Latest news with #UniversitiesUK
Economist
6 days ago
- Business
- Economist
Britain's bankrupt universities are hunting for cheaper models
As the academic year in Britain limps to a close, universities look more broke than a student after a summer of Interrailing. The Office for Students, a regulator, reckons that four in ten universities are running deficits. Half have closed courses to save money, according to a poll of 60 institutions by Universities UK (UUK), an industry group. Durham has shed 200 staff; Newcastle a similar number. Unions allege that a cost-saving plan announced by Lancaster could see close to one in five of its academics lose their job.
Arab News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
UK students could face jail over support for banned Palestine Action
LONDON: University students in the UK face jail if they support the group Palestine Action, the former government advisor on political violence and disruption has warned. Lord Walney, who wrote a report in 2024 advising that the organization be proscribed, said vice-chancellors should let students know the penalties that could be incurred by promoting the group's policies, displaying its symbols or voicing support for it. Palestine Action was declared a terrorist organization earlier this month after activists filmed themselves breaking into a Royal Air Force base in England. On Monday, 29 people were arrested for supporting it at a protest in Westminster, with some holding placards stating: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' Penalties for membership of, or eliciting support for, proscribed groups in the UK include a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Protests in support of the Palestinian cause and against Israel's war in Gaza have been frequent features across numerous university campuses in the UK since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023. In a letter to Vivienne Stern, CEO of Universities UK — a body representing 142 higher education establishments — Walney claimed there was a 'clear danger that individuals may be unwittingly lured into expressing support for an entity whose methods are not only criminal, but now formally recognised as terrorism,' and 'Universities UK has an important role to play in protecting both freedom of expression and student welfare within the bounds of the law.' He added: 'Palestine Action's deliberate strategy has long involved drawing students into criminal activity under the guise of legitimate protest, preying on the understandable sympathy for Palestinians felt by large numbers of young people to find recruits. 'With its formal proscription, the legal threshold has shifted: expressions of support, including wearing insignia, arranging meetings, or promoting the group's activities — whether knowingly or through naivety — now risk serious sanction with students at risk of acquiring a criminal record for a terror offence. 'This risk clearly exists whatever any individual may think of the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action. 'My view is that the group's systematic campaign of sabotage justifies proscription, given the fact that property damage is included in the legal definition of terrorism.' UUK told The Times that it had 'written to our member vice-chancellors to alert them to the fact that Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, effective from Saturday July 5, and to their obligation to ensure that staff and students are aware of this.'
Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Students who back Palestine Action risk jail, universities told
Universities have been told they need to take urgent steps to stop students 'unwittingly' becoming terrorists by supporting Palestine Action, now that the group has been banned. Vice-chancellors should make sure students are aware of the harsh consequences if they support Palestine Action's policies, display its insignia or promote its activities, according to Lord Walney, the former government anti-extremism tsar. In a letter to Universities UK (UUK), which represents 142 institutions, Walney said there was a 'clear danger that individuals may be unwittingly lured into expressing support for an entity whose methods are not only criminal, but now formally recognised as terrorism'. Lord Walney, a former Labour MP, was anti-extremism tsar for the previous government EUAN CHERRY FOR THE TIMES He urged UUK to alert all its members of the legal implications of the proscription of Palestine Action, encourage university leadership and student unions to issue clear guidance on activities that are now offences under the Terrorism Act and engage with the Home Office to ensure universities have accurate advice on their legal responsibilities. Palestine Action was proscribed last week, adding the direct action group to a list of terrorist organisations including al-Qaeda, Islamic State and Hamas. On the same day the government also banned two white supremacist groups. Being a member of, or inviting support for, Palestine Action is now a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has been responsible for direct action protests and the government began proscription steps after the group took responsibility for vandalising two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on June 20. On Monday 29 people were arrested, including a priest, for attending a protest in Westminster to support the group, with some holding placards that read: 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.' There have been widespread protests by pro-Palestinian students at universities, often involving encampments. An encampment to support Palestinian rights was established outside King's College, Cambridge last year LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES UUK said it had 'written to our member vice-chancellors to alert them to the fact that Palestine Action has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000, effective from Saturday July 5, and to their obligation to ensure that staff and students are aware of this.' Walney said: 'Palestine Action's deliberate strategy has long involved drawing students into criminal activity under the guise of legitimate protest, preying on the understandable sympathy for Palestinians felt by large numbers of young people to find recruits. • 'We will not comply,' vows Palestine Action as bid to delay ban fails 'With its formal proscription, the legal threshold has shifted: expressions of support, including wearing insignia, arranging meetings, or promoting the group's activities — whether knowingly or through naivety — now risk serious sanction with students at risk of acquiring a criminal record for a terror offence. This risk clearly exists whatever any individual may think of the government's decision to proscribe Palestine Action. My view is that the group's systematic campaign of sabotage justifies proscription, given the fact that property damage is included in the legal definition of terrorism.' He said that he fully supported the rights of students to engage in robust political debate. In the letter to Vivienne Stern, chief executive of UUK, Walney wrote: 'Universities UK has an important role to play in protecting both freedom of expression and student welfare within the bounds of the law.' As well as ensuring there was clear guidance about the new boundaries of the law, he said that UUK should review risk management protocols on student societies and public events where Palestine Action slogans or tactics could appear.
