Oxford University has formally declared it has "no confidence" in the policies of the universities minister, David Willetts, in the first sign of a concerted academic backlash against the government's higher educationreforms.
Lecturers passed a motion opposing the coalition's policies by 283 votes to five at a meeting of the congregation, Oxford's legislative body. The university is the first to take a public stand against the raising of tuition fees and slashing of the teaching grant.
As they also note:
Robert Gildea, the Oxford historian who proposed the motion, described the coalition's reforms as "reckless, incoherent and incompetent". He warned that proposals to introduce "off-quota" student places, funded privately rather than through state-backed loans, and AC Grayling's plan for a new private university heralded the arrival of a "two-track" admissions system.
In a two and a half hour debate, he told fellow academics: "It's a red carpet for the rich and even more competition for everyone else. We will be back to Brideshead."
Karma Nabulsi, a lecturer in international relations who seconded the motion, urged the academics not to consider the motion as a negative statement, "but as an affirmation of who we are and the traditions we wish to preserve".
She said: "Oxford is committed above all to the pursuit of academic excellence in all its forms, a defence of academic disciplines without regard for market values, and the idea of education as a comprehensive, publicly-funded activity accessible to the widest number of young people."
Hear, hear!
Who were the five who could vote against that?
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What have AC Grayling’s plans got to do with the Coalition’s policy on higher education? Absolutely nothing.
I think we’ll rate that as a ‘fail’ when it comes to understanding