By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In World Blog this week, Philip G Altbach and Hans de Wit argue that we are seeing not just a temporary challenge from rising populism in some parts of the world but a fundamental shift on higher education internationalisation that will mean rethinking the entire approach.
   In Commentary, Kevin Evans finds it ‘intriguing’ that the Indonesian government is looking at opening up to foreign universities at a time when Indonesian public discourse is increasingly ‘ultra-nationalist’. Nadine Burquel and Anja Busch contend that strong leadership and management have never been more important in higher education due to the pace of change and diverse challenges – so how are universities creating the leaders they need? And Daniel Sanchez-Serra and Gabriele Marconi warn that while charging tuition fees to foreign students can be a tool to boost the funding of tertiary education, governments must keep in mind that this can deter international students from choosing their country as a destination.
   In Commentary on Africa, Ekkehard Wolff laments that universities in Africa are doing little to address the issue of linguistic imperialism, which still prevails more than half a century after independence from colonial rule, while Damtew Teferra writes in the wake of alleged Chinese espionage at the African Union headquarters that it is critical that Africa protects its strategic interests through the consolidation of its intellectual citadels.
   In Features, Wagdy Sawahel reports on the view of experts that Islamic universities in Central Asia can play a valuable role in combating the influence of radical extremism and stemming recruitment by Islamic State in the region.
   In a Special Report on a comprehensive analysis of the uses and impact of open educational resources in the Global South, Sharon Dell says the 21-country study fills a major gap in empirical research and has given educators in the South space to participate in a global conversation. More...

By Kirk Perris. ‘Open education’ is a philosophy about the way people should produce, share and build on knowledge. Over the course of two days in November, the Research Institute for Innovation and Technology in Education at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, or UNIR iTED, in Spain held a congress on the status of open education in practice. More...

By Deren Temel. Japan has too many vacant jobs. In 2017, Japan’s low birth rate and relative economic recovery left 1.43 job vacancies for every applicant in all sectors and skill levels. In Tokyo, Japan’s white-collar capital, there are two jobs for every one applicant. More...