Further education has suffered a dark decade in Australia, but now even universities are beginning to think things have gone too far. John Ross reports
France’s new ‘Parcoursup’ system for university entry is intensifying the nation’s historical agonies over whether selectivity is compatible with égalité, says Louise Lyle
There are hints of a thaw in the Home Office’s icy hostility to immigrants, but universities could also do more to protect their own staff, says Paul Jump
Dramatic cuts to public funding and an exodus of talent in the midst of an economic crisis endanger country’s position as a leader in Latin American higher education
Concerns about the teaching excellence framework’s rigour and integrity have not been addressed. The exercise needs a fundamental rethink, says Guy Nason
Widely varying tuition fees and financial aid programmes prevent students from making fully informed decisions, and policymakers from understanding the effects of interventions, say Ross Finnie, Richard Mueller and Arthur Sweetman
A home-grown alternative to the research assessment exercise would better reflect local practice and sit better with the special administrative region’s new political reality, says Michael O’Sullivan
To what extent can universities drive economic development – or vice versa? Rachael Pells explores the ways in which higher education and economic success interact
Moral and cultural organisations such as universities must strive harder to rid the body politic of populist infection, in central Europe and elsewhere, says Tomáš Halík
As a Brit leading HKU, Peter Mathieson had no baggage. The University of Edinburgh’s new v-c tells Ellie Bothwell about academic freedom, internationalisation and being treated to taxi drivers’ views on students
With the consultation now closed, Philip Augar’s review of English post-18 education must begin the hard work of devising substantial but cost-effective proposals, says Andy Westwood
