Education, Research & Public Sector

Boston – September 15, 2026 -- Encoura has published a new analysis showing that academic fields outside higher education's most popular majors are drawing sustained student interest but lack the outcomes visibility needed to compete for enrollment. The Eduventures Admitted Student 2026 Trend Report, titled "Beyond the Big Five: Exploring Majors Outside the Mainstream," draws on more than 42,000 responses collected over three years through Eduventures Admitted Student Research.

Report identifies a 'Next Five' tier of academic fields trailing the dominant majors

The study defines the "Big Five" fields — Biology, Business, Computer Science, Engineering, and Health Professions — as benefiting from clear career pathways and employer pipelines. It identifies a "Next Five" tier — Visual and Performing Arts, Psychology, Education, Social Sciences, and Physical Sciences — as the next most significant area of admitted-student interest.

Indianapolis – September 13, 2026 -- Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has won two categories in the Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2026 Awards, with PLTW Engineering named "Best of STEM: Engineering Education" and PLTW Gateway recognized as "Best of STEM: Hands-on Learning for Middle School."

Judging panel comprises certified science and STEM educators exclusively

The awards program, operated with MCH Strategic Data, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), is the only STEM education awards initiative judged entirely by certified classroom teachers, specialists, and district leaders. Entries undergo rigorous evaluation for classroom suitability before recognition.

Tokyo – September 13, 2026 -- Nasdaq-listed LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) has secured a three-year contract renewal from the City of Nagoya to operate the "Nagoya School Club Activities Human Resources Bank," extending a program it has run since April 2022 into a new term beginning September 1, 2026.

Nagoya renews Leifras deal to staff after-school programs across 16 wards

The contract covers the recruitment, training, and matching of instructors for "new sports and cultural activities" offered to grades four through six at municipal elementary schools across Nagoya's 16 wards. The initiative forms part of Japan's broader shift of school club management from school-based staffing to outsourced, community-based operation, a transition driving demand for vetted, professionally trained local instructors.

Benghazi -- The University of Benghazi resumed full operations on September 4, 2026, after an 11-year closure caused by war damage, following a three-year reconstruction led by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund under Director General Belqasim Khalifa Haftar.

Reconstruction rebuilds an integrated university city in three years

The project restored the Faculties of Engineering, Humanities, Law, Science and Languages, along with the central library, teaching and administrative buildings, laboratories, utility facilities, student dormitories, internal roads and supporting infrastructure. The University of Benghazi, known as the "Mother of Libyan Universities," serves nearly 100,000 students and had been shuttered since sustaining extensive destruction during the Libyan armed forces' conflict with terrorist groups.

Mainz – September 12, 2026 -- Public libraries across Rhineland-Palatinate will offer free coding instruction to children aged four to seven starting this autumn, under a new partnership between the state's Landesbibliothekszentrum (LBZ) and German public broadcasters WDR and SWR.

Library staff train in September ahead of autumn rollout

Training sessions for participating library staff run from September 21 to 23, 2026, preparing personnel to guide children through the program before public sessions begin in autumn 2026.

Munich – September 12, 2026 -- Germans estimate a school year for a child in a low-income country costs 320 euros on average, more than 74% above actual figures ranging from 35 to 183 euros across five surveyed nations, according to a forsa poll commissioned by the ChildInvest Foundation.

91% of Germans rank education as the most effective lever to improve children's lives globally

The representative survey of 1,524 adults, conducted by forsa in April 2026, found 91% of respondents view education as a highly effective tool for long-term improvement in children's living conditions worldwide. Protection from violence, exploitation and child labor, along with improved healthcare and nutrition, each drew 88% approval, showing consensus across age, gender and income brackets.

Berlin/Magdeburg – September 12, 2026 -- Germany's six leading welfare umbrella associations, representing more than 5 million volunteers and paid staff nationwide, issued a joint pledge to defend human dignity and social cohesion following the state election results in Saxony-Anhalt.

BAGFW President Warns Against Election-Driven Discrimination

Achim Meyer auf der Heyde, president of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (BAGFW), said the organization stands with anyone threatened by exclusion, hostility or discrimination, regardless of election outcomes or shifting political majorities.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- Schule Global, the German intercultural education initiative, has enrolled its 100th member institution, admitting Humboldt-Realschule Bönen into its nationwide network.

Humboldt-Realschule Bönen becomes the 100th school in Schule Global's network

The school has maintained a partnership with Indonesia since 2018, intensifying ties through exchange trips starting in 2022. By joining Schule Global, the school aims to expand this Indonesia partnership and integrate global education more deeply into curricula and daily school life.

Dahlem-Marienau – September 12, 2026 -- One in four 15-year-olds in Germany now fails to meet basic science competency standards, according to the newly released PISA 2026 study, which recorded the country's worst results since the assessment began. In response, private boarding school Schule Marienau in Lower Saxony is investing roughly €800,000 in a new STEM facility designed to reverse the decline in scientific literacy among students.

PISA 2026 data show only 10% of German students rank as high performers in science

The study found science performance at an all-time low nationally, with the top-performing segment stagnant while the broader student base loses ground. Marienau's leadership frames the results as a structural problem rather than statistical noise, arguing that schools have shifted too far from applied, problem-solving education toward rote knowledge transfer.

Berlin – September 12, 2026 -- German Education Minister Karin Prien is preparing cabinet proposals for an age restriction on social media platforms, citing a direct link between screen time and Germany's weak PISA test results.

Prien ties declining literacy to social media use

Speaking on rbb24 Inforadio on Wednesday, the CDU politician said children's shrinking attention spans, lack of endurance, and inability to read for comprehension are connected to social media and screen time. She argued the digital and AI era demands stronger safeguards against declining critical thinking among students.

Cabinet proposal expected within weeks

Prien confirmed she will present concrete legislative proposals to the German cabinet in the coming weeks, combining an age restriction with expanded media literacy education in schools.