How, by whom and for what purpose are these rankings created? Can they be fully trusted? Why can the same university occupy different positions in different rankings? Read more in the TV BRICS article Applicants and students, researchers and education specialists, university managers and those involved in developing higher education institutions closely follow university rankings every year. Why do university rankings exist? University rankings are a kind of “league table”. On the one hand, they help applicants and students make…

Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) have long been regarded as neutral spaces of preservation and display. Yet historically, they have functioned as instruments of power, deciding whose stories are told, whose histories and herstories are preserved, and whose voices are amplified. In SA, this legacy is inseparable from colonial and apartheid frameworks that systematically excluded Black artists from institutional visibility. It is within this context that “The Pathway to Education Lies Between Thorns,” a travelling exhibition of works by…

In his Hiddingh-Currie award-winning autobiography, “His story is history,” published by Unisa Press, Dr Tlou Setumu asked a daring question: When does life begin? In the same text, Setumu offers different answers from different people. Some say life begins at 40, others say at birth, there are those who are saying in a womb, while others say when a person starts to stand on their own. Indeed, people perceive the beginning of life differently. This is also the same with…

In the latest QS World University Rankings, Unisa is ranked highly in six subjects, as opposed to one in the 2022 academic year, while the Department of Higher Education and Training ranks the institution fourth in the country in terms of its creative outputs and innovations during 2024. On 25 March 2026, QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World University Ranking released results for institutions in the subject areas in which such institutions have been nominated for evaluation. This includes the scores and…

Government strategy focuses on overseas campuses, academic partnerships and knowledge economy growth Egypt is stepping up efforts to expand the global footprint of its higher education sector, placing the internationalisation of universities and the establishment of overseas branches at the centre of its national strategy, reports Sada El-Balad, a partner of TV BRICS. Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Abdelaziz Konsowa, said the initiative aims to strengthen Egypt’s regional and international standing in higher education while supporting the transition…

The University of South Africa (Unisa) has reinforced its position as a pioneering force in higher education, announcing a series of groundbreaking “firsts”, including plans to launch a university-owned airport, as it reflects on recent achievements and charts an ambitious future. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Puleng LenkaBula described the institution as a trailblazer in distance learning, research innovation and academic transformation, with a legacy spanning more than 150 years. LenkaBula said Unisa,…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has dismissed as false and misleading a viral social media claim that a student received a payment of more than R630,000 from the scheme. The claim, widely circulated online, alleged that NSFAS had mistakenly paid a student R630,434.44 instead of a monthly allowance of around R6,000, and that the student had returned the money. However, NSFAS says this is not true. In a statement, the scheme said preliminary investigations show that the image…

The Covid-19 pandemic, disruptive technologies, and current developments in changing global geopolitics, specifically the US travel ban on 21 countries and counting, as well as the raging war in the Middle East, have led to a dire situation that requires repositioning of internationalisation in the higher education landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional internationalisation activities, further stretching already limited resources and impacting international student and staff mobility. To date, delays in study visa processing continue to pose a major obstacle…

Cooperation is aimed at strengthening scientific and educational ties among the BRICS+ countries and enhancing Russia’s international standing TV BRICS will assist in enhancing the international prestige of Russia’s mining engineering education and production. A corresponding agreement on cooperation with the media network has been signed by the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation International Competence Centre for Mining Engineering Education under the auspices of UNESCO. The activities of the partners will be aimed at developing cooperation among BRICS+ countries in the fields…

Flooding, storms, droughts, and heatwaves have become common occurrences across the globe. Each time an extreme weather or climate event strikes, the same question arises: is this climate change? Weather and climate experts are often cautious in answering this directly, because linking a specific event to climate change requires detailed scientific analysis known as attribution studies. These studies examine how human-driven climate change alters the likelihood or intensity of specific extreme weather events. The findings are increasingly clear. The 2015–2017…