-
Increased support for universities to tackle
extremism and intimidation
- New confidential whistleblowing route being
developed for staff to raise wrongdoing with
confidence
- Campus Cohesion Charter to strengthen respect and shared
values across universities
Students and staff will receive stronger protections against
extremism, harassment and intimidation on campus, as
the government sets out new measures to support universities in
keeping students safe and tackle rising tensions.
The steps will help universities meet their Prevent duty - the
legal
requirement for providers to take
action to stop people being radicalised
and drawn into terrorism.
The Office for Students will strengthen how
it monitors whether universities are
meeting Prevent responsibilities, ensuring
institutions take appropriate action where serious
concerns arise.
Alongside this, updated guidance will help universities manage
external speakers and events responsibly, supporting providers to
carry out appropriate risk checks where free
speech crosses into unlawful activity or support for
terrorism.
Where universities fail to meet their legal duties, the
regulator has powers to intervene, including imposing sanctions
or ultimately removing providers from the
register.
The government will work to make the Office for
Students a whistleblowing
body for registered higher
education providers, allowing staff to
report wrongdoing directly to the regulator where they
feel unable to raise concerns internally.
The Government will also work with students to co-design a
Campus Cohesion Charter, setting clearer expectations around
conduct, respect and shared values across university
life.
These measures form part of the Government's wider Social
Cohesion Action Plan, bringing together steps across government
to strengthen resilience against extremism and reinforce shared
values across communities.
Education Secretary
said:
“Universities often reflect the wider tensions playing out
across our society. When conflicts or global events
dominate the headlines, those debates and emotions can quickly be
felt on campuses across the UK.
“We know our institutions work incredibly hard to
support their students and uphold the law, but it is vital they
can continue a zero-tolerance approach to those
who incite hatred or draw students
into terrorism.
“We will work closely with universities to ensure students and
staff feel safe and supported, while protecting the open debate
and academic freedom that are central to university life.”
When tensions spill onto campus, universities are often left on
the front line, balancing the need to protect students from
harassment or intimidation while upholding open debate and
academic freedom.
The Office for Students has made clear it will take action where
universities fail to protect students from harassment or
intimidation, with powers to sanction or deregister institutions
that do not comply with its conditions of registration.
Under the Prevent duty, universities already have a legal
responsibility to have due regard
to the need to prevent people being drawn
into terrorism. The measures announced today are designed to
support universities in meeting those responsibilities and
responding confidently when difficult
situations arise.
The package of new measures comes as wider data shows
growing pressure on institutions dealing with extremist rhetoric
and hate incidents. Prevent referrals have increased over
the last year by more than a quarter, reflecting both
rising risks and greater efforts to identify and
support people who may be vulnerable to radicalisation.
Together, the measures announced by the government aim to ensure
universities remain places where robust debate can take
place, but where unlawful behaviour is never tolerated.
