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Highlights • This paper explores inequality in higher education in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. • We find that inequality is high in Egypt and Tunisia, but moderate in Jordan. • Family socio-economic characteristics are the primary driver of inequality. • Background affects attainment directly and indirectly, through test scores. • Public spending on higher education is regressive and may increase inequality. Abstract Struggles with inequality have been prominent in the Middle East and North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. This paper examines the extent and drivers of inequality of opportunity in attaining higher education in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. We find that inequality is similarly high in Egypt and Tunisia, but moderate in Jordan. Background characteristics affect attainment even after accounting for test scores, which are themselves influenced by background. Particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, where higher education is free of charge, public spending on higher education is regressive. Thus, a theoretically meritocratic and equitable system perpetuates inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government policies increasingly call for educators to teach for social justice. This paper presents auto-ethnographic narratives about how two higher education teacher educators aspire to teach with a focus on social justice education. This paper supports the role of reflexive and critical reflections of onto-epistemological beliefs in teacher educators' work to give meaning to the wider social contexts, including the neo-liberal hegemonic higher education agendas, influencing their work. The narratives shared in this paper demonstrate how teaching with a social justice focus in higher education is a delicate balancing act, navigating personal beliefs and understandings about justice and inclusive knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student retention has emerged as a significant and expensive challenge for higher education institutes worldwide. Although several studies have been conducted on increasing student numbers and diversity in higher education institutes, studies on the relationship between student retention and entry grades are limited, particularly in the UK. The aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between entry grades and student attrition in the context of higher education in the UK. A quantitative methodology was used in this study, wherein data were derived from secondary sources, including University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) tariff points and full- and part-time undergraduate student enrolment between 2012 and 2017. The data were extracted and analyzed using Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) performance indicators. The findings indicate that there exists a clear association between entry grades and student retention for part-time students, which may aid policy makers, academics, university staff, and higher education stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies to address attrition levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper re-considers girls' education in Turkey from both a capabilities and a feminist perspective. First, it critically looks at the policies, legislation, and NGO and government led campaigns aiming to increase girls' enrolment, and points out the lack of feminist perspectives and concerns in these initiatives. Then, drawing from 20 in-depth interviews with girls and 5 interviews with teachers in the most socio-economically deprived region of Turkey, the paper explores girls' schooling and educational opportunities in Eastern Turkey from a combined capabilities and feminist perspective, in order to generate a richer information basis than numbers alone for policy and evaluation. The findings tease out capabilities which are missing in the focus of policies and campaigns, and invite a re-design of educational policies and initiatives from a capabilities-focused praxis that is context and gender sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the relationship between the indicators of higher education quality and the salaries of university graduates in Russia. Based on the data from the longitudinal study 'Trajectories in Education and Careers', it is shown that graduates of highly selective universities, higher education institutions which participate in the excellence initiatives, or those awarded a special status (for example, participants of the '5–100′ project and National Research Universities) receive a higher wage premium for education compared to other graduates. This conclusion is consistent with the human capital theory and signaling theory. Differences in wages depending on the field of study were also found. Graduate salaries have a gender gap and are also positively associated with family income and school background. Thus, inequality in the labor market has roots both in the variation of the quality of higher education, and before university entry – in family and high school. The findings can substantiate the policy aimed at smoothing educational inequality and differences in wages. • Graduates of highly selective universities receive a higher wage premium for education compared to other graduates. • Graduates of HEIs participating in the excellence initiatives, or having a special status receive a positive wage premium. • Differences in wages depending on the field of study were found. • Graduate salaries have a gender gap and are also positively associated with family income and school background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of schools can be defined and measured as the ratio between the outputs produced (for example, achievement and competences) and the inputs utilized (human and technical resources). Technology holds the promise of increasing the efficiency of schools' operations, although empirical evidence on this is still scarce. This paper explores whether the ICT availability and use in 2757 schools