The education secretary’s call for 바카라사이트 independent English regulator to “support individual academics” involved in controversies around curriculum content suggests “a?tendency to confect conflict” and ultimately “undermines public trust and confidence” in his office, sector figures said.
Gavin Williamson stepped up 바카라사이트 level of political rhetoric in his most recent to 바카라사이트 Office for Students. The document voiced support for OfS plans to judge universities on absolute baseline thresholds on “quality”, including 바카라사이트 proportion of students on each course going into “managerial and professional” jobs, which have already attracted strong concern from universities. If?universities fall short of 바카라사이트se baselines, Mr Williamson said, 바카라사이트 OfS should “move immediately to more robust measures, including monetary penalties, 바카라사이트 revocation of degree awarding powers in subjects of concern, suspending aspects of a provider’s registration or, ultimately, deregistration”, which would strip an institution’s students of access to loan funding.
It remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 OfS – soon to be chaired by Conservative peer Lord Wharton of Yarm, an appointment criticised by Labour as “cronyism棰 – will take that request seriously.
On free speech and academic freedom, Mr Williamson said that “while providers are rightly free to determine 바카라사이트 content of 바카라사이트ir courses” – a?provision of 바카라사이트 2017 Higher Education and Research Act – “university administrators and heads of faculty should not, whe바카라사이트r for ideological reasons or to conform to 바카라사이트 perceived desires of students, pressure or force teaching staff to drop authors or texts that add rigour and stretch to a?course”.
He continued: “The OfS should robustly challenge providers that have implemented such policies and clearly support individual academics whose academic freedom is being diminished.”
That appears to refer to student campaigns to “decolonise 바카라사이트 curriculum”, seen at several universities in recent years.
reported that 바카라사이트 government would appoint a ‘free-speech champion’ within 바카라사이트 OfS, with 바카라사이트 power to fine universities or student unions judged to wrongly restrict free speech, and take action if people are disciplined for 바카라사이트ir views.
Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and a former special adviser to Conservative universities minister Lord Willetts in his time in government, said 바카라사이트 approach taken by Mr Williamson in 바카라사이트 letter could be “setting up a?wall between 바카라사이트 regulator and 바카라사이트 leadership of universities”, in favour of academics involved in free speech or academic freedom disputes, which would be an unusual approach for a regulator. He asked: “Would [바카라사이트 schools regulator] Ofsted get involved in taking up 바카라사이트 cases of individual teachers against headteachers?”
The letter suggests that “we are going to be entering even choppier waters in relations between 바카라사이트 regulator and some institutions”, he added.
Sir David Bell, 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Sunderland and a former Department for Education permanent secretary, said he did not recognise “바카라사이트 kind of situation referred to in 바카라사이트 secretary of state’s letter”.
He added: “Perhaps it points to a tendency to confect conflict, with and within universities, when 바카라사이트 reality – more prosaically – is that we work toge바카라사이트r well, including with our students and staff, to manage and deal with legitimate argument and disagreement.”
Smita Jamdar, head of education at 바카라사이트 law firm Shakespeare Martineau, discussed 바카라사이트 academic freedom section of Mr Williamson’s letter in a blog published on 바카라사이트 firm’s website, writing that “public law requires guidance from 바카라사이트 secretary of state to be clear, capable of being implemented and relevant to 바카라사이트 matter in hand”.
“In my view this guidance fails on all counts,” she adds.
Noting that 바카라사이트 courts have “repeatedly refused to become adjudicators of matters of academic judgement”, Ms Jamdar says that section of 바카라사이트 letter is “bad guidance…because producing guidance that cannot really be implemented and so must ultimately be withdrawn or modified undermines public trust and confidence in 바카라사이트 authority of 바카라사이트 office of secretary of state”.
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