Category: Education

British Hindus raise concerns over Oxford Union speakers on debate of Kashmir; cites terror links…reports Asian Lite News

A social movement of British Hindus and Indians in the UK, INSIGHT UK, on Thursday, sent a formal letter to the Oxford Union Society to express concerns about its decision to host a debate titled “This House Believes in the Independent State of Kashmir,” raising questions about the inclusion of speakers with alleged links to terrorism and citing potential risks to the integrity of the debate. 

In their letter, the social movement that works on issues that impact the British Hindu and Indian community in the UK stated that the two invited speakers, Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur and Zafar Khan, in support of the motion had been criticised for their alleged associations with groups linked to violent extremism and terrorism. 

They stated that Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur had been accused of incitement and hate speech, with links to organisations under investigation for connections to terrorism. 

INSIGHT UK further emphasised the background of Thakur and his organisation, “World Kashmir Freedom Movement,” where he is the president and also “Mercy Universal,” which he co-founded with his father. Both entities have reportedly been investigated by the UK’s Scotland Yard, the Charity Commission, and the FBI for their suspected connections to terrorist activities. 

“Muzzammil Ayyub has often engaged in hate speech. A case has been registered against him. for creating fear and alarm among the masses using social media and inclining them to commit offences likely to disturb public order. Muzammil has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,” the letter stated. 

“Muzammil is the president of the “World Kashmir Freedom Movement,” which, along with another organisation called “Mercy Universal,” was founded by his father and investigated by Scotland Yard, the Charity Commission and the FBI for ties with terrorists,” the letter further read. 

Meanwhile, Zafar Khan, the Chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was associated with a group known for violent activities that targeted the Kashmiri Hindu community. 

The JKLF had also been involved in acts such as the kidnapping and killing of Indian diplomat Ravindra Mhatre in the UK back in 1984, they said in the letter. 

“Zafar Khan is the Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Diplomatic Bureau. Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) is a terrorist organisation spawned in Birmingham, UK, on 29th May 1997,” the letter stated. 

“The JKLF has established branches in several towns and cities of the United Kingdom. In 1984, an Indian diplomat, Ravindra Mhatre, was kidnapped and murdered in Birmingham. He was abducted while on an errand. After a few days of being held in captivity, his lifeless body was discovered sprawled on a Birmingham street. This terrorist crime that took place in a major UK city was executed by British Kashmiri ‘militants’ linked to the latterly named Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front,” the letter read. 

INSIGHT UK stated that the Oxford Union’s decision to host a debate on the topic has raised concerns, arguing that the debate undermines the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity with a tacit endorsement of violence and terrorism. 

The organisation further stated that academic platforms like the Oxford Union should serve as spaces for constructive and informed dialogue, not provide a platform for those with potential links to violent groups. 

“The decision by the Oxford Union to host a debate on the issue of Kashmir’s independence and to invite members of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) as speakers is deeply troubling and warrants serious scrutiny. This debate not only undermines the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity but also is tantamount to endorsing violence and terrorism,” the letter stated. 

“While academic institutions should remain neutral and provide a forum for diverse viewpoints, it is essential that such platforms are not used to propagate extremist ideologies or undermine the sovereignty of nations. This is a dangerous precedent to set, especially in an institution of higher learning that should be committed to promoting peace, understanding, and constructive dialogue. We call on the Oxford Union to reconsider this debate and speakers,” it further stated. (ANI) 

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The government announced on Monday that undergraduate tuition fees are to go up for the first time in eight years next autumn, taking annual payments to £9,535 a student…reports Asian Lite News

Some universities in England could lose out on millions of pounds from increased tuition fees because their contracts with existing students may prevent changes to terms and conditions.

The government announced on Monday that undergraduate tuition fees are to go up for the first time in eight years next autumn, taking annual payments to £9,535 a student.

It said the increase would apply to new students starting university next October and those continuing their studies in their second and third years.
The Department for Education has acknowledged, however, that some universities will be unable to charge existing students the higher rate if their contracts prevent it. One vice-chancellor said it would mean the difference between an additional £1.5m and £4m.

