Every week, HEADlines brings you the latest news, stories and commentaries in education and healthcare. This week, get insights on the latest developments in education. image Learning through age and circumstance As part of Pitzer College’s Inside Out programme in the United States, 30-year-old Yusef Pierce is set to graduate with an honours degree this semester, all while spending his entire academic career – and the last 10 years – in prison. His own journey is inspiring him to become an instructor for incarcerated people, providing them with the necessary education for rebuilding their lives. After a 54-year break from schooling, 75-year-old Elsie Woodward is set to graduate with her Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from William & Mary College, the same time her granddaughter graduates from the University of Virginia. And, in Singapore, 53-year-old aircraft technician Kamaruddin Salleh was inspired by his wife and children obtaining their degrees to resume his studies, and now graduates from Temasek Polytechnic as valedictorian with a diploma in aerospace engineering. More programmes are recognising the benefits of lifelong learning and the power of education to improve the lives of people from various backgrounds and stages of life; the common thread of success, however, has been students’ deep drive and passion for self-improvement, and their commitment to the educational path despite challenging and unusual circumstances. Education in the Spotlight Manila Bulletin: ‘There is no going back’: CHED says flexible learning is here to stay Traditional face-to-face learning may no longer be applicable at the higher education level in the Philippines as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) adopts a policy to implement Flexible Learning in the coming school years. The Hechinger Report: How to make the most out of your Zoom parent teacher conference Pandemic adaptations have created opportunities for authentic conversations. NPR: A Baltimore youth programme mixes a passion for dirt bikes with science B-360, a non-profit that uses dirt bikes to teach elementary and high school students math and science, aims to encourage more minority students into STEM fields. Brookings: Why governments should use evidence to design girls’ education policies — and learn from Kenya about how to do it A national early literacy improvement programme called “Tusome” — taken from the Kiswahili word for “let’s read” — was designed to improve literacy outcomes for over 7 million Kenyan children in grades one through three. The Conversation: Curious Kids: Why do I need anything other than Google to answer a question? 13-year-old Harrison F. asks a scholar of Innovation and Research the big questions. Channel NewsAsia: Sustainability cannot just be taught in Geography lessons Young people need to be engaged with the wider world and this means rethinking how we teach and the way we craft our curriculum. Reuters: Pressure builds for schools to put climate change study on curriculum UNESCO said this month that environmental studies should be standard teaching in all countries by 2025.