Legal curbs on free speech on campus will not protect the world from terrorism

By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Commentary, Lynn Davies contends that legislation against terrorism and political dissent can cause such dissent to withdraw to unsupervised spaces and could make us less safe – it is better to educate against extremism. Also in Commentary, Angel Calderon warns higher education institutions to prepare for a range of new scenarios as the next 25 years could see a shift in cross-border mobility of students, academics, skills and ideas. Jane Knight and John McNamara report that a major survey on transnational education paints an overall positive picture of its impact in host countries, especially in providing increased access for local students.
In our World Blog this week, Patrick Blessinger says that a policy of universal inclusion is needed to more fully democratise higher education around the world, including opening up lifelong learning opportunities to all segments of society.
In Features, Geoff Maslen reports on last week’s revelation by a global team of researchers of the discovery of ancient human relative Homo naledi, and a record number of fossilised bones, in a cave in South Africa. And Matt Blomberg writes about how Cambodia has used corruption monitors and armed patrols to clean up its national university entrance exam, long plagued with allegations of bribery, corruption and cheating.
In a Special Report ahead of next month’s conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education, we interview Professor Mandla Makhanya – vice-chancellor of the University of South Africa, which is hosting the event – about global developments in this transforming field of higher education and the challenges and prospects for African universities. Read more...