higher education in MENA
By Shanta Devarajan. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) was the cradle of higher education. The three oldest, still-functioning universities in the world are in Iran, Morocco, and Egypt. The University of Al-Karaouine in Fes has been granting degrees since 859 A.D. The Ancient Library of Alexandria, in addition to being repository of books and manuscripts, was a center of learning during the Ptolemaic dynasty, with scholars traveling to there from all around the Mediterranean and beyond. And scholars such as Ibn Khaldoun discovered fundamental economics four centuries before Adam Smith and others. In short, all of us who have benefited from a university education owe a debt to the MENA region. More...
College education and student debt: Evaluating the investment
By Beth Akers, Adrianna Pita and Jonathan Rothwell. A lot of the conversation around college education is that tuition is increasing very rapidly, debt is increasing very rapidly and what does that mean for everyone? If we take a bigger step back we want to reframe the discussion around higher education as the potential investment available to people in our economy to help them be more productive in the labor market and to help them have better financial lives themselves. More...
Welcoming two new initiatives to accelerate quality teaching and learning in Africa
By . “So, now close your eyes and imagine we have arrived at the year 2030. What does Africa’s education now look like?” invited our facilitator, Dzingai Mutumbuka. More...
Experts discuss whether taking on student debt is worth it
By . In the latest Intersections podcast, experts Beth Akers and Jonathan Rothwell discuss with host Adrianna Pita the current state of higher education, student debt, and whether taking on that debt is worth it. More...
Paying for success in education: Comparing opportunities in the United States and globally
By . “This is about governments using data for performance rather than compliance” was a resounding message coming out of the U.S. Department of Education’s conference on June 10 on the use of Pay for Success contracts in education. These contracts, known globally as social impact bonds, continue to be at the forefront of global conversations about results-based financing mechanisms, and have garnered significant momentum this week with passage of the Social Impact Partnerships for Pay for Results Act in the U.S. More...