Top Stories
CHINA-GLOBAL
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Students believe they are under Chinese surveillance
Yojana Sharma
China’s transnational repression directed at Chinese and Hong Kong students studying abroad poses a threat to the free exchange of ideas that is at the heart of academic freedom, and governments and universities must do more to counter it, according to an Amnesty International report.
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AUSTRALIA
Shadi Khan Saif
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UNITED KINGDOM
Nic Mitchell
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SOUTH AFRICA
Desmond Thompson
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Student Gaza Protests
UNITED STATES
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Nathan M Greenfield
Agreements between student protester groups and several universities in the United States that include opportunities for further talks between institutions and students over divestment from Israel have led to the peaceful dismantling of campus encampments. But critics argue the concessions are a shameful reward for bad behaviour.
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MOROCCO
Wagdy Sawahel
While several European and North American universities have been severing ties with Israeli universities in response to the war in Gaza, Moroccan universities that have links with Israeli institutions have been silent on the issue – despite ongoing student protests in the North African country.
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UNITED STATES
Todd L Ely
Campus protests expressing solidarity with Palestine and objecting to Israel’s military campaign include calls for universities and colleges in the United States to divest assets tied to Israel or connected to companies supplying weapons and technology to Israel’s government. There are several challenges to meeting this demand.
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AUSTRALIA
Maria O’Sullivan
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News
JAPAN-CHINA
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Suvendrini Kakuchi
Beijing has slapped a six-year prison term for spying on a former Chinese professor from Japan, according to press reports. Academics in Japan, who argue there is no evidence for the conviction, say the development is a blow to bilateral academic flows.
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UGANDA-KENYA
Wachira Kigotho
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PAKISTAN
Ameen Amjad Khan
The chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court censured the government over the declining standard of the country’s higher education system during a case brought by an association of academics which is challenging the non-appointment of permanent vice-chancellors to over 60 public sector universities.
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CHINA
Amber Wang
Amid reports that students are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools, and following Chinese government measures to restrict the use of generative AI in scientific research, a growing number of Chinese universities have released updated measures to curb AI-generated content in graduation theses.
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MIDDLE EAST
Wagdy Sawahel
An Arab Index for Artificial Intelligence in Universities has been launched to monitor and analyse the development of artificial intelligence technologies within Arab universities and to support Arab region higher education institutions to integrate generative AI tools and technologies into their work.
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Special Report: AI and Research
GLOBAL
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Research that uses generative AI is expanding rapidly across fields, and is said to be accelerating and transforming scientific knowledge. University World News is publishing a weekly series of articles on AI and Research exploring the multiplying ways in which AI is involved in higher education research. The series will culminate in a special briefing in June.
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GLOBAL
Sibel Erduran
In the society of acceleration, where research and innovation are developing fast, we need to ensure that science education does its part and supports future professionals who will work in science-related jobs. Understanding how science works in the age of AI will be enriched if it includes a holistic approach to science.
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GLOBAL
Julian Koplin
We need to get better at ensuring academic papers are free from serious mistakes – regardless of whether the mistakes are caused by careless use of AI or sloppy human scholarship. This is more achievable than policing AI usage, and will also improve research standards as a whole.
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World Blog
GLOBAL
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Olivia Kelly
It is recognised that distance learners in particular are more at risk of dropping out, lack regular connection with fellow students and struggle to feel a sense of community. Could Twitter (now X) offer that much-needed connection and community for distance learners?
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SDGs
GLOBAL
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Kjetil Rommetveit
Present levels of acrimony across science and society were hard to foresee only 20 years ago, but as scientific findings about accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss pile up, some academics are turning to direct action to influence public opinion and political action.
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AFRICA
Clemence Manyukwe
High female enrolment and graduation rates at institutions of higher learning in nine Southern African countries are not reflected in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM fields, postgraduate programmes and university leadership, a new UNESCO report says.
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ZIMBABWE
Clemence Manyukwe
A bill that aims to empower aggrieved parties to approach the courts to compel institutions of higher learning to have accessible facilities for people with disabilities is under discussion in Zimbabwe. Public hearings for the Persons with Disabilities Bill are under way.
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Top Stories from Last Week
ASIA
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Shuriah Niazi, Ameen Amjad Khan and Mohiuddin Alamgir
Galvanised by university protests in the United States, pro-Palestine protests have emerged on campuses in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other Asian countries – with protesters calling for an end to the war in Gaza, implementation of anti-Israel boycotts and, in some cases, no collaboration with Israeli universities.
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SPAIN
Paul Rigg
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UNITED KINGDOM
Louise Nicol
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GLOBAL-AFRICA
Douglas Parry
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UNITED STATES
Nathan M Greenfield
The new Antisemitism Awareness Act, approved by a strong majority in the United States House of Representatives, is intended to codify a definition of antisemitism and help the education department enforce federal anti-discrimination laws on university campuses. But the bill has a range of diverse critics.
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NIGERIA
Olabisi Deji-Folutile
Tired of sexual harassment and coercion from their male university lecturers, female students in Nigeria are resorting to using their cellphones to record incriminating conversations and interactions. But, while such evidence may be enough to name and shame, securing a conviction may be more difficult.
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IRELAND
John Walshe
Protesting students at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s top university, are claiming victory after the university agreed to divest from Israeli companies listed by the United Nations for their links to settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and review involvement with Israeli companies, universities and student exchanges.
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UNITED STATES
F King Alexander
The claim by critics of United States President Joe Biden’s federal loan forgiveness programme that the cost of the US$430 billion programme will lead to much higher inflation due to increased deficit growth is a simplistic way to look at a far more complicated problem.
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Sponsored Article
IEEE Computer Society
Artificial intelligence research continues to advance, bringing with it both potential and pitfalls for a wide berth of industries. Read on for how this technology continues to influence the global technology market.
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Sponsored Article
International Science Council staff
With a record number of scientists displaced around the world, how can institutions offer better support during crisis and conflict? The International Science Council’s Centre for Science Futures pointed to Iraq and Ukraine as examples of why science institutions need to rethink support mechanisms for scientists.
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Sponsored Article
UAE University staff
A study by researchers from the United Arab Emirates University embarked on a ground-breaking exploration of machine learning techniques to revolutionise rainfall prediction in hyper-arid environments like the United Arab Emirates.
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Sponsored Article
Jessica Silwick
The fast-changing developments in artificial intelligence, a field that is dominated by men, are threatening to disrupt many economic and professional sectors worldwide. ABET has developed comprehensive guidance which it hopes will boost the role women play in STEM education and professions, including in AI.
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Sponsored Article
University of the Free State staff
The University of the Free State in South Africa has excelled over recent years as a research-led, student-centred and regionally engaged university that contributes to development and social justice through the production of globally competitive graduates and knowledge.
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Sponsored Article
The Education Collaborative staff
The Education Collaborative, an initiative started by Ashesi University in Ghana in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is one of Africa’s biggest platforms of higher education stakeholders. Since 2017, the Collaborative has led a new model for collaboration in African higher education that is helping to grow the strength of the ecosystem.
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A new position paper on higher education and international collaboration in a changing European and Swedish political context highlights the need for academia to rise above national political priorities and advocate for academic exchange and cooperation with a full awareness of the risks.
A new project, the Chinese International Student Experiential Learning Ecosystem, is an innovative action-learning system that prepares international students in Australia for dynamic careers in an ever-evolving professional landscape. Participation in the project also provided multifaceted benefits for business partners, mentors and facilitators.