The transmission of knowledge, skills and character across formal, non-formal and informal learning.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has offered structured talks with countries and campaign groups affected by the transatlantic slave trade and has expressed "sorrow and regret" for its victims while rejecting cash reparations. He has proposed a debt-restructuring drive for vulnerable Commonwealth states, to be led by former prime minister Gordon Brown, ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Antigua and Barbuda.
A girl in Afghanistan, who posed as a boy to attend school under Taliban rule, has grown up to become a journalist and now studies at Cambridge. She fled Afghanistan in 2021 after the Taliban’s return and now runs a news agency highlighting women’s oppression.
Robert Bush has been jailed for 20 years at Hull Crown Court after pleading guilty to 67 offences linked to Legacy Independent Funeral Directors. Police uncovered 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes stored in deplorable conditions, with victims recounting misidentified ashes, fraud, and fake funeral plans. The case has spurred calls for tighter regulation of the UK funeral industry.
The Times of Israel reports ongoing confrontations within Israel's ruling coalition over ultra-Orthodox exemptions from military service. Lawmakers have pushed through measures while facing opposition from a shrinking band of dissenters; the issue shapes the political landscape ahead of the upcoming election.
Denmark introduces monitored written assignments and oral defences for upper secondary students to curb AI-assisted cheating, with firewalls and monitoring tools during exams. Sweden reports a 688% rise in unauthorised AI use and launches a review. In the UK, a teacher was banned for altering coursework and submitting fraudulent grades after investigations spanning 2023–2026. Scotland considers a shift to continuous assessment.
The Treasury has posted plans to assume management of the federal defaulted student-loan portfolio and create a Default Resolution Hub to guide borrowers back to good standing. The transition, announced as part of a broader push to overhaul the Education Department, is set to occur in phases and may involve new collection vendors. The move could affect 10 million borrowers currently in default and broaden wage garnishment and benefit seizures if default persists.
Professor Jason Arday has resigned from the University of Cambridge after the university has opened an investigation into his academic qualifications and honorary appointments following media allegations of plagiarism and other disputed claims. Cambridge has said it will continue its probe and will use the findings to review senior appointment procedures and research-misconduct policy.
Milburn is leading a review that proposes primary schools identify students at risk of becoming NEET by end of primary, paired with welfare reforms. The Guardian, The Mirror and other outlets show a debate on how much schools should intervene in future employment outcomes, welfare costs, and mental health supports.
Universities UK and sector leaders warn that a levy on international student fees, combined with fee freezes, is intensifying financial pressure on UK higher education. Visa declines and course cuts threaten jobs and offerings even as demand from UK students remains strong.
UNESCO has warned that Afghanistan remains the only country that formally bars girls and women from secondary and higher education. The agency has said the five-year exclusion has reversed two decades of progress, pushed 2.4 million girls out of school, narrowed women’s work options and deepened economic and social harms. UNESCO says it will keep running community literacy and skills programs while pressing for full restoration of educational rights.
Liberia’s National Development Plan is moving from planning to implementation as the government seeks to mobilize domestic resources, attract private investment and use innovative financing. The ARREST/AAID framework is being evaluated for progress, with a focus on delivering measurable improvements for Liberians amid declining traditional aid.
Universities and policymakers have accelerated alternatives to traditional four‑year degrees: three‑year, 90‑credit bachelor’s tracks, expanded apprenticeships and technical routes are gaining traction as families and adult learners face cost and labour‑market pressure. Critics warn shortened degrees and cuts to specialist support for disabled students will narrow learning and harm future prospects.
Education chiefs in Northern Ireland and Scotland are proposing tighter rules on mobile phone use in schools. A BBC pilot and Kings College London study show behavioural gains from restricting phones, while Scottish ministers push for a campus-wide ban to curb disruption and violence against women and girls. Consultations are under way across the UK with a government- or minister-led push to legislate soon.
ONS data shows 981,000 young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training (Neet) in April–June, a fall of 30,000 from January–March but 30,000 higher than a year ago. Milburn’s forthcoming review is expected to push for wide reforms to education, welfare and jobs support.
The First Minister has confirmed plans to cap essential foods, roll out a £2 bus fare cap across Scotland, replace 14 NHS health boards with two, expand childcare, and push radical local government reform. These moves are framed as urgent public service reform to deliver a fairer, healthier, and more prosperous nation.
