Uni Court In The Act
OXFORD UNIVERSITY IS to be taken to the High Court, the first time ever in such a case, in a judicial review over assessment procedures. Nadeem Ahmed, a postgraduate student at Hertford, had his academic career frozen in June last year after failing an 'informal' first year exam and subsequent resit labelled 'improper and unfair'. Racial discrimination is the alleged motive.
Indian student Ahmed was taking an MPhil in Medieval Arabic Thought. At the end of the first year he was made to take a supposedly 'informal test', which had been found to be "flawed as a qualifying examination." by the Proctors. According to them, the test was in breach of exam regulations because it was not double marked and was "not independent" because it was set by his own supervisor.
Papers before the High Court allege that Ahmed's supervisor, Dr Fritz Zimmermann of St Cross College, was 'biased' in both setting and marking the test. The same papers also allege that Zimmermann had previously accused Ahmed of 'stupidity', and of being 'presumptious' and 'not cut out for academia'.
Zimmermann next tried to persuade Ahmed to leave the University on the basis of the results of the first exam. The professor himself then left the country on sabbatical, leaving colleague Robert Thomson holding the reins. Although he had been assured that the first exam would have no effect on the completion of his degree, Ahmed was told that he would be denied supervision for the following year unless he agreed to resit the exam.
Ahmed has now been granted leave pending judicial review of his treatment at the hands of the University. His lawyer, Sadiq Khan, says that such action is a first. "I am not aware of any student who has successfully proceeded to a substantial judicial review against the University of Oxford or any other university."
The Academic Standards Council are also backing the case. Spokesman Colwyn Williamson slams the university's actions: "In our view, the matter is being dealt with unfairly. Instead of attempting to brush it under the carpet [Oxford] should let Nadeem get on with his academic life."
Williamson rates the chances of the review being sucessful as "very high", although he concedes that the situation is "essentially unfair when one student takes on one of the richest universities in the country."
Funding from OUSU and the OU Legal Advice Service helped Ahmed launch his legal campaign. He is now receiving Legal Aid, and his case has been backed by media darling and Hertford fellow Tom Paulin, as well as the Dean of the College. The review is due to be heard on November 2nd.
Ahmed is optimistic about the outcome and hopes to be reinstated with a supervisor soon after. He told the Oxford Student: "I want to give Oxford University the chance to put it right."
But how warm his relations with the university would then be remains to be seen.
19th Oct 2000