African universities need improved peer review, an academic freedom charter

By Karen MacGregor – Africa Editor. In Africa Analysis, Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua argues, based on a study he conducted, that it is time for African academics to draft an academic freedom charter. While this will be difficult, the cost of not doing so will be great for universities and countries.
Muhammad Mehmood-Ul-Hassan and Jan De Leeuw contend in an article for the African Academy of Sciences that strengthening peer review would help to improve the quality of science and the skills of African scientists. In Africa Features, Munyaradzi Makoni reports on a study suggesting that banishing widespread plagiarism could help Mozambique nurture the original thinkers needed for development.
In Commentary, Simon Marginson asks if higher education is responsible for the growth of socio-economic inequality, and examines how even elite universities can address barriers to social mobility. Nader Habibi maintains that Saudi Arabia should curb annual enrolment to universities because of graduate joblessness.
Jeffrey Herlihy-Mera outlines how US visa policies are hampering academic freedom by discriminating against scholars from Latin America, Asia, Africa and majority Muslim nations.
In India, Pushkar in Commentary and Yojana Sharma in News investigate the stormy relationship between Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Sen exits the chancellorship of Nalanda University. And in World Blog, John K Wilson writes that when controversial scholars such as Steven Salaita are sanctioned for having offensive views, it has a chilling effect throughout academia. Read more...