from 10 Latin American countries are associated with higher efficiency, relying on PISA 2018. A method based on a double-bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is employed. The results highlight that the availability of ICT is positively correlated with higher school efficiency. This evidence is relevant for policy implications in setting the post-COVID priorities for educational systems in the region. • We employ the PISA (2018) for the Latin American region and DEA. • We study the impact of ICT access and its use on school efficiency in the region. • We find a level of inefficiency for the region of around 25%, with a high degree dispersion. • We find that the degree of access of ICT matters for efficiency more than ICT use. • The impact of level of ICT use on efficiency is more nuanced varying across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the link between innovation and sustainability in the context of higher education, with the purpose of investigating the fundamental barriers for innovation and sustainable development in universities around the world. The method used involves both a quantitative and a qualitative approach, gathering the views of 301 experts from 172 universities across all continents. The results show that there are similar barriers across different geographical regions that require greater support from university administrations and management. In particular, the willingness of leaders, policy makers and decision-makers to envisage a sustainable future inside universities is often missing. Yet, without the support of senior management within a university, bottom-up sustainable initiatives seem destined to fail in the longer term due to a lack of investment and administrative support. This study also identifies that in order to yield the anticipated benefits, the challenges listed should be taken seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is transformative education aiming at developing participants’ understanding of sustainability issues and transforming their attitudes and behaviours regarding environment, society and economy. Sustainability consciousness, an expected outcome of ESD, is a complex of cognitive and affective learning. Development of sustainability consciousness requires transformative learning experiences. The study presented in this paper employed action research to enhance sustainability consciousness of the preservice teachers through inquiry based learning. The study was done in the Institute of Education, Lahore College for Women University, Pakistan. The study integrated sustainability education in an existing course entitled ‘Research Methods in Education’. The course is included in the final year of B.Ed. (Honours) programme. Outcome of the ESD-integration was measured in terms of change in the sustainability consciousness of the preservice teachers. The Action Research project engaged 27 preservice teachers in inquiry-based learning (empirical investigations and research based discussions) for a period of 11 weeks. The participants investigated sustainability issues collaboratively. To investigate the change in participants’ sustainability consciousness through inquiry based learning, researchers collected through pre- and post-tests, interviews and observation. Quantitative data were analyzed through paired t -test while qualitative data through thematic coding. The data indicate that empirical investigations into sustainability issues by the presevice teachers and research-based discussions enhanced preservice teachers’ sustainability consciousness. This highlights the transformative potential of inquiry based learning. Moreover, it indicates that sustainability education can be successfully integrated in the course of ‘research methods in education’. The findings suggest that teacher education programmes and other university programmes may employ inquiry based learning as a vehicle to enhance sustainability consciousness of the undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, in its recent directions, has advised Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to deliver 20% of the program curriculum through credit-based MOOCs available on the SWAYAM portal. This paper reviews and analyses the various aspects related to this policy initiative. It probes the objectives of launching, its role, and achievements. It also delves into student and institutional readiness to implement this policy. It analyses the student success rate so far and reviews the possibility of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as an alternative or aid to the traditional educational setup in India. The study is based upon a descriptive research methodology that draws inferences from previous research and analyses data and information available from secondary sources such as All India Survey of Higher Education AISHE (2019–20), UGC notifications, National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India (GOI), and a few relevant websites. The findings reveal a considerable increase in student enrollment but with extremely low certifications and indicate delivery of MOOCs is more effective in synchronous mode. Making MOOCs, program inclusive is a huge challenge with rich dividends attached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of academics and academic institutions is examined through the concept of rent seeking, in which organizations or individuals expend resources to obtain ‘artificially contrived transfers’. International ranking systems, publication-based incentives, and grant awarding processes, all encourage and reward rent seeking behavior: participants engage in distorted, costly behavior to obtain rewards, including public funds, without regard to the social value of these activities. This may be especially damaging in developing countries. Detailed examples from South Africa's higher education system illustrate such behavior and its relation to policy. The paper concludes by sketching an outline of some possible solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Impact Assessment is well established in higher education