Education

📍 New York City, New York, United States

On 2 September 2026, NYC's education department announced a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for 2-K through 8th grade, with screen-time limits, AI literacy courses and five vetted pilots for high schoolers. A 8 September report notes Los Angeles Unified also announced a moratorium, and Maryland districts face a September deadline to adopt AI policies.

📍 United States

On 27 August 2026 the US Department of Homeland Security proposed a fee of about $103,000 on cap-subject H-1B petitions after a court blocked an earlier $100,000 fee; comments closed 24 September. A 31 August legal alert says an OPT fee of $100,000 is also under consideration. Cap-exempt employers such as universities would not be covered by the H-1B proposal.

📍 India

The National Testing Agency cancelled NEET-UG 2026 (held 3 May) on 12 May 2026 amid paper-leak allegations, the matter went to the CBI, and a re-exam was held on 21 June. Results were declared on 17 July 2026. Reports also link the episode to student distress. Views differ on what reform matters most.

📍 India

On 15 May 2026, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said NEET-UG would move from pen-and-paper to computer-based testing from 2027, after the 2026 exam was cancelled. Reports say about 2.2 million candidates would sit it across multiple shifts, with score normalisation to account for difficulty differences.

📍 Maharashtra, India

Per a 29 June 2026 report, Maharashtra requires Marathi for Classes 1-10 in all schools regardless of medium, with Marathi exams for each class. Non-compliance can bring a notice, fines up to Rs 1 lakh and, for persistent violations, loss of recognition. School Education Minister Dada Bhuse said exams will be held for every class.

📍 Maharashtra, India

In April 2025 Maharashtra made Hindi the default third language in Classes 1-5, then withdrew the orders on 29 June 2025 after backlash and set up a committee under Narendra Jadhav. The committee submitted its report on 9 February 2026; the Chief Minister said it would go before the cabinet.

📍 India

On 30 May 2026, CUET-UG sessions were delayed at several centres due to a technical issue attributed to the exam service provider; the NTA said compensatory time was given and revised the afternoon session to start at 4 pm. Some candidates and parents reported waiting several hours with little communication.

📍 Andhra Pradesh, India

Andhra Pradesh's draft Coaching Institutions rules 2026 (reported 26 Feb 2026) propose mandatory registration, wellness cells, fee transparency with pro-rata refunds, no coaching during school hours, a five-hour daily limit and fines of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The Centre issued coaching guidelines in January 2024, and Assam and Rajasthan have also moved to regulate coaching.

📍 India

On 15-16 January 2026 the Supreme Court issued directions to higher education institutions in Amit Kumar v. Union of India, including round-the-clock medical support at residential campuses, filling faculty vacancies and clearing scholarship backlogs within four months, and a national suicide-prevention and postvention protocol. Earlier, in July 2025, it issued separate guidelines on student mental health and coaching centres.

📍 Australia

In July 2026 the Australian Government confirmed the 2027 National Planning Level at 295,000 new international students, with no provider allocated less than in 2026. Reports note commencements are down 8% on 2025, and the student visa fee rose to AUD 2,500. Education Minister Jason Clare said the sector must be managed sustainably.