Lisbon’s 1962 student uprising stands as a powerful testament to the role of youth in the fight for freedom.
From the 'academic crisis' to the radical activism of the late '60s, students united against the Estado Novo regime, demanding justice, reform, and an end to colonial wars. The dedication of Portugal’s youth transformed from a call for university reform into a bold stance against authoritarianism. ✊📚
#SolRem#SolRemProject#StudentRepression
"The two critical roles of governance during periods of student mass protest are first to maintain freedom of speech and academic freedom on the campus, and second, for the institution to continue to be able to function in its core business of teaching and research.
Students have as much right as anyone working in a university to express their views and those views deserve to be treated with respect however they are presented. The need for continuous dialogue between the university authorities and the protesters should be recognised. The deployment of campus security guards or calling in the police should be the very last resort, not least because of the risk of creating secondary areas of potential conflict."
As the VC of University of Sydney observed, universities cannot proscribe opinions or speech which could not be banned in any other venue. Universities should have a wider debate than elsewhere, so long as protests are not unduly disruptive.
#academicfreedom#freespeech
An important piece on the true meaning of academic "safe space" and the right to protest peacefully.
The whole article is worth a read but here is one of my favourite excerpts:
"Yet we must also be vigilant about the academic culture: when we say that universities must be a “safe space”, this is not only true in terms of physical and emotional integrity (which are paramount) but also in terms of intellectual integrity: a university is a space in which one can be, and should be, safely challenged, rather than confirmed in their convictions."
This is the closest I have read so far to my own views about what universities should be doing in the present context. When I was a student, in a number of universities, there were very few political nerves or tabous until 9/11 brought them back. Today, the intellectual space is a field full of landmines, where the 'intellectual' discourse that prospers tends to be mainly the falsely radical politically correct view, typically about the past, as the present is too sensitive to be genuinely theorised. Professor Nanz's views are corageous because they are balanced; because they touch a nerve with frankness and reasonableness; and most of all, because what she says is genuinely actionable, not a mere political stance.
A UK university has taken a deliberate step to remove maps and flags from its cultural activities on campus, as they create barriers to student integration, it said
https://hubs.li/Q02sSRmz0#intled
The UK's higher education sector is at a pivotal moment. Inflation, fewer international students, and funding challenges are creating significant pressure. As our CEO, Jessica Turner, highlighted, "UK institutions are an absolute asset. The UK has four universities in the top ten globally and seventeen in the top one hundred (Source: QS World University Rankings), and that is really an incredible position for the sector to be in."
UK universities play a crucial role in the economy, driving innovation, research, and development, and attracting international talent. Listen to this insightful report by Caroline Hepker, where solutions were proposed to address these challenges and ensure the sustainability and excellence of our universities.
QS is committed to supporting institutions through these challenges with our research and insights. Let’s work together to build a strong, equitable future for higher education.
#UKEducation#EducationReform#HigherEd#IntlEd#QSInsights
A lot of sectors in the UK require an overhaul - but education is perhaps key. Listen to my special report on why the UK's higher education funding model is broken, and why this might be an early test for the next UK government - in collaboration with the wonderful Helen Chandler-Wilde
Inflation, the drop in foreign students and stagnant fees mean a Universities Challenge.
Lord David Willets, former Universities minister and President of the Resolution Foundation tells me he regrets not indexing undergraduate fees to inflation - and that fees need to go up by several thousand pounds.
Frances Corner from Goldsmiths, University of London says 'painful' and 'difficult' cuts have put her institution on a sound footing for this year - but the UK, in an AI world, should be thinking about universal higher education.
We also speak to QS Quacquarelli Symonds CEO Jessica Turner and Centre for Cities director of policy research Paul Swinney.
https://lnkd.in/eyGzxeaP
Statement Release: UN Expert Urges Universities to Protect Peaceful Activism
On 4 October 2024, Gina Romero, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, issued a statement calling on universities to safeguard the right to peaceful protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The statement urges academic institutions to revise policies that suppress activism, particularly the pro-Palestine solidarity movement, and to protect freedom of expression, assembly, and association within university spaces. Romero's call follows discussions with over 150 individuals from 30 countries and emphasizes the need for universities to support peaceful assemblies, cease punitive measures, and promote an open environment for free thought and debate.
This highlights the role of educational institutions in shaping civic education and sustaining democratic principles. #HumanRights#FreedomOfAssembly#AcademicFreedom
Read the full statement here: https://lnkd.in/eskczbBe
Pessimism of #Hopes and #Dreams ...non?!🤔🙄
Let's not keep fooling ourselves, the nature of man, of the beast, can't recognize these things and will always default to wars and destructions. Many wars make sense to only the perpetrators and aggressors on all sides. And as we are witnessing today, likely not to average victims ...Ukrainians, Congolese, Syrian, Papua New Guinean, Sudanese, etc., and absolutely not to average Gazan/Palestinian. These are wars of attritions simply because the aggressors and perpetrators can. They have absolutely no interests in diplomacy ...in a reality that lacks plausible logic ...only interests/grievances rule.
