Education
The document library features summaries and links to editorially-selected publications on the key themes of health, education, nutrition, social protection and WASH. The documents are sourced from academic research, policy papers and global development organisations.
Opposition to university fees is often framed as a defence of higher education as a ‘right’ rather than a ‘privilege’. However, the basis and nature of this right is unclear. This article presents a conceptual exploration of the question, drawing on an initial analysis of international law. An argument is put forward for a right… Read more
Policy debate about whether to maintain public subsidies for higher education has stimulated reconsideration of the public mission of higher education institutions, especially those that provide student places conferring private benefits. If the work of higher education institutions is defined simply as the aggregation of private interests, this evaporates the rationale for higher education institutions… Read more
The introduction of seminars to university teaching marks the onset of a new teaching philosophy and practice in which writing is used to make students independent learners and researchers. Although the beginnings of writing pedagogy at American universities are well documented, little is known about its origins in Germany. The article tracks the history of… Read more
This first Research Report of the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge aims to continue an ongoing vigorous and provocative debate on research systems. The contents of this Research Report and its articulation of emerging trends and challenges are intended to provide fresh insights both for policy-makers and the higher education community alike,… Read more
The story of how the sciences began to understand themselves as independent fields of research starts by detaching them from philosophy. The identity of the science in question will then further develop as it writes its own history. Higher education studies are, in such reflections, understood as a relatively new field that has its beginnings… Read more
The transition from violence and instability to peace and prosperity is rarely linear, but rather defined more by its complexity and the alignment of often-surprising conditions. The rebuilding and reorganisation of the higher education sector, in particular, is increasingly being recognized as both a driver and a consequence of this complex transition, which is marked… Read more
This editorial introduces an online monograph that deals with internationalisation and globalisation in higher education. The monograph, made up of five papers, examines some of a broad range of aspects related to this theme and is a reflection of the importance and current attention being paid to the international dimension of higher education in Europe and beyond. This introduction discusses the… Read more
The pattern of economic returns to education can help us to understand the poverty-reducing potential of different levels of education. It is commonly believed that labour market returns to education are highest for the primary level of education and lower for subsequent levels. Recent evidence suggests that the pattern is changing. The paper explores the… Read more
This book applies a theoretical framework to universities as institutions and social practices from the human development and the capability approach, attempting to show how universities might advance equalities rather than necessarily widen them, and how they can contribute to a sustainable and democratic society. Picking through the capability approach for human development, in relation to… Read more
Increasing political and military tension in several parts of the world will inevitably affect international higher education. Nationalist, religious, and ideological conflicts challenge the original ideas of international cooperation and exchange in higher education as promoters of peace and mutual understanding and of global engagement. Since the end of the Cold War, we have not… Read more
This Toolkit was developed to in response to the need to improve gender-mainstreaming initiatives in higher education in Africa, and build capacity within institutions, particularly with respect to mainstreaming gender in their human resource development policies and academic programs. The Toolkit, which is made up of the ten modules includes as an Appendix, a Literature Review, as well… Read more