worldwide, with a history going back to the 1970s. In contrast, the teaching and training of Strategic Environmental Assessment is a relatively novel, less consolidated and implanted, but of growing importance as a decision support tool in planning and policy. Therefore, training needs in this domain have grown accordingly, demanding new answers from higher education institutions. Despite the existence of relevant work on sustainability in higher education, and on impact assessment education, there is a dearth of research on education of environmental assessment approaches for strategic levels of decision making. The goal of this research paper is to characterize the profile of Strategic Environmental Assessment in higher education in two distinct situations; Portugal and Brazil. Surveys were conducted to assess Strategic Environmental Assessment integration in their higher education institutions' curricula. Bachelor and masters' programmes and course curricula were analysed through a content analysis based approach. The main results showed a medium state of integration for Strategic Environmental Assessment, while stressing that it is still an unconsolidated area. These results also emphasized that there is a need to discuss the design of Strategic Environmental Assessment specialized courses that respond to societal needs, rethinking the impact assessment educational initiatives and approaches. The integration of this assessment instrument in curricula could have significant implications for the enhancement of higher education practices for sustainable development, by promoting better assessment and management of strategies, policies, legislation, plans and programmes and the decision-making processes involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key factors affecting the sustainability of our society are research, conversion, delivery and the efficient use of energy resources. The expertise, attitudes and sustainability awareness of decision-makers determine far-reaching political decisions made regarding whole energy systems as well as the choices available for individual consumers. Despite the significance of education with respect to renewable energy and sustainability, the position of these topics remains unclear in degree programmes. Measuring the relevance of these subjects can be considered a central issue in terms of promoting a more sustainability-oriented perspective on education strategy formation. Therefore, this paper presents a new curriculum development method for stimulating discussions about the learning outcomes of the degree programmes. This method has been used to calculate a proposed relevance ratio (RR) index, which indicated the relative weight of renewable energy and sustainability topics for energy studies in Aalto University's energy degree programme. The benefits of this RR index include the ability to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of selected contents in the curricula. However, more research is needed to integrate wider working life skills with the students' learning path as a means of promoting student expertise. This new tool will be universally applicable and quantify the desired contents of learning outcomes in degree programmes at universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability issues in higher educational institutions have attracted increasing levels of attention from both the public and policy makers in recent decades. A number of previous studies have called for a more comprehensive integration of sustainable development into mainstream university operations and curricula. However, there is a lack of sufficient studies that investigate sustainable development in higher education in Spain. Therefore, the present paper has two goals: First, the study analyses the extent to which Spanish universities have implemented sustainability practices in their institutions. To accomplish this task, data were collected using a survey distributed to rectors and senior management at Spanish higher education institutions. The second goal is to examine the main factors that might explain the implementation of sustainability practices in Spanish universities. For this purpose, Pearson chi-square tests were used to analyse the data collected in the survey. Key findings show the slow rate of progress of many Spanish universities with regard to implementing sustainability practices, a fact which could indicate that there are clearly a number of obstacles to overcome. Additionally, there were no factors influencing the implementation of sustainability practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is situated in a growing body of literature, focusing on higher education reforms in countries which emerged, or re-emerged, 25 years ago as the Soviet Union dissolved. With the focus specifically on Kazakhstan, this paper examines how the leadership of universities in this country views a higher education funding model– the state grants. The paper applies the lenses of stability, performance and innovation orientation to the examination of the state grants-based higher education funding model in Kazakhstan. This paper finds that despite recognition of the limitations of the existing funding model, there is limited interest to push for changes. This can be explained by the complex higher education policy environment which is also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community colleges play a major role in postsecondary education, yet previous research has emphasized the impact of merit aid on four-year students rather than two-year students. Furthermore, researchers have focused on the impact of merit aid on enrollment and outcomes during college, but to my knowledge, none have yet considered the impact of aid on earnings after college. This paper utilizes discontinuities in eligibility criteria for a large merit scholarship to examine the local impact of aid on student outcomes both during college and after college. The findings suggest that reducing the cost of community college does not impact persistence, academic performance, degree completion, expected earnings, or