The University of Bristol Students’ Union and its Officers would like to record their profound shock and disappointment in the decision by UKBA to remove London Metropolitan University’s highly trusted status, stripping them of their ability to teach overseas students mere weeks before term begins. This politically motivated decision threatens to entirely derail the degrees of thousands of innocent students, who now face the panic and disruption of trying to find another university that will take them - or face deportation – through no fault of their own.
We are gratified and proud that our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Eric Thomas, speaking on behalf of Universities UK, has chosen to focus not merely on the impact of this callous decision on the University sector, but also on the anxiety and distress this decision will place on the overseas students now facing an uncertain future.
Whatever the ins and outs of this case, there is simply no need to jeopardise the university careers of students who have spent a great deal of time and money on studying here in the UK. We would call on the university sector as a whole to come together to find places for these students and to clean up this entirely unnecessary mess, not just to avoid the reputational damage to the UK higher education sector, but to salvage the education of students who are suffering without reason. We sincerely hope that the University of Bristol will play a part in resolving the situation.
Photo courtesy of timeshighereducation.co.uk.