Aggrieved parties will be able to bring cases to the Office for Students’ new free speech complaints scheme without having to pay, with universities falling foul of their duties told to expect to be named publicly.
More details about the long-awaited plan were outlined by England’s higher education regulator as it launched a consultation on its proposals.
But the OfS’ new director for freedom of speech and academic freedom, Arif Ahmed, declined to be drawn on the free speech issues affecting universities currently, stating he did not want to prejudice cases that he may have to adjudicate on from 1 August 2024, when the new duties outlined in the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) act come into effect.
The OfS’ scheme will allow students, staff and visiting speakers to make a complaint to the regulator if they feel a university or students’ union has “failed to secure freedom of speech for them and they think that has caused them to suffer loss”, Professor Ahmed told reporters. Where complaints are found to be justified, universities could face fines or other sanctions.