short-term earnings after college for marginally eligible students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a general methodology for measuring the value added of institutions of higher education using commonly available administrative data. Our approach recognizes the data limitations and selection problems inherent in higher education, and highlights the challenges these issues pose for education policy. Combining information from different administrative sources in the state of Texas, we follow the universe of Texas college applicants from the time of application (pre-enrollment) through public college and into the labor market. In specifications that do not control for selection, we find large, significant differences across colleges in terms of persistence, graduation, and earnings; however, these differences decrease substantially when we control for selection. In light of the growing interest in using value-added measures in higher education for both funding and incentivizing purposes, our methodology offers unique evidence and lessons for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores how the structural conditions are perceived as barriers and enablers for the adaptation and integration of international students from the Global South into the host universities in the Global North. In this paper, Global South is represented by countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, henceforth (SSA), and Global North is represented by Europe or more precisely-Estonia (EE) and Denmark (DK). Using a phenomenological research design, the study revealed several cultural barriers for integrating internationally mobile students from SSA, including differences in teaching and learning philosophies, the dominant culture's fear of the "others" or cultural insecurity. In terms of the enablers, the study identified the buddy program, language and cultural training, and orientations for international students as some of the key enablers for integrating international students into the host universities in EE and DK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Empathy in a higher education system is a crucial factor in support policies for the integration of refugee students. • The coherence of higher education policy is an essential factor and a catalyst for the convergence of social and cultural values ​​in a host country. • A policy that supports the integration of student refugees in higher education must be directed both upwards, at the central administration, and downwards, at the university institutions. • Real solidarity is not limited to a simple offer of support to show that the system cares, nor is it just about setting out procedures for the integration of refugees into higher education, as a box-ticking exercise. It needs to be followed up with good practices to materialize. • Policies for refugee integration can only be made effective through a process that addresses the psychological and sociological needs of refugees. Since 2015, Germany has followed a welcoming policy for refugees and has made efforts to integrate them in German society through initiatives such as development programs. However, very few refugee students have actually managed to enter German Higher Education (HE) institutions. Using a qualitative methodology, the researcher interviewed Arab refugee students studying in pre-academic and academic degree programs in Germany, to obtain answers to the following two main questions: 1) What are the main challenges that refugee students have experienced on their path to Germany as a host country? 2) What are the challenges that refugee students faced in HE in Germany and how does the German HE system respond to their needs? The findings suggest that, despite Germany's desire to open up access to HE for refugees, the implementation of the policies adopted often sets administrative and social challenges to refugee students along their pathways to German HE institutions. These challenges include rigid access policies and procedures, unwelcoming public discourse and feelings of alienation. Nevertheless, students positively valued the new window of opportunity and universally applicable procedures offered in Germany, although they had not quite provided adequate responses to the refugees' needs. The paper concludes with implications for policy makers wishing to open pathways for refugees to HE in intercultural academic spaces where they can interact and integrate within the academic community in preparation for their full integration into their host society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring the quality of teaching practices of primary school teachers in low-and-middle-income countries is often hampered by the lack of freely available classroom observation tools that are feasible to administer, validated in their own setting, and can be used as part of national monitoring systems. To address this discrepancy, Teach , an open-access classroom observation tool, was developed to measure the quality of teaching practices of primary school teachers in low-and-middle-income countries. This paper uses data from Punjab, Pakistan to evaluate the validity of Teach. Results show that Teach scores were internally consistent, presented good inter-rater reliability, and provided sufficient information to differentiate low from high-quality teaching practices. Further, higher Teach scores were associated with higher student outcomes. • Teach measures the quality of primary school teaching practices in LMICs. • Teach scores were internally consistent with high inter-rater reliability. • Teach scores provided sufficient information to differentiate teaching practices. • Teach scores were associated with higher student learning outcomes. • The Teach tool can be used for monitoring the quality of teaching practices at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Changes in the PISA eligibility is correlated with an artificial improvement in the Brazil national average performance. • With a correction to the distribution of students per grade in PISA, there is a more modest increase in Math. • The