By Dr Adam Cooke, Lecturer in Language Education School of Education, University of Birmingham The idea that languages may be struggling as a curriculum area is hardly new. The legendary Eric Hawkins first discussed a crisis in language learning way back in 1976. The issues so prevalent then: limited take up during the later secondary … Continue reading “How can we tackle the decline of modern languages?”
Advancing Equality in Higher Education
By Professor Kalwant Bhopal, Professor of Education and Social Justice Centre for Research in Race and Education, University of Birmingham An exploratory study of the Athena Swan and Race Equality Charters On Wednesday 13th March, Professor Kalwant Bhopal and Dr Holly Henderson participated in a dissemination event held at the University of Birmingham to discuss … Continue reading “Advancing Equality in Higher Education”
Tackling cyber threats to democracy
By Conor Deane-McKenna, Doctoral Researcher in Cyberwarfare Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham This week French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the creation of a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies to work alongside EU member states to protect elections against cyber-attacks and manipulation. The opinion piece comes before EU Parliamentary … Continue reading “Tackling cyber threats to democracy”
Should I walk in my own shoes or in the shoes of others?
By Professor Kiran Trehan, Department of Management, University of Birmingham Leadership on International Women’s Day is about reflection, advocacy, and action but it is also about leadership that engages all your senses, not just our minds. I wake up this morning, it’s a lovely spring day, fresh, sunny, with the promise of hope in the … Continue reading “Should I walk in my own shoes or in the shoes of others?”
Putting gender on the agenda in the refugee “crisis”
By Professor Jenny Phillimore Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology, University of Birmingham Violence, insecurity, persecution, and human rights violations have led to the forced displacement of an estimated 68.5 million people (UNHCR, 2018a). Of these, 25.4 million are refugees – the highest number ever recorded (UNHCR, 2018a). As Project Lead of the SEREDA … Continue reading “Putting gender on the agenda in the refugee “crisis””
Is the British economy facing ‘troubled times’?
By Professor Aditya Goenka Department of Economics, University of Birmingham “Troubled times had come to my hometown” (Springsteen, 1986) Since the Brexit vote in June 2016, the British economy has been slowing down, with the growth rate in the last quarter of 2018 at just 0.2%, the slowest since 2012. This should be seen in the … Continue reading “Is the British economy facing ‘troubled times’?”
Is the new teacher retention plan feasible?
By Frances Child and Dr Anita Soni School of Education, University of Birmingham From offering cash incentives to a cut down on paperwork, recent plans by the Department of Education, led by Education Secretary Damian Hinds, have set out to tackle the apparent teacher retention crisis in the UK. This serious attempt to address the teacher … Continue reading “Is the new teacher retention plan feasible?”
NHS Long Term Plan does not provide enough for LGBTQ young people
By Dr Jason Schaub, Lecturer in Social Work Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Birmingham The 7th January saw the launch of the new NHS Long Term Plan (NHS, 2018). It was surprising that this Plan included only a single mention of LGBTQ people. It correctly identifies that there are particular concerns about LGBTQ … Continue reading “NHS Long Term Plan does not provide enough for LGBTQ young people”
How can we beat Blue Monday?
By Maureen Smojkis, Lecturer in Mental Health Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Birmingham A combination of post-Christmas blues, cold dark nights and the arrival of unpaid credit card bills have contributed to the third Monday in January being awarded the title of Blue Monday – so what can we do to tackle the … Continue reading “How can we beat Blue Monday?”
Why there’s a case for giving foreign aid to authoritarian regimes
By Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy and International Development International Development Department, University of Birmingham Should democracies give foreign aid to countries that are not democracies? Democratic aid donors don’t have enough money to do all the things they want to in the world, so they need to find ways to decide how to ration aid. … Continue reading “Why there’s a case for giving foreign aid to authoritarian regimes”