Nigeria and other developing countries take a hard line on academic corruption

By Brendan O'Malley – Managing Editor. In our Academic Corruption column, published in partnership with the CHEA International Quality Group, Brendan O'Malley examines the drive to address academic corruption in Nigeria and other developing countries that are going further than many developed countries to institute laws against such corruption and to name and shame and punish offenders.
   In World Blog, Philip G Altbach predicts that 2018 is unlikely to be a particularly robust year for higher education, with nationalism, fiscal constraints and other conflicts continuing to have a negative influence, despite global economic growth and a recognition of the importance of higher education.
   In Commentary, Lennart Levi and Bo Rothstein propose that all universities offer training for future decision-makers to think critically and ethically in order to address future threats to the world, as many current leaders appear to lack this ability. Stig Arne Skjerven outlines how the Nordic region has positioned itself as a pioneer and role model in the field of automatic recognition of qualifications with the aim of encouraging greater academic mobility. And Marguerite Dennis gives several reasons why she believes the United States will continue to lose market share of international students and reminds US higher education managers that international students have a growing number of options.
   In Features, Mark Paterson and Nico Cloete review a new book entitled The Tertiary Knowledge Imperative by former tertiary education coordinator at the World Bank Jamil Salmi, while Yojana Sharma highlights rising concern in the academic community of Hong Kong over the ability of universities to maintain autonomy and academic freedom as the city comes under increasing pressure from Beijing.
   In a Special Report focused on a new book, Castells in Africa: Universities and Development, Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells explains why universities in Africa and beyond are the decisive battlefield in the struggle to re-establish legitimacy of government and reduce the appeal of demagogues, while Jamil Salmi, in a review, explains why he believes the book is an “indispensable reference” for policy-makers and higher education researchers.
   You are invited to register for an upcoming international webinar looking at how higher education megatrends will shape the future of global higher education and international student mobility. University World News is the media partner for the webinar which is hosted by StudyPortals and will take place on Wednesday 24 January. More...