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The realities of access to higher education changed dramatically within the last century. The second half of the twentieth century more particularly was characterized by a worldwide increase in access to higher education institutions that proved to be the main force disrupting the traditional organization of academia. This international trend is due to the several intertwined dynamics: demographic, economic and political pressures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted education systems worldwide, forcing schools and universities to close their doors and shift to remote learning. However, the transition to online education has exposed a deep digital divide, leaving vulnerable students at a disadvantage due to limited or no access to the Internet. Internet access during the COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a critical necessity, transcending traditional notions of human rights. The concept of the fourth generation of human rights recognises that access to the Internet is not just a privilege but an essential right that enables individuals to exercise their other rights effectively. Governments, policymakers, and international organisations must prioritise bridging the digital divide to ensure equitable access to the internet for all students, especially the vulnerable ones. Initiatives such as providing subsidised internet services, distributing devices, and establishing community-based internet centres can help overcome these challenges. Public-private partnerships and collaborations between governments, civil society, and technology companies can play a crucial role in expanding internet infrastructure and affordability. By recognising internet access as a vital component of the fourth generation of human rights, societies can foster inclusivity and bridge the educational gap exacerbated by the pandemic. Efforts should focus not only on immediate solutions but also on long-term strategies to address systemic inequalities in internet access. Empowering vulnerable students with internet connectivity is pivotal for their educational success, personal development, and future opportunities.

The focus of this paper is to compare access to higher education by Syrian refugees in Jordan and Germany. Background of the Syrian refugee crisis and its scope are provided before delving into a description of the university-age population among Syrian refugees in both countries. The nature of access to higher education in both countries is first examined before conducting a comparative analysis of the two. Implications and recommendations for policy and practice are provided.

This chapter examines widening access to higher education in Sweden from the 1960s onwards and contrasts the influence of two different political ideologies — social democracy and neo-liberalism. It provides an overview of the higher education system and student support. Sweden has made extensive use of alternative routes into higher education to enable access for those lacking traditional entry qualifications. These routes are outlined, changes over time are described and Sweden is compared to other European countries drawing on Eurostudent data. These data indicate that Sweden has made considerable advances in widening access through the use of alternative routes. However, the conclusion questions the extent to which current higher education policy, influenced by neo-liberalism, can lead to further progress.

One of the major challenges facing the higher education system in Namibia is to develop an equitable system where access to higher education goes alongside equity without negatively affecting quality and one that is regionally and ethnically representative. The process of developing such a system cannot be described as a once off achievement. Namibia’s historical past combined with the country’s ethnic make-up as well as its socio-economic standing makes access with equity a complex problem. Several sources show that this challenge is not typical to Namibia alone. Although strides have been made in terms of opening up the higher education sector to marginalised communities and to previously disadvantaged people, the higher education system of Namibia is not yet accessible to all. This chapter presents the development of higher education in Namibia, its achievements and challenges. It argues that the way access and participation manifests itself in Namibia’s higher education is elitist, and that massiffication at graduate and postgraduate level is yet to occur. Finally, the chapter drawing on rich literature suggests policy options for Namibia.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse factors that influence access to secondary education, and strategies for improving access to secondary education in Kenya.

A logit model estimated using the Welfare Monitoring Household Survey while a simulation model is used to evaluate some of the strategies for improving access to secondary school education.

The main determinants of access to secondary school education at household level include household's income, education level of household head, household residence, sex of child, availability of schools, and age of student.

Factor such as property ownership by household and indirect costs to schooling not adequately captured due to non‐responses.

Strategies for expanding secondary school education include: expansion of infrastructure through strong partnerships, enhancing efficiency in use of human and financial resources, developing sustainable poverty reduction and resource targeting mechanisms, increasing household awareness on the importance of secondary school education, and addressing gender disparities.

The value of the paper is in its innovativeness to empirically estimate factors that determine access to secondary education and simulate resource requirements for secondary school education with the aim of identifying appropriate strategies for improving access.

The purpose of this paper is to test the interaction effect of government support in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) survival in post-war communities in Northern Uganda.

Cross-sectional research design was used in the study and quantitative data were collected from 304 SMMEs located in Gulu District using a semi-structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) through the use of analysis of moment structures was adopted to establish the interaction effect of government support in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and SMMEs survival in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to show the association between the variables under study.

The results revealed that there is a significant interaction effect of government support in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and SMMEs survival in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. Besides, the results indicated that business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and government support have significant and positive impacts on SMMEs survival in post-war communities in Northern Uganda.

The study employed cross-sectional research design, thus, ignoring longitudinal study approach. Besides, the sample was selected from only Gulu District, therefore, leaving out other Districts located in Northern Uganda.

Advocates of recovery programs and interventions in developing countries should consider government support as a vital factor in promoting business skill, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, and entrepreneurial education in order to enhance SMMEs growth in post-war communities. In addition, governments in developing countries should offer investment incentives and tax waivers to infant SMMEs in post-war communities like in Northern Uganda.

The study examined the interaction effect of government support in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and SMMEs survival in post-war communities in developing countries. Thus, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to test the interaction effect of government support in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and SMMEs survival in post-war communities in Northern Uganda. The use of government support as a moderator in the relationship between business skills, capital adequacy, access to finance, access to market, entrepreneurial education, and SMMEs survival is scarce in entrepreneurship literature and theory. This creates uniqueness in this study.