British universities devise courses in line with Chinese censorship rules

A group of elite British universities is devising courses in line with the censorship rules of the Chinese government.

Chinese students from Renmin University of China pose for photographs after their graduation ceremony at the school's campus in Beijing, China.

A group of British universities is devising courses in line with the censorship rules of the Chinese government.

Four institutions are piloting a new online teaching platform for students in China which will allow them to continue or start degrees at UK institutions even if they stay at home in the autumn term because of the pandemic. However, the students will receive only government-approved materials.

The pilot scheme involves King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and York and Southampton universities. It is run by Jisc, which provides digital services for higher education. The teaching link has been provided for free by Alibaba Cloud, the Chinese tech giant, creating a virtual connection between students and the online network of their UK university.

China’s internet censorship laws, known as the Great Firewall, are notoriously draconian. Search engines and social media platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube and Google, are banned. References to Winnie the Pooh have previously been outlawed after bloggers made irreverent comparisons to President Xi.

The lack of access to academic materials became a problem for students when British universities locked down in March and many students returned home to try to continue their studies and take exams from there.

They found, for example, that they could not click on embedded links to academic papers sent to them by their tutors or watch lectures on relevant topics on YouTube because they were not necessarily approved by Beijing.

Members of the senior faculty from Renmin University of China arrive to the graduation ceremony at the school's campus.

A spokeswoman for Jisc told the BBC that Chinese students did not have free access to the internet, so could only use “resources that are controlled and specified” by the university in the UK. The virtual connection streamlines that process.

It will add to concerns that academic freedom and free speech are being compromised to abide by Chinese law and ensure that students, their tuition fees and research funding keep coming on to campus. There are about 120,000 students from China at UK universities, and their fees cross-subsidise much of the scientific research that takes place.

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King’s College London, said that academics should not censor themselves out of fear that Beijing could punish British universities that address issues such as Hong Kong.

A Chinese student from Renmin University of China holds a flag as he takes a selfie after his graduation ceremony at the school's campus in Beijing, China.

Jisc said that so far nothing uploaded by any of the universities in the pilot had been taken down. “All course materials have been within regulations. Nothing was altered or blocked,” a spokeswoman said.

Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, supports the project. “We do not endorse censorship. This scheme is intended to ensure that Chinese students, learning remotely during the pandemic, can access course materials and are able to continue their studies,” the organisation said. Australia operated a similar scheme, it added.

Jisc said that as well as complying with Chinese regulations, the online link had created a more reliable connection so that students could more easily watch lectures and join seminars. The censorship policy has often made links slow and unreliable. The scheme could be offered more widely from September.

THE TIMES