Repositioning of the private higher education sector warrants greater scrutiny

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Commentary, Goolam Mohamedbhai says the repositioning and growth of private higher education and the blurring of the boundaries between the public and private higher education sectors mean that more attention needs to be paid to understanding the private sector. Mark Paterson discusses a new book which suggests that African governments need to nurture their local academic communities if they want to resist the imposition of policy prescriptions by foreign powers.
   Also in Commentary, Jonathan Benney suggests a way forward for Australian universities in dealing with the conflicts arising from China’s rising influence on their campuses, while Ingrid Hall writes that China is also on a mission Westward, using international education as a form of soft power to grow its global influence, with Central and Eastern Europe now in its sights. And Axel Didriksson Takayanagui explains why the regional context in Latin America and the Caribbean – including high levels of inequality – presents complex challenges for those in higher education seeking to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
   In World Blog, Patrick Blessinger and Enakshi Sengupta say learning how to think and live as global citizens who are able to create a more globally sustainable, fair and just world is a top education priority confronting the world.
   In Features this week, Aimee Chung reports on the squeeze on graduate employment in South Korea, with many graduates having to resort to menial jobs.
   Reporting on a webinar hosted by StudyPortals last week, with University World News as the media partner, Mary Beth Marklein says the speakers concluded that universities need to find innovative ways to democratise mobility, engage staff and leverage technology to achieve a globally engaged campus in today’s testing times.
   Universities and higher education organisations wishing to raise their profile internationally and connect with a key audience of university leaders, academics, administrators and policy-makers are invited to join the partnership programme recently introduced by University World News. More...