Algeria’s Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Tahar Hadjar said his ministry had brought together “all necessary human and material resources” to ensure the enrolment process for new students would run smoothly. Meanwhile, the University of Ouargla has announced 156 new doctoral positions across a range of fields in the new academic year. Read more...
Profound impacts of Ebola on higher education linger
By Francis Kokutse. Public health officials announced the outbreak of Ebola in May 2014. This led to the closure of schools and universities throughout the country. By 9 January 2015, the number of cases was more than 10,000 with about 3,029 deaths and the epidemic had devastated the economy. Read more...
Higher education – Opportunities and barriers
By Tunde Fatunde. A major topic tackled at the recent Association of Commonwealth Universities conference was opportunities and barriers in African higher education. Access for more of the continent’s fast-growing young population turned out to be both an opportunity and a challenge, while low funding was identified as the major obstacle. Read more...
Universities grapple with injustices and reparations
By Tunde Fatunde. Historical injustice and reparations came under the spotlight at the recent Association of Commonwealth Universities conference, with calls made for greater support for student demands in South Africa and a ‘Marshall Plan’ to uplift the Caribbean region. Read more...
Countering campus extremism – A role for religions
By Tunde Fatunde. The role of religious faith in combating extremism on university campuses was a central focus of two sessions at the Association of Commonwealth Universities or ACU conference, as participants reflected on the effects and implications of multiple terror attacks in 2015. Read more...
Higher education must empower women and men – ACU panel
By Tunde Fatunde. Higher education has a leading role to play in championing the kind of gender equality that empowers both women and men, according to high-level participants in a ministerial panel held on the final day of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, or ACU, 2016 conference. Read more...
The rise of social responsibility in higher education
By Brennan Weiss. Corporate social responsibility has been a fixture in the business world for decades, and has become embedded in many universities as higher education leaders seek alternative ways to achieve sustainability. Read more...
Role of the ‘entrepreneurship university’ in society
By Brennan Weiss. Venture creation programmes are still somewhat novel in higher education. Relatively few universities offer real-world entrepreneurial degrees and their implementation is often complicated by a lack of funding and faculty motivation. Read more...
Inequality, intolerance threaten universities – Kofi Annan
By Brennan Weiss. Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called on universities around the world to promote democracy as growing inequality and intolerance threaten higher education globally. Read more...
Law for first national space agency approved
By Wagdy Sawahel. Egypt’s cabinet has approved a draft bill to establish a space agency that will promote the development of space technology, science and engineering capacity, and space research and education in universities.
The draft law was approved on 3 August and enables the creation of Africa’s fourth space agency after South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria, according to international relations researcher Scott Firsing. Read more...