National Secular Society to launch court action after failure to investigate alleged breaches of academic freedom laws
A university regulator in England has failed to investigate potential breaches of laws protecting academic freedom at a dozen theological colleges and is now facing legal action, the Guardian has learned.
The National Secular Society says it is preparing to pursue the Office for Students (OfS) through the courts to act on complaints first made five years ago, arguing that the colleges are ineligible for public funding or government-backed student loans because of their commitment to theological doctrine.
The society said the 12 bible or theological colleges received more than £80m through the government-backed Student Loans Company and £1m in funding from the OfS since 2018.
The OfS said it was unable to comment due to the pending legal action, but Stephen Evans, the NSS’s chief executive, said his organisation had become frustrated at the OfS’s refusal to respond or act, despite multiple contacts and meetings with the regulator since 2021.
