The decision of Parkfield School in Birmingham to suspend education on LGBT rights is a blow to secular society and a victory for theocracy. It comes after 600 Muslim students were withdrawn by their parents, 400 of whom signed a petition calling for an end to lessons on inclusivity and tolerance. Though the school’s decision […]
Vice President Education
Sabb Debates: VP Education
The third day of sabb election week concluded with a debate between the three prospective candidates for VP Activities: Penny Dinh, Enes Baylar and Jack Hindson. Hosted by Xpression FM’s Sophia Hartwell Graña, the debate kicked off with a whiteboard round. All candidates performed strongly when quizzed on the names of the academic colleges […]
The perks of being an intern
I WRITE this after sending, most likely, one of my last emails to my employer. A one-month paid internship, secured through the University, meant a new phone and a new LinkedIn connection. Vanity aside, an internship provided me with a plethora of opportunities that, in my view, supersedes the anxieties of sorting out any internship, […]
Black history – more than a month
FOR most of us it would be an awkward task: attempting to find the exact moment in our lives when we absorbed the data that comprises the broad spectrum of general knowledge. Christmas, tig-and-tag, the Olympics – our knowledge of these things arises from osmosis and are generally picked up through our childhood. Alas, knowledge […]
Europe Strikes Back – An Analysis of Europe’s Strike Culture
Just why is Europe always brought to a halt by weekly strikes? If you have spent time in mainland Europe in recent years, and particularly if you have been a Year Abroad student, you will have noticed that there is one event that causes the greatest inconvenience, often on a weekly basis. Strikes. In Britain, […]
Embrace the ‘C’ Student: An Interview with Kaene Disepo
This month I was fortunate enough to attend TEDxUniMannheim, in Germany. The theme ‘Out of the Ordinary’ gave wide scope to the nine speakers who ranged from polished Oxford professors to, German spiritual rappers and long-haired hippie travellers. However, the message of ‘Embracing the ‘C’ Student’ from motivational speaker, student and businessman, Kaene Disepo, truly […]
Students call on Vice Chancellor to help refugees
Students are pressuring Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith to support the national ‘Equal Access’ campaign at the University – which would allow students seeking asylum to benefit from fee waivers, grants and pastoral support. Part of a campaign already launched in Bristol, Manchester, London, Leeds, Canterbury and Salford, Exeter’s Student Action for Refugees (STAR) society launched […]
Wrecked By Recording
Imagine if exam boards condoned Maths GCSE calculus units completed with the use of a smart phone calculator app rather than a scientific calculator. If Chemistry GCSE practicals did not require live demonstrations by the teacher of the scientific process before students were expected to complete the experiment, and they could just watch a quick […]
Report: VP Education debate
In a sparsely attended opening SABB debate, for VP Education, there was little to choose between the two Harry’s: Reeve and Liu. Multiple questions from the floor scrutinised the similarity between the manifestos of the two candidates, and both struggled to find a way of standing out against the other. The debate kicked off with […]
Keeping the faith: Nicky Morgan, religion and education
Nicky Morgan has thus far made arguably fewer dramatic (and unpopular) decisions in her role as Education Secretary than her ill-famed predecessor, but that is perhaps set to change. Mrs Morgan has recently put herself in an uncomfortable position regarding the curriculum of the RS GCSE, after stating that non-religious views should not be granted […]