Sets out proposals to strengthen freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in England.
Published 16 February 2021
Last updated 17 February 2021 — see all updates
Documents
Higher education: free speech and academic freedom (web version)
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2418-3, CP 394PDF, 1.86MB, 42 pages
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Higher education: free speech and academic freedom (print version)
Ref: ISBN 978-1-5286-2418-3, CP 394PDF, 1.86MB, 44 pages
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Letter from the Secretary of State for Education
PDF, 217KB, 2 pages
Details
This report details how the government proposes to strengthen freedom of speech and academic freedom in higher education in England by:
- appointing a Free Speech and Academic Freedom Champion to the Office for Students board
- requiring the Office for Students to introduce a new registration condition on free speech and academic freedom
- strengthening existing legal duties on higher education providers to actively promote free speech
- extending existing free speech duties to apply to students’ unions directly
- enabling individuals to seek legal redress as a result of a breach of the duty
- widening and enhancing academic freedom protections
It also sets out how we will work with higher education providers to:
- set minimum standards for free speech codes of practice
- ensure that free speech and academic freedom are upheld to a high standard
