AGP Executive Report

Public Education: Thousands rallied across Ontario on Saturday over falling per-student funding, staffing shortages and special-education support, with organizers citing a projected $6.5-billion funding gap. US Policy: Education Secretary Linda McMahon says the administration is shifting programs, including career and technical education, to the Labor Department as it presses to dismantle the Education Department; the agency would retain legal oversight. Keeping adolescents in school: Busoga’s leaders are joining efforts to tackle teenage pregnancy and school dropouts. In Ghana, the Education Ministry and UNFPA have launched a group to coordinate support for adolescents, in and out of school. Student protection: Ghanaian rights advocates want an offenders’ register and annual reports on school sexual-abuse cases, following allegations involving an Obuasi school headmaster. Teacher workforce: Sri Lanka has approved provincial recruitment of education-degree graduates, including eligible private-university graduates. Access and research: Vietnam’s student-loan programs had nearly $958 million outstanding across more than 362,000 borrowers; officials are considering raising the monthly loan limit. The University of Georgia and the University of Leeds signed a five-year agreement for research, teaching and student exchanges.

Disaster-Ready Schools: The Philippines says it has completed 391 modular school buildings designed for typhoons and earthquakes, with 150 more underway. The classrooms can be installed in as little as four weeks. Student Wellbeing: An Indian university has installed 354 safety-designed hostel fans to reduce suicide risk, renewing calls for counselling and other support alongside physical safeguards. Workforce Preparation: Singapore’s universities are expanding applied learning, with 3,000 year-long internships planned over three years and more courses integrating AI. Access to Education: Nigeria’s Borno state is seeking African Union support to bring 800,000 out-of-school children back to class; separately, UNESCO and UNICEF report that 53% of Afghan children lack access to formal education. College Completion: Chicago Public Schools’ graduation and college-enrollment rates are rising, but just 48% of 2019 graduates who enrolled in college completed a degree or workforce certificate within six years.

Climate Disruption: Flooding forced eight schools north of Brisbane to close, as Queensland authorities assessed rain, rising waterways and road access to protect students and staff. University Standards: Nigeria’s Senate advanced a bill to strengthen university regulation, accreditation and sanctions, amid concerns about institutions breaching rules. Digital Reform: Sri Lanka reviewed plans for smart classrooms and digital facilities alongside curriculum changes, with reforms set to extend to Grades 2 and 6 in 2027. School Safety: A Rawalpindi audit found 143 government education buildings fully or partly dangerous; one school was evacuated and its students relocated. Access to Learning: UNESCO and UNICEF report that 53% of Afghan children lack access to formal education. Academic Freedom: Dutch academy leaders are urging stronger legal protections, warning that researchers face hate campaigns and current safeguards are inadequate.

Access & Inclusion: Drought and seasonal migration are disrupting schooling for children in India, with interruptions lasting five to six months and raising dropout and child-labour risks. The country has no reliable estimate of how many migrant children are out of school. Funding & Reform: Malaysia says its 2027 budget will fund a new curriculum, school upgrades and support for families, but the education minister says effective implementation is the key challenge. Enrollment Pressures: West Virginia public schools lost more than 8,200 students, or 3.5% of enrollment, with superintendents citing population loss and the Hope Scholarship. Kansas City-area districts are also weighing cuts and closures amid declining enrollment. College Pathways: Indiana sent pre-admission letters to more than 76,000 high-school seniors, offering 2.2 million decisions across 42 campuses; the state’s college-going rate remains 52.2%. Student Support: Qatar’s higher-education institutions are joining forces to improve student wellbeing, accessibility, leadership and career development.

Afghanistan’s Education Crisis: UNESCO and UNICEF say 53% of primary-school-age children lack access to formal education, while more than 2.6 million girls have been shut out of secondary school since 2021. The Taliban’s closure of private education centres in Nuristan adds to the barriers. School Policies: Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a statewide school-day cellphone ban, with exceptions for medical needs, translation and approved activities; the bill now awaits the governor’s signature. Funding and Access: Thousands of students and teachers protested in Greece over education funding and living costs. In India, 824 MBBS seats remained vacant in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, with educators citing fees many qualified students cannot afford. Postsecondary Pathways: Michigan is offering colleges grants of up to $200,000 to help adults who left without a degree return. At Kentucky State University, a six-year NSF project supported more than 100 undergraduates in STEM research and strengthened labs and teaching.

