[CODATA-international] Open Letter requesting the UK Government to reform the UK Higher Education system and implement the right to quality education opportunities for all

Sun Apr 30 11:08:28 EDT 2023

I find this discussion to be on the fringes of interest for the CODATA list
and suggest that the CODATA list concentrate on data-related issues.

John Rumble

CODATA Past President

From: CODATA-international <codata-international-bounces at lists.codata.org>
On Behalf Of Suchith Anand
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2023 4:54 AM
To: CODATA International <codata-international at lists.codata.org>
Subject: Re: [CODATA-international] Open Letter requesting the UK Government
to reform the UK Higher Education system and implement the right to quality
education opportunities for all

Dear colleagues

I received an email from the Department for Education in response to my open
letter. I thank the Department for Education for responding. They have
provided some useful information on senior management pay . They have not
provided any information on current practices for senior management
appointments or my request for scholarships for students from economically
poor families and first-generation students (first in family to go to
university). So I will send reply to get more information on these topics. 

I would like to get your ideas and inputs on this so that I can respond to
this. Please share your inputs by May 10th, so I can reply.

Key information that is useful from the correspondence that I received is
below for your information.

====================================================

"Universities are autonomous and responsible for the pay of their staff. As
such, the Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of higher
education in England, does not have legal powers to regulate the pay of
senior staff in the higher education sector directly. However, they do have
a duty to take into account the value for money higher education providers
offer for the public money they receive. The OfS publish analysis about
senior staff pay at higher education providers. Providers are required to
disclose information about senior staff pay data, decision making
arrangements and justifications.

Providers must:

*	share specific information with the OfS.
*	publish specific information in their audited financial statements.
*	take into account the code for senior staff remuneration published
by the Committee of University Chairs which can be found at:
<https://www.universitychairs.ac.uk/higher-education-remuneration-code-2/>
https://www.universitychairs.ac.uk/higher-education-remuneration-code-2/.

The latest OfS report on senior staff renumeration in English higher
education providers can be found here:
<https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c28
1aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf>
https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281
aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf. To note, the analysis
covers pay to the heads of higher education providers. It does not include
further education or sixth form colleges."

======================================================

>From the email, I understand that it is fully unto the Universities to
decide the pay for the senior management staff so there is no Maximum Salary
Limit possible. The Office for Students (OfS) does not have legal powers to
regulate the pay of senior staff in the higher education sector directly.

Reading the article from The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/11/tory-cronyism-higher-e
ducation-james-wharton-office-for-students  , how independent is The Office
for Students (OfS) ?

I request you all to kindly share the "Right to Quality Education
opportunities for All"  open letter with your colleagues and your MP
requesting them to kindly raise this topic with the Government of the United
Kingdom and support the Right to Quality Education opportunities for All.  

<https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-uk-government-reform-
higher-education-anand>
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-uk-government-reform-h
igher-education-anand

The more support that we can get from all MPs and all UK political parties
for this,  there is more chance to implement the right to quality education
opportunities for all.

Best wishes

Suchith

  _____  

From: Suchith Anand 
Sent: 18 April 2023 08:43
Subject: Re: Open Letter requesting the UK Government to reform the UK
Higher Education system and implement the right to quality education
opportunities for all

Dear colleagues,

Thank you to all who shared this open letter on  "the right to quality
education opportunities for all"  with your colleagues and your MP
requesting them to support the right to quality education opportunities for
all. 

btw came across this article in The Guardian on the rise of cronyism and
'chumocracy' in UK Higher Education senior appointments!

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/11/tory-cronyism-higher-
education-james-wharton-office-for-students>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/11/tory-cronyism-higher-e
ducation-james-wharton-office-for-students

Best wishes

Suchith

  _____  

From: Suchith Anand 
Sent: 16 April 2023 19:14
Subject: Open Letter requesting the UK Government to reform the UK Higher
Education system and implement the right to quality education opportunities
for all

Dear colleagues

I am very grateful to all colleagues for your support and for sharing ideas
and information on how to provide more quality education opportunities for
students from economically poor families and first-generation students
(first in family to go to university). Thank you to all colleagues who
shared their observations and insights on the current state of affairs of
the UK Higher Education. It is thanks to your ideas, inputs and support that
I am able to write this Open Letter for the Right to Quality Education
opportunities for All.

