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Innovative Financing for Education (IFE) is examined in the light of public and private practices and responsibilities, of the dangerous irrelevance of economics to education, of the essentially unmeasurable nature of learning outcomes, of the challenges created and the responses made possible by contemporary technology, of the forthcoming and fundamental transformation of 'the school', and of the nature and rituals of bi- and multi-lateral donors and development banks. Evidence of significant and sustainable benefits attributable to IFE was far less in evidence than were its negative social as well as educational risks and consequences, in respect of which governments may neither delegate nor evade their responsibilities. Given the largely non-material objectives of education, rate-of-return and similar analyses were seen as, at best, misleading. Clearly, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have much potential in enabling (secondary and above) education to be learner-directed and as means of achieving universal participation, equity and enjoyment--yet this should not involve high (or developed world directed) expenditure. Wealthy countries and individuals, taking full account of the provenances of their riches, should, it is concluded, cede the definition and direction of international support to the beneficiary nations. This might be regarded as a provisional arrangement pending the replacement of conditional grants and loans by enabling, through substantial transfers of wealth and knowledge, those recipient countries to emerge soon from education sector aid-dependence, thereby going some way towards righting colossal age-old wrongs. Commencing with a consideration of Innovative Financing for Education (IFE), this paper proceeds to explore whether the dismal science of economics may usefully be applied to the joyful art of education. It addresses the extent to which, if at all, educational outcomes may be measured, leading on to a discussion of the transformed nature of education made necessary and possible through contemporary technology, and perhaps given impetus by the consequences of COVID-19. Attention is then afforded to the cost and other implications of universal digital age education, and to how development partners and banks now do--and soon should--operate in that scenario, leading to some reflections upon the underlying donor/beneficiary relationship. Finally, arising from the discussion, some general conclusions are offered as bases for hopefully heated discussion.

This paper analyses how a state produces new internal borders. It selected 1668 newspaper articles on the COVID-19 internal bordering case in Slovakia to answer this question. These articles were then analysed using the thematic trajectory analysis (TTA) through the conceptual prism of structurationism. The results suggest states apply methods during the production of internal borders similar to those used during the (re-)production of an international border. In particular, it shows the application of a military-testing nexus and economic tools to ensure compliance with the new border. Results also revealed that such a border is heavily dependent on popular support for the government and open to re-negotiations by relevant societal groups. From the border production perspective, this study offers a preliminary step into the area of internal borders imposed on a generally homogenous population, especially regarding the borders produced under COVID-19 conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saudi Arabian citizens, including university students, are in an interesting and precarious situation -- they care for sustainability, but their economy thrives because of oil production. This study used an author-developed instrument to briefly explore 135 Saudi university students' (nine disciplines) knowledge, awareness, evaluation and convictions of how to facilitate the nation to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) per "Vision 2030" despite living in an oil-based economy. Within this context, the paper then reports 31 female Saudi pre-service teachers' (also university students) experience with and reaction to using inquiry-based learning (IBL) to teach sustainability. Their feedback as emergent educators is invaluable for Saudi initiatives concerned with Education for Sustainability (EfS). Study participants were from Saudi's Eastern Province (convenience and snowball sampling) with data collected in fall 2019. Recommendations include integrating IBL into teacher education, supporting IBL with Saudi cultural and religious practices, and communicating anthropogenic impact to Saudi citizens.