Digital records to tackle fake qualifications
By Ranjit Devraj. The Indian government is planning to digitise academic records as part of a drive against fake degrees and institutions at a time when prominent public figures are being challenged to prove that they are entitled to the degrees and qualifications they claim to have. More...
China takes on Hollywood with film studies tie-ups
By Yojana Sharma. A rise in film studies collaborations between Chinese institutions and universities in Britain, America and Europe is part of China’s policy to become a post-manufacturing economy. More...
Academic freedom – Heart of the higher education project
By Alexandra Antonescu and Lea Meister. Violations of student rights and academic freedom are severe abuses of the fundamental values of the European Higher Education Area. These principles, which are laid down in Magna Charta Universitatum of 1988 and the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation (CM/Rec(2012)7) on the responsibility of public authorities for academic freedom and institutional autonomy, are an integral part of the Bologna Process and are being discussed in the lead-up to the Ministerial Conference in Paris in 2018. More...
Why university autonomy matters more than ever
By Thomas Estermann. The implications of the political, economic and societal landscape in Europe are becoming ever more complex for Europe’s universities. The Old Continent faces prolonged financial and economic crises, the impact of new technologies on society and labour markets, rising populism, weakening solidarity and pressure on some of its most important values – all of which affect the ability of the higher education and research sectors in fulfilling their missions. More...
Revolutions ahead in international student mobility
By Philip G Altbach and Hans de Wit. Revolutionary changes are likely in higher education internationalisation in the immediate future, largely as a result of the dramatic political changes that have taken place in the aftermath of Brexit in the United Kingdom, the advent of the 'Trump era' in the United States and the rise of nationalism and xenophobia in Europe, manifest in countries such as Hungary and Poland, and in increased support for extreme right parties elsewhere. More...
The importance of universities not being American
By Neal Koblitz. I recently wrote an article in VnExpress International on why it would be foolish for Vietnam – or any other country – to imitate the American system. A Vietnamese colleague criticised it for being too negative. More...
Marching for science and its importance for democracy
By Emmanuelle Perez Tisserant and Philippe Dagneaux. The election as president of Donald Trump in the United States has led to much anxiety among scientists. The positions taken by the new president and his team have led to concerns that scientific findings made over past decades by researchers on the other side of the Atlantic would be thrown into question. These concerns have now become certainties. More...
Can autocracies cope with international universities?
By Ararat Osipian. Autocrats dislike independent, internationally oriented, autonomous universities free of corruption and hence they attack them. More...
Is China the new lodestar for Africa’s students?
By Ross Anthony. Within the global context, 20th century higher education has been dominated by institutions of the Global North. More...
Cut in study places aimed at culling EU student intake
By Jan Petter Myklebust. The Minister for Higher Education and Science, Søren Pind, has decided to cut the intake of business academies and professional universities for higher education courses by a quarter – a cut of 1,600 study places. More...
