By Paul Aleixo. You might think comics are just packed full of superheroes, funny animals and silly jokes, and you wouldn’t be far wrong. More...

With the recent news that more than £500m has been set aside by the UK government for new free schools – many of which could well become grammar schools – the selective schooling debate is firmly back on the table. More...

By Joshua Forstenzer. Approximately two years ago, I was appointed as the vice-chancellor’s fellow for the public benefit of higher education at the University of Sheffield. This means it’s my job to research the public purpose of universities and advise my vice-chancellor on matters relating to the public value of higher education. More...

By Peter Vale. Given the disconcerting present, how can we explain our wretched past and understand our increasingly threatening future? This question continued to drift to the surface as I listened recently to presentations about the history of individual departments in Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Science – the name for the humanities faculty at that university. More...

By Kathleen Heugh. African research has made a valuable contribution to the framing of 2017’s International Mother Language Day theme: “Towards sustainable futures through multilingual education”. More...

By Chao Charity Mbogo. When I sent out an informal notice to my computer science students offering mentorship to anyone who wanted it, I wasn’t expecting many replies. After all, how many students rush to get involved in voluntary activities when they’re already so busy with academic work?
I was wrong. More...

By Savo Heleta. In South Africa tens of thousands of students leave universities each year without completing their degrees. They are largely being pushed out of the system due to funding issues and a lack of academic support. More...

By Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni. The appointment of former South African president Thabo Mbeki as Chancellor of one of the country’s largest tertiary institutions, the University of South Africa (UNISA), comes at a unique moment in the country. More...

By Hermien Zaaiman. If you want to understand how tough it is to run a university anywhere in the world today, just read the news. From student and staff safety to students apparently behaving badly, fee protests to governance issues: university managers have their hands full battling the many risks they face. More...

By Nickanor Amwata. A recent audit of public and private universities has laid out in the open what some have long suspected: Kenya’s public institutions are poorly funded and often disgracefully managed. More...