Global news weekly edition summary
Recently, most states have shown a decline in the level of COVID-19 cases because of the various COVID-19 strategies implemented that seem efficient. For example, the South African opposition party has called for the scrapping of mandatory vaccination policies for students because of the decline of the COVID-19 disease in the state. However, most provinces in China have recently evidenced a surge in the disease as students encounter intensive lockdown measures that have derailed their daily activities. Leung & Sharma (2022) note that the surge originated from the Jilin region, then later on expanded to regions such as Shanghai that has strictly set the lockdown deadline as 1st May from 9th March. Students in various colleges and universities in Jilin complain that the lockdown measures seem intensive as the school management does not allow them to access the sanitary area, sanitary requirements, and food. This situation has also been cited by Shanghai students as they cite that they do not want to experience similar harsh conditions as Jilin students.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most universities embraced digital education to maintain students with school activities. Digital education improved accessibility to school resources such as open libraries, textbooks, course material, educational content, and research. This has triggered the need for more universities to improve the digital education experience rather than return to traditional practices. Some of the approaches include increasing accessibility and affordability through the online portal and libraries as well as lessening the accommodation, textbooks, and living expenses. Some universities and colleges have developed relationships with students and librarians to understand what the students need in their learning platform and the issues librarians evidence in their exercises.
However, Costa et al. (2022) cite that adopting digital education during the pandemic has defined its adverse influence. Some universities and colleges have used the impact of digital education to engage in technological innovations such as smart buildings, state-of-the-art technology, and high-tech labs. This form of innovation improves their status explaining how pedagogical developments are somehow critical in such strategies. Costa et al. (2022) also mention how digital education was quickly embraced giving less time for universities and colleges to understand the digital education experience. The current practices in most universities lack critical and creative pedagogical rationale that should reflect cultural exercises of the online world. Also, digital education has shown passive learning and a flawed model. Passive learning in this case includes presenting the students and instructors in binary opposition. The students are knowledge consumers while the instructors are knowledge providers. It has diffused teaching and learning with some degree of passivity which is less recommended.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has negatively affected the lives of students in Ukraine as well as created numerous reactions from numerous stakeholders in higher education institutions. For example, the Greek Universities are revoking Putin’s honorary degrees through a petition that needs signatures from many people and the Ukrainian research organizations have canceled funding and collaboration links with Russian researchers. Also, Canadian researchers have protected digital data for Ukrainian students that are under threat because of war. Various countries have embraced Ukrainian students to maintain their learning activities. These nations include Canada where Manitoba universities such as the University of Winnipeg, Brandon University, and the University of Manitoba covered tuition costs for Ukrainian students. Irish universities have canceled exchanges of students, researchers, and professionals, canceling financial expenses, and the exchange of research materials to embrace students from Ukraine. South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, and Serbia have embraced African students from Ukraine to complete their studies.
We also focus on the declining level of drop-out students in higher education institutions. This has been attributed to the need for students to continue with higher education because of the economic uncertainty. Also, states in the Global North have evidenced immense levels of funding hence the increase in retention rates.
Compiled by Prof. Attiya Waris & Ms. Anita Nabayi
