Now university exams are attacked for being ‘colonialist’ and enforcing proper English by senior academic Dr Zahid Pranjol in extraordinary article
Making students take traditional exams is racist and exposes ‘colonial prejudices’, a senior academic at a top university has claimed.
In a landmark article, scientist Dr Pranjol – deputy head of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex – also said students should not be forced to use ‘proper English’ in exams.
This is, he says, because it is an attempt to shape diverse students to conform to a “Eurocentric standard.”
Critics warned last night that the article was the latest sign of the ‘numbing’ of university degrees.
British students are increasingly obtaining top degrees without taking traditional exams. Instead, forms of courses are becoming the norm, despite concerns that fraud is becoming more likely – especially with the advent of artificial intelligence software.
Dr. Zahid Pranjol (pictured) argued that timed exams are a “manifestation of colonization in contemporary higher education” because the practice is rooted in the British empire’s belief in its “cultural and intellectual superiority.”
Dr. Pranjol – deputy head of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Sussex – also said students should not be forced to use ‘proper English’ in exams
Efforts by some universities to resume in-person exams after the pandemic have been met with resistance from students. At the University of Glasgow, students said the move is making students anxious. In Oxford, students complained that they felt ‘underprepared’ for the return of traditional law exams.
In his article, published in the journal Trends In Higher Education, Dr. Pranjol argues that traditional, time-limited assessments give an unfair advantage to students who can quickly recall information under pressure and to students who can immediately concentrate and focus can keep. complete the task quickly and perform well under stress’.
Despite these being skills valued by most employers, the article says that universities must ‘decolonise assessment’ and use methods that ‘undo colonial practices and influences’.
Last night, other academics attacked Dr Pranjol’s position. Dr. Stuart Waiton, senior lecturer in sociology and criminology at Abertay University, said: ‘This approach is itself racist and assumes that having a skin color or a different culture means you cannot sit exams.
Critics warned last night that the article was the latest sign of the ‘numbing’ of university degrees
‘Unless we return to real, real exams, British education standards will plummet.’
Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent, added: ‘The project to bring exams into an anti-racist agenda serves as an apology for lowering standards and expectations. Instead of academic education, it offers students second-rate banalities.’
Last night Dr Pranjol said: ‘Exams are an effective way to assess students under pressure and this article does not suggest that will change.
‘However, to have a fairer learning experience, we believe additional ways of assessing students are needed to take into account factors such as neurodiversity.’
He added: ‘This will ensure that young people get the most out of their education and therefore become better workers.’
