By Ahmed Mohamoud Elmi. Somaliland’s Minister of Education and Higher Studies Abdillahi Ibrahim Habane was among 75 students who graduated last month with a masters degree in international relations and diplomacy from the University of Hargeisa, the country’s largest higher education institution. He extolled the virtues of lifelong learning. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor. A first global gathering of top (especially young) scientists to be held on African soil, aimed at advancing African science and innovation and showcasing scientific progress on the continent, is being held by the Next Einstein Forum in the Senegalese capital Dakar in March – a year after the first African Higher Education Summit took place there. Read more...

By Karen MacGregor – Acting Global Editor. In Africa Features, Ahmed Mohamoud Elmi takes us to the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland, where the education minister has just graduated with a masters in international relations and diplomacy and the new vice-chancellor has plans for improvement. In Africa Analysis, Simon Ngalomba reflects on the cost-cutting reforms of Tanzania’s new President John Pombe Magufuli, including their impacts on universities.
Damtew Teferra contends that Africa’s flagship universities need greater recognition for their contributions to development. Also on flagships, in Commentary Bekir S Gur asks whether the ‘new flagship university’ outlined in a new book by Berkeley’s John Douglass could provide an alternative model to the ‘world-class universities’ with which higher education is obsessed – this is the first in a series of articles on the topic. Francisco Marmolejo argues that university rankings have value but alternative benchmarking processes are needed.
David Newman slates the Israeli government for making political appointments to key jobs in the Council for Higher Education, thus endangering the country’s strong research performance.
Mark Ashwill looks at what is driving growing numbers of Vietnamese to study in America, while Tapas R Dash reports on the challenges Cambodia faces in improving higher education quality and how internationalisation can help. And in World Blog, Robin Matross Helms proposes engaging academics in internationalisation early in their careers so that global perspectives become embedded in their teaching and research. Read more...