New York City has imposed a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for pre-K through eighth grade, affecting about 600,000 pupils. The city has banned companion chatbots, set classroom screen-time caps, will require twice-yearly AI literacy classes for high schoolers and will run limited supervised pilots for older students while reviewing ed-tech contracts.
The OECD has released 2025 PISA results showing a global drop in reading, math, and science scores among 15-year-olds, with the United States experiencing a widening gap between low and high performers. The data link increased AI and social media use with weaker performance, while a minority of countries buck the trend.
A public inquiry into the disappearance of four-year fugitive Tom Phillips and his three children has found police, Oranga Tamariki and other agencies underplayed harms and missed opportunities. The inquiry has prompted government apologies and a pledge to implement recommendations.
IPPR data shows a persistent regional divide in job opportunities for 18–24-year-olds. Rotherham faces far fewer vacancies per 1,000 youths than the Cotswolds, with nine of the 10 best areas for youth jobs in the south. The government is under pressure as ministers review Milburn’s findings and consider reforms to apprenticeships and a universal youth service.
The federal tax-credit scholarship program is expanding scrutiny and renewed political clash as New York considers opting in. Governors and unions frame the move as school choice versus public funding, while proponents say the program expands opportunity without diverting public dollars.
Conservative plans propose cutting universal credit for claimants who have not paid enough into the system, with six months of full benefits followed by a 70% subsistence rate loaded onto a back-to-work card restricting purchases. Proponents argue it will push people into work, while critics warn it deepens poverty and hits families hard. The policy is slated for more detail at the party conference.
Labour has announced that vocational GCSEs will be introduced alongside compulsory scientific and academic GCSEs, with courses in construction, child development, and creative media production starting from 2029. Ofqual will regulate content and grading to ensure parity with traditional GCSEs, and schools will be encouraged to provide more work experience opportunities to 14‑16-year-olds.
Protests against underfunded and dilapidated schools have spread from Paris suburbs to cities nationwide. Authorities report thousands of arrests, hundreds injured, and many schools closed as President Macron faces renewed pressure over education funding and public spending.
The euro has fallen to near 17-month lows after investors have pushed up French borrowing costs and bond spreads. France has faced rising yields, mass protests and a political stalemate over deficit cuts ahead of the presidential election. Markets are pricing greater contagion risk across the eurozone and the ECB is under pressure to act.
A government-ordered review led by Professor Peter Fonagy warns that autism and ADHD overdiagnosis risk is rising, while genuine mental illness has increased among youth. The report calls for reform of access to care, tighter regulation of private assessment firms, and faster supports for anxiety, depression and related conditions.
New York has backed the Education Freedom Tax Credit, directing up to $1,700 of federal tax credits to nonprofits that grant scholarships for private schooling and related expenses. The program, funded by private donations, is available to students in public and private schools who meet income thresholds. Governors in blue states have shown growing interest as Hochul signals support for next school year.
Norway has proposed a temporary ban on camera-enabled smart glasses in public spaces to protect privacy, with a bill expected to reach parliament soon. The policy would apply to places like parks, gyms and schools, while allowing private use. An expert group will assess how to regulate and where exceptions might exist.
Mass student-led protests have escalated in Tirana since Tuesday, with demonstrators attacking government buildings, including the Education Ministry, and clashing with riot police. Security forces have used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets; authorities report hundreds injured and dozens detained. Protesters demand better university conditions, lower costs, action on corruption and Prime Minister Edi Ramas resignation.
A new Children’s Commissioner report has identified a national postcode lottery in children’s services, placing Middlesbrough at the top of the hardest places to grow up. The findings call for a national standard and targeted funding to address inequities in health, education and youth services.
Mackenzie and dozens of associates are found guilty of murder in the Shakahola forest case, with a court ruling that links the deaths of hundreds of followers to a doomsday sect. The verdict covers 191 deaths; investigations into others continue. Families mourn as Kenya looks to tighten oversight of religious groups.
The Childhood Lottery analysis has identified Middlesbrough as the hardest place to grow up in England and Cheshire East as the least challenging. It shows wide disparities in education, health, safety, and funding, prompting calls for minimum standards and a national fund for improvement, with mayors and local authorities urged to take stronger roles.