By Wagdy Sawahel. Ghana has launched its national higher education vision to promote the development of industry-ready graduates, scientific research and innovation in efforts to make universities more responsive to the country’s development needs in the 21st century, and make Ghana a major hub for higher education in the West African region. Read more...

By Ranjit Devraj. The Indian government’s snap decision earlier this month to withdraw higher denomination banknotes has left all sectors of society reeling, from wealthy businessmen to subsistence-level farmers. As with others, India’s university students are having to cope as best as they can. Read more...

By Sharon Dell – Acting Africa Editor. In our lead story, Brennan Weiss discusses the issue of graduate unemployment in Ghana and the prominent position it has assumed in the build-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held this coming week.
In Africa Analysis, Damtew Teferra says it is important to view the potential disengagement of the United States in Africa following Donald Trump’s election as US president in the context of the growing interest in Africa from other corners of the world, including Germany’s mooted African ‘Marshall Plan’.
In a series on Transformative Leadership in which University World News is partnering with The MasterCard Foundation, Brendan O’Malley interviews the first elected woman President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib, who says there has to be a transformation within the African higher education landscape so that universities start to become producers of knowledge that addresses the fundamentals of Africa’s problems.
In Africa Features, Tunde Fatunde highlights debates around the recent licensing of eight new private universities in Nigeria; while Munyaradzi Makoni reports on a recent webinar which explored some of the reasons for the continent’s relatively slow progress in harmonising quality assurance and accreditation processes.
In Global Commentary, Ming Cheng asks Western universities to examine whether international students are indeed gaining the desired international experience at their institutions, based on a case study of Chinese masters students at a British and Australian university; Sarah O’Shea proposes ways that universities in Australia might retain and engage first generation students and particularly those from aboriginal backgrounds; and Emily Johnson shares the views of students across the world arising from an essay contest on the ideal higher education model for their country. Read more...

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In a series on Transformative Leadership in which University World News is partnering with The MasterCard Foundation, Brendan O’Malley interviews the first elected woman President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib, who says there has to be a transformation within the African higher education landscape so that universities start to become producers of knowledge that addresses the fundamentals of Africa’s problems. In Commentary on Africa, Damtew Teferra says it is important to view the potential disengagement of the United States in Africa following Donald Trump’s election as US president in the context of the growing interest in Africa from other corners of the world, including Germany’s mooted African ‘Marshall Plan’.
In other Commentaries, Ming Cheng asks Western universities to examine whether international students are indeed gaining the desired international experience at their institutions, based on a case study of Chinese masters students at a British and Australian university; Sarah O’Shea proposes ways that universities in Australia might retain and engage first generation students and particularly those from aboriginal backgrounds; and Emily Johnson shares the views of students across the world arising from an essay contest on the ideal higher education model for their country.
In World Blog, Grace Karram Stephenson says we need to see inclusivity and academic freedom as complementary forces that allow every voice on campus to be heard and protected from harassment.
Lastly, in Features, Arther Mirza reports on a plea by Nadia Murad – a woman who was held captive by Islamic State and personally witnessed the horror of genocide – to students and the youth to counter ideologies of hate and help end terrorism. And María Elena Hurtado reports on an international seminar in Chile that explored how universities should face the challenge of a rapidly changing world in which millions of jobs will be displaced by technology. Read more...

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In World Blog, Betty Leask and Hans de Wit contend that in a world that is more connected and interdependent than ever but with an increased focus on nationalism and narrow-minded approaches to race and religion, we need a new way of thinking about the internationalisation of teaching, learning and the curriculum.
In Commentary, Jane Duncan says that universities must uphold the international right to protest, in accordance with a UN report stating that freedom of peaceful assembly is an inalienable right and giving guidelines for managing assemblies.
Hamish Coates and Gwilym Croucher look at Melbourne in Australia as a case study for a successful university city and encourage open public discussions about the value tertiary institutions contribute to cities and their future. Ararat Osipian says the US$25 million payout in an out-of-court settlement of the Trump University case in the US is by no means the largest and is unlikely to be the last of its kind. And Roger Chao says internationalisation of higher education contributes to social stratification at national, regional and global levels and recommends mediating this effect to ensure a sustainable and peaceful global community.
In a series on Transformative Leadership in which University World News is partnering with The MasterCard Foundation, Paul Benneworth, Magnus Gulbrandsen, Ellen Hazelkorn and Andrew Gibson argue that the real value of arts and humanities research lies in its influence on societies’ capacities for transformation.
And in Features, Yojana Sharma reports on a meeting of high level education officials from Asia hosted by UNESCO to discuss drawing up a range of indicators on higher education internationalisation for the region. Read more...