I request you to kindly share this open letter with your colleagues and your
MP requesting them to kindly raise this topic with the Government of the
United Kingdom and request the UK Government  to investigate the current
state of affairs of the UK Higher Education sector with the aim to end
corrupt practices and reform Higher Education in the United Kingdom.

1.	Requesting UK Government to investigate the rise of corrupt
practices in some UK Higher Education Managements and reform the UK Higher
Education system.

The UK Government should investigate current practices for senior management
appointments in the UK universities as well as the senior University
managers' salaries and perks.  I humbly request the UK Government to
introduce a Maximum Salary Limit for Vice Chancellors and for all the senior
managers of universities in the United Kingdom.

More details at 

<https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c28
1aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf>
https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/357ec4eb-b97b-4841-8e05-9aad1c281
aa9/the-2021-senior-pay-report-final-for-web.pdf

<https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2303&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM
&O=D&P=358755>
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2303&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM&
O=D&P=358755

<https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2304&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM
&O=D&P=2739>
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2304&L=CRIT-GEOG-FORUM&
O=D&P=2739

2.	Implement the Right to Quality Education opportunities for All

There were 4.2 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2021-22.
That's 29 per cent of children (This percentage might be higher now due to
cost of living crisis in the UK ). Details at
<https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/child-poverty-facts-and-figures>
https://cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/child-poverty-facts-and-figures

Extreme child poverty in the UK is a humanitarian and ethical crisis. In
educational terms, poverty is a significant disadvantage. The link between
poverty and poor educational outcomes and wellbeing in the UK has remained
stubbornly and depressingly high despite longstanding policy concern at
national, local and jurisdictional levels of government. 

Child poverty, education and the postcode lottery

<https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/08/19/child-poverty-education-an
d-the-postcode-lottery/>
https://www.transformingsociety.co.uk/2020/08/19/child-poverty-education-and
-the-postcode-lottery/

House of Commons Library Research Briefing on "Equality of access and
outcomes in higher education in England" published 31st January 2023. This
briefing paper looks at equality in undergraduate education in England. It
summarises the latest data from the Department for Education (DfE), the
Office for Students (OfS), and UCAS on access and outcomes before looking at
Government policy, the role of the OfS, and the actions and responsibilities
of universities.More details at
<https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9195/>
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9195/

Access to quality education opportunities is a human right. There needs to
be focused policies at the UK Government level about equitable education
with a binding on Universities and the Higher Education Institutes to
comply. 

Universities have a social responsibility. There is an urgent need to
provide full scholarships for 30 percent of seats in each Russell Group
university (the richest and prestigious universities in the UK) for students
from economically poor families and first-generation students (first in
family to go to university). I request the kind support of all MPs,  all
major UK Political parties and UK Government for  the Right to Quality
Education opportunities for All .

QUALITY EDUCATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT.

The Open Letter link at
<https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-uk-government-reform-
higher-education-anand/>
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/open-letter-requesting-uk-government-reform-h
igher-education-anand/

Let us all work together so that we can ensure the right to quality
education opportunities for the 4.2 million children currently living in
poverty in the UK. This is important for the better future of our country
and our future generations.

Best wishes

Suchith

Dr Suchith Anand

Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist |
Board member | Governance | Policy | Consultant in Data Science and Data
Ethics | Global Citizen | SDG Volunteer and Advocate

 <https://council.science/profile/suchith-anand/>
https://council.science/profile/suchith-anand/

 <https://www.rd-alliance.org/users/suchith-anand>
https://www.rd-alliance.org/users/suchith-anand

 <https://ethicaldatainitiative.org/> https://ethicaldatainitiative.org

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