By Damtew Teferra. The manner in which scholarships are rolled out has evolved as higher education delivery and opportunity have diversified on the African continent. This article is prompted by a new “variant” of traditional scholarship programs unveiled recently by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Eastern Africa, supported by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. At the invitation of DAAD, I served as a member of the panel of experts to select East African universities for the competitive sub-regional scholarship which gave me an opportunity to observe the initiative up close. Read more...
Corruption is a blight on African universities but there are ways to clean up
By Brendan O’Malley – Managing Editor. In Commentary, Goolam Mohamedbhai says ever-increasing demand and lack of accountability is fuelling corruption across African higher education systems and outlines ways to address bribery, cheating, plagiarism by students; nepotism, extortion, sexual harassment by staff; and the buying and selling of fake degrees.
Pushkar says China is way ahead of India in global quality indicators for universities and patents filed and asks why Indian premier Narendra Modi missed the opportunity on his trip to Beijing to build greater and deeper engagement with Chinese higher education. Morshidi Sirat and CD Wan say Malaysia’s education blueprint articulates the goals of higher education but not the philosophy behind them and this is inhibiting discussion of the overarching approaches to the plan.
And Iván F Pacheco says overproduction of PhDs and deteriorating working conditions for faculty staff in industrialised countries offer an opportunity for developing countries to lure talent.
In Features, Suluck Lamubol says one year on from Thailand’s military coup, the junta is stepping up pressure against exiled academics it has charged under draconian lèse majesté laws.
In our World Blog, Grace Karram Stephenson says funding is the most powerful lever of change for post-secondary systems and Ontario’s higher education system is being skewed by providing incentives only for enrolment.
In the first of two Special Reports on the British Council’s Going Global conference for international education leaders, held in London, Yojana Sharma hears experts argue forcefully that the battle to contain extremist violence across the world should not be allowed to prevent radical thought flourishing on campus. Brendan O’Malley hears Francisco Marmolejo of the World Bank argue that charging tuition fees can be the key to ensuring higher education funding is not contributing to social inequality, and Yojana Sharma reports on calls for the explosive growth in overseas degrees delivered to students in their home country to be underpinned by monitoring and benchmarking to enable comparison of quality. Read more...
African tertiary education can’t meet demand
By Natalie Marsh. The public sector of tertiary education in Africa is struggling to meet the demand for seats, as many qualified students across the continent are unable to secure university places. More...
Enhancing university-industry linkages for ‘rising Africa’

Finance boost for university governance, skills training

Government to accelerate transformation in universities

New rules on masters, moonlighting and lecturer PhDs

Enhancing university-industry linkages for a ‘rising Africa’

In Africa Features, Munyaradzi Makoni outlines a recent study that found Africa under-using its growing cohort of internationally educated talent, and Andrew Green reports on the mentors who are helping Uganda’s students find a way to create their own jobs.
In Commentary, Anne Corbett says the decision to admit Belarus into the European Higher Education Area after years of refusal is a test of how the Bologna Process can help bring political change. Lidia Borrell-Damian examines how universities can contribute to the creation of low-carbon societies. And Davina Potts argues that studying abroad is more important for graduates’ careers than many universities realise.
In World Blog, Graeme Atherton says a strategy is needed to propel equity in higher education up institutional, national and global policy agendas.
And in Global Features, Brendan O’Malley reports on the findings of the European Association for International Education’s research on what sets universities which are leading on internationalisation apart from those which are lagging. Alya Mishra examines the record of the Modi government on higher education in India, one year after taking office. Yojana Sharma reports on why the Hong Kong Federation of Students is facing a severely curbed political role – a far cry from the heady days of last year when it was able to challenge the government head on. Read more...
L’Afrique mondialisée agit comme un aimant !

Facing an ageing professors research productivity cliff
By Karen MacGregor. South African research is on the rise but is “edging towards a demographic cliff”, warned Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor last week. While in 1994 – the year of democracy – one in 10 credited academic papers were by over 50-year-olds, today that age group produces half of all papers. Read more...