The Sun
14-06-2025
- The Sun
Warped ‘incel' students referred to anti-terror scheme after shock rise in sexual violence on UK campuses
NINE university students have been referred to the Prevent anti-terrorism scheme over incel ideology, figures show. Home Office statistics revealed a shocking rise in sexual violence on campuses over the last three years. Incels — 'involuntarily celibate' men — have hostile views on women and often follow toxic online influencers such as Andrew Tate, pictured above. Two higher education students were referred to Prevent in 2023/2024, five in 2022/23 and two in 2021/2022. Incel misogyny, highlighted in Netflix drama Adolescence, is said to be behind increasing reports of campus assaults. A total of 2,164 female students reported males for sexual assault and rape in the last three years. Some universities have admitted horrifying details of how women have been abused. One at City St George's at the University of London was threatened by a man who said: 'I hope your door is locked or I'm gonna come and rape you.' Some suspects had to write a letter of apology, attend a course on sexual consent or were banned from their own graduation ceremony. Others had to move out of student halls. Andrea Simon, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: 'When a woman reports sexual violence, it is imperative she is supported and meaningful action taken.' A spokesman for Universities UK said: 'Sexual misconduct is unacceptable on campus.' 1
The Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Top universities pledge more support for care leavers to widen access to courses
Top universities have pledged more support for care leavers – including contextual admissions and bursaries – to get more disadvantaged young people into higher education. The Russell Group, which represents many of the most selective universities in the UK, has also set out a plan to improve the transparency and consistency of policies for contextual offers. In a report, the group of 24 research-intensive universities made a series of commitments to improve access for under-represented students. It comes after Universities UK (UUK), which represents 141 universities, recently called for evidence to better understand how universities use contextual admissions – which take into account a student's circumstances and background to recognise the barriers they have faced. Practices already used by universities to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds progress into higher education include reducing offer requirements and guaranteeing interviews. Russell Group universities will now launch a taskforce to develop practical methods to 'bring consistency to the language used' for contextual admissions policies across their institutions. The paper said: 'Clear and consistent language on contextual admissions practices means that future learners exploring their options for applying to higher education better understand policies across institutions, ensuring they can make better-informed decisions.' All Russell Group universities have said they will provide a tailored support package for all care leaver students – including accommodation support, bursaries and contextual admissions. Care leavers are a 'disproportionately under-represented' group across higher education (HE), with just 14% of care leavers in higher education by the age of 19 in 2021/22 compared to 47% of the wider population, the report from the group said. A lack of a stable family network to fall back on for financial help or emotional support means they may require greater pastoral care, and they may need year-round accommodation. Once in place, the Russell Group universities have said they will extend this support package to care-experienced and estranged students to help them gain access to university and deal with the additional challenges they face during their studies. It comes after Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson called on universities in January to 'play a stronger role' in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. In November, Ms Phillipson announced that undergraduate tuition fees in England, which had been frozen at £9,250 since 2017, would rise to £9,535 from 2025/26. She also announced that maintenance loans would increase in line with inflation in the 2025-26 academic year to help students with their living costs. The Russell Group has repeated its calls for the Government to reintroduce maintenance grants for the poorest students in England, and review the parental income thresholds that determine how much students can borrow to help ease 'the growing financial pressures on students'. The Government is due to set out its plan for higher education reform in the summer. Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of the Russell Group, said: 'As educational inequalities have grown at school level since the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, it's more important than ever that universities are ambitious in their attempts to close these gaps and remove barriers for students with the potential to thrive at university. 'Care-experienced students remain one of the most under-represented groups in higher education, with specific challenges particularly around finances and independent living. 'That's why we've made this commitment to make sure all our universities are offering a tailored package of support, so these students get the assistance they need not just to gain a place, but to thrive at university with the right resources.' In April, UUK announced a joint project with Ucas and the Sutton Trust to review the criteria used for contextual admissions to encourage greater consistency across universities. The current admissions system is 'hard to navigate and a barrier' which is potentially putting off young people from reaching university, UUK said. A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: 'Through our ambitious Plan for Change we will restore universities as engines of opportunity, aspiration and growth. 'We know there are baked-in inequalities and regional disparities that remain in our education system, which is why we are demanding that providers play a stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. We welcome this commitment from Russell Group universities. 'We aim to publish our plans for HE reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy White Paper in the summer, as we fix the foundations of higher education to deliver change for students.' Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, said: 'Care-experienced young people tell us how tough it is to get into and stay in higher education. 'So the Russell Group's expanded help is very welcome and could be a game changer.' She added: 'This is exactly the kind of step we need other universities to follow.' Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, said: 'I hope this move from the Russell Group inspires other institutions to widen access to care experienced young people, improving their offer so they can navigate higher education with confidence.'
