Open University chiefs are planning significant reductions in the number of courses the institution offers and the number of lecturers it employs, writes Diane Taylor for The Guardian. More...On Friday 23 February, a Tanzanian PhD student at the University of Johannesburg, Baraka Leonard Nafari, was killed in what may be South Africa’s first known violent xenophobic attack on a university campus. While university settings are normally considered relatively safe, international students have reported xenophobic and neo-national experiences both on- and off-campus, write Laura Freeman and Jenny Lee for the Daily Maverick. More...Professor Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, an internationally renowned scientist and one of the city’s 36 deputies to the National People’s Congress, said she has proposed to China’s top legislature lifting the ban on local scientists getting mainland funding for their research, writes Kimmy Chung for South China Morning Post. More...Iraq’s Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Abdul Razzaq al-Issa announced recently that he will not play a “part in any political or electoral agenda” in the upcoming 12 May parliamentary elections and directed all Iraqi universities to keep campuses clear of election campaigns, writes Hamza Mostapha for Asharq Al-Awsat. More...Higher Education Minister Nkandu Luo says both public and private universities must prioritise research activities as they are a cornerstone of academia, and has threatened to deregister universities not doing research work to college level, reports Lusakatimes.com. More...It was only a matter time before the #MeToo movement that first grew in force within the American entertainment industry gained traction in other countries. In South Korea, the impact has also been felt in Korea’s higher education system, writes Edward Choi for Inside Higher Ed. More...New analysis released recently by Victoria University's Mitchell Institute shows a pronounced disconnect: schools and students place an enormous importance on the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank, but the higher education sector uses it less and less as a basis for admission, writes Megan O’Connell for ABC. More...The University Grants Commission’s decision to grant graded autonomy to 60 institutions of higher education has invited criticism from various quarters with many teachers and academicians calling it merely "financial autonomy", while others have expressed concerns the move will make higher education more expensive as it will allow self-financed courses and a departure from public accountability, writes Sumi Sukanya Dutta for Express News Service. More...The Karachi University Teachers Society has vowed to remain committed to the revocation of the Sindh Universities Law Amendment Bill 2018 as members marched last Monday from the Arts Lobby to Azadi Chowk to express their dissatisfaction with the bill, reports The Express Tribune. More...Israel’s Council for Higher Education last week approved the upgrading of the status of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, making it the first ever privately-run university in Israel, writes Lior Dattel for Haaretz. More.../https%3A%2F%2Fprofilepics.canalblog.com%2Fprofilepics%2F1%2F0%2F1076071.jpg)
