OXFORD dons are today set to debate a motion of no confidence in Universities Minister David Willetts.
If the motion were to be passed by the Oxford University Council, Oxford University would be the first in the country to express its concerns about Mr Willetts’s policies in such a way.
Issues include the rise in tuition fees, the 80 per cent cut to the Higher Education Funding Council for England teaching grant and plans to allow profit-making institutions to become degree-awarding bodies.
Dr Kate Tunstall, a university lecturer in French and fellow of Worcester College, is among the supporters of the No Confidence campaign.
She said: “The 80 per cent cuts in funding to humanities and social sciences is disgraceful.
“Passing costs onto students to do those subjects will mean they are considered only appropriate for the wealthy and that is just totally unacceptable.
“I think the motion will be resoundingly passed.”
The motion to be debated is ‘Congregation instructs council to communicate to the Government that the University of Oxford has no confidence in the policies of the Minister for higher education’.
The campaign has also been backed by Oxford University Student Union.
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