Commenting on the sacking of as the
Secretary of State for Education, University and College Union
general secretary Jo Grady said:
‘Gavin Williamson will be remembered by university and college
staff as a disastrous secretary of state who caused deep and
lasting damage. From the mutant algorithm which attempted to
hardwire inequalities into the exam system, to his negligent
mismanagement of the pandemic leading to schools, universities
and colleges becoming Covid incubators, Williamson's long list of
failures is shocking.
‘Throughout his time as Secretary of State for Education
Williamson has pursued an agenda that attempted to undermine the
purpose of education, most recently choosing to slash arts and
humanities funding in half and extend the marketised,
debt-fuelled loan model to our colleges.
‘Rather than responding to the challenges of a global pandemic,
he led the charge in a completely pointless culture war against
university staff and students. A culture war that was entirely
fabricated and led to no positive change in the sector. Wasting
such an inordinate amount of time just to satisfy the hardcore
Tory base underlines just how little he really cares about
education.
‘The next Secretary of State for Education has an opportunity to
build a new relationship with the staff and students in our
universities and colleges, but they must commit to repairing the
damage that has been done by .’