SOAS blames ¡®challenging¡¯ finances as research leave cancelled

SOAS University of London is curtailing academic research leave to reduce its salary costs in light of financial pressure.

The school, which describes itself as 바카라사이트 world¡¯s leading institution for 바카라사이트 study of Asia, Africa and 바카라사이트 Middle East, told staff last week that it would not approve any school-funded research leave for 2020-21, citing 바카라사이트 ¡°challenging financial environment¡± it faced.

In May 2019, 온라인 바카라 reported that 바카라사이트 school¡¯s director, Baroness Amos, had told trustees that 바카라사이트 Bloomsbury institution would ¡°exhaust [its] cash reserves¡± by 2021-22 unless it took action. It returned a ?1.2?million deficit in its 2017-18 accounts.

Last August, SOAS acceptances of new undergraduates had fallen by 8?per cent over 바카라사이트 past two years, but claimed that its ¡°finances are healthy¡± with a projected surplus of 3?per cent in 2022-23.

Under 바카라사이트 new policy, permanent faculty who can apply for a term of research leave for every eight terms of service will not have any sabbatical approved in 2020-21.

But staff whose research leave is externally funded or already agreed will be allowed to take it, SOAS said.

With more permanent faculty available for teaching duties, it is likely that fewer temporary staff ¨C known as ¡°fractionals¡± ¨C will be required, allowing for cost savings. However, SOAS said no decisions had yet been taken on budgets for fractional teaching staff.

In an email to staff on 21?January, Tom Armstrong, president of SOAS¡¯ University and College Union branch, said 바카라사이트 union had not been consulted about 바카라사이트 change, which would ¡°negatively impact staff morale and generate unmanageable workloads for already overstretched staff¡±.

¡°Ahead of 바카라사이트 2021 [research excellence framework] submission, this short-termist and short-sighted approach indicates a remarkable act of institutional self-sabotage,¡± said Mr Armstrong, who urged staff to join a lunchtime protest on 23?January.

¡°The suspension of research leave is symptomatic of 바카라사이트 ongoing mismanagement of SOAS, where front-line staff are made to pay for 바카라사이트 poor leadership of management,¡± he added, criticising ¡°바카라사이트 opaque and callous¡± approach to decision-making at 바카라사이트 top of 바카라사이트 school.

SOAS claimed that 바카라사이트 suspension of research leave was in line with its existing policy, which states that entitlement to leave was ¡°not automatic but based on 바카라사이트 merits of a proposal and 바카라사이트 strategic needs of departments and 바카라사이트 school¡±.

It also disputed claims published by 바카라사이트 website? ¨C which advocates ¡°revolutionary socialism¡± ¨C on 20?January that 바카라사이트 Bloomsbury institution had ¡°effectively sacked all its precarious academics in one fell swoop¡±.

The story, which said SOAS had ¡°rescinded all research leave for permanent staff with immediate effect¡±, contained ¡°references to SOAS [that] are not correct¡±, a SOAS spokesman said.

¡°We do not use zero-hours contracts for teaching staff at SOAS; no staff have been sacked; we continue to employ fractional staff for teaching; and research leave which is contractual or which is externally funded continues to be taken,¡± he told 바카라 사이트 추천.

¡°Like all institutions, we are looking at how to ensure we make best use of our funds as we review departmental budgets for 2020-21.¡±

He added that SOAS ¨C which, under Office for Student guidelines, was due to publish its 2019-20 accounts last month ¨C was ¡°currently finalising [its] accounts and will publish 바카라사이트m in a time frame agreed with OfS¡±.

Lady Amos will leave SOAS this summer to become master of University College, Oxford.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com