observed change in the PISA eligibility does not seems to be driven by distinct results across school type. • Controlling the sample to show the same distribution in each state, results in a reordering of states and worse math scores. PISA is one of the most widely used instruments to assess student performance in the world. This paper investigates how changes in testing dates and students' dates of birth (eligibility) between 2000 and 2018 have affected results in Brazil. Controlling for changes in students' grade distribution over time, we show that changes in grade composition are correlated with increases in average score. We estimate that about 60 % of improvements in math are unrelated to student improvement. Since changes in testing date and eligibility are unrelated to the school system, performance increases over time might not be a result of a country's educational policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Reading interventions can impact readers along the reading score distribution differently. • Distributional effects for the Literacy Boost program in a district in Rwanda are studied using Quantile Treatment Effects. • Literacy Boost aimed to make classroom pedagogy and parent and community involvement in reading more effective. • The impact of the program is concentrated among students (girls) at or above the 25th percentiles of higher-order reading outcomes. • Important in terms of policy to tailor programs to the needs to different types of readers. Programs and policies in education overwhelmingly focus on improving the average academic achievement for students. However, educational interventions focused on literacy improvement can impact readers at different levels of the reading score distribution differently, and the distributional differences may be more pronounced by sex. In this paper, I explore data from a field experiment in a district in Rwanda that was intended to make classroom reading pedagogy more effective and engage students, families, and communities in reading activities outside of school to improve students' reading outcomes. I study the distributional effects of the intervention on students on two higher-order reading outcomes – Kinyarwanda fluency and Kinyarwanda text comprehension, measured for students who met a basic literacy threshold. I find that a) the set of interventions had a positive and significant, albeit modest effect on students at or above the 25th percentile of the reading distributions b) the program had positive and significant effects on reading outcomes for girls only, and these effects differed along the reading achievement distribution. This work underscores the importance of tailoring programs and policies to the needs of different types of learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• In stark contrast to the Western experience, policy rationales for internationalization of higher education (IoHE) in Taiwan were taoriginally more related to non-economic considerations. • The Taiwan case can be explained by the island's nascent political openness. Local politics have heavy impacts on the development of IoHE, even in an era of globalization where market principles, performance metrics, and university autonomy are valued. • The subsystem actors'orientation of national identity, which has a connection to their affiliation to political parties, has played a prominent part in driving and shaping IoHE policy in Taiwan. • The influence of Taiwan's inward-looking political climate is more apparent in policy rationales, than in policy strategies per se. • The dynamics of the policy subsystem, in which actors often exploit IoHE as an instrument for various domestic purposes, are the key to explaining the features of IoHE policy in different country contexts. Nationalism's rise represents a potential harbinger of doom for the internationalization of higher education (IoHE). Space exists for research to amplify our understanding of the interplay between internationalization and nationalism from a public policy theory perspective. The study identified and classified policies and policy ideas pertinent to IoHE, and furthermore, explored how political rivalries in Taiwan have influenced IoHE's development under globalization. Analysis of documentary data from an online national database reveals how IoHE policy changes reflect the machinations of political actors to advance domestic political agendas and provoke controversy. The advocacy coalition framework informs our explanation of how the aforementioned changes reflect Taiwan's inward-looking political climate, unique geopolitical circumstances, and longstanding controversy over national identity. The paper discusses the implications of context for IoHE development across three consecutive government regimes to provide insights for further comparisons with other localities and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Higher education expansion makes higher education more accessible to the masses, yet it is the students from affluent families living in the capital who benefit the most from the expansion. • Family characteristics, such as parental education and household's consumption level, seems to strongly influence student's education completion at the secondary level, but they are less influential on university enrollment. • Although overall inequality in accessing higher education has deteriorated in the period between 2004 and 2014, the inequality issues have greatly improved among high school graduates. This paper provides empirical evidence on the trends of how demand-side factors predict the probabilities of enrollment in higher education in Cambodia between 2004 and 2014, using nationally representative household survey data with multinomial logistic regression approach. The findings suggest that higher education expansion in Cambodia is in favor of students from affluent families residing in the capital. However, students of disadvantaged backgrounds are likely to benefit more from the higher education expansion, given those students can finish high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]