Fortunately, our new article will not make you fall asleep For my first blog post of 2021, I'm very pleased to share a new peer-reviewed journal article. It explores China and Russia’s efforts to construct a higher education region in Eurasia and also examines the responses of policymakers in Central Asia to these initiatives. The …
Tag: China
Tajikistan-China education cooperation
News agency Avesta has published possibly the most boring story I've read about the prospects for higher education cooperation between Tajikistan and China. Seriously, this post could easily have been called 'Diplomacy wins, or: How to make a story from nothing'. Bear in mind I read a lot of news stories about education in Central …
Chinese corporate social responsibility in Tajikistan, or, How to build a school for free
The might of Chinese businesses operating in Tajikistan is growing, with news emerging of one company alone that will build three new schools in the country [ru] later this year, supporting over 1,000 students. This is not the first such initiative, which is being posited as evidence of Chinese corporate social responsibility. Other road-building companies have already financed …
Seminar // March 5, 2018 // Comparing internationalization in higher education in Tajikistan and Iraq, plus other papers
I'm delighted to invite you to a seminar I have organized being held on Monday March 5, 2018 from 11.30am-1pm in Toronto and also livestreamed online. The seminar showcases some of the student research on internationalization in higher education being done at my faculty, OISE, that will be presented at the prestigious Comparative & International …
The use and abuse of honorary titles in academia
I recently reported on a new China-led university alliance, and noted the increasing influence of China in Central Asia. So I thought it was good timing to note that Kyrgyz career diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs Erlan Abdyldaev was recently awarded an honorary academic post by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The award of Honorary …
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What does the Asian Universities’ Alliance mean for Central Asia?
A small flurry of press stories recently (e.g. in University World News on 2 June, University World News on 4 May, The PIE News, Today.kz and ICEF Monitor) announced the arrival of a new partnership of higher education institutions, the Asian Universities' Alliance (AUA). Bringing together 15 universities from 14 countries, the AUA aims to promote academic mobility between institutions and countries …
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Central Asia in 2016 – part 1
Following on from my post at the beginning of January 2016, Central Asia: what lies ahead?, I'm going to dedicate the rest of this month to thinking about the situation in the region in the coming year. I plan to do this at both a macro (state, regional) level as well as considering the implications at a …
Central Asia: what lies ahead? (updated)
Happy new year! This is my fifth year of blogging on Central Asia, focussing on issues relating to higher education and social change. I open the year with an interesting analytical think piece from global intelligence agency Stratfor that attempts to surmise what the future might hold for the region. It's available on their website …
Does research always have to be targeted towards economic benefit?
If you are a developing Asian state, the answer apparently seems to be 'yes'. This has been suggested as a strategy for Asian countries in achieving their research and development goals. Resources for scientific research, whether undertaken in universities or in the private sector, should be carefully allocated and targeted towards specific areas for priority development. …
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Work Together to Build a Bright Future: the Universities Alliance of the New Silk Road
Today's post picks up on a recent report by Yojana Sharma in University World News on a new alliance set up in China to bring together universities along the Silk Road, that ancient trading route linking China to Europe. In fact, the exact geography of 'Silk Road' is very broadly interpreted for this new grouping, bringing together as it does …
Emma Sabzalieva 