Oxford University will be facing a landmark trial after it was sued by one of its graduates. A £1m compensation claim was filed by Faiz Siddiqui, saying that he failed to graduate with a first-class degree.
Last month, Faiz Siddiqui took his case to the High Court, claiming that the Oxford University's "appallingly bad" tuition prevented him from having a first-class degree. Siddiqui believes that the 2:1 degree he achieved 16 years ago stopped him from becoming a successful international commercial lawyer. He also linked his depression and insomnia to examination results. With this, he is unable to keep a job for a significant period of time.
Siddiqui studied modern history at Brasenose College. He claimed that, during his final year, four of the seven teachers of Indian imperial history were on sabbatical leave, which led to the shortage of professors. Julian Milford, who represents the University, believes that Siddiqui took too long before bringing his case to light. He has asked the judge to strike out the claim.
The Independent reported that Mr. Justice Kerr has ruled that the institution has to answer the case. A trial is also set to take place as soon as possible.Mr. Kerr said that the university is fit for trial. He believes that Mr. Siddiqui has "a real prospect of succeeding in persuading the court to entertain his claim."
The publication noted that, if ever Mr. Siddiqui succeeds in his case, this could pave the way for more students to file similar claims against their schools. This would pose a problem if students claim that they were not given the grade that they believe they deserved.
According to Huffington Post UK, Professor Alan Smithers of Buckingham University noted that Mr Siddiqui's case against Oxford is a test case. Moreover, in the future, he warns that universities will need to make sure that their standards can brave the critical inspection in the courts.