All students have a contractual relationship with their university, meaning they are covered by consumer protection law, according to the Office for Students, which is the regulator for higher education in England. The contracts, however, differ between institutions.

Even in the best-case scenario, with the higher fees applied to new and existing students, vice-chancellors said income generated by the increase would be cancelled out by the rise in national insurance contributions (NICs) announced in last week’s budget.
The higher fees will do little more than enable them to stand still, they say, while other policies continue to erode their income, leaving many institutions in financial difficulties.
The government has not ruled out future tuition fee increases. Further changes to higher education funding are likely to emerge in next year’s spending review as part of a package of wider higher education reforms.
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has said she wants universities to provide more help for disadvantaged students to access and stay in higher education. She wants efficiency savings, including a crackdown on vice-chancellors’ pay rises, higher teaching standards, better value for money for students and more work with employers to deliver skills.
Prof Steve West, the vice-chancellor of the University of the West of England, said he was checking if his institution was able to apply the fee increase to existing students. If so, the £4m generated would just about cover the NICs, he said. If only applied to new students it would raise £1.5m.
“What we’ve got is still not a solution for sustainable funding for universities going forward. It’s the start of a conversation. What we’ve got is a one-year injection, not a long-term solution,” he said.
David Bell, the vice-chancellor of the University of Sunderland, said he agreed with the secretary of state’s priorities. “The question now is whether these priorities form part of a more substantial review of funding, given that yesterday’s announcement was never, in my view, intended to be a fix.
“I now think the time is right for such a review, as the government is clearly interested in thinking about higher education for the long term.”
Lénaïc Couderc, an analyst at Moody’s credit rating agency, said the fee increase was positive for English universities. “However, we expect that the increase will be insufficient to offset the likely loss of international tuition fee income from recent visa restrictions, which were introduced by the previous government, and to reverse the erosion in operating margins after two years of significant inflation.’’
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, defended the fee rise as proportionate and reasonable. “I think the risk is if we didn’t put the fee price and the maintenance support up in line with inflation then students really would be sold short because the investment in their teaching wouldn’t keep up with rising cost pressures,” he said.

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To help soften the blow, Bridget Phillipson also announced a parallel increase to student maintenance loans…reports Asian Lite News

University tuition fees in England are to go up for the first time in eight years, taking annual payments up to a record £9,535 per student, the government has announced.

The inflation-linked increase, which comes into force in the next academic year, was approved by ministers after warnings of a deepening financial crisis in the university sector, where the value of tuition fees has crumbled after being capped at £9,250 since 2017.

To help soften the blow, Bridget Phillipson also announced a parallel increase to student maintenance loans, providing up to £414 extra per year to support students from the lowest-income families.

The education secretary said: “This government’s mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, which is why we are doing more to support students struggling with the cost of living despite the fiscal challenges our country faces. The situation we have inherited means this government must take the tough decisions needed to put universities on a firmer financial footing so they can deliver more opportunity for students and growth for our economy.”
Under the one-year deal, fees and maintenance loans will go up in line with the RPIX measure of inflation – forecast at 3.1% – but there could be further increases if the government decides to revisit tuition fees in the spending review next year. Estimates have suggested fees could go up to as much as £10,500 for students beginning university in 2029 if increases continue to be index-linked.
Making the announcement in the Commons, Phillipson told MPs: “It is no use keeping tuition fees down for future students if the universities are not there for them to attend, nor if students can’t afford to support themselves while they study.”
The increase to tuition fees will have been a particularly hard decision for Labour given that at one time the party’s policy, then supported by Keir Starmer, was to scrap tuition fees altogether.
Phillipson, however, sought to reassure students their monthly student loan repayments would not increase after graduation as a result of the changes.
In return for the additional funding from fees, universities are being asked to improve value for money for students and break down barriers to opportunity for those from disadvantaged groups, with details of the reforms due to be published next year.
The announcement was welcomed by vice-chancellors who have vigorously lobbied the new government for additional financial support, arguing the value of domestic tuition fees has been eroded by a third. Privately, however, many are concerned the increase will not be enough to plug the gaps as they simultaneously grapple with a drop in income from international students whose recruitment is down as a result of a clampdown on student visas.
The University and College Union condemned the fee hike as “economically and morally wrong”. Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary, said: “Taking more money from debt-ridden students and handing it to overpaid, underperforming vice-chancellors is ill-conceived and won’t come close to addressing the sector’s core issues.”
Alex Stanley, vice-president for higher education at the National Union of Students, said students were being asked to “foot the bill to literally keep the lights and heating on in their uni buildings and prevent their courses from closing down”.
Laura Trott, in her new role as shadow education secretary, said: “Last week, Labour declared war on businesses, private-sector workers and farmers with their budget. Now it seems they want to add students to the list.

