Emma Harden-Wolfson

Higher education in Central Asia blog

The next ten years in Central Asian higher education: Looking to the future after a decade of blogging

Somehow, the tenth anniversary of this blog has rolled around. From my very first post published on 30 September 2011, I’ve published 345 posts, averaging around three posts a month. In total, I’ve shared over 200,000 words, and in my most wordy year (2012) I produced almost 32,000 words across 46 posts. WordPress tells me… Read more

September 30, 2021
International students can return to Russia

After partially reopening its borders to international students in March 2021, the Russian government announced in September that all international students can return – or come for the first time – to study in the country. This applies to students from countries where there are still no direct flights to Russia, and also to those… Read more

September 25, 2021
Knowledge production in post-Soviet Central Asia / Производство знаний в постсоветкстой Центральной Азии

Here’s a very nice (Russian language) summary of a recent (English language) seminar given by Professor Sarfaroz Niyozov of the University of Toronto, Canada on knowledge production in Tajikistan. Niyozov draws on global discourses of decolonization, recolonization and indigenization as they might pertain to the contemporary Central Asian context. You can also watch the seminar… Read more

August 11, 2021
Vaccinated students rewarded with tuition discounts, free courses and more

Students in Kazakhstan are being incentivized to get their Covid vaccines. Vaccinated students will be able to get discounts on their tuition fees, priority for student housing, transport vouchers, and – the ultimate student incentive – free food. At some universities, students can also get free access to a range of sporting and cultural activities.… Read more

August 6, 2021
Creating a Central Asian Higher Education Area

Big and exciting news in the world of higher education in Central Asia: a Central Asian Higher Education Area is finally on the cards. The plans have been formalized and signed by the five countries’ Ministers of Education in the Turkestan Declaration signed in June 2021. When it comes to higher education, the Central Asian… Read more

July 6, 2021
National approaches to university rankings in Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America (new open access book chapter)

I’m happy to see the long-awaited publication of a book chapter on national approaches to university rankings in Central Asia, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), and Latin America in the volume Global University Rankings and the Politics of Knowledge, edited by Michelle Stack. Our chapter, co-authored with Creso Sá, Nadiia Kachynska and Magdalena Martinez, reviews… Read more

May 28, 2021