Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Oxbridge alumni respond to Oxford graduate suing university for "inadequate" teaching

by LAUREN CODLING

OXFORD University alumni have said final grades are down to “individual effort”, in response to a graduate who attempted to sue the school for “inadequate” teaching.


Faiz Siddiqui, who graduated in 2000 with a 2:1 in modern history, tried to sue the school for £1 million claiming his “disappointing” grade was due to staff absence and insufficient teaching cover.

According to the 38-year-old, he had been unable to pursue a successful career in law and had suffered from depression after the result. His claim was dismissed by courts earlier this month.

Monica Ali, the acclaimed author of Brick Lane, told Eastern Eye on Monday (19), she suspected similar cases such as Siddiqui’s would continue to come forward in years to come.

“Students are becoming ‘consumers of education’ because of the high tuition fees that all universities charge,” she said. “They will demand their customer rights and assert themselves if they feel they are being short-changed.”

Graduating with a 2:1 at Oxford, Ali said throughout her years at the prestigious school, she never thought to question how much her teachers contributed to her grades.

“I just felt incredibly lucky and privileged to be there,” she recalled. “I was happy to get a 2:1, because despite feeling lucky to be there, I wasted most of time there reading novels when I should have been reading politics and economics, and I never went to lectures.

“I did put some more effort in during my final year, and in the end for those sort of essay subjects, doing the work is really up to the student, I’d say.”

Earlier this month, data showed Oxford University was on the top ten list of UK universities with the largest number of students achieving first-class grades.

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 33.9 per cent of students were awarded firsts during 2016-17.

Indian news anchor and author Rajdeep Sardesai told Eastern Eye he shared Ali’s views and believed grades were mostly down to individual determination.

“Grades are ultimately almost always about individual effort,” he said. “Be it in Oxford or Mumbai!”

Having studied in India and going on to secure multiple degrees at University College, Oxford, the journalist remembers his time at the institution with joy.

“I had a wonderful education at Oxford that went beyond tutorials to simply learning about aspects of life that went beyond law books,” Sardesai recalled. “Was it worth it? Yes, on balance it was. My tutors became friends for life!”

Rajeeb Dey, the CEO of Learnerbly, the workplace learning platform powered by experts, said he felt it was not fair to blame the teaching for a disappointing grade in regards to Siddiqui’s complaints.

“If this were a legal case brought about by a group of law students from [Siddiqui’s year group] all claiming to have had similarly inadequate teaching, that would perhaps be something which would require further scrutiny,” Dey said.

“However, it seems to be an isolated case and as such a 2:1 is still a very respectable result.”

Dey, who graduated from Oxford with a first-class degree in economics and management, explained that despite the environment and access to some of the world’s leading academics, results rely on the individuals own hard work and effort.

“Whilst you definitely benefit from having access to some of the world’s leading academics, a lot of the onus is on you to manage the heavy workload,” Dey said. “At the end of the day, you have to put the hard work in yourself if you’re hoping to get a first class.”

More For You

Air India

The Amritsar-Birmingham and Amritsar-London Gatwick routes will each increase from three to four weekly flights, while Ahmedabad-London Gatwick will go from three to five weekly flights.

Air India to increase flights between UK and India from March 30

AIR INDIA will increase flight frequencies on key routes as part of its Northern Summer schedule, effective 30 March 2025.

In the UK, the airline will add three more flights on the Delhi-London Heathrow route, increasing from 21 to 24 weekly flights using a mix of A350-900 and upgraded B787-9 aircraft.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pablo-Escobar-merchandise-Getty

Escobar, killed by security forces in 1993, remains a figure of global interest, with his image appearing on souvenirs like T-shirts, mugs, and keychains. (Photo: Getty Images)

Colombia considers ban on Pablo Escobar merchandise

COLOMBIA’s Congress is considering a bill that would ban the sale of merchandise featuring drug lord Pablo Escobar and other convicted criminals.

The proposed law aims to curb the glorification of Escobar, who was responsible for thousands of deaths during his time leading the Medellín cartel, reported BBC.

Keep ReadingShow less
Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Polls show most Britons back assisted dying, with supporters calling for the law to reflect public opinion.

Assisted dying bill: Judge approval scrapped for expert panel safeguard

Eastern Eye

THE proposed new assisted dying law for terminally ill people will be amended to remove the requirement that a high court judge sign off on each case, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater said on Tuesday (11).

Opponents of assisted dying said the change would weaken the safeguards around protecting vulnerable people from being coerced or pressured into taking their own lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Malkinson

Malkinson, 59, has been struggling financially since his release and has been on universal credit for 19 months. (Photo: X/@NotThatBigIan)

Wrongful rape conviction: Andrew Malkinson to get 'significant' compensation

ANDREW MALKINSON, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, will receive a six-figure interim compensation payment from the Ministry of Justice.

The payment comes more than a year after his conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal in July 2023.

Keep ReadingShow less
IMF team visits Pakistan to assess governance and corruption reforms

The assessment will shape structural reforms and examine protections for property rights and foreign investments

IMF team visits Pakistan to assess governance and corruption reforms

Eastern Eye

A TECHNICAL team from the International Monetary Fund met Pakistan’s chief justice Yahya Afridi on Tuesday (11) to conduct a Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment under the 2024 Extended Fund Facility programme.

The IMF team is in the country for a week-long trip to scrutinise the judicial and regulatory framework tackling governance and corruption as part of a £5.6 billion loan agreed last year.

Keep ReadingShow less