Philippines School Readiness Push: Education Secretary Sonny Angara orders the 2026 National Oplan Balik Eskwela to run June 1–11 ahead of classes on June 8, with inter-agency support for safety, health, power, and logistics—and teachers kept out of admin duties so they can prepare classrooms. Prenatal Health & Learning: A Danish cohort study in Early Human Development finds no cognitive or verbal harm from prenatal cannabis exposure by age three, with some language scores even higher for exposed children. AI, Skills, and Governance: Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev links AI growth to major job and education disruption, arguing countries must retrain and protect citizens’ data as education systems adapt. Education Under Pressure in Gaza: A new analysis says Gaza reconstruction plans largely miss health and education needs and don’t adequately address trauma. Teaching Reform Backlash: In Australia, resistance to “evidence-based” reforms is growing among teachers and academics, with critics warning governments against complacency. Higher-Ed Research Rights: A University of Tennessee PhD student’s lawsuit challenges how IRBs can restrict interview-based social science research, raising free-speech questions. Social Work Accreditation Fight: A watchdog group urges the Council on Social Work Education to remove DEI requirements from accreditation standards. Qatar Influence Claim: A report alleges Qatar invested $65M in US education influence efforts, prompting calls for a federal investigation. STEM/TVET Skills Focus: Ghana’s leaders renew calls for competence-based TVET to cut graduate unemployment and better match industry needs.