Letters – 21 February 2019

In international battle, UK sector needs back-up

Alan Manning’s comments seem to ignore reality (“UK universities told to ignore net migration target”, News, 8 February, www.timeshighereducation.com). The government has spent nine years promising the sector that, as there is no cap on international students, the net migration target does not affect policy. In reality, the target has driven Home Office decision-making, reflected in the number of obstacles and barriers that have prevented international students from coming to the UK to study.

Take, for example, Home Office credibility interviews – students are being denied access to the UK if they do not know campus library opening times, or are unable to name the vice-chancellor of the institution at which they intend to study. Add this to the negative, unwelcoming rhetoric from government, which drives potential students away, and it is no wonder that the UK is failing to remain competitive in a growing global market.

The government must implement the recommendations made by the All Party Parliamentary Group for International Students inquiry, which include removing students from the net migration target and introducing attractive post-study work options. To protect education exports from further ill-informed policy, these changes must be cemented in law. Only then will the UK claim its fair and rightful share of the valuable and highly competitive international education market.

James Pitman
Managing director UK and Europe, Study Group

Campus careworn

It’s no secret that academic staff face immense pressures. These were explored in Times Higher Education’s work-life balance survey (“Get a life? No time for that!” Features, 8 February 2018). Yet it overlooked that some staff face an often invisible challenge of having to take on more work to cover a colleague’s maternity or paternity leave. Universities do not always make adequate provision to cover the workload of an absent parent.

The feature also mentioned a supplementary survey related to “Caring responsibilities for other family members”. I would highlight that many academic staff have to juggle their job commitments with caring for older relatives, some while also looking after children. In addition, staff without children often have to cover for staff with children.

Many of those who care for older relatives fear that speaking out about the strain they feel will jeopardise their careers. In 2017, THE covered a report on staff with caring responsibilities (“Hidden army of academic carers ‘lack support’”, News, 6 July 2017). A key recommendation was that “specific attention should be given to those caring for elderly or ill friends or relatives”. Many staff are still waiting for that attention.

As the population ages, caring duties will only become more common. While laws direct employers to support parents, there are no equivalents for staff looking after older relatives. As reports of poor mental and physical health in academia increase, universities should take heed and support all their staff to do their jobs and to protect them from undue stress and pressure. Yet perhaps it will take legislation before those caring for older relatives will be supported properly.

Name and address provided

Is that a final offer?

You fear that, following Donald Rumsfeld’s taxonomy of “knowns” and “unknowns”, UK university admissions might come to include offers of “conditional unconditional” and so on. (“The week in higher education”, News, 31 January).

Yet, as expounded by Krishna Dronamraju in Popularizing Science, his biography of J. B. S. Haldane; Rumsfeld has nothing on Bhadrabahu (?433-357BC) and his Syadvada system of predications. To wit:

May be it is.

May be it is not.

May be it is and is not.

May be it is indeterminate.

May be it is and is indeterminate.

May be it is not and is indeterminate.

May be it is, is not, and is indeterminate.

Could an adaptation of this scheme help admissions tutors rigorously to define an offer?

R. E. Rawles
Honorary research fellow in psychology
UCL

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