Education Protests: Thousands of Greek students and teachers marched over education funding, pay and the rising cost of living, including unaffordable student housing. Curriculum Watch: A new report says Syrian textbooks teach antisemitic stereotypes and give little attention to Jewish history; the findings raise concerns about the country’s revised national curriculum. International Learning: Mongolia plans to expand Cambridge International programs to 12 schools, after a new public school in Ulaanbaatar joined the program. AI in Schools: Colorado named Aims Community College one of six AI-engaged campuses, while a separate U.S. initiative aims to bring students into school AI policy discussions. Early Learning: New Zealand’s Cabinet agreed to create a legal framework for nature-based early childhood education, giving providers a clearer path to operate and grow. School Safety: A teacher wounded in an Oregon elementary school shooting said she had no chance to protect students; three children and another teacher were killed.

Student Protests: Thousands of Greek students and teachers rallied over education costs, crowded classrooms, staff shortages and poor facilities, demanding publicly funded education. School Safety: In South Africa, a teacher accused of raping a nine-year-old pupil was suspended; the child is receiving counselling and academic support. In Ghana, calls are growing for tougher penalties and independent reporting channels amid concerns about sexual abuse in schools. Funding and Access: New Mexico secured $44.2 million in federal grants for literacy tutoring, teacher development and career pathways, including support for high-need rural and tribal communities. Climate Readiness: The Philippines is preparing schools for a potentially severe El Niño, with measures to address extreme heat and water shortages and keep learning services running. Education Technology: South African provider Advtech acquired a 25% stake in AI education firm MathU, strengthening its personalised learning platform, with English support due to launch soon.

Climate Readiness: The Philippines plans new school guidelines for El Niño, aiming to protect students from extreme heat and water shortages while keeping classes and meal services running. Graduate Pathways: The U.S. National Science Foundation awarded nearly $3 million to a University of Texas at El Paso-led team studying how to help low-income students reach graduate STEM programs. Funding and Enrollment: West Virginia’s education board says its school funding formula fails to account for rural, low-income and special-education needs. Arizona districts, meanwhile, face school closures as enrollment falls, prompting concern over the future of neighborhood schools. AI and Equity: A Harvard-MIT study found AI career advice steered women toward lower pay and flexibility, while encouraging men to seek higher salaries and advancement. Leaders in Australia and New Zealand also say universities’ AI ambitions are outpacing their ability to support the technology. Higher Education: Students in Australia plan to protest a proposed merger of three universities, citing affordability and access concerns. Toronto’s OCAD University will offer 150 scholarships worth $40,000 each to mark its 150th anniversary.

Student Safety: Malaysia is considering extending its bullying tribunal to cover university students aged 18 and older, but the government says no decision has been made. Assessment Reform: Israel’s education minister has ordered a sweeping overhaul of national testing and evaluation, saying the country’s assessment authority cannot continue operating as before until reforms are implemented. Higher Education Funding: Kyrgyzstan is considering endowment funds that would let universities invest donations and use returns for scholarships, research and campus improvements. AI in Classrooms: A study of 6,065 middle-school students in Arizona found that regular users of an AI math platform made larger gains; students using it about 30 minutes weekly gained the equivalent of 1.8 school years, though the study compared users with similar non-users. Access and Rights: UNICEF says one in four Nigerian girls is out of school, while Tibetan-language schools in China are facing closures. Admissions: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a Maryland magnet-school admissions policy, renewing debate over race and access.

Access Under Pressure: A Tibetan girls’ school serving nomadic families in Golog has closed after 21 years, ending lessons in Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy and traditional medicine. UNICEF also reports that one in four Nigerian girls is out of school. Higher Education: Wales has begun a review of university funding and long-term sustainability, with an interim report due in summer 2027. Newcastle University will drop Turnitin amid concerns the service could use student work to develop AI tools. Admissions and Equity: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge to race-based middle-school admissions policies. Skills and Jobs: A UK think tank proposes £50 million in seed funding for employer-led technical universities in northern towns, linking training to local skilled jobs. School Strain: Tucson’s district has proposed merging two elementary schools amid falling enrollment and funding, while a Washington state district won $7.5 million over five years to expand student mental-health services.

