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 A crisis in teacher education? In a series of proposed reforms, England’s Department for Education seeks to re-accredit all Initial Teacher Education providers, in a bid to re-distribute teacher education so that it comes under the purview of multi-academy trusts rather than universities. The proposals come under heavy fire for being unsubstantiated and potentially damaging to the intellectual standing of the teaching profession. Should the reforms pass, major university teacher education providers such as the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford might cease their programmes altogether. In the United States, to meet the rising demand for new teachers, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education calls for greater collaboration between the US government and schools, to update rigid policies and low wages, and to ultimately make teaching an appealing and viable career. While independent institutions and associations champion robust evidence-based training programmes and teachers’ rights, governments often hold the key to enabling change and reform. How will teacher education institutions navigate the complex space between students’ and teachers’ needs, and government policy? Education in the Spotlight The Straits Times: Yale-NUS to stop taking in students, NUS plans to set up new liberal arts college NUS in a press release on Friday (Aug 27) morning said that Yale-NUS will merge with NUS’ University Scholars Programme (USP) to form a new college which will open by August 2022. The Octant: A Planned Catastrophe: Yale-NUS to close in 2025 The dissolution of Yale-NUS was initiated by Prof. Tan Eng Chye, who also happens to be a Yale alumnus, part of a larger strategic realignment that NUS has been pursuing since 2018. TIME: ‘What will happen when the world looks this way?’ An Afghan teacher on how the world can protect girls from the Taliban According to Human Rights Watch, schools have been shut down and women have been forced to leave their jobs by Taliban commanders in many provinces. Southeast Asia Globe: Fears over long-term impact as school closures in Cambodia stretch on Cambodian schools have been closed for more than 200 days since the onset of COVID-19. Already struggling to engage thousands of young learners pre-pandemic, this extended break has only worsened the situation, with the long-term effects on a generation of students yet to be seen. The Conversation: Schools can reopen safely – an epidemiologist describes what works and what’s not worth the effort A COVID-19 vaccine is the single most important tool for preventing COVID-19 in schools, as well as nearly everywhere else. The Washington Post: Using Tik Tok and Instagram, college students push the science behind COVID vaccines The COVID Campus Coalition uses social media to try to spread science-backed information about the importance of vaccines to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Guardian: UK medical schools must teach about climate crisis, says students Extreme weather events widen existing inequalities and traumatise victims while climate anxiety affects mental health. ABC News: What jobs are available in the clean energy boom? A Professor and a student of clean energy share their experiences being part of this growing industry.