Top universities ‘decolonise’ courses to tackle diversity

RUSSELL Group universities have said they will “decolonise” history courses and provide microwaves for students in an effort to boost diversity and help less well-off students.

The UK’S top universities have laid out five-year plans to tackle diversity including an “anti-racist” curriculum, workshops in “unconscious bias” and on-site microwaves. A total of 41 toptier universities published plans, required by the Office for Students (OFS).

Any university or college wanting to charge more than around £6,000 a year in fees must have an agreement approved by the OFS. They set out how an institution intends to tackle issues such as recruitment of disadvantaged students, dropout rates and gaps in degree achievement between groups.

Warwick University promised to make its staff more inclusive, with departments such as history teaching the subject from a wider variety of perspectives in the hope of “decolonising the curriculum”. Warwick Business School will include non-western business and management models.

Queen Mary University of London has created study spaces for students living with parents, or in their own house, as they are less likely to continue on their course than those in student accommodation. Its “Sticky Campus” programme for those without access to “suitable study space at home” includes informal learning areas with microwaves and hot water.

University of Brighton staff have had training in equality and diversity and workshops in unconscious bias. The University of Oxford, which recruited 15 times as many students from the most represented groups compared with the least in 2017-18, promised to reduce the ratio to 8:1 by 2024-25.

The University of Manchester and the University of Southampton aim reduce their access ratio to 3:1, from 5:1.

Chris Millward, OFS director for fair access and participation, said some universities had “a very long way to go on access”.