To the Secretary of State for Education
From the academic community of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
14th March 2022
The academic community of the United Kingdom strongly condemns Russia’s war in Ukraine which escalated on 24th February 2022. Russian bombing is destroying Ukrainian cities and creating a humanitarian catastrophe. As of 13th March 2022, the estimated number of refugees outside Ukraine exceeded 2.8 million, with at least 1.85 million internally displaced, and an additional 12.65 million people directly affected by the conflict.
This war is preventing many Ukrainians from accessing education and research. We believe that no person shall be denied a right to education, and we condemn Russia’s attack that destroys civilian infrastructure, in particular Ukrainian schools and universities. We express solidarity with all the people of Ukraine whose peaceful life has been brutally interrupted, and with the academic community of Ukraine and their families who are unable to continue their studies, teaching and research. As a community of practice, we have a duty of care towards Ukrainian scholars and students. We also support colleagues and students from Russia and Belarus who express their condemnation of the war in Ukraine and are, therefore, under the threat of political repression. We believe that protecting the right to work and study of those affected by the war will enrich the scientific community in the UK. As the Secretary of State for Education, we ask that you hear our voice and support the following actions:
Offer assistance and refuge to Ukrainian academics and students who are at risk from Russia’s war, as well as to Russian and Belarusian academics and students under the threat of political persecution. We ask you to put pressure on the Home Office to simplify visa requirements for members of these academic communities and their families.
Support organisations that help academics at risk, including the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) and their programme on Ukraine
https://www.cara.ngo/what-we-do/a-lifeline-to-academics-at-risk/ukraine-crisis/.
Support organisations that help students who need refuge, such as the Universities of Sanctuary
https://universities.cityofsanctuary.org/, encourage Higher Education institutions to join and allocate funding for such programmes.
Encourage funding for displaced academics and students from Ukraine, and those fleeing persecution from Russia and Belarus through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Research Councils, as well as other research and funding bodies in the UK, including the Royal Societies.
Create a fund to support rebuilding Ukrainian universities after the war.
Encourage UK universities to review their ties with Russia, keeping channels of communication open but ending institutional cooperation and material support.
We urge you to understand our concern for Ukrainian academics and students and to provide the support outlined above.
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Please see this letter in document form here
https://tinyurl.com/ywpwpwpf.
Please sign below, using your institutional email address if possible.
