As we look to close out Blackboard’s first full year, we thought it would be appropriate to run a recap of our Year in Review issues.

In part 1, we look at how covid-19 drove changes in the sector in a fundamental way and disrupted everything from where lessons are taught to how education is paid for. We also look at how despite this, education proved a defensive sector, with equities staging a rapid comeback and CAPEX investment remaining strong.

Part 2 looks at how internationalizing higher education became the major policy initiative of 2020. We explore the objectives of the policy, what steps took place this year to bring it about, and what is the likelihood of it improving quality and driving private sector investment and FDI.

Your top education stories for the week:

• The Higher Education Ministry is launching a UCAS-style platform for private universities to accept incoming students this coming Spring semester. The platform will become mandatory for all universities starting from the Fall semester of the 2021-22 academic year.
• International private school outfit El Rabwa Network is planning to invest EGP 1.2 bn next year on developing four schools in Future City, the local press reports.
• The Egyptian Japanese University will launch 14 new departments in an EGP 10 mn expansion, Mubasher reports.
• Beni Suef University inaugurated its New Technological College as well as 14 ICT focused labs, according to a statement.
• Mid-year exams will be spread out between 10 January and 5 February to limit the number of students who are present in testing centers on any given day, , Education Minister Tarek Shawki said on Tuesday.