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The government has pledged to impose the 20 per cent tax from January, making the UK the only western country, apart from New Zealand, which taxes education…reports Asian Lite News

Independent schools across Britain reported a drop of more than 10,000 pupils starting in September, with the starkest fall at the start of secondary school, ahead of the introduction of the Labour government’s VAT on tuition.

The government has pledged to impose the 20 per cent tax from January, making the UK the only western country, apart from New Zealand, which taxes education.

Boarding schools saw the highest drop overall, at 2.4 per cent on average, according to new figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC). For day schools, there was a 1.7 per cent fall. But in Year 7, it was as much as 4.6 per cent.

Schools in Wales have been hit the hardest, followed by those in Yorkshire and the South West. Smaller schools, with fewer than 300 pupils, and those charging the lowest fees saw the greatest drop.

But even medium-sized schools have suffered badly, with one telling The National that it experienced a 10 per cent fall in the number of pupils in Year 7, the first year of secondary school. Several parents have already pulled their children out of Stafford Grammar School, in central England, according to the head teacher, with more having given notice for January, and some planning to see the year out before doing so to minimise the disruption for their children. The school has about 380 pupils.

“In some instances, those who made the very immediate response to do that at the beginning of September said that they didn’t actually have a school place for their child,” said the school’s head teacher, Nick Pietrek. “For those parents who knew immediately that they wouldn’t be able to afford it come January and were already being pushed to the limits, they’d rather pay the fees in lieu and go in the hope they get their child into another school as quickly as possible. But none of those schools were open at the time because it was the summer holiday, so up to the beginning of September, they still had no school for their child. They were literally having to go to the schools directly. The local authority wasn’t able to help.”

Their decision was motivated by the fact that the school informed parents it faced no choice but to pass on the full 20 per cent rise in January when the policy comes into force. “We had already budgeted and we’ve always worked on smaller margins in our fees. Nearly all of our revenue, almost 85 per cent, goes on salaries,” said Pietrek.

“The only way it can be absorbed is by school lowering is fees. And unfortunately, being mid-year, we just can’t do that,” he said. The school hopes to be able to identify some efficiencies to prevent fees rising in September 2025, and possibly even reduce them, he said.

Pietrek said the policy is a repeat of what took place in Greece in 2015, when it briefly imposed a 23 per cent tax on school fees. It was later forced to roll the policy back by the EU and following the closure of smaller schools, with pressure building up on the state sector. A comment was left on an article shared on his LinkedIn account from a Greek resident, who compared the policy’s failure with Labour’s push to introduce the charge. “And I think those same words apply here, really, it feels like a mix of incompetence and political obsession,” he said.

About 600,000 children – or 6 per cent of UK pupils – are currently educated privately. Almost a fifth receive some form of SEND support, and more than a third receive help with their fees through scholarships or bursaries.

The Independent Schools Council, which represents 1,4000 independent schools across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is calling on the government to modify its plans and delay the implementation of the policy, in particular looking at the impact it will have on small schools, faith schools, and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

“This data couldn’t be clearer – parents are already removing their children from independent schools as a result of the government’s plans to charge parents VAT. This is just the tip of the iceberg and the knock-on effect on schools is significant, with many small schools already at risk of closure,” said Julie Robinson, chief executive at ISC.

“We want to work with the government to mitigate some of the biggest challenges of this policy, including looking at delaying the implementation of VAT, and seriously reviewing its impact on young people with special educational needs and disabilities.”

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