Why do we need Education Watch?
Our universities are over-run by lecturers teaching Left-wing bias as objective truth – this is not okay. Universities should be places where critical thinking is taught and both sides are presented. At the very least, lecturers should say “this is my opinion” and then present the other side. At the very most, they should remain neutral and not give their own opinion, just presenting both sides. We want balance – we want critical thinking.
We are also much more concerned with contemporary political bias than historical. If you have a Marxist view of history, then you can teach that, but all we ask is that a) you make it clear that this is your opinion; b) you allow some time for other interpretations of history; and c) you ask the students for their own views, without them feeling afraid that you will disparage them for disagreeing. But again, we are primarily concerned with the contemporary political bias being pushed on students.
What are some examples of university bias that have already been submitted to Education Watch?
For example, we have seen a Science teacher comparing cancer cells to Donald Trump, and a sixth-form tutor telling students to vote for anti-Brexit candidates in the 2019 General Election.
Aren’t you intimidating lecturers?
1 – Are OFCOM intimidating media outlets like Sky News when they monitor their bias? Maybe it intimidates them, but that also ensures balanced media coverage. Teachers should also be balanced and not teaching political bias as fact. Education Watch has no political power behind it – it is simply monitoring incidents so that teachers can know that we are prepared to call them out.
We are not actually stopping lecturers from saying whatever they want – we do not have the power to do that – we are simply exercising our own right and freedom to document what they are doing and call them out for it – to say that we expect better.
To be clear: we do not wish to “bully” academics, and we will happily call out any genuine threats, intimidation or harassment levelled against them. We are also happy to give teachers a right of reply, which we will publish on our blog as well.
2 – Also – what about the conservative students who are being intimidated?! Conservative students feel they cannot voice their opinion because their lecturer will dislike them. They even fear that this could affect their grades!!! What about student intimidation by lecturers? We are simply trying to push back and create a balanced learning environment that teaches all sides and critical thinking.
Aren’t students smart enough to challenge lecturers themselves without a need for them to be neutral?
Students are, of course, going to be intelligent enough to challenge their teachers’ political bias – the issue is, can they be brave enough? We are more interested in students feeling they have the freedom to express themselves without a culture of fear and intimidation, or saying something that will make them feel their teacher hates them or looks down on them for airing that view.
Are you going to name and shame lecturers?
It depends what the incident is – it will be a case-by-case basis. So far, we are simply documenting the incidents without naming the teachers, though we may sometimes name the university or the school. However, if some incidents are serious enough, we may decide it is necessary to publicly name the individuals involved. This would not be our default approach, however – unlike in the US.
There is a reason why people are getting nervous about this – as they should be. We are finally doing something, with the very small and limited resources and power that we have, to actually push back against the Leftist tyranny on campuses that is being shoved down students’ throats.
Isn’t this anti-free speech?
Not at all. As private citizens, people have the right to say whatever they want. When you take on a role in certain jobs, you have to refrain from saying certain things. A news presenter cannot express political bias, a doctor cannot tell their patients to vote Labour if they want to get better, and a university lecturer or sixth-form teacher cannot tell students that Boris Johnson is a fascist and present this as an objective truth.
