Minister attacks ‘monoculture’ of universities

Sam Gyimah wants more diversity of thought and an end to idea that only certain views are allowed on campus

UNIVERSITY lecturers are fuelling an ideological “monoculture” in British universities, the higher education minister has warned.

Sam Gyimah told of his concern that certain views – ranging from identity politics to Brexit – had become “unacceptable” at universities because they were not “on trend”. The entire “campus community”, and not just students, was responsible, he said.

Speaking to vice-chancellors at the Universities UK (UUK) annual conference in Sheffield, he said that institutions must not be seen as “ideological echo chambers”.

“Our best universities are not ivory towers. Still less are they ‘Left-wing madrassas’, as one controversialist chose to describe them,” he said.

“But ideological diversity, strong research cultures, engagement with the wider world and fair access are ongoing battles – and the price of failure will be very high.”

Mr Gyimah said that he has spent months touring British universities and a “big issue” is the “monoculture” where “certain ideas are just ruled out as unacceptable”.

He said: “We all know that there are certain ideas that if you hold at a university campus are not acceptable. They are not acceptable [not] because they are wrong. They are not acceptable [not] because they are against the law – they are not acceptable because they are not on trend.”

During debates around identity politics, race and gender, he said “only one set of views are allowed” and opposing views are stifled.

Earlier this year, Bristol University’s students’ union backed proposals to ban any “Terf ” speakers who question the transgender status of women.

Terf, which stands for Trans-exclusionary Radical Feminists, is a derogatory term to describe those who believe that “identifying” as a woman is not the same as being born a woman. Any events which involve collaborating with groups that hold Terf views risk being barred from Bristol University grounds.

Mr Gyimah also took issue with discussions around Brexit, where pro-remainer views dominate, adding that a separate issue hindering “diversity of thought” is the propensity of students to “gratuitously” take offence to views that differ from their own.

Mr Gyimah also used his speech to say that the Government must “think seriously” about its policies towards international students. “If we want a university system that is global and competitive, then we should look to a more open approach to international students,” he said.

Earlier this week, Universities UK urged the reintroduction of visas allowing overseas students to work in the UK for up to two years after graduation, a policy that was abandoned in 2012.

The Migration Advisory Committee is due to publish a report on student migration in the coming weeks, which Mr Gymah said is an “opportunity” to review policies.