The background
London Metropolitan University has had its license to teach and recruit overseas students from beyond the EU revoked. More than 2,000 students now face deportation. Ministers, reported the BBC, claim the university isn’t tracking attendance on its course, and many of its students have no right to be in the country. The UK Border Agency says that the university failed to address failings in its system which were brought to light six months ago. In 2010-11, reported the Times Higher Education Supplement, English income from overseas students grew to £2.5 billion.
No other university faces a similar revocation. The government says its simply doing its job and enforcing the rules; others are not very happy. So is this a heavy handed decision, or did the London Metropolitan University have it coming?
What the government says
Damian Green, the Immigration Minister, said that a quarter of students sampled at the university were studying without a right to do so; a large proportion of files found no evidence that mandatory English levels had been reached. And more than half of records didn’t know if students were even turning up. The UKBA said that the problems were with the university, not the sector. David Willets, the Universities Minister, has said that a task force will help students affected by the revocation.
The reaction against
The National Union of Students has condemned the decision. Its president, Liam Burns, said “This decision will create panic and potential heartbreak for students not just at London Met but also all around the country. This heavy-handed decision makes no sense for students, no sense for institutions and no sense for the country. This situation and the botched process by which the decision was arrived at could be avoided if international students were not included in statistics of permanent migrants,” quoted on the BBC.
The student reaction
The BBC rounded up some reactions from students, who mostly complained about having to spend more money on their studies. Bibek Pokharel from Nepal said he had done one term at the London Met, and had paid over £9,000 for his fees. “I come from a poor country with one dream – to get a degree from a British university. My poor family saved money for this, I also managed to save some money to make that possible.” He said he can’t switch, as he doesn’t have the money; the only hope is if the university repays the fees. “Until then – no money and no degree – that’s the cause of my frustration!”
The teacher reaction
Comments on the Times Higher Education wesbite were mixed. One user said: “Great shame for staff and students but this has been coming for about ten years. Having worked there, I cannot believe that many of the same staff at a senior level are still in place. Incompetent does not begin to describe the administration of this university.” Another added: “Yes it is a terrible day for those overseas students who have been caught up in all this and I agree with “jim” that more should be done to mitigate the stress they will undoubtedly be experiencing. But we need to remember that the university yet again did not do as it should and the blame rests there not with the Govt. LMU should be closed down I am afraid.”
