UCL's planned Dubai outpost sparks free speech concerns
A leading UK university is hoping to restart its transnational education activities by establishing a healthcare training centre in Dubai, just six years after closing its last remaining international campus. This move has sparked concerns among scholars and staff about the protection of academic freedom and human rights in a country with strict blasphemy laws.
The proposed postgraduate education centre, led by the UCL Global Business School of Health, is described as a "small, specialist training and education hub...focused on healthcare leadership and management for working health professionals." However, the university's academic board has raised concerns about how academics' human rights will be protected in a state with strict blasphemy laws.
Despite the limited scale of the Middle Eastern outpost, the move marks a shift in UCL's international engagement. The university had previously ditched its branch campus model in 2015, focusing on educating students in London. The tagline "London's Global University" reflects this shift, as UCL set up campuses in Australia and Qatar, but both closed due to low enrolments.
The return to international teaching has raised concerns among staff about how the Bloomsbury-based institution will protect the academic freedom of scholars working in Dubai, where Islam is the official state religion. One UCL professor told Times Higher Education, "UCL has long prided itself on being Britain's 'godless college' so setting up once again in a country with strict blasphemy laws has not gone down well with everyone."
Another professor expressed concerns about the protection of locally hired academics in free speech matters, noting that most hires would be Qatari and that the university couldn't protect them to the same standard as flying faculty. The academic board had raised similar concerns earlier in the month.
Addressing these issues, UCL's Colton stated that academic freedom, equality, and staff and student welfare are built into the model through clear governance, risk monitoring, and values-based exit provisions. This ensures full institutional oversight, aligning with UCL's mission to improve global health through education. Academic staff will remain London-based, with teaching delivered in short blocks or online on an opt-in basis. Any locally recruited roles will be employed on terms aligned with UCL standards and policies.
The project will now move to the next stage of regulatory consideration with Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
