‘Freedom in jeopardy for university staff ’

HIGHER EDUCATION leaders in Yorkshire have called for universities across the region and the UK to protect academic freedom within institutions.

The call to action comes after a new report has warned academic freedom within British universities could be in danger as academics with right-leaning or pro-Brexit views feel they have to censor what they teach, research and discuss. The Policy Exchange think-tank argues that higher education institutions and the Government must do much more to ensure that all lawful speech is protected on university campuses across the country.

Professor Shirley Congdon, chair for the Yorkshire Universities and the ViceChancellor

of the University of Bradford, told

“Higher education institutions in the UK have a commitment and indeed specific legal obligations to promote, protect academic freedom and respect the right to express diverse, including controversial and unpopular opinions and points of view.”

Prof Congdon, 59, added at the

University of Bradford within its constitution, academic staff employed by the university have the freedom within the law to “question and test received wisdom, and to put forward new ideas and controversial and unpopular opinions without placing themselves in jeopardy of losing their job or privileges”.

Sir Chris Husbands, the ViceChancellor

of Sheffield Hallam University, added: “Institutions have a responsibility to protect diversity of view.

“The great challenge for all of us... is always to ensure that minority views are respected. That’s not an issue specific to universities, it’s the eternal obligation of society.”

ACADEMIC FREEDOM within British universities could be in danger as academics with rightleaning or pro-Brexit views feel they have to censor what they teach, research and discuss, a report has warned.

The Policy Exchange thinktank argues that higher education institutions and the Government must do much more to ensure that all lawful speech is protected on university campuses across the country. The paper, entitled Academic freedom in the UK, suggests there is a “structural discriminatory effect” against the minority of academics at British universities who identify as being on the right.

A YouGov poll of 820 current and former academics found more than one in seven said there was a hostile climate towards people with their political beliefs in their department.

But the figure is higher among those who identify as being rightleaning, or among those who voted to leave the EU. Just over half of respondents said they would feel comfortable sitting with a colleague who is a Leave supporter at lunch, in a meeting or in the staff room.

But more than four in five said they believed academics who were pro-Remain would feel comfortable expressing their views to colleagues, the poll found.

The foreword to the report is written by Ruth Smeeth, former Labour MP and chief executive of Index on Censorship.

She says: “It does the country no good if our educators, our academics, our scholars and most importantly our students feel that they can’t speak or engage without fear of retribution.”

The report calls on the Government to make it explicit in law that universities have a direct duty to protect academic freedom and freedom of speech. It adds that a “Director for Academic Freedom” should be created as part of the Office for Students (OfS) to investigate claims that freedom of speech have been violated and to promote tolerance for viewpoint diversity in the sector.

Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: “It is deeply concerning the extent to which students and academics with mainstream views are being silenced and discriminated against in our universities.”

But Jo Grady, general secretary of University and College Union (UCU), dismissed the findings of the think-tank’s report.

She said: “The idea that academic freedom is under threat is a myth.”

The OfS said it is planning to issue guidance on how universities can meet principles relating to academic freedom and free speech in the autumn.

A Universities UK (UUK) spokesman said: “Academic freedom and freedom of speech are critical to the success of UK higher education.”

Students and academics with mainstream views are being silenced.

Michelle Donelan, Universities Minister.