Politics

Publications must always permit debate on the quality and relevance of research – plus the efficacy and costs of derived policy, says Robert Dingwall

Gavin Williamson also says students should not be subject to additional lockdown measures

PM heralds moves to create Lifetime Skills Guarantee and to open loans system to FE colleges so they can ‘compete’ with universities

Decision to press ahead but not require promotion from universities could lead to ‘patchy’ year of data and damage to survey’s integrity

Parliaments routinely seek scientific advice, but a Dutch pilot goes one step further, asking academics to directly critique what the government is proposing

Recent attacks on high-profile scholars by government and by a university executive should give us pause, say Christopher Vaughan and Daniel Ncayiyana

Proposal nearing implementation also lets visa agency assess academic progress

Despite numerous announcements by the University of British Columbia, indigenous leaders see big talk from a big institution, but no clearer answers on finding balance

LSHTM director thinks communications failures explain why US and UK trail Vietnam and Senegal on pandemic responses 

Reform package hinges on two independent votes, after cross-party committee offered unconvincing endorsement

The country would not cancel the visas of Chinese academics without good reason, says banned Australian academic Clive Hamilton

Meanwhile, Scottish students in halls and flats are already forbidden from returning to parents’ homes

Nancy Rothwell tells THE its universities are ‘worried about building the research base’ amid ‘complete uncertainty’ on overseas recruitment during pandemic

Latest voting survey from Hepi/YouthSight sees similar – but more amplified – changes compared with recent wider population polling 

Jean-Eric Paquet warns that on open data, research collaboration and academic mobility, EU-China links are not always reciprocal

Despite challenging bilateral ties, former Australian foreign ministers say enrolments may prove resilient

Universities in Lebanese capital focus on student funding and retaining staff after explosion, but leaders say future of sector will depend on make-up of new government 

Land swap paves way for new high-rise campus, as sprawl gives way to borderless city vibe

Experts say move against extending free tuition beyond freshers reflects underlying flaws in reform

Members of the Athena SWAN review steering group write an open letter in response to the plan to cut the link between the equality charter and research funding

To deflect political attacks, universities should emphasise the transformative effects of engaging with structured bodies of knowledge, says Paul Ashwin

South Australian party welcomes tweaks to benefit Adelaide universities, but insists it remains uncommitted

Hopes of an unlikely budget windfall may have spurred university chiefs’ change of heart, inquiry hears

Gap between party and Conservatives widened in student-dense seats in polls over past decade

It’s been 26 years since apartheid ended, yet South African campuses were convulsed by protests against racism and inequitable university access as recently as four years ago. Much progress has clearly been made – but is it enough? Ellie Bothwell reports

Australian forum hears that reduced ‘flow across borders’ could be an ongoing reality

Bill that would extend statutory duties on free speech to unions and threaten fines under discussion

Island state university’s stance could prove pivotal, with bill’s future hingeing on Tasmanian senator’s vote

‘Lock in’ funding boosts through legislation and abandon punitive auditing measures, Senate committee submissions say

Chinese translators the latest victims as Australia’s security state applies the thumbscrews

Stricter political and administrative controls on what can be said have led to the creation of a pioneering ‘free university’, say Katarzyna Kaczmarska and Dmitry Dubrovsky

As Australia struggles to defend its civic values from foreign interference, critics say translators’ banning shows those values are being undermined from within

Move is part of package on red tape that also includes call for universities not to ‘feel pressured’ to join voluntary awards such as the Athena SWAN gender equality charter

Some universities fear losing 40-50 per cent of international student numbers in Covid crisis, MPs also hear

Letter from shadow universities minister follows Sage paper warning over impact of return to campuses

Literature specialists barred as Australia’s relationship with China sinks another notch

Soaring demand and a slightly more even playing field augur well for private and independent higher education providers

By spotlighting the social sorting process for 18-year-olds, exam fiasco raises questions about ways to reduce the hierarchy between universities

Analysis finds that a college’s reopening decision for the autumn term is tied to the red or blue shade of its state

Fee and subsidy overhaul will not solve anything, policy guru says, as government reforms go under the microscope

As DfE prioritises drive against ‘low-value’ courses, TEF said to be viewed as inadequate while OfS may be reset under new chair

Former Theresa May adviser Nick Timothy to interview hopefuls to head regulator, alongside Tory peer, former Tory MP and ex-Tory candidate

CEU president says that rather than relying on ‘outside institutions’, academics and students must stand up for themselves

Senate vote suggests government has a fight on its hands with proposed funding changes

As hopes sour for a senate inquiry into proposed domestic funding arrangements, universities’ China links fall under another spotlight

UUK and MillionPlus make call via task force amid fears some universities could lose hundreds of students each after lifting of number controls

Proposed legislation could ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’, opposition warns

Prime minister decides on ‘need for fresh official leadership’ after A-levels U-turn

Concessions address some concerns about proposed changes, but other worries linger

Expectations nevertheless modest given historical trends and virus complications

Board offering religious, rather than medical, expertise discounts value of NIH projects

English ministers advised to start looking at key features like partnership with employers rather than using German system as ‘trademark’

After students gather to party, campus moves to online one week into semester

India’s National Education Policy aims to establish a seamless connectivity between humanities and science, says Rup Narayan Das

System consolidation, regulatory simplification and undergraduate flexibility are positive steps, says Pushkar

Hidden surprises in planned legislation giving effect to funding reforms

Labour leader’s call for rethink on moderation coincides with survey that suggests one in three applicants fear they are less likely to get into first-choice university

Study also proposes creation of new ‘free’ universities to move away from marketisation

National Science Foundation’s new emphasis in postgraduate funding seen as backsliding on diversity

Bradley Garrett has crossed the globe to meet those who stockpile food in fortified shelters in anticipation of apocalyptic disasters. As a global pandemic seems to confirm some of their fears, he tells Jack Grove what we can learn from them – and what they’ve got wrong