As a lecturer at Burnley College I am dismayed at the attitude of many colleagues to a part-time student who is also an elected member of the National Front. They have been refusing to teach her. What is more, NATFHE is in support of this view. The college is dithering, while the issue smoulders. What is your view?
The student in question has every right to her opinion and it must have no bearing on whether or not she is allowed to take up a place at Burnley College. However, the college is not a political arena and this should be spelt out to her. Lecturers who refuse to teach her should be reminded that their role is essentially neutral and that their refusal to teach her is in itself a form of extremism. Further education may challenge her views; exclusion will only harden her resolve.
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