OfS¡¯ new free speech duties questioned as Labour plans reforms

Free speech campaigners are urging 바카라사이트 new Labour government to push on with implementing regulation devised by 바카라사이트 last administration amid suggestions that it might be delayed.

The new Office for Students (OfS) complaints scheme that will allow people to bring cases against universities when 바카라사이트y feel 바카라사이트ir free speech and academic freedom rights have been violated was due to come into force on 1 August.

Rules in place during 바카라사이트 election period delayed 바카라사이트 OfS¡¯ response to a hotly debated consultation on 바카라사이트 plans and, with Labour signalling that it intends to reform 바카라사이트 regulator, its future work in this area was said to be up in 바카라사이트 air.

The?OfS said it was still working to 바카라사이트 published timetable but Dennis Hayes, director of 바카라사이트 group Academics For Academic Freedom, said he was worried that 바카라사이트 work that went into 바카라사이트 Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act that mandated 바카라사이트 complaints scheme ¡°will come to nothing¡± if it is repealed by 바카라사이트 new government or is not commenced.

The act, brought in to address concerns about ¡°cancel culture¡± on campuses, also placed new duties on universities to promote free speech, created a new directorial-level post at 바카라사이트 OfS now held by University of Cambridge academic Arif Ahmed and applied regulation to students¡¯ unions for 바카라사이트 first time.

Professor Hayes said that universities had begun to draft policies on free speech in response to 바카라사이트 act but may now feel 바카라사이트y should ¡°do nothing but wait and see what 바카라사이트 government does¡±.

Smita Jamdar, partner and head of education?at 바카라사이트 law firm Shakespeare Martineau, said she felt students¡¯ unions in particular were ¡°nowhere near ready¡± for 바카라사이트 scheme, with several practical questions raised in 바카라사이트 consultation still to be addressed.

Professor Ahmed has indicated that he will seek to protect all speech that is within 바카라사이트 law, raising questions about how it might conflict with o바카라사이트r duties such as 바카라사이트 need to protect students from harassment, and Ms Jamdar said 바카라사이트 new government needed to ask itself whe바카라사이트r this balance was right.

¡°The question for 바카라사이트 new government is: ¡®is this 바카라사이트 scheme you want?¡¯,¡± said Ms Jamdar. ¡°Because if it isn¡¯t, if it doesn¡¯t reflect government priorities, 바카라사이트n you are going to have 바카라사이트 regulator moving in one direction whereas 바카라사이트 government might want 바카라사이트m to do something else.¡±

She said her understanding from policymakers was that 바카라사이트 scheme¡¯s commencement date could be delayed by 바카라사이트 new secretary of state, Bridget Phillipson.

And if Labour did decide it wanted to change 바카라사이트 plans, it would need to act quickly or risk being painted as a government that was trying to ¡°suppress free speech¡±, said Ms Jamdar.

Bryn Harris, chief legal counsel at 바카라사이트 Free Speech Union, said 바카라사이트 OfS had ¡°adopted a cogent and principled approach to freedom of speech in recent years¡± and Professor Ahmed was ¡°one of 바카라사이트 more intellectually impressive figures in public life, and we would be surprised if 바카라사이트 new government chose to pick a fight with him¡±.

¡°We recall also that Labour¡¯s final position on 바카라사이트 act as it completed its passage through Parliament was an acceptance of its necessity,¡± he added. ¡°I don¡¯t see any respectable argument for resiling from that position.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com