The White House, US Congress, European Union, United Nations, African UnionThe Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)
Great speech by Palestinian pastor to US students: “a time when we were disappointed, to say the least, that faith leaders did not step in to lead this movement for justice in Palestine, We must applaud the courage of the students. Those students actually really give us hope. What's happening in universities in the United States and in many countries around the world is truly powerful…. And let's remember. In history, universities always mobilized for change, and in the past, university students have always been on the right side of history. .. This is why politicians today are trembling in fear. Because of your movement. It is fear and the realization that this is the beginning of the end. What will happen in September is far more important than what will happen in November. I could care Less was elected in November. It's a machine that will continue to run. What matters most is the demand of the grassroots, the demands of the people. And I hope that in September, those courageous students will go again for their encampments and lead with integrity, courage and morality. This will make a change…. Be creative, nonviolent and strong. Keep the righteousness of your calls. That of justice and liberation inside and mind and keep the people of Gaza in your minds and hearts.” -Munther Isaac https://lnkd.in/dsGpn9Ri
After the students start classes in a couple of weeks, we might witness the biggest protests in the history of the world against this genocide. Before the summer, peaceful student protest got brutally shut down. Lobbyists called their mobs and the mayors they funded, mayor called the deans, the deans called the police. The mobs and the police worked side by side and assaulted the students.
A lot has happened during the summer break. The International Court of Justice ruled that students were right in calling their universities to divest from Israel. Some Universities divested from Israel, some deans had to resign for sending police on peaceful protests. Lobbyist and mobs got exposed. The corruption got exposed. Even the US president got fired from the elections in November. The students have now seen that their effort actually worked, and they will be emboldened by that.
Whilst there will be much squabbling amongst #universities & #TAFEs, it is the private #internationaleducation sector that has the most to fear from student caps. These companies are in fact the enablers of #intled, providing resits, #Englishlanguage, foundation programmes & #recruitment services to #highereducation, with no government funding safety net.
The writing is on the wall with IDP Education Ltd, a leading commercial player, already announcing redundancies. It is unlikely The Group of Eight will spring to the commercial sectors defence, that said they will all be far poorer without them in the mix!
This from Ian Pratt, Lexis English “It was disappointing to read the #Go8 submission to the recent Draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework. This was a piece of writing rotten with self interest, & served as an enthusiastic endorsement of the government’s ‘divide & conquer’ approach to industry ‘reforms’.
It makes clear that it supports only ‘public providers, universities & TAFEs’, the clear implication being that as far as the Go8 are concerned, the private sector can be capped, whacked & smacked with whatever collective vigour Clare O’Neil & Jason Clare MP can muster.
It goes as far to declare that '....the Draft Framework will undermine the very part of the international education sector that demonstrably operates with quality & integrity – our public institutions'.
It's probably a good time to pause & note (because the submission most certainly did not) that the Go8 operate in the heart of our capital cities, in areas with acute housing shortages, & themselves provide only a tiny fraction of the beds required for their students, international & domestic.
We provide accommodation for almost the entirety of our student body, & do so in often regional areas where there are few housing constraints, but huge labour supply issues. You could go as far as saying that the Go8 & their ilk are in fact the problem here, gobbling whole suburbs in the city centre & foisting literally hundreds of thousands of homeless students onto the scant housing resources of a select few postcode areas each year.
This is in stark contrast to so many private sector #schools who have invested in providing accommodation & support for their students.
Perhaps rather than their snide commentary, the Go8 might like to take a look at the work being done by the private sector to build & maintain a genuinely sustainable international education sector, & perhaps take a moment to reflect on their own failings in this area?
The Albanese government ‘reforms’ are ruinous for the entire international education sector, public AND private. Wouldn’t it be great to see all parts of the sector cooperating to find workable solutions?”
Asia Careers Group SDN BHDAUIDFBUILAEducation New Zealand | Manapou ki te AoInternational Education Association of Australia (IEAA)Independent Tertiary Education Council AustraliaUniversities Australia
Principal, Tracy Harris Solutions | International education, tertiary and pathways commentator
It can come as a surprise to no-one that universities are not singing from the same song book on enrolment caps and that dissension is starting to show. In one of the biggest problems that the sector has had for decades, voices lobbying government are not in unison. This will allow the government to divide and conquer.