Curriculum Watch: A new study of 130 Syrian textbooks says the post-Assad curriculum promotes jihad and martyrdom and contains antisemitic portrayals; these findings are from the London-based watchdog IMPACT-se. School Funding: Ghana’s Education Service has directed officials to get first-term 2026/27 capitation grants to basic schools by Oct. 30, aiming to prevent disruption. University Access: The University of Hawaiʻi has expanded its no-fee Direct2UH pathway to all 10 campuses and 13 public charter schools, offering eligible seniors admission based on GPA. International Students: UK sponsored study visa applications fell 10.3% year over year in September to a five-year low, adding pressure on universities reliant on overseas tuition. AI and Jobs: A $600,000 NASA grant will help Arizona universities develop ways to teach AI for future aerospace careers.

School Safety: After a deadly school collapse in Peshawar, authorities have begun identifying unsafe buildings and planning safety measures. Equal Access: Pakistan’s prime minister opened a Daanish School for underprivileged students and called for wider access to quality education, alongside more teaching in IT, robotics and AI. Special Education: Parents in Gateshead are upset by a proposal to close three specialist provisions at Bede Primary School; a public consultation is pending. Admissions: San Francisco’s school board voted to develop neighborhood-based elementary assignments, replacing the current lottery system while retaining citywide applications for some programs. Education Protests: Nearly 200 people were arrested in Belgium as demonstrations over education and budget cuts turned violent. University Funding: A record $250 million gift to Hebrew University is set to support work in engineering, medicine and trauma recovery.

Student Data: California has begun notifying families after hackers accessed and copied student information from an ETS file-transfer site; the state has not said how many students were affected. Curriculum Reform: Sri Lanka is rolling out a new Grade 1 curriculum, with changes for Grades 2 and 6 planned by 2027 to strengthen learning and ease students’ academic burden. University Merger: Staff and students oppose a proposed merger of three Western Australian universities into a single institution enrolling about 120,000; a union survey found nearly 69% of staff against the plan. Equal Access: Pakistan’s prime minister opened a Daanish School in Islamabad and pledged to expand the network, aimed at offering quality education to talented students from low-income families. International Admissions: UK universities are withdrawing some offers as tighter visa-compliance rules raise the risk of losing permission to recruit overseas students. AI in Higher Education: Academics warn universities may be adopting AI in teaching too quickly, before its effects on students’ independent thinking are understood. School Safety: A shooting at an Oregon elementary school killed three children and a teacher; in Pakistan, a school roof collapse has renewed calls for inspections and safer buildings.

Polytechnic Education: Philippine universities and technical colleges have launched PhilPEN, a national network led by PUP to coordinate polytechnic education and strengthen regional links. Curriculum Reform: Academics at a Bangladesh conference called for education that combines science and AI skills with strong foundations and moral values. University Autonomy: Nigeria has removed federal universities’ requirement to secure civil-service waivers for hiring, giving education officials and governing councils more control over recruitment. Global Innovation: Qatar’s UDST is the only Gulf institution selected for a Duke-incubated initiative bringing 49 universities from 23 countries together to tackle institutional change. Campus Investment: A record $250 million gift to Hebrew University will support a new engineering faculty and expand medical and trauma research. Student Safety: After a deadly shooting at an Oregon elementary school, authorities say the attacker targeted a special education classroom; separately, an investigation found six nonverbal New York students were left on a bus for hours. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered inspections of school buildings after a roof collapse.

Higher Education: The Philippines has launched a national polytechnic network to coordinate institutions and strengthen technical education. Access: Oman opens a second admissions round for 2,894 higher-education places, including new engineering scholarships for vocational students. Skills and Teaching: China says vocational education supplies nearly 10 million skilled workers each year, while Gujarat is forming a committee to reduce teachers’ administrative workload. School Safety: A shooting at an Oregon elementary school killed three children and a teacher; a separate school roof collapse in Pakistan killed 35 people, intensifying calls for accountability and safer buildings.

School Safety: A 16-year-old former pupil killed three children and a teacher at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon. A teacher and a parent intervened; hundreds sought emotional support as the community grieved and the US renewed debate over gun violence. School Closures: Denver’s Robert F. Smith STEAM Academy, designed around an HBCU model, is set to close after this school year. It has just 24 students, making it financially unsustainable. Learning in Conflict: Ukraine’s education ministry says 42% of schools can continue lessons during air raids, while 82% of pupils have access to shelters. Vocational Education: A global vocational and technical education conference opened in Tianjin, China, with participants focused on shared standards and cooperation. Girls’ Education: Afghan girls remain barred from secondary education as the Taliban ban enters its fifth year.