University students told they must prepare to be shocked and uncomfortable

The Office for Students (OfS), the national regulator for universities, has explained that UK students must be exposed to different ideas to develop critical thinking skills, even if they might find those ideas offensive.

This comes as part of a free speech guidance statement published by the OfS to help universities understand how to navigate their duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act.

This follows after the OfS previously fined the University of Sussex £585,000 after it found that its trans and non-binary policies breached free speech rules and had a chilling effect on discourse at the institution.

The OfS has now published guidance to elaborate on the duty of universities to uphold free speech in education and secure lawful speech while prohibiting unlawful speech.

Arif Ahmed, the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom at the OfS, said students must understand they will encounter a range of views at university, some of which they may not agree with. The core mission of universities is knowledge, and that required academic freedom and free speech, he said.

“Students need to know that they can freely share lawful views and opinions, and be prepared to hear a range of views as part of their studies,” Ahmed said.

“This includes things that they may find uncomfortable or shocking. By being exposed to a diversity of academic thought, students will develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.”

“It’s essential that universities keep in mind that there is a very high bar for restricting lawful speech. Ultimately each case will need to be considered on its particular circumstances. But in all cases universities must have particular regard for the importance of freedom of speech,” he added.

The OfS also offered universities guidance on how to secure lawful speech, including supporting constructive dialogue on contentious subjects and terminating agreements with foreign entities that enable censorship on English campuses.

Universities should also not punish students or staff for lawful expression of a viewpoint, and they should not require applicants to show commitment to a viewpoint, the OfS said.

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