The institution really ought to reflect. It had an ‘outsized role in developing racial pseudo-sciences’ – the consequences of which still haunt us today
Report: Edinburgh University had ‘outsized’ role in creating racist scientific theories, inquiry finds
The most famous enslaver in Jamaica, the island that was one of the most profitable of Britain’s Caribbean colonies, is a ghost. One of the...
Verbal communication has always been crucial. But today more than ever, young people must be equipped for jobs that can’t be done by machines
Two years ago, Sir Keir Starmer enthused about teaching speaking skills. So schools campaigners were understandably dismayed when oracy – otherwise known as speaking and listening – did not appear in the interim report of the curriculum review for...
Open letter urges Labor to reverse JRG scheme, introduced by Coalition in 2021, as cost of humanities degrees reaches more than $50,000
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Tim Winton knows what it’s like to be the first in a family to go to university – “what a breakthrough that is, the kind of opportunities it provides”.
Investigation finds one of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious universities benefited from transatlantic slavery and was haven for white supremacist theories
The University of Edinburgh, one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious educational institutions, played an “outsized” role in the creation of racist scientific theories and greatly profited from transatlantic slavery, a landmark...
Students increasingly use AI chatbots for anything from academic queries to emotional quandaries. But are they missing out on the chance to make their own mistakes? Three undergrads reveal all …
Student life is hard. Making new friends is hard. Writing essays is hard. Admin is hard. Budgeting is hard. Finding out what trousers exist in the world other than black ones is also, apparently,...
One of Britain’s oldest and most prestigious universities is reviewing whether to launch divestment drive and drop antisemitism definition
The University of Edinburgh is considering whether to unadopt an internationally recognised definition of antisemitism that critics say inhibits freedom of speech on the subject of Israel and Palestine.
University could rename buildings, events and prizes linked to historical figures named in its investigation
The legacies of some of Edinburgh’s most celebrated professors and graduates have come under new scrutiny, after new evidence emerged about their roles in forming and perpetuating racist theories, or donating money gained from transatlantic slavery to the city’s university.
Alumni such as Robert Halliday Gunning helped the university raise the equivalent of tens of millions of pounds
Robert Halliday Gunning was a Victorian success story, an Edinburgh-trained doctor who amassed a fortune in Brazil’s goldmines before lavishing his wealth on philanthropic gifts. It also appears he was eaten by guilt.
In later life, he ensured his legacy would be linked to acts of...
Trump administration’s block on congressionally approved funding for states had prompted Republican backlash
The White House has announced that it will release $5.5bn in frozen education funds back to US states.
That announcement came on Friday after Donald Trump’s administration decided to abruptly withhold the congressionally approved funds a day before their 1 July release for the 2025-26...
Visa obstacles threaten to dash the hopes of 40 students due to start in September. Here are some of their stories
Time is running out for 40 students in Gaza who have been awarded full scholarships to study at some of the UK’s leading universities this September, but have been unable to fulfil visa requirements due to the war. Campaigners have called on the British government to intervene to...
The PM promised to prioritise oracy, but has failed to do so. Set against tests and exams, it is seen as a luxury: in fact it is essential
The greatest failing of Britain’s schools is to teach children to read, write and count, but not to speak. They teach what technology can increasingly do for them, but not what it cannot. A regular complaint of today’s employers is that applicants for...
Plaquemines parish, Louisiana, will not be forced to follow the law for the first time since the 1960s
In late April, the Department of Justice announced that it was ending a decades-long consent decree in Plaquemines parish, Louisiana, in a school district that has been under a desegregation order since the Johnson administration in the 1960s.
The Plaquemines parish desegregation order, one of...
Former leader of Fire Brigades Union secured 5249 votes against Neil Butler after legal challenge to executive’s earlier decision
Matt Wrack, a former leader of the firefighters’ union, has been elected as permanent general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union following a ballot in which less than 5% of eligible members voted.
He beat challenger, Neil Butler, winning 5249 votes to his...