I remember former High Court Justice Michael Kirby advising an international education forum at least 15 years ago (or maybe more) of the need for a single voice. Not much has changed.
This is a great article, & we agree the status quo is unsustainable! We also think point two amounts to a taxpayer bailout & will not to come to fruition, with the state of government finances it is “Pie in the Sky.”
What is missing from these recommendations is a focus on supporting #internationalstudents returning to their home countries following their UK #degrees & into successful #careers.
This is the only way to end the backlash against the #internationalisation of our #highereducation institutions, & evidencing that international #studentrecruitment to the UK is in the majority of cases #immigration neutral.
This would quash the arguments regarding pressure on housing, the NHS & jobs - all of which have played strongly in the #election with The Reform Party running second to labour in a large number of constituencies.
“The status quo is unsustainable, but cutting international student numbers with no regard for the wider consequences, as the current government has sought to do, would cause more harm than good …
First, temporary limits could be imposed on the rate of growth of international students in locations where housing shortages are identified. UK Visas & #Immigration#UKVI has until recently taken a fairly lax approach to #studentvisa approvals, partially because it cannot verify universities’ infrastructure plans.
Second, #universities should be compensated for the loss of income from international students with an increased teaching grant tied to inflation to a level that covers the costs of #teaching home students. Opponents of the sector would say the government has no money but Labour, most likely to end up in office, has been clear that it is in the business of pursuing growth & the investment in this area should be seen as a downpayment on the country’s future growth. And also as a way to stop Sue Gray’s fears of an institutional collapse from coming to life.
Third, the International #Education Strategy should be updated to enable & encourage the #diversification of international student nationalities & levels of study, so that we are not too dependent on particular markets.
Finally, tweaking the student & #graduatevisa regime to allow applicants to spread the cost of application fees, which are much higher than in competitor countries, across multiple instalments could increase the UK’s attractiveness as a destination.
It’s true that international students bring many benefits to the UK. But being honest about their critical importance for the sector, diversifying the flows to mitigate risks, & addressing some of the pressures can help secure these benefits for the UK in a sustainable way for the #future.”
Asia Careers Group SDN BHD - Investing in International Futures
AGCASBritish CouncilBUILADepartment for EducationDepartment for Business and TradeHigher Education Policy InstituteUCASUKCISAUniversities ScotlandUniversities UKUniversities UK InternationalUniversities Wales
NEW on Wonkhe: Zeki Dolen argues that universities need to face up to the challenges to protect the benefits of international students to the UK https://lnkd.in/eCWFJqKq
Today is International Students' Day
International Students' Day is dedicated to celebrating the student community globally. However, its origins are much more solemn, rooted in a tragic event during World War II.
The day commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of Czech students during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. On November 17, 1939, after protests against the Nazi regime, a large number of students were arrested, and many were executed without trial. Universities were shut down, and the incident became a symbol of student resistance against oppression and totalitarianism.
In 1941, this date was chosen by the International Students' Council in London to honor those who had died and to promote the values of freedom, education, and students' rights across the world.
Today, International Students' Day serves to celebrate multiculturalism, solidarity, and the rights of students everywhere, by drawing attention to the struggles students face, such as access to education, academic freedom, and the broader challenges of studying in a globalized world.
#InternationalStudentsDay#EducationForAll#AcademicFreedom#StudentRights
Confusion prevails when greed takes hold. University of Melbourne,Monash University and RMIT University , as well as Richard Marles have. questions to answer:
Excerpt
6. (C/NF) Richard Marles said that he places a strong emphasis on an
increased Australian presence in Asia. He believes that Asia
will become increasingly important to the Australian economy
as Asian economies develop. He would like to see Australia
become less dependent on commodities exports, and
specifically mentioned education as an area for growth.
(Comment: Richard Marles' comment is not in line with observations we
have heard from Melbourne's big three universities - the
University of Melbourne, the RMIT University
and Monash University. These universities are concerned
about the impact a growing foreign student population is
having on the quality of their education system and plan to
appeal to the federal government for additional funding
rather than increasing revenue-earning foreign student
numbers. Septel for additional details. End Comment.)
BIO NOTES - RICHARD MARLES, MP
https://lnkd.in/gQhBmbzh
Principal, Tracy Harris Solutions | International education, tertiary and pathways commentator
It can come as a surprise to no-one that universities are not singing from the same song book on enrolment caps and that dissension is starting to show. In one of the biggest problems that the sector has had for decades, voices lobbying government are not in unison. This will allow the government to divide and conquer.
I remember former High Court Justice Michael Kirby advising an international education forum at least 15 years ago (or maybe more) of the need for a single voice. Not much has changed.
