by Becca Bashford | Jan 8, 2021 | A-levels, Academic freedom, Covid-19, Erasmus, Erasmus+, Free speech, Further education, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Opinion, Uncategorized, Widening access
As the world welcomes a new year, the issues that the coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on higher education remain. Students across the UK have begun rent strikes, university staff face the prospect of returning to unsafe campuses, and debates about the value of...
by Becca Bashford | Dec 4, 2020 | Academic freedom, In the News, Uncategorized
To members and friends of CDBU, Please consider signing this open letter condemning the repression of academic freedom in India and demand the immediate release of jailed academics, scholar-activists, students and artistes. Dr Rowan Williams, our Chair of Trustees,...
by Becca Bashford | Oct 16, 2020 | Academic freedom, Boris Johnson, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Government, In the News, Marketisation, National Union of Students, News round-up, Opinion, Uncategorized, University governance
As Covid cases across the UK rise exponentially, universities have quickly become virus hotspots. Students forced into quarantine have reported feeling “abandoned” by their universities, raising concerns about the mental health crisis that might be...
by Becca Bashford | Sep 18, 2020 | Academic freedom, Casual staff, CDBU Updates, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, In the News, Marketisation, News round-up, Opinion, Scotland, Uncategorized, Universities UK
Once again, the return of staff and students to university campuses has dominated Higher Education news. UCU insist that the risks of spreading Covid-19 is still far too high, especially without proper Track and Trace and testing protocols in place. Meanwhile, the DfE...
by Becca Bashford | Aug 4, 2020 | Academic freedom, Free speech, Government, In the News, Office for Students, Opinion, Uncategorized
Words by Eric Lybeck, Presidential Academic Fellow at the Manchester Institute of Education. Yesterday, Policy Exchange published a report on academic freedom in British universities drawing on a flawed survey with inconclusive results. This did not stop major...
by Becca Bashford | Jul 31, 2020 | Academic freedom, Covid-19, Free speech, Government, In the News, Marketisation, Opinion, Uncategorized, University governance
Words by Liz Morrish, independent scholar. One thing governments have learned over the last 30 years is not to let a disaster go to waste. In the guise of offering a survival strategy for universities in the pandemic, the